Bristol Manor Farm stopped the rot in the New Forest but had to settle for a point in a mid-table clash against Bashley.
It had been an emotional week for Farm, with long-serving Lee Lashenko announcing that he would be leaving in the summer, but his players came out looking sharp. Skipper George Dowling had the first and most audacious effort of the afternoon, attempting a dipping volley from near the halfway line, but it didn’t quite dip enough, and the ball sailed over.
Bashley looked an early threat from set plays and had two chances midway through the half. Luke Holmes lashed a loose ball over the bar before Tyler Edmondson’s header landed on the roof of the Farm net. While the halfway-line effort was Dowling’s most audacious, it wasn’t his only one. He attempted a trivela effort late in the half, but it dropped narrowly wide.
Farm took the lead early in the second half as their pressure on either side of the break was rewarded. Evander Grubb teased and tormented his full-back before delivering a pinpoint cross, which was superbly headed home by top scorer Louis Britton.
Bashley leveled via the penalty spot just after the hour mark, with Lewis Ross stepping up. Despite Seth Locke diving the right way, Ross’s effort had enough power to find its way through and level the game. Neither team could muster a meaningful chance to take all three points, with the last effort falling to the home side as Holmes’ low shot was dragged just wide.