FOR the second year running Newton Aycliffe Sports Club travelled to Mablethorpe last weekend to participate in the Lincolnshire Challenge Cup Tournament.

Teams were entered for the following categories - Under-8s, Under-9s Jaguars, Under-9s Panthers, Under-10s, Under-12s and Under-13s

It was a fantastic weekend with 170 people traveling from the club, 65 of them players. For the first time in six years no silverware was brought home from a tournament.

Former England, Manchester United and Middlesbrough star Bryan Robson presented the trophies.

The Under-8s' first game was at 9am against Wendover Sports FC A. From the kick off the Under-8s had some very good possession and when they didn't they fought to win every challenge they could and nearly scoring on a couple of occasions but the game ended 0-0.

Their second game was against Wendover Sports FC B, with some excellent football again, but again the game ended goalless.

The next game was against De La Salle A. It was a difficult game with many shots on goal from the opponents with Ben Walton making some excellent saves. However, one did slip past and the game ended 1-0. The next game was against a local team Theddlethorpe JFC and again Aycliffe battled with an excellent shot on goal by Zach Barrigan which was saved by the opponents keeper as the game ended 0-0.

For the final game of the day all players were encouraged to have a go at goal given the very little time. This paid off against Farsley Celtic FC when Nathan Acuna Ocana took his chance by shooting from outside the penalty box to secure a 1-0 win. This gave the kids the boost and confidence they needed and ended the day perfectly.

The following day Aycliffe faced the leaders Rawmarshall St Joseph B who had an unbeaten record the first day. Aycliffe fought hard and defenders Jamie Lovegreen and Louis Simpson ensured that no goals were scored in a goalless draw.

The next game was against Rawmarshall St Josephs A and Newton Aycliffe knew they had to win this game to stand a mathematical chance of reaching the final. Jimmy Floyd Cameron score a brilliant goal from just inside the box to give them a 1-0 win.

The Under-8s' final game was against De LaSalle B, again Aycliffe battled on but again this ended in a 0-0 draw. Despite only losing one game and conceding one goal the Under-8s did not reach the final and came thirrd in their group.

The Under-8s' George Slatcher is a year younger than the other squad players, but despite this he played excellent in defence, tackling some much bigger lads.

Aycliffe Under-9s Jaguars enjoyed a mixed bag of results at Mapplethorpe at the weekend.

After starting with a loss in the first game the teams confidence started to grow when a hard fought 1-1 draw was achieved in the second game against the group favorites and then followed up with a 1-0 win in the day's final game.

Sunday started with 0-0 draw and was then followed by another goalless encounter before ending the competition with a 3-0 defeat leaving the team in third place in the group. This was still a superb result for a team in their first season together and their manager stated his team had given everything and he could not have ask for anymore.

The Under-9s Panthers played outstanding football with two wins against Hiddesdon Utd B and Kingsthorpe Jets and a 1-1 draw against Rawmarshall St Joseph B on the first day making them a strong contender to reach the final.

On day two they won their first game against Reddish Vulcans A and the second game was against the top of the table Wodson Park Youth. This was a deciding game as to who would pip the points but it was not to be, despite Aycliffe playing strong they lost this game.

The final game was against Wendover Sports FC B and Aycliffe knew they could not reach the final. Despite this they held their heads high and again played excellent football which secured a win. Aycliffe Under-9s Panthers finished second in their group but this was not enough to reach the final. The Under-9s Panthers played outstanding football and were a credit to their club.

The Under-13s also played some great football and despite only losing one game they also failed to qualify for the final.