BOVEY Tracey AFC will have their eyes firmly set on the South West Peninsula League summit when they welcome current leaders Torrington AFC to Mill Marsh Park on Saturday, August 30.

Torrington are the only side in the division yet to drop points after four perfect games- although they do have the blemish on their record of an FA Vase exit at the hands of Teignmouth AFC.

Bovey meanwhile are in third currently and are one of three teams yet to be beaten. The latest league success saw them make the short trip to The Rec where they dispatched local rivals Newton Abbot Spurs with relative ease.

In the meantime, the Moorlanders came from behind to win against Western League outfit St Austell AFC in the Vase, on a day to remember for the South Devon teams in that tournament.

Ben Gerring’s side trail Torrington by two points with Bridport FC currently splitting them and so a home win paired with a Bridport slip-up against Middlezoy Rovers would take them back to the top of the league.

Also in the mix at the top end of the division are the aforementioned Spurs and Stoke Gabriel & Torbay Police.

When that pair went toe-to-toe on Tuesday night, Spurs bounced back from defeat to Bovey with a 2-1 victory, Tyler Joint netting both goals in Newton Abbot.

Spurs are in sixth place with three wins and one loss to their name. They return to weekend football with a visit to Bishops Lydeard for whom it’s been a torrid start to the new season, losing five league games on the spin without scoring a single goal.

To make matters worse, they shipped seven against Saltash United and so Spurs will be hoping to compound their misery in Somerset.

Onto Teignmouth AFC next and they have an extremely busy few weeks around the corner.

It all begins on Saturday 30, with four games in the space of 11 days. The first of those, as previously mentioned, is tomorrow when Axminster Town visit Coombe Valley.

Axminster lost 25 of their 30 games at this level last year on their way to a rough, rock-bottom finish and their start to 2025/26 doesn’t exactly paint a prettier picture.

Conceding four twice, five once and six once, the Tigers are bringing up the rear once again with four straight losses.

Teignmouth on the other hand are fresh off of an impressive Vase victory away at leaders Torrington- that’s the type of result that can really kick-start a campaign.

The Teigns are yet to get off the mark in the league, though there are plenty of opportunities coming up. After the Axminster clash, they face Stoke away (Tuesday 2), Bridport at home (Saturday 6) and then Bovey away (Tuesday 9).

Switching gears to the Western League now and Matt Cusack will be looking for a response from his Buckland Athletic side following a first league defeat of the season.

Prior to this week, they had accrued 10 points from 12 available whilst also winning two of three cup outings.

There is something about Sidmouth Town and matches against sides from Devon though. The newly promoted Vikings are 1-1-1 when facing teams from elsewhere in the country, whilst being 3-0-0 against those from Devon.

First, they knocked Ivybridge Town out of the FA Cup, then they put another three goals past them in the league and have now overpowered the Bucks too.

Luke Forward fired Buckland ahead at Manstone Lane only for the hosts to rally back and win 2-1 in front of their own fans.

There has been plenty to enjoy from the play of Cusack’s men so far though and, if the weather allows it, Bradford Town could be the side on the receiving end of their response.

They won the Division One playoffs to reach the Western Premier and are doing a solid job of holding their own thus far, occupying eighth with a 2-2-1 record, both wins coming on home soil.