RADAR started brightly in this Worcester Sunday League division two fixture with Tim Clarke and Matt Brookes being denied by Danny Brown in the Claines goal.

NEW INN CLAINES 1, MALVERN RADAR 2

The home side almost took the lead when Radar keeper Chris Ball, who played in spite of ankle injury, almost got caught in possession outside his area, he somehow managed to deny Pat Badham and Lee Grubb before the ball was hacked to safety.

Lee Hooper set up Clarke who forced the ball over the line on 20 minutes. Hooper then had to leave the field with a leg injury sparking a Radar re-shuffle.

Play was fairly scrappy until Badham was foiled by Ball, pulling off a smart save low down to his right, and Clarke had two good chances only to pass, when perhaps a shot would have been a better choice, and then he hit the bar after lobbing the keeper.

Gary Harman was in fine form at the heart of the Radar defence but could not prevent Mike Freestone equalising with a well-struck shot from 12 yards, after some good work by Matt Phillips.

Chris Ball, who has kept goal in local football for almost 30 years and prevented numerous goals for opposing teams, achieved a first last Sunday by scoring his first ever goal. His almighty wind-assisted clearance sailed over the Claines defence and bounced over the back-pedalling Brown, who just failed to stop the ball reaching the net for the unlikeliest of winners.

Despite limping for most of the match, Ball somehow managed a lap of honour round his 18-yard box sporting the widest of smiles.

This Sunday, Radar away to Oak Apple, meet RSRE Club at 9.30am.