Dorkinian 1st XI booked their place in the Surrey Premier Cup for the first time in their history, bustling to a 3-1 victory against Sheerwater Reserves, who currently sit third in the Premier Division of the Suburban Football League. On a busy night at Meadowbank stadium, it was the away side that drew first blood inside the first five minutes. A great delivery from a wide free-kick was headed into the net with a smart finish, capitalising on some lacklustre defending from the usually dependable Dorkinians back line.

But other than a couple of regulation saves for Henry Warne, Sheerwater struggled to create another goal-threatening opportunity for the remainder of the game. The early goal certainly jolted Dorkinians into gear, and led by a calm and assured centre-half pairing of George Warne and Joe Pemberton, the home side began to dominate possession, building several excellent passing moves from back to front. Despite several chances to level the scoring, including clearances off the line and clanking of the woodwork, the score remained 0-1 at the half-time interval. One of the best chances in the first period fell to Jonny Walton, who looked to lob the Sheerwater goalkeeper who was stranded 30 yards out after an unorthodox mazy run was cut short by centre-forward, Ally Wise (pictured). Walton struck the ball excellently, but saw his effort phenomenally headed off the line by a recovering defender.

Half-time could have proved a circuit break to the Dorkinian momentum, but driven by the tireless Andy Sears-Black in the middle of the pitch, alongside the aforementioned King and Walton, the home side remained on the front foot. On 60 minutes, Wise was upended in the box, and Charlie Woodman stepped up to convert the penalty kick: 1-1.

It took some twenty minutes for the home side to find their next goal, after a string of half chances and a barrage of set pieces. Eventually, it was a corner that finally made the difference, as a looping ball from Louis Rosher was fired into the net off the head of Sears-Black. An important but much deserved goal. Before Sheerwater could muster any kind of response, a third goal proved the sucker punch. An excellent ball from Pemberton found the feet of Oli Scovell, who calmly drove into the box before cutting back to Woodman on the apex of the penalty area. Woodman struck a low cross across the six yard line, and found Wise, who finished with aplomb. 3-1 and game over.

An entertaining game for the neutral, Dorkinian 1st XI can feel justifiably proud of an excellent cup run that has seen off several very strong opposition sides. The prize is a final on Monday 27 April on familiar turf at Meadowbank Stadium.