Hawes Utd finished their league season with a win and remain top, but Richmond Mavericks also took all three points, meaning they still have three to play and are only five points behind.
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The sun was blazing as Hawes United beat Unicorn for the third time in six weeks to finish the league season on a high.
The visitors will be proud of their clean sheet as Unicorn threw everything at them on a hard, bobbly pitch.
All the best players appeared to be defenders. Hawes’ centre back Daniel Richardson was the pick. For every bump he received from the combative Liam Reeves he gave a bump back.
Skipper Brett Calvert and left-back Lloyd Iveson had to be strong in the air. The Unicorn line of attack, particularly in the second half, was to boot it wide for Tom Keegan to head down for Reeves, but Iveson was equal to the challenge.
The first half brought few chances. Unicorn’s right back curled one just wide of the post from the edge of the area.
Hawes’ best chance fell to Jonathon Champion who found himself through on goal. He chose to shoot early from outside the box and didn’t catch it well.
The chances were tastier in the second half. A Unicorn volley inside the box shaved the Hawes upright, while Tommy Calvert at the other end cleared the bar with a header from six yards out.
The two sides had come to know each other well in a short time. A nil-nil stalemate began to look likely, particularly with Hawes’ top scorer away romancing in Krakov.
It was going to take something unusual to break the deadlock, something that neither side had seen in their two previous, recent encounters.
And that something unusual came from Daniel Peacock. Normally to be found sitting in front of the defence, he caught Unicorn unawares by bursting into the box to collect a pass from Scott Guy before squaring it with his left peg for Champion to knock in from ten yards. The holding midfielder had found the key.
Hawes saw out the game with little of their usual nerviness. Only the most optimistic will hold out any hope that they will win the league, but it was a highly satisfying finish to the season.
All attention now turns to the Dales Cup semi-final against the Mavericks in two weeks time to be played at Carperby.
Mavs had a smoother Saturday beating Spennithorne and Harmby 5-0.
After ten minutes Scott Fenney flicked to Phil Stirling who only had the keeper to beat but put his shot wide.
Soon afterwards a Stirling back heel fell to Andrews but he hit the post.
Mavs eventually got the opener after about half an hour when Stirling squared to Dunwoodie on the edge of the box and he drilled a low shot into the corner.
Reuben Bainbridge then scored with his head from a Stirling cross to make it 2-0 at half-time.
After setting up a couple Stirling then got on the score sheet himself. Dunwoodie ran with the ball and fed Bainbridge who squared to Stirling for a tap in.
In the final minutes Fenney scored from close range and then saw his ball Fenney into the box turned in for an own goal.
The game between Reeth and Colburn kicked off in bright sunshine, and Colburn were quickly out of the traps.
Jamie Dempster put a ball into the box, but Shane Parkinson couldn’t make any real connection.
Then Dempster forced another cross in, but Parkinson shot straight at the keeper.
Next it was Craig Teasdale’s turn – he couldn’t quite reach the ball to turn it in after Reeth’s keeper missed a through ball.
But after ten mins Colburn’s positive start was rewarded when a Teasdale corner from the right was deftly turned in by Parkinson at the near post.
Nige Cole was then unceremoniously felled, Dempster’s free kick was blocked and Parkinson’s effort from the rebound went wide.
Then on 20 minutes Dempster put Parkinson through, Parkinson got the wrong side of the defender who pulled him down.
Parkinson picked himself up and dispatched the resulting penalty to double Colburn’s lead.
Reeth were not showing too much in attack and chances continued to come and go for Colburn.
Teasdale fired another quality cross in, Parkinson missed it and Dempster’s shot was saved.
Then a Teasdale corner was dropped by the keeper but Adam Taylor lifted the ball over.
Another corner from the left reached Luke Hamilton at the far post, but his header flew wide. Then five minutes before half-time, Dempster’s strength took him past a couple of challenges and his fierce shot was heading in at the far post when it was deflected off a defender into the net. So at halftime it was 3-0 to Colburn.
The pattern repeated itself after the interval. Four mins into the seconf half and Dempster’s effort was blocked and Parkinson knocked it in for his hat-trick.
On 51 minutes, Joe Woodall’s free-kick from the left came off the post, span across goal for a lurking Nige Cole to put in.
Two minutes later Cole was there again; a Teasdale corner from the right went right across to the far post for Cole to power a header home.
Cole was then frustrated as manager Darren Nisbet brought himself on to replace brother Craig, and consigned hat-trick-seeking Cole to the back four.
But the goals continued to flow.
On 65 minutes Colburn produced the goal of the game.
Some brilliant build-up took the ball swiftly down the right to Teasdale who pinged a first time cross in for Parkinson to volley home.
The final five minutes belonged to Aaron Stoney, Colburn’s underused keeper.
First he claimed an assist when his clearance found Teasdale who proceeded to score through the hapless keeper’s legs.
Then Stoney was called upon to make a fine save from a Reeth header, and he defended his clean sheet with an excellent tip over from another header.
A one-sided game finished 8-0 to Colburn.
