WITH a cold night on Friday combining with wintry showers on Saturday morning, groundsmen around the area had their work cut out trying to salvage what games they could.

A few matches did make it through to kick-off and served up plenty of goals, with Reece Fretwell scoring a hat-trick for Bootle in their 4-2 win at Vickerstown at Park Vale.

Bootle travelled to Walney on the back of a great 5-2 win against local rivals Millom, knowing that another three points would keep them moving up the Furness Premier League table. Vickerstown were also keen to pick up the points on offer to cement their mid-table position.

Bootle settled into the game well, spreading the ball around and playing through the midfield, while Vickerstown using the pacey wingers to test both visiting full-backs.

The game ebbed and flowed with both sides looking for the opener and this came when the Vickerstown keeper could only parry a cross-shot into the path of the alert Reece Fretwell, who calmly poked home for a deserved lead.

Vickerstown responded well with a series of corners and these were well defended by the visitors, although they did ride their luck on a couple of occasions, one being a great point blank save from keeper Matty Crowther.

Slightly against the run of play Bootle extended their lead when Oliver Smith smashed home the ball from a tight angle to give the visitors some breathing space.

Vickerstown dragged themselves back into the game when Bootle keeper Crowther failed to hold onto a free-kick and Andy Higginson was on hand following up to tap the ball home. The visitors sprung back into action and restored their two-goal advantage when Reece Fretwell skipped past two defenders to calmly place the ball into the corner past the keeper’s out-stretched arm.

The second period was a more scrappy affair and Vickerstown put the Bootle defence under long spells of pressure with the visitors happy to defend, albeit desperately at times.

Vickerstown got back in the game when tricky winger Kye Beach outpaced the defence to lash the ball home to make it 3-2.

Bootle were now feeling the pressure and struggling to make any decent plays.

Vickerstown had a glorious chance to equalise in the dying minutes when the ball fell to the Higginson who blazed high and wide when it looked for certain he would equalise.

Bootle wrapped up the game and Fretwell got his hat-trick when a corner was floated in and half cleared to the Bootle marksman who volleyed the ball past the defender on the line to make the final score 4-2.

This was a good all-round display from Bootle for whom Joe Capstick was man of the match.

League leaders Hawcoat Park Reserves now have a 10-point cushion at the top of the table after beating reigning champions Croftlands Park 4-3.

Matty Pickering helped himself to a hat-trick for Hawcoat with Carl Pearson netting the fourth. Lewis Jones (2) and Martin Grundy replied for Croftlands. Millom Reserves bounced back from last week’s defeat at Bootle by beating Walney Island Reserves 6-0. Chris Wood (2), Lee Postlethwaite, Andrew Woodburn, Ryan Edgelar and Matt Pachul shared out the goalscoring duties.

Division One leaders Hawcoat Park A team suffered their second defeat in two weeks after losing 4-0 to Vickerstown A.

Stu Tippett, Dave Round Junior, Jackson Round and player-manager Phil Athersmith were all on target and the win sees them move up to fifth in the table.

At the other end of the table Haverigg Reserves picked up a point after a 1-1 draw with Askam Reserves.

Ricky Donoghue scored for Haverigg, while Dec Kell found the net for Askam.

Barrow Wanderers ran into a Bridge United side in free-scoring form and were on the wrong end of a 9-1 scoreline.

Josh Greenwood (3) Reece Craig (4) Justin Pearce and Jordan White were all on target for Bridge. Jordan Wallace scored Wanderers’ consolation effort.

Two games took place in Division Two and league new boys British Legion moved up to second place in the table after a 1-0 win over GSK Ulverston Reserves.

Lee Kavanagh scored the match-winning goal which sees Legion now five points behind leaders Croftlands Park Reserves, but with two games in hand.

In the remaining game Barrow Celtic A lost 7-3 to Holker Old Boys A. Danny Mackay, Chris Treen and club stalwart Ash Daly were on target for Celtic.

Nath McHugh (3) Conor Erdis (2) and Jordan Nicholson (2) made sure the points went back up to Rakesmoor Lane.

All but two of local sides had their games postponed in the West Lancashire League.

In Division One, Crooklands drove through the snow to get to Wyre Villa and narrowly lost 1-0.

Division Two action saw Millom record a 2-0 home win over Thornton Cleveleys Reserves.

Chris O’Brien and goal machine Carl Waters were both on target for the home side, who sit third in the table but with games in hand over the two teams in the automatic promotion spots.