Ardington Eagles gave a fine performance to defeat Grove Challengers 4-0 in the first round of the U12 cup. Eagles dominated the early stages with numerous attacks down both wings putting pressure on the Grove goal. After 10 minutes the pressure paid off when a shot from Joe Horton deflected off a defender and looped over the Grove keeper, who had no chance. Eagles continued to attack in numbers with crisp passing and good wing play and soon the score was 2-0 after Sam Hinder pounced on a defensive slip to slot the ball into the net. Towards the end of the first half, Grove fought back and started to create chances but the Eagles defence of Luke Hayes, Charlie Clack, Callum McGeachie and the indomitable Jack Cheshire were expertly marshalled by goalkeeper Andrew Francis and kept Grove at bay until half time. The start of the second half was very even with both teams going all out in attack and there was a feeling that the next goal could swing the game either way. Once again, the Eagles defence, helped by a hardworking midfield trio, kept the lively Grove attackers frustrated with strong defensive work and good organisation. This allowed Eagles to set up their own counter attacks and Sam Hinder gathered the ball wide right, raced towards Grove goal and, from the edge of the box, hit an unstoppable shot high into the net to make it 3-0. This effectively ended the contest and although Grove kept fighting to the end, Eagles finished the game off when Tom King fired in a free kick that bounced deceptively in front of the goalkeeper and ended up in the net. Final score 4-0.