A quickfire first half brace from Richard Williams saw Swallownest cause an upset in the Second Round of the Toolstation NCEL League Cup in midweek.

His opener on 27 minutes at Thackley on Tuesday night was followed by a second just before the half-hour mark as the Division One side beat their Premier Division hosts 2-0 to book a home tie against Dronfield Town in the Third Round later this month.

In the Premier Division, Athersley Recreation have climbed up three places to fourteenth following a 2-1 win at nineteenth-placed Barton Town, James Eyles with a 66th minute winner after Lee Garside's early strike had been cancelled out midway through the first period by Gareth Barlow for the home side.

Hallam are up into the top eight of Division One after a comfortable 5-1 home win over FC Bolsover in a game the Sandygate side led 1-0 at the interval through a Matthew Ord strike.

A Mark West penalty and Ord's second made it 3-0 by the 68th minute and, although Ainsley Finney found the net for the visitors, Hallam completed the victory with a Reece Twell penalty and a fifth from Thomas Roebuck.

The night's other action took place in the Notts Senior Cup where Clipstone bowed out of the Notts Senior Cup on penalties at East Midlands Counties League side Dunkirk in a game that finished 3-3 after extra time.

The Cobras had been leading 3-1 going into the last ten minutes of normal time thanks to a Thomas Blaney double and a Keenan Leeds spot kick but the hosts struck twice late on to force a further goalless half-hour before winning 4-3 in the shootout.

Wednesday night saw the biggest crowd in midweek with 532 at the Bradley Football Development Centre as the two sides based there met in the Semi-Finals of the Lincolnshire Senior Trophy.

Grimsby Borough battled hard against Evo-Stik League side and last year's NCEL Premier Division champions Cleethorpes Town in the El Haddocko derby but it was the higher-ranked team that went through with a narrow 1-0 victory.

Retford United were also knocked out of the Notts Senior Cup by a former NCEL side as, despite goals from Curtis Birchall and Joshua Parfitt twice putting them ahead, they went down 3-2 at home to East Midlands Counties League leaders Teversal.

And, in the Quarter-Finals of the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup, an eleven minute first half hat-trick from Ryan Smith saw Penistone Church progress at the expense of league rivals AFC Emley, the Premier Division hosts going through 3-0 against their Division One visitors.

Meanwhile, two Premier Division matches fell foul of waterlogged pitches with Hall Road Rangers' home encounter with Parkgate and Liversedge's trip to Harrogate Railway Athletic postponed.

Photo: Action from Barton Town's 2-1 home defeat to Athersley Recreation on Tuesday night in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division. (Picture: Jim Nichol)

Match Highlights