Both Great Wakering Rovers and Bowers will be boosted by wins over East Ham when they battle in the Schweppes Essex Senior League Cup on Saturday afternoon.

Village side Wakering go to Ilford for the first leg of their final bid, while Pitsea outfit Bowers will entertain unbeaten Saffron Walden.

In the League, Wakering moved to the top of the table last weekend when they won 6-2 at East Ham, while Bowers took on the same opposition on Wednesday night and went one over the eight with a 9-0 success.

This was a record victory for Bowers since they joined the League 25 years ago, but goals are likely to be much more at a premium tomorrow as Saffron Walden have conceded just eight in their 17 League games to date.

Return legs in the Cup are on April 3 and signs are that both Wakering and Bowers will not have things all their own way. Ilford, although now effectively out of the Championship race, are rated one of the best footballing sides in the League.

Saffron Walden are notoriously tough opponents, but on the plus side Bowers are of course in a rich vein of form at the moment.

With Wakering and Bowers away on Cup duty, Burnham Ramblers will be hoping to boost their championship claims with a visit to hapless East Ham.

Basildon United should also get a title bid boost with victory at Brentwood.

Southend Manor, with some outstanding performances, have moved up to sixth place, but will be without the services of player-manager Mark Jenkins for the visit to Canvey to take on Concord Rangers.

Jenkins has jetted out with another well-known figure from the local soccer world, goalkeeper Jon O'Brien, who has played for Basildon recently, to watch the big heavyweight championship fight in the United States.

The race for the championship continues in midweek with Basildon hosting Southend Manor on Tuesday and Saffron Walden looking certain to pick up three more points at home to bottom club Eton Manor.

Lower down the league Hullbridge entertain Brentwood the same night.

Bowers will meet Concord at Crown Avenue on Wednesday.

Fight for possession - Dons (left) and Kingsdown Rangers in action in the South-East Essex Mini-Soccer League under-9 section at Warners Park.

Picture: LUAN MARSHALL

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.