Burnham Ramblers are on the verge of being expelled from this season's Eastern Floodlight Competition - at the semi-final stage!

Ramblers officially announced they wouldn't be sending a team to Canvey Island's Park Lane ground for last night's (Wednesday's) semi-final - and they look set to be thrown out.

Although an official decision will have to be announced by the competition's committee, it looks certain that Gulls and Saffron Walden will now meet in the final.

The date and venue were ordered by organisers when the two clubs failed to agree, and Burnham's refusal to play centres around the fact that they were already committed to playing Schweppes Essex Senior League games on Tuesday and tonight (Thursday).

Having been given a C grading, Ramblers must finish in the top two to have a chance of being elected to the Ryman League for next season.

However, even those hopes diminished on Tuesday night when they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Concord Rangers, the Canvey-based side aiming for a top six finishing spot.

The two points dropped mean that Burnham lost ground to top two Saffron Walden and Southend Manor, both of whom collected impressive away wins.

While Walden were winning 5-1 at bottom club Stansted, Manor also went nap with a 5-0 success at Leyton. Manor will be back at Leyton's Hare and Hounds Ground on Saturday for the Ancient Order of Foresters League Cup final with Walden.

The Basildon United v Woodford and Hullbridge v Bowers games were both washed out by waterlogged pitches.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.