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May
Peterborough Sports make history as they become the first Division One winners of the League Knockout Cup,
beating Holbeach in a penalty shootout….Blackstones lose on penalties to Winterton in the Lincolnshire Senior
Trophy final at Sincil Bank….Oakham crash 5-1 to Hinckley AFC in the final of the Leicestershire Senior
Cup….Leicester Nirvana beat step 3 Barwell 3-0 at the King Power Stadium to win the Leicestershire Challemge
Cup for the first time….AFC Kempston beat higher grade Barton Rovers 2-1 in the North Beds Charity Cup
final….Peterborough Sports win their fourth trophy of the season beating Peterborough Northern Star 4-1 to
lift the Hinchingbrooke Cup at the first attempt….Blackstones become the first winners of the SRSN Daniels
Cup beating Stamford Lions 3-2 in the final….Lions fare better in the Ancaster Cup final beating Bourne
Reserves 4-2….Kettering Elite become the second winners of the Under 21 Division….Milton Keynes College
win both the English Colleges FA league playoffs and cup….Twenty four players end the season with ever
present appearance records….Leading goalscorers are Dan Cotton of Yaxley in the Premier Division, Avelino
Vieira of Peterborough Sports in Division One, Ryan Kalla of Rushden & Higham in the Reserve Division and
Niall Duffy of Kettering Elite and Sam Smith of AFC Kempston in the Under 21 Division….34,341 and 16,139
spectators watch the season’s Premier and First Division’s football respectively….Average in the top flight is 74
and in the lower grade 47….Wisbech are the best supported Premier club with Blackstones topping the
Division One list….Monthly awards covering April and May go to managers Damion Quailey of Leicester
Nirvana and Graham Cottle of ON Chenecks….Olney’s Jack Weeden wins the final Goalscorer of the Month
award of the season….Potton win a Hospitality award double, taking both the Referee and Club
accolades….Fair play awards go to the Peterborough Sports first team and Rushden & Higham second
string….Yaxley win the Respect award….The Highest Aggregate of Goals trophy adds to Peterborough Sports’
array of silverware….Peterborough Northern Star win the Programme of the Year accolade….Potton’s Ian
Williscroft is the inaugural winner of the league’s Groundsman of the Year award….Jimmy Dean of
Peterborough Sports is named Manager of the Year….Matthew Morrison is Referee of the Year….Desborough
stalwart John Lee is named Administrator of the Year….The Football Association release the league allocations
for 2016-17….Champions AFC Kempston are promoted to the Southern League Central Division….Oadby and
Huntingdon are reprieved from relegation after finishing in the bottom two of the Premier Division….Placed in
Division One are Daventry Town following their voluntary demotion from the Northern Premier League and
promoted pair Melton Mowbray and Whittlesey Athletic from the Leicestershire Senior and Peterborough
Leagues respectively….Reserve teams joining the league are Blackstones, Desborough, Eynesbury, Lutterworth
and Newport Pagnell….Steve Kuhne resigns as manager of Olney who make a speedy appointment in bringing
Neil Griffiths back for a second spell at the helm…..Arron Parkinson steps down at Woodford and shortly
afterwards is announced as co-manager of Daventry along with Andy Marks….Oakham unveil Seb Hayes as
joint manager….Nathan Collins returns to Boston Town for a second spell in charge with Daryl Clare joining him
in the Poachers management team….Gary Ollard is named as manager of Buckingham….Dick Creasey takes the
Wisbech reins on a permanent basis after a spell in caretaker charge to end the season….Title winning
Kettering Under 21 manager Mitch Austin takes charge at Bugbrooke….Tom Chapman is named Cogenhoe
manager….Joe Featherstone is handed the Woodford reins….John Cairns leaves Stewarts & Lloyds after a year
in charge….Tony Joynes leaves his post as co-manager of Harrowby to rejoin former club Newark….Two of the
season’s top goals receive recognition with Rick Drury’s FA Cup goal for Holbeach making the
Non League
Paper
goal of the season shortlist and a Chris Bacon strike for Wisbech in October a runner up in the
Budweisrer Dream Goal
competition.
June
Melton Mowbray change their name to Melton Town and appoint former Football League goalgrabber Tony
Thorpe as manager….James Mallows takes the Whitworth reins….Rothwell Corinthians appoint Jim Scott as co-
manager alongside Shaun Sparrow….Graham Chambers and Dave Clay are unveiled as new Oadby co-
bosses….Ian Benjamin is named manager of Stewarts & Lloyds….Damion Quailey resigns as Leicester Nirvana
manager to take charge at Northern Premier League Gresley….Wellingborough add Darren Collins to their
backroom staff….Former Turks & Caicos national team manager Paul Crosbie joins the Huntingdon coaching
staff….Former UCL hot shot Conor Washington plays for Northern Ireland in the Euro 2016 finals in
France….Football CV Reds midfielder Lucas Panayi makes his senior debut for the Seychelles.
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