AFC Portchester eased into the First Round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup on Sunday with a dominant display over Weymouth at the OnSite Group Stadium. Becki Bath was the star of the show for Portchester, hitting a double hat-trick on the way to a convincing 19-0 victory.
Although they play only one step above Weymouth, it was clear right from the kick-off that the strength and experience of Portchester’s line up was too much for Weymouth’s young side to handle. Pompey hall-of-fame legend Gemma Hillier opened the scoring for the home side after just 4 minutes, Laura Potvin headed a second goal 3 minutes later and the goals continued to flow throughout the first half.
With the half-time score standing at 13-0, Portchester opted to make several changes for the second 45 minutes. Sarah Butterworth made way, with 4 goals to her name, as did Mia Adaway and the captain Hillier with 2 goals apiece. Substitutes Charmaine True and Millie Bradbury both got their names on the scoresheet in the second-half to add to Bath’s double hat-trick and round off a comfortable victory.
The game was played in a very friendly atmosphere and, despite the heavy defeat, Weymouth’s players never gave up and remained in good spirits until the end. Portchester, from the Southern Region Premier Division, will now host Gloucester City in the First Round.
We were fortunate to have photographer Ian Middlebrook on hand to capture the action.
