Anne Lawson added this photo of a farmer hard at work near Hexham to our Northumberland Communities Flickr group. You can see more of Anne's snow photos on the main group page.

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After a period of inactivity due to the weather the under 9 whites returned to action this week with a league match against Wylam Locos u10's. The goals were well spread about the team with William Kellas, Finlay Baty, Callum Armstrong and William Scott all getting on the score sheet. All the girls fixtures throughout the county were postponed this weekend due to school commitments so the girls had a free weekend. Also inactive were the u16 Greens whose match at Cullercoats fell foul of the weather, but surprisingly enough a lot of the Hexham teams managed to beat the elements

After the cup exploits last week Hexham u10 Greens returned to league action against Haltwhistle. The weather continues to play apart in the fixtures and with the pitch at Haltwhistle unplayable Hexham had the option to reverse the match and play it at home. Haltwhistle also won their Cup match last week when after extra time (score 2-2) they eventually beat Prudhoe Blues on penalties.

That result was perhaps a bit of a shock however it also served a warning to Hexham that this was a game they could certainly not take for granted. Hexham's pitch was playable, albeit it quite muddy, and they also had the later kick off of 11a.m.

On a day when heavy overnight rain decimated the League and Cup programme Hexham was one of only nine games that managed to take place. The Wentworth is proving once again what a good draining pitch it is but to be fair the Tynedale area did not suffer the deluge that hit the coast and Tyneside area.

True to form the rain started just on kick off time which created an even slicker surface and the ball was zipping across the pitch. Cullercoats CP have improved from last year and have tremendous pace in their front line but Hexham were more than a match for this. Graeme Turner was making a welcome return to the team after a long layoff and a glance along the bench proved that when Hexham can get a full squad out they are a match for anyone in this division.

Over the ninety minutes this was to be the deciding factor in a game as Cullercoats had travelled with only the team and one sub, so strength in depth was very important.

Hexham had the upper hand in the early exchanges but the best chance fell to the visitors and it took a last ditch challenge from Captain Gavin Cox to ensure Cullercoats hit the post rather than the net or all the good early work would have been undone.

Gavin required treatment not long after this as he sustained a hip injury during this time, he managed to carry on till the break but did not reappear for the second half.

With the weather starting to bite a number of matches failed to start including the senior team whose game was called off on the Friday afternoon at Willington Quay Saints. But there was still plenty of football for the club to enjoy. The under 14's enjoyed their day at Grainger Park, coming home with an excellent 6-2 victory.

With all due respect to Allendale, on paper, this was always going to be a game Hexham would hope to win - and so it proved. With this in mind throughout the game they tried to play a few players in what would be considered unusual positions once they were confident of getting the result we wanted.

For the second week in a row Hexham's pitch was unplayable and a big thank you to Allendale for getting the game played at their place .The referee, who was their manager, had a very good game. It was good to see him explain to both teams at the start that they had to play to the whistle and accept his decisions.

The day itself started with bright sunshine and Hexham got off to an absolute flyer when James Bowes latched on to a sublime pass by Michael Watts to put Hexham 1-0 up. There were some nice bits of individual skill on show and some good link up play and on 11 minutes Michael Watts turned from provider to scorer when he rifled home a great assist by Alex Wood.

Ray Purvis shared this photo on our Northumberland Communities Flickr group.

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Anne Lawson shared this picture on our Northumberland Communities Flickr group.

Join the group to share your photos or send them to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk

It was the longest trip of the season for the under 12's this weekend when Berwick was the venue but at least they came back home down the A1 with a point after a one all draw.

This was a County Cup weekend but the under 14 will want to forget this particular match as they lost heavily to Whitley Bay BC in the NFA Clots Cup.

There was a better result for the under 16 greens in the NFA Colts cup: they made the short trip down the Valley to Ryton and eased into the next round with a six goal victory. Two goals each for Callum James and Jonathon Archer with one each for Josh Stancer and Connor Simm were the goal scorers but man of the match was full back Nick Vincent.

The under 16 girls had a tremendous match against league leaders NHP United. In a fantastic match they were unlucky to lose 3-4 with the added heartbreak of a last minute penalty which was crashed against the crossbar and bounced away to safety

All the hard work on the training pitch for Hexham seems to be paying off which resulted in at tremendous effort against Wylam in the Tynedale Mini Soccer Division Two. Hexham pressured Wylam for most of the game, and the attacking play was fantastic .Every player impressed; when asked to do a particular role this was carried out, and the shape of the team was very good. Up until seven minutes it was one way traffic from Wylam but the whole team defended as a unit.

Thirteen cadets from 224 (Hexham) Squadron got dressed up to celebrate Halloween in style. The cadets spent Friday 28th October swinging from trees at Go Ape at Matfen Hall, an exhilarating five-part high ropes course.

Despite the creative costumes all cadets managed to put on their harnesses and participate in the half hour safety briefing. Younger baboons were assigned adult Gorillas to supervise them throughout the course which at its highest point is 11 metres above the ground.

It was a surreal sight as Santa, Elmo and a baby among others tackled the course with 38 crossings in the beautiful setting of the Matfen Hall estate. In addition to the tree-top crossings there were Tarzan swings into cargo nets that proved a favourite for most of the cadets.

At the end each of the five sections was a high speed zip-wire that got the adrenaline pumping, with the final zip wire a staggering 160 metres long.

The trip was organised and partly funded by the Civilian Committee of the squadron and one of the Civilian Instructors Dave Kitcatt, who works at Go Ape. All the cadets thoroughly enjoyed the experience with Corporal Annalise Laidlow (16), student at Queen Elizabeth High School, saying "it was a really enjoyable and exciting experience. I think it helped us bond together as a squadron and I can't wait to go again!"

Interested in aviation? The Air Training Corps welcomes young people aged between 13 and 17 who have a taste for adventure. 224 Squadron meets every Wednesday and Friday evening at the TA Centre, Hencotes, Hexham. Realise your potential; find out more at www.224hexhamaircadets.co.uk.

Four cadets at 224 (Hexham) Squadron have just attained a BTEC Level 2 in Public Services, equal to four GCSE's.

The cadets Flight Sergeant Reuben Molina (17), Sergeant Anna Skentelbery (18), Sergeant Peter Skentelbery (17) and Cadet Jamie Whiteley (17), three of which attend Queen Elizabeth High School, achieved high marks in their BTEC's with one Merit and three Distinctions.

The qualifications gained through Cadet Vocational Qualification Organisation (CVQO), certified by Edexcel were mainly earned through the cadets attending the Squadron twice a week and participating in normal cadet activities such as sport and summer camps. The cadets all had to attend a one weekend course in order to fill out and complete a workbook to gain the qualification.

224 (Hexham) Squadron now have 7 cadets who have gained this qualification which is free for cadets to gain. More cadets have enrolled for the upcoming year and it is hoped that soon all eligible cadets on the Squadron who have two years service in the Air Training Corps will gain the qualification.

Commanding officer, Flight Lieutenant Dave Elliott VR(T) said "Not only are the cadets leaving school with four more GCSE's than the average school leaver but they have gained this qualification in their own time. They have shown motivation and dedication in gaining the award, qualities that will be valued highly on their CV."

Interested in aviation? Want to gain nationally recognised qualifications? The Air Training Corps welcomes young people aged between 13 and 17 who have a taste for adventure. 224 Squadron meets every Wednesday and Friday evening at the TA Centre, Hencotes, Hexham. Realise your potential; find out more at www.224hexhamaircadets.co.uk.

The Northumberland FA Minor Cup is a competition that Hexham have never done themselves justice in. Despite getting through the early rounds in the past they have never got past the third hurdle. So after a bye in the first stage and a home tie against North Northumberland Shilbottle CW reserves in the second could this be their chance to put the record straight.

Early Hexham pressure on Shilbottle
goal

From the first whistle it was a proper cup tie and neither team was holding back but Hexham definitely had the upper hand against a spirited young team from the north of the county. Shilbottle tried to take the game to Hexham but the composer of the midfield hold pair of Neil Tiffin and Michael Robson soon had the situation under control allowing Mark Gibson the opportunity to get forward to support the striking pair.