Daniel Badman scored four times as Royal Wootton Bassett Town Veterans returned to Wiltshire League North Division action with an impressive 6-1 victory against Stratton Juniors in their penultimate fixture.

The result, sealed by goals from Kevin Gulliver and Steve Howse, secured a vital three points for Bassett.

Most importantly, it kept alive the team's title hopes, though Bassett are still arguably the outsiders in a three-horse race.

But the win also put pressure on fellow contenders Priory Vale and Redhouse.

Priory Vale currently head the table on 35 points with one game to go. Bassett are second on 34 with one match remaining, while Redhouse are on 32 points with three games left to play.

Redhouse are therefore arguably best placed to finish top, despite currently being third.

But they play Priory Vale in a crunch clash next week, which all Bassett eyes will now be on.

A draw in that contest is the result Bassett will be hoping for. Should that occur, then a win for Bassett against Redhouse in their match on 12 April will give them the title (although anything less would likely condemn them to third).

A Redhouse win against Priory Vale would mean Bassett would require a draw in their last game to guarantee runners-up. The title would still be possible, however it would need Redhouse to suffer an upset in their other outstanding fixture against South Cerney Rangers.

Meanwhile, if Priory Vale are victorious against Redhouse, then Bassett would only be able to finish second - but in such a scenario they would very much likely need to beat Redhouse to make sure of that.

Either way, three excellent teams are set to deliver a grandstand finish to a thrilling league campaign.

Credit: Stuart Smedley
Last modified on Wednesday 23rd March 2022 at 11:09