BASINGSTOKE Town Colts completed a hat-trick of county cup triumphs by winning the Hampshire Under-16 Cup.
The team, who had previously won the under-14 and under-15 titles, beat Isle of Wight outfit Vics 3-1 at Winklebury earlier this month to make it three wins in a row.
Aaron Nesbeth’s header set the Basingstoke side on their way, while George Smith created the second goal, his fine run ending with the Vics goalkeeper bringing him down to concede a penalty. Aaron Hillier saw his kick saved, but he was able to tuck home the rebound and double the lead.
The colts looked comfortable, with Jordan Mooney producing a man-of-the-match performance at centre-back and Sam Harper, Connor Thorne and Charlie Hayward winning the midfield battle.
It was a Hayward pass that set up the third goal, putting Smith clear to round the goalkeeper and slot the ball into the empty net.
Manager Anthony Mooney said: “It is a remarkable achievement from this set of lads to win the Hampshire Cup for three consecutive years.
“To win the Hampshire Cup once takes a good side. To win it three times takes an incredible amount of hard work from all of the boys and the coaching staff involved.
“We are pretty sure that no other team has ever achieved this. It’s a truly phenomenal effort that might never be repeated.”
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