Sidmouth and Ottery Ladies 1st XI are in a god shape going into Sunday’s Devon Cup final at Okehampton against Plym Valley, writes Stephen Birley.

The ladies completed a fine league season with a clean sheet success in their last outing of the Central League campaign, beating Somerset Gryphons 3-0 at Sidmouth.

The game’s third goal, scored by Sara Roberts, saw the team reach a superb half century of goals this season.

They reached the final after some heroics by goal keeper Hayley Delasalle in the penalty shoot-out success over Exe II and earlier in the competition they also recorded a 4-0 win over Teign at Ottery St Mary.

Since the turn of the year the ladies have lost just two games, both away from home and both 2-0.

Those reversals were at Taw valley and Old Bristolians, but they won their other seven fixtures and of course had that dramatic Devon Cup semi-final penalty shoot-out success.

The game with Somerset Gryphons saw SOHC begin well and they opened the scoring with Bobbie Caldwell rifling a fierce shot home from a short corner.

They bossed possession and created a number of good chances, but were unable to add to their lead and took the single goal advantage into the interval.

After the break they continued to dominate proceedings and it was no more than they deserved for their endeavours when Ellie Marok celebrated her season’s award as ‘most improved junior player’ with the second goal.

Fittingly it was the player who ultimately landed the top individual team honour of ‘1st XI players player of the year’ Sara Roberts who struck the third goal, the one that saw a half century chalked up for the campaign.

It was also most fitting that Hayley Delasalle kept a clean sheet making a number of fine saves.

Defenders Jess Allen and Jodie Parsons also put in excellent shifts to take the clean sheet count this season to an impressive nine!