A round-up of the weekend’s Ryman League action, including wins for AFC Sudbury and Leiston

Division One North AFC Sudbury 5 Redbridge 1

Leaders AFC Sudbury remain in control at the top of the table following a comprehensive victory over the league’s bottom side.

Luke Callander grabbed a hat-trick to secure the points for the hosts, which leaves them with a 12-point lead at the top of the table with nine games to go.

Callander grabbed his first just before the break with a stooping header, but the visitors unexpectedly levelled before the interval through Joe Gent.

Billy Drake’s red card for elbows opened the floodgates, as Sam Clarke put Sudbury on their way to victory 10 minutes after half-time with a good finish.

Callander then converted two penalties, either side of a Stephen Good own goal, which would complete his treble.

Maldon & Tiptree 3 Bury Town 1

Two quick goals put Maldon & Tiptree in control as they went on to secure three points against injury-hit Bury.

Darren Mills beat Neil O’Sullivan after just seven minutes, with a shot across goal, with the second goal coming six minutes later as Sam Newson got on the end of a good cross to double the Maldon lead.

Nick Ingram couldn’t make the most of a good chance to get back into things as Bury came into the contest, with Ollie Hughes seeing penalty appeals waved away before the break after he was pushed in the back.

Despite Maldon starting the second period the stronger, Bury dud pull one back as Remi Garrett crossed for Ingram to head against the bar, with Josh Mayhew following up to turn the ball home.

With Bury pushing for an equaliser, the hosts attacked quickly and Darren McQueen slotted home to ensure Maldon & Tiptree took the points and dented the visitors’ fading challenge for a play-off place.

Cheshunt 2 Brightlingsea Regent 2

Phil Kelly snatched a last-gasp equaliser to rescue a point for Brightlingsea Regent at 10-man Cheshunt on Saturday.

As a result, the R’s remain in the thick of the Ryman North play-off race, staying three points adrift of the top five in seventh, with Cheshunt sitting in the last play-off berth.

Cheshunt were reduced to 10 men after just five minutes, when full-back Joe Kizzi was given a straight red card for kicking out at striker Terry Rymer.

But the Hertfordshire hosts went ahead on 10 minutes, with Adam Bolle on target, sweeping home after keeper Sam Cowler’s block.

Shami Pedulu missed a good chance to equalise in the 25th minute, when presented with a one-on-one situation, but Kelly did equalise just before half-time, bursting past the last defender and keeper to slot home on 44 minutes.

Cheshunt thought that they had secured victory, when substitute John Frendo regained the lead in the 88th minute, only for Kelly to bag his second goal of the game in the last minute to keep James Webster’s men in touch in the play-off race.

Premier Division

Leiston 3 Leatherhead 1

Leading scorer Christy Finch notched another two goals for Leiston as they overcame Leatherhead 3-1 in an entertaining contest at Victory Road.

Jack Ainsley secured the win from the penalty spot in added on time in a game that saw two penalties and a red card.

The home side could have taken the lead on 10 minutes, Ainsley’s right wing cross ended up at the feet of Billy Clark whose effort was deflected onto the bar and into the safe hands of goalkeeper Louis Walsh.

A defensive error gifted the home side the lead on 20 minutes, Steve Watt misjudged Ainsley’s long ball and Finch nipped in and slotted the ball home. It was 2-0 on 29 minutes, Seb Dunbar made a strong surge into the box and was adjudged to have been brought down. Finch stepped up and confidently stroked home his and the home side’s second.

The game was back in the balance on the hour mark, Adam Green’s free kick was flicked to the back post and Phil Walsh fired low and hard past Ashlee Jones.

The Tanner’s hopes of an equaliser were dealt a blow when Kiernan Mason-Hughes was shown a straight red for complaining too vociferously following a foul on Dunbar.

Leiston wrapped the game up in added time, substitute Jake Taylor getting in behind Adam Green and the full back brought him down in the area. Ainsley stepped up and scored his second Leiston goal.