Both the Bill Brackenbury Cup and Grace Martin Trophy are back in full swing following the Easter interval.

Words by Liam Cook

Two games couldn’t be split in the men’s competition, while all teams now have matches under their belt in the women’s league.

Bill Brackenbury Cup

Balmain DFC 2-0 LFC Sports

After an opening round defeat, Balmain DFC are now on the Bill Brackenbury Cup winner’s list in 2023.

LFC Sports brought a distinct style to their first fixture of the season at Balmain’s Callan Park and while the visitors sought to unleash their lively forwards, the experienced hosts aimed to quell their opposition’s exuberance through controlled and composed play.

The first moment of consequence came 37 minutes into the match with Balmain breaking the deadlock. An Alexi Barnstone cross paved the way for a familiar header from familiar face, Ryan Chomphonut.

Bamain almost doubled their lead when a brilliant Joemar Birds long range strike seemed certain to hit the top left corner of the net, but LFC’s goalkeeper Jude Azar submitted a sprawling save in a display of his side’s unyielding spirit.

Veteran striker Aman Hadid pulled out all the stops to find an equaliser for Lakemba but it wasn’t to be.

Youth prospect Aaron Nordstrom delivered the decisive blow in the 67th minute when he negated two LFC defenders and finished with class for a well-earned 2-0 Balmain victory.

Enfield Rovers 3-3 Hurlstone Park Wanderers

In what may be a preview of things to come down the line, Enfield Rovers and Hurlstone Park Wanderers could not be split after 90 minutes of enthralling football at Henley Park.

The home team made a hot start: Ryan Henderson executing a penalty within three minutes before Nathan Scicchitano thought he might wheel out an early goal of the year contender to make the score 2-0 within half an hour.

Scicchitano’s monster 35-yard strike went like a tracer bullet into the top right corner, leaving Hurlstone Park’s goalkeeper befuddled.

But just as soon as Enfield acquired their lead they would have it taken away thanks to Hurlstone Park’s speed men up front.

Frank Calcagno added the Wanderers’ first, and soon after flicked on a pass to the express Christopher Arditti who tied things up at the 30-minute mark.

Neither side could penetrate early in the second half with the counter-attack of Hurlstone Park colliding with Enfield’s proclivity to play from the wings.

A goal mouth scramble provided an opportunity for Cory Sharma to convert an Enfield penalty, achieving a 3-2 lead.

Needing a hero, a right wing cut back from Hurlstone Park’s Arditti equalised a game where neither side deserved to lose.

APIA Leichhardt JFC 0-0 Strathfield FC

APIA Leichhardt JFC and Strathfield FC did not submit information in time.

Grace Martin Trophy

All teams have now played their first Grace Martin Trophy game of the year during the extended round one period.

Round two arrived soon after and saw all teams compete on Sunday.

Leichhardt Saints A 9-0 LFC Sports

Runners up in 2022, Leichhardt Saints A have begun this new campaign in emphatic style against the newly arrived LFC Sports.

Starting like a house on fire, the home team added four goals inside the first twenty minutes at Parry Park.

Sophie Lewis, Emily Farrington, Lucia Gonzalez, and Jodi Harris were all the beneficiaries of quick passing.

Despite the many new faces fielding the park for Leichhardt, they went into half time with a 6-0 lead after Gonzalez and Farrington added another two goals.

LFC Sports created chances in their first Grace Martin Trophy outing but couldn’t pierce the host’s sturdy defense.

Leichhardt maintained the rage in the second stanza, Phrosini Banbas scoring her first while Gonzalez and Farrington secured themselves hattricks in a comprehensive victory.

Leichhardt Saints B 8-0 Balmain B

Four goals to Jasmine Sergeant and three to Zoe Lindhout helped Leichhardt Saints B to a complete performance against Balmain B.

Sergeant’s ability to take on defenders and execute her scoring opportunities arose from strong passing work up the field in the first half.

Not willing to share hat-tricks with Lindhout in the second half, Sergeant produced a beautiful shot outside the box in the second half for her fourth, while Maya Robertson added the icing on the cake with a 90th minute score.

Pre-season anxieties were largely quelled for the Saints who displayed their cohesion, composure, and ability to put a price on ball possession.

Balmain’s skills and passing proved a rare highlight for the visiting side, who struggled to keep up with their more seasoned opponents.

Marrickville Red Devils B 0-4 Strathfield FC

A young star shone amidst a grinding round one encounter at Tempe Reserve between newcomers Marrickville Red Devils B and returning side Strathfield FC.

Scarce opportunities arose early for either team as they looked to find their feet in the opening stages of the 2023 season.

The deadlock persisted until just prior to the main interval, when young prodigy Isabella Azzopardi struck a lengthy high ball over the Marrickville keeper’s head to signal her Grace Martin Trophy arrival.

Strathfield picked up where they’d left off, scoring three unanswered second half goals.

Azzopardi’s second came thanks to a skillful Rachelle Sotirio pass, before securing a hat-trick via a penalty.

Icing on the cake stemmed from Beren Gungor, who burst past the halfway mark and dealt a punishing strike from outside the 18 yard box to make it 4-0.

Balmain A 5-2 Leichhardt Saints B

Seeking redemption from their emphatic Friday night defeat at the hands of the Hurlstone Park Wanderers, Balmain A well and truly reversed their fortunes to record a brilliant win over touted rivals, Leichhardt Saints B.

Coming in as underdogs didn’t deter Balmain, who showed vigour and determination perhaps lacking in their previous fixture.

Elise Crimmins’ first of three goals for the afternoon came in the 10th minute before Leichhardt hit back through their own goal scoring machine, Zoe Lindhout.

A penalty conversion from Maisie Tanner saw the home side ahead 2-1 at the main interval.

Balmain rode that momentum into the second half, adding three more goals to Leichhardt’s one, again through Lindhout.

Two more from the irrepressible Crimmins, in conjunction with a neat left foot Grace Sidhom finish ensured Balmain’s redemption was complete.

Balmain B 0-2 Concord JSC

Improving markedly on their heavy round one loss, Balmain B went within two goals of last season's champions Concord JSC in a spirited display at Callan Park.

Midway through the opening half Concord midfielder Ellen Wlodarczyk was injured in a tackle within the Balmain half and took no further part in the match. The resulting free kick ended in a shot which narrowly missed the right post.

Balmain fostered prime chances of their own but failed to capitalise against a stingy Concord defence.

On the cusp of halftime, Alyssa Wedd’s withering run through the right midfield and strong finish produced a vitally important deadlock breaker in Concord’s favour.

A war of attrition broke out in the second stanza, both defenses foiling attacking raids.

Despite a collision with the Concord goalkeeper, Balmain were again unable to put scoreboard pressure on the reigning premiers, who ultimately made them pay.

With just under 10 minutes to go, Ellie Jones received a ball deep into the right defensive corner for Balmain, weaved through a number of cover defenders and slotted the ball past the keeper to secure Concord’s win.

Marrickville Red Devils A 1-2 Strathfield FC

Strathfield are undefeated two rounds into the 2023 Grace Martin Trophy thanks to a narrow win against Marrickville Red Devils A.

The Red Devils' elegant passing game saw them dominate possession for long periods, and with their speedy forwards getting on the end of some penetrating attacking balls from midfield, the hosts took the game by the scruff of the neck.

Ellie Shephard had a goal disallowed by the assistant, but fans didn't have to wait long before the Devils were first on the board with a classy Angelina Forstmann goal from a Lucy Marta assist.

Strathfield tenaciously clawed their way back however, not two minutes later returning a goal through Jasmine Saunders for a 1-1 scoreline at half-time.

A dour second stanza was punctuated by a textbook Rachelle Sotirio goal to ensure a Strathfield victory and deny Marrickville their first ever Grace Martin Trophy points.

Leichhardt Saints A 8-0 Marrickville Red Devils B

With many players absent due to Orthodox Easter and holidays, Saints A were fortunate to call on reserves from their Division 3 team and continued their strong start to the season with a comfortable 8-0 win over Marrickville B.

Regular attacking raids from the Saints resulted in four goals in each half, with three players managing doubles; Jodi Harris, Lucy Gonzalez, and Emily Farrington.

In addition to the tremendous trio, Leichhardt’s Sienna Excell added the first goal of the game while Sophie Lewis also put her name on the scoreboard.

A significant milestone was achieved for Lucy Gonzalez as her second goal of the match saw her move to outright leading goal scorer in the Grace Martin Trophy competition.

Marrickville adopted a possession-based approach to the game that despite occasionally putting them under pressure in their own half, frequently resulted in some dangerous moments in attack.

The Saints were able to recover well and get back in numbers to maintain their perfect defensive record for the season.

Other teams

The following teams did not submit any information:

• Cooks River Titans 2-5 Hurlstone Park Wanderers
• Hurlstone Park Wanderers 7-1 Balmain A
• LFC Sports 3-2 Russell Lea

Image credit: Photographed with Love