Despite a depleted programme due to the heavy pitches, the Cheshire County Football Association Sunday Challenge Cup took centre stage with an all Houlihan’s Birkenhead Sunday Association Football League clash between Woodchurch Hotel and Queens Park.
Woodchurch took the honours 3-1, with strikes from Michael Burkey, Glenn Rule, and Jordan Deer over 10 times winners Queens Park who replied via Mikey Davies.
Current holders, Dock AFC, who have won it on three previous occasions, sailed to a comfortable 7-1 win over Sale United, with Adam Lea leading the way with a hat-trick supported by efforts from Jake Hully, Jamie Eaton, Jack Kelly, and an own goal and move into the quarter finals.
Also through to the last eight are Great Float S&S (Josh Maldon 2, Jake Stewart 2, Karl Barker) who triumphed with 5-1 result against PLCC, with three goals coming in the final 10 minutes, with Kark Barker putting in a player of the match performance,
Corsair PV took the honours 3-1 on penalties after a 0-0 stalemate with AFC Shaftes.
Just two games survived the weather in The Tony Houlihan Memorial Challenge Cup 3rd Round and that was mainly due to clubs taking a superb initiative and hiring 3G grounds with deferred kick offs to suit the venues.
Rock Ferry Social progressed into round four after a hard-fought 3-0 win over Cheshire Cheese thanks to Adam Smith, Phil Mohammed, and Mike Williams netting.
Also into the next round were Old Parks who had Ben Kierman, Adgie Lamb, and Sammy Watkins on the scoresheet with a 3-1 success over fellow Division Three rivals Wirral Athletic.
One game was scheduled in The Premier Division and it was a solitary worldy goal from Danny Dixon for Lancelyn Glenavon that decided where the points went at Neston Nomads.
The only game to survive in The Maxwell Barbers Division One was a top clash between leaders Bushell Athletic and strongly fancied Wellington FC. Bushell Athletic ran out 3-1 winners in a hair-raising game that could have gone either way, but a double from Stuart Toner and one from Ben Glover sealed the points and they are hoping for a return to the Premier Division
The Houlihan’s Birkenhead Sunday Association Football League are now accepting applications from new prospective clubs to join the League for the 2023-2024 season, a limited number of vacancies are available also a proposed Youth Division for the same season that is scheduled to start in August 2024, any Youth clubs that wish to enter two teams can do so, one team will be known as Youth U/18’s and a second team is normally known as a Colts U/17’s, please visit the League website for contact details
Images: Woodchurch Hotel (red) v Queens Park (white) Credit: Bob Shaw
Premier Division
| # | Team | Pl | HW | HD | HL | AW | AD | AL | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| 1. | BEECHWOOD FC | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 12 | 13 | 24 |
| 2. | WOODCHURCH HOTEL FC | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 12 | 14 | 22 |
| 3. | ROCK FERRY SOCIAL | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 19 | 11 | 22 |
| 4. | DOCK FC | 10 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 21 |
| 5. | QUEENS PARK FC | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 13 |
| 6. | GREAT FLOAT SPORTS & SOCIAL FC | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 11 |
| 7. | NESTON NOMADS | 9 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 16 | -4 | 9 |
| 8. | LANCELYN GLENAVON | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 33 | -16 | 9 |
| 9. | CORSAIR PV | 10 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 22 | -8 | 6 |
| 10. | KRCT BIDSTON FC | 13 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 20 | 51 | -31 | 4 |
Division One
| # | Team | Pl | HW | HD | HL | AW | AD | AL | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| 1. | BUSHELL ATHLETIC | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 23 |
| 2. | JPL JETS | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 9 | 24 | 18 |
| 3. | CHESHIRE CHEESE FC | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 10 | 15 | 16 |
| 4. | EASTHAM RANGERS COLTS | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 16 |
| 5. | WELLINGTON FC | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 14 |
| 6. | UPTON TOWN FC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
| 7. | WIRRAL RADIO FC | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 20 | -3 | 12 |
| 8. | RIG MOVE SERVICES FC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 8 |
| 9. | MSC EASTHAM | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 42 | -31 | 7 |
| 10. | AFC SHAFTES | 11 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 34 | -22 | 3 |
| 11. | WOODCHURCH ROVERS | 9 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 33 | -23 | 2 |
Division Two
| # | Team | Pl | HW | HD | HL | AW | AD | AL | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| 1. | PRENTON FC | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 5 | 34 | 20 |
| 2. | SHERIDANS FC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 7 | 23 | 19 |
| 3. | WHITBY RANGERS FC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 4 | 24 | 16 |
| 4. | BARCODE FC | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 14 | -2 | 14 |
| 5. | SAUGHALL FC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 13 |
| 6. | LIONS FC | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 13 |
| 7. | BARKERS ARMCHAIR FC | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 32 | -20 | 12 |
| 8. | EAGLE & STIRRUP FC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| 9. | VICTORIA COLTS | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 39 | -27 | 5 |
| 10. | POULTON VICS S&S | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 25 | -15 | 3 |
| 11. | GLENAVON ATHLETIC | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 40 | -36 | 0 |
Division Three
| # | Team | Pl | HW | HD | HL | AW | AD | AL | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| 1. | WEST KIRBY UNITED | 13 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 16 | 17 | 27 |
| 2. | AFC RANGERS | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 21 |
| 3. | AFC TIMA | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 26 | 3 | 19 |
| 4. | OLD PARKS FC | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 18 | 10 | 18 |
| 5. | OVAL FC | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 18 |
| 6. | EASTHAM RANGERS | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 18 |
| 7. | PARKGATE PANTHERS | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 22 | 7 | 15 |
| 8. | HIGHER BEBINGTON KELMA | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 12 |
| 9. | ATHLETIC VH | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 12 |
| 10. | PARKGATE ST GERMAIN | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 22 | -8 | 8 |
| 11. | WIRRAL ATHLETIC | 11 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 21 | 47 | -26 | 7 |
| 12. | NORTH WIRRAL SAINTS | 9 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 22 | -6 | 5 |
| 13. | AFC RAEBURN | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 39 | -25 | 4 |
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