Stratford 8, Evesham 0

LEAGUE Champions Stratford turned on the style at home on Saturday as they thrashed local rivals Evesham.

Despite dropping two points against the same opposition on their visit to Evesham in December, Stratford's performance was a vintage display of the form that has secured the DTZ West Midlands Premier League title.

A visiting team, featuring several unfamiliar faces, started reasonably brightly but it was the home team that secured the first short corner.

Ed Grigg was denied by a foot on the line from his well clipped shot to earn a penalty stroke which Leary dispatched for the first goal.

The second was not long in coming from another short corner as captain Stuart Guise pounced on a well saved strike from the right to extend the lead as he banged the ball in to the backboard to acclaim from the supporters. With their tails now well and truly up, Stratford began to play with style but also a professionalism that saw Lines as bedrock of the midfield make good use of Gibson's pace at left wing back and sweeper Hyatt bursting through from the back safe in the knowledge that centre backs Steve Gray and debutant Will Noble had the measure of the Evesham front pair.

Such has been the team success this year that only two outfielders, Gray and Gibson, had not featured on the score sheet to date, which was surprising given the latter's skill and contribution to the left hand side of midfield.

Gray had had his chances in earlier weeks but this time as he picked up a sharp pass from Reynolds he was not to be deflected. Shaking off tackles, the terrier-like Gray made it to the top of the D to fire home a fine shot that would not have disgraced striker Ed Simpson.

Guise soon added a fourth - his fourth of the season - and Leary a fifth to take a handsome five-goal cushion into the break after which Stratford came out determined to carry on where they left off rather than rest on their laurels.

They weathered some determined resistance but their efforts could not be maintained and Leary completed his hat-trick within ten minutes of the restart from another well-worked short corner.

A further penalty stroke won a few minutes later saw Gibson on the bench unavailable to take it. At this point the skipper recognised the chance to give keeper Dudley the chance to add to his record of the lowest tally of goals conceded in the league to bag one at the other end.

Sadly, it was not to be as the ball squirted wide and Dudley had to trudge back to the far end and make sure of his clean sheet which he duly did despite a tricky moment a little later when he got the better of a marginal decision on an Evesham strike from near the top of the D.

Leary's fourth soon after got the goal tally moving again and in the closing minutes it was a rearguard action from the visiting keeper and defence as Simpson and Guise were denied on numerous occasions.

Gibson made a number of foraging runs in pursuit of his goal and eventually it came as an Evesham clearance was intercepted by Reynolds on the left who carried the ball to the top of the D and found Gibson running on to the cross; with super timing he rounded the hapless keeper and finished well to seal a memorable win.

Captain Guise said afterwards: "To play in the style we did in our last home league game of the season against our local rivals was very rewarding.

"We now have a crucial game on Sunday when we play Marconi Coventry in the semi-final of the Warwickshire Plate and, if we keep in this form, we should be on course for the double."

Stratford travel to relegation threatened Bromsgrove on Saturday.

DTZ League West Midlands

Premier Division

P W D L F A Pts

Stratford 19 14 3 2 56 22 44

Streetly 18 10 4 4 52 28 34

Aldridge 18 9 4 5 41 31 31

Walsall 19 8 6 5 39 32 30

Old Sillhillians 19 8 3 8 42 34 27

Old Wulfrunians 19 7 4 8 39 43 25

Kingswinford 17 7 3 7 39 45 24

Stone 20 6 4 10 42 42 22

Evesham 19 6 4 9 32 50 22

Bromsgrove 19 4 7 8 45 47 19

Wombourne* 19 2 2 15 23 76 5