Banyers 2 Royston Saints 2 BANYERS look certain to clinch runners-up spot in the Halls of Cambridge Sunday League after sharing the spoils. There was good attacking play at both ends, Royston probably edging the number of chances in the first 20 minutes.

Banyers 2 Royston Saints 2 BANYERS look certain to clinch runners-up spot in the Halls of Cambridge Sunday League after sharing the spoils. There was good attacking play at both ends, Royston probably edging the number of chances in the first 20 minutes. Banyers' best chance fell to Steve Cawdell, who steered the ball just wide. The hosts took the lead halfway through the half with a cracking goal from Barry Wood. A throw-in was launched into the box, which a Royston defender headed out, challenging with Jeremy Clements. The ball fell to Wood on the side of the 18-yard box and he curled a dipping shot over the keeper. Banyers put on the pressure for the next 10 minutes but Royston defended well. Saints levelled with 10 minutes of the first half remaining with a well-executed set-piece. A free-kick on the right was curled over the defence and found Simpson unmarked at the back post to power a header into the top corner. After another foul on Wood, the ball fell to Chris Holt. Royston had stopped, expecting the free-kick, but the ref played advantage and Holt put Dave Ratcliffe through to slot his second goal against the Saints in as many games. Stephen Paul was battling hard in the centre, and again Adam Smith was winning almost everything in the air. But Banyers let Saints back into it again with a near-carbon copy of the first goal. Again, a set play from the right found Rutter unmarked at the back post, and on the second attempt he looped a shot across goal past the outstretched hands of Pigg for 2-2. Royston could have snatched victory at the death when another free-kick went agonisingly past a post. Cherry Hinton 2 JM Metals 3 METALS clawed back to the top of the league after a gutsy display at Cherry Hinton. The visitors took the lead early on when a pinpoint cross from Daniel O'Farrell was headed home by Neil Van Der Merwe Hinton always looked like getting back into the game, and after some questionable defending did just that, making it 1-1 with a shot from 12 yards. Just before the break a stupid foul was conceded on the edge of Metals' penalty area and from the resulting free-kick Cherry Hinton made it 2-1. After the break, Metals looked determined and Liam Austen and Dave Plester battled hard in the centre of midfield and controlled the game. With 20 minutes to go, manager Danny Crotty made three tactical substitutions, bringing on attacking midfielders Dalton O'Brien and Craig Hunter to try to break down Cherry's defence, and Elliott McGrath to keep things steady at the back. This seemed to be the best decision of the season as, with five minutes left, Metals levelled the scores after some good battling by O'Brien. He found Hunter, who struck home a 20-yard shot. Cherry's players looked upset and bedazzled and, with a minute left, gave away a needless free-kick on the edge of the box. This was swung in by Steve Plumb and met again by Van Der Merwe, who powerfully headed past the helpless goalkeeper to give Metals the points.