By Kevin Marriott

WESTERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION

Saltash United 12 Welton Rovers 1

RIKKI Shepherd underlined his return to top form in spectacular fashion at Kimberley Stadium on Saturday with seven goals as bottom club Welton were hit for a Saltash dozen.

Shepherd’s exploits will go down in the record books because no Ashes player has scored seven times in a match in what the club described as ‘the modern era’.

Shepherd scored a 10-minute hat-trick midway through the first half, added a fourth goal before half-time, and then added another three in the late stages of the second half.

Saltash’s other goals came from Kieran O’Melia, Tom Payne (penalty), Finley Wilkes, Eli Evans and an own goal.

Since signing from Helston last summer, former Millbrook favourite Shepherd has been hampered by a knee injury which kept him out of the team until December.

He marked his return to the starting line-up with all four goals at Welton on December 14 and followed up with a hat-trick at Portishead before notching two at St Austell last week.

Shepherd said: “These were my first goals at Kimberley – which a few people reminded me of yesterday! Hopefully I made up for it by scoring seven.

“Most were my trademark poacher’s finish inside the six-yard box, but there were a few good goals in among them as well.

“One in the first half was played through before I wrong-footed their defender to hit it back across him into the opposite corner of the net.

“And the pick of the bunch came in the second half. I was picked out in the corner of the box; faced with a defender I carefully curled it around him and the unsighted keeper, who could only watch as it sailed over him into the far corner of the net.”