LYME Regis First Team's impressive form continued on Saturday with a 3-2 victory over previously unbeaten Elmore 2nds which narrowed the gap with Devon and Exeter Premier leaders Alphington to five points but with a game in hand.

Elore were the only side to beat the league leaders, a feat which the Seasiders hope to repeat on Saturday when they travel to the Exeter side.

It was one of those games where no quarter was given by either side and the referee was kept busy throughout the 90 minutes, finally calling both captains together because of the number of incidents taking place off the ball.

Lyme started strongly with Brad Rowe shooting wide in the first minute. But it was Elmore who oppened the scoring with a free-kick into the top corner in the tenth minute.

The Seasiders were back on term with a spectacular strike, 35 yards out on the left flank fro Mark Bailey, his 151st goal for the club and certainly one of his finest.

Lyme took the lead in the 19th minute when the industrious Ben Turner fed a perfect through ball for top scorer Fred arsons to slot home. Later in the half the two combined well again but on this occasion it was Turner who shot wide.

Brad Rowe was causing the Elmore back line all sorts of problems with his strong running up front and he was unlucky not to have increased Lyme's lead when he failed, sliding in, to get hold of a perfect Parsons' cross.

Rowe also went close when his volley from an another incisive Parsons cross screamed over the bar. At the other end keeper Will Meech brought off a number of brave saves to keep Elmore at bay.

The Tiverton side came out strong after the break and dominated proceedings until Lyme grabbed a third goal when a cross from Rowe was slotted home by Parsons.

But in a sloppy piece of defending Lyme conceded a second straight from the re-start to set up an entertaining last 20 minutes which saw Lyme hang on to their lead in dogged fashion.

Elmore are one of the better football sides in the league and may well have thought they deserved a point from this bruising encounter, but this was a typical Seasiders' victory, winning battles all over the park.

Manager Julien Simier was delighted with the performance, praising the midfield trio of Cally Garrett, Ben Turner and Fred Parsons for their work rate. There were many contenders for man-of-the-match but in the end Simier gave the accolade to Brad Rowe for leading the front with such commitment.