Sport update

Essex Spartans American football team saw their early-season struggles continue with a 0-14 home defeat at the hands of the Milton Keynes Pathfinders.
After dropping their first two games, the Billericay-based Spartans welcomed the Pathfinders looking for their first win of the season. In an ill-tempered and scrappy game, Essex had Aaron Millar to thank for ensuring the opening quarter ended scoreless with his block of a Pathfinder field goal attempt.
After the teams traded interceptions, Nick Mayer snagging his first of the year for the Spartans, Milton Keynes were able to open the scoring shortly before halftime with a short-yardage plunge to give the visitors a 0-7 lead.
Spartan Craig Willis was fortunate to see his fumble of the second-half kickoff recovered by teammate Norris Owusu, who took the ball down to the visitors 4 yard line. After a long punt return by Mayer, the Spartans were unlucky to reduce the deficit when Mayer’s field goal narrowly missed wide right.
As tempers flared, Earnest Owusu ended another Pathfinder drive with an interception deep in Spartans territory, but with quarterback Tom Overton-Smith struggling, the home team were unable to capitalise.
A reflective Spartans Head Coach Marc Saunders commented, “Today’s loss was certainly a disappointment, we made mistakes and paid the price.
“Our next three weeks will certainly be spent going back to basics and getting the little things working as they should.”
The Spartans return to action on June 2 when they visit the Kent Exiles, before returning to Hannakins Farm on June 9th to play the Maidstone Pumas.
For more, visit www.essexspartanc.co.uk

BILLERICAY racer Stuart Voyce took a double victory at Brands Hatch last weekend.
Racing in the Marangoni / Gaz Shocks Compact Cup at the 750MC meeting at the Kent circuit, Voyce secured second on the grid in his BMW E36 compact 318ti for his first race with a sub one minute lap of 58.16 seconds.
He converted this into a win, finishing more than 10 seconds in front of second placed Colin Bysouth completing the 15 lap race in a little under 15 minutes.
In his second race, Voyce was up against a different group of rivals, as competitors are split into three groups.
Over the three races, each driver takes part in two, whereby all groups compete against each other at some point over the weekend.
He started from the front of the grid and led from the start, but did not have the cushion over his rivals he enjoyed in his first race.
Instead second placed Stephen Roberts piled on the pressure trying to look for a way to take the lead, but Voyce managed to stay ahead and took the chequered flag less than a quarter of a second ahead of Roberts