The sun shone on the first weekend of County Cup Final’s as the Girls under 14’s and under 16’s cup were contested for in baking weather at Sittingbourne’s Woodstock Park.

After all the recent poor weather, it seemed incredible that the Sittingbourne officials had actually considered watering the pitch before the two games, and whilst it would have added something, all four sides deserve full credit for two intriguing contests that could have gone either way, and in the end were both won by teams “playing up” an age group, as Gravesham Girls and Ladies beat Ebbsfleet United 2-0 to lift the Under 14 Girls cup and that was followed by Kent Football United triumphing 3-1 against Tunbridge Wells Ridgeways to with the Under 16s cup.

In the Under 14s game, Gravesham took an early lead when keeper Keisha Lemar launched a huge kick down field which took a huge “Gravesham bounce” over the defenders allowing the very impressive Holly Martin to hold off two defenders as she rolled the ball into the net.

Rikki Turner almost doubled the lead with a low shot which considering how uneven the surface was in front of her Ebbsfleet keeper Michaela Hill did incredibly well to hold onto at the foot of her right post.

Ebbsfleet despite the probing of Lizzie Waldie just couldn’t get going and it wasn’t really any surprise when Martin doubled her side’s lead just before half time.

Indeed the only difference this time was that the final through ball came from Abby Hancock – it really was a super pass that still needed work and Martin’s finish was terrific.

After the break as the sun got hotter chances came and went at both ends. Jade Fawcett hit the side netting when she could have done better; Waldie shot narrowly wide before Honey Miller shot straight at Gravesham keeper Lemar, and that was to be Ebbsfleet’s last chance and they really ran out of ideas.

The victory could have been more conclusive had Miller done wonders to deflect Fawcett’s drive wide of the post and Fawcett again almost got on the end of a long ball before flashing the shot wide.

At the final whistle, Gravesham coach Scott Martin was a very happy man. “I’m thrilled” he said, “It was a tight game as we thought it would be, but I’m so pleased for the girls as they’ve played an age group up. It was an amazing game.”

Meanwhile Ebbsfleet coach Simon Hall was “disappointed that we’ve effectively been beaten by two long balls. But fair play to Gravesham – they were better than us today and deserve the win.”

“We did really well just to get here today and how can I be anything but pleased with the way the girls played.”

Ebbsfleet United Girls – Michaela Hill, Georgia Durling, Honey Miller, Alex Landgridge, Lizzie Waldie, Louise Chenery, Lucy Fitzgerald, Tia Manku, Lauren Upton, Destiny Field and Georgy Hill

Gravesham Girls – Keisha Lemar, Imogen Saunders, Freja Askew, Maisie Parnell, Abby Hancock, Alicia Stanley, Jade Fawcett, Holly Martin, Rikki Turner, Hollie Chappell, Lauren Trussell, Reah Sall and Enya Joseph
In the second Final of the day, Kent Football United came from a goal behind to beat Tunbridge Wells Ridgeway 3-1.

It was a very cagey first half with both sides probing to try and find their opponents weaknesses and as the contest developed there was a strange magnetism that attracted the watcher to the action.

Indeed the only goal mouth action of any real note provided the game’s opening goal for Tunbridge Wells as Shannon Hyner played a fabulous ball through to Lauren Underhill who still had it all to do before holding off three defenders before blasting the ball home into the bottom corner.

The second half was almost the exact opposite of the first with both sides now used to the conditions and to an extent each other, and right at the start of the half there were loud shouts for a penalty for Tunbridge Wells that the referee waved away.

There was then a lengthy delay while Kent Football’s Natalie Summers received treatment after a very heavy challenge on the edge of the box.

Many watching indeed flinched as Summers and a TW defender collided in a cruching challenge that would have made most men turn away cringing.

The delay clearly upset Tunbridge Wells as from the resulting free kick, Lucy Cockerill crashed home the free kick that levelled things up for her side leaving Dad Lee (one of United’s coaches) with a smile wider than the Dartford bridge.

That smile got wider two minutes later as United took a lead they were not to lose… Cockerill played a super pass inside the defenders for Lauren Parsons to hold off defenders and completely wrong foot keeper Chloe Keywood to give United the lead.

Keywood then did brilliantly well to deny Parsons as she looked to have escaped the defence as Wells seem to wilt in the afternoon sunshine. Keywood then produced another really fine save to deny Cockerill low to her right, after Parsons turned provider.

After keeping her side in the game, it all went horribly wrong for the Wells keeper in the last minute as it was her attempted clearance went straight to Parsons who took her time, picked her spot and that was that! It really was tough on Keywood after her previous heroics…

As the final whistle went, and United celebrated the final word was left to their boss Maria Thompkins. “I am so proud of my girls, so proud!” she said beaming!

“We told them at half time that if they believed they could get something out of the game, but I’m so so proud – I don’t think I’m going to stop smiling for a week.”

“They played a year up so that we could enter and we never thought we could win the thing against so many good sides. Tunbridge Wells should be proud of themselves as I thought they were terrific today – but I’m so pleased with my girls!”

KENT FOOTBALL UNITED – Rachel Pollard, Yasmin Tomkins, Natalie Summers, Charlotte Eade, Emily Kelly, Rosie Jackson Ward, Lauren Parsons, Lucy Cockerill, Temilola Adeyemi, Damoy Stewart, Rosie Howard

TUNBRIDGE WELLS RIDGEWAY – Chloe Keywood, Carly Wooding, Niamh Kavanagh, Tia Beeching, Shannon Hyner, Eirlys Withers, Eleasha Hyner, Grace Cooper, Olivia Turner, Sophie Cadell, Lauren Underhill, Georgia Moore