With January proving to be an extremely forgettable month, on account of the weather and Ewell's flat performance against Worcester Park 'A', they were hoping for a brighter February. Unfortunately, the conditions on Saturday afternoon showed no sign of improvement as the driving winds and heavy rain meant that Ewell's first step to retaining the Geoff Ellis Shield was touch and go, even after the venue had been switched to the invincible Nescot. However, the game did go ahead on the promise that dangerous tackles and/or significant damage to the pitch would result in a postponement. The former condition seemed to have fell on deaf ears, as Webster embarked on a slide that ultimately tested the robustness of a Rollers forward's shin pad, in addition to winning the ball. This signalled the start of what would clearly be something of a battle, as the few remaining swathes of grass were rapidly transformed into a quagmire, meaning that the opening stages lacked quality. Ewell's most threatening foray into the opposition's half came when Sear was freed down the right flank, though unfortunately for them, his fiercely driven cross was not diverted goalwards.Ewell survived a momentary scare when Ransom was beaten to a hanging ball and lobbed by the onrushing striker, though their blushes were spared by the offside flag. After spending the first 30 minutes clawing their way into the game, Ewell finally broke the deadlock after Keogh produced a moment of magic. The opportunity arose after neat interplay between the target man and Bullock, and the former's delicate chip from the left hand side of the box certainly caught Rollers' keeper unawares and found the far corner. The slick surface was conducive to the knee sliding that followed, and Ewell took this slender lead into the interval as the afternoon's second hail storm approached. Ewell were soon rewarded for their patience after the restart, as they continued to try and keep the ball on the floor despite the increasingly challenging weather and disintegrating playing surface. Uncharacteristically, they doubled their lead with a long range effort, as Chipperton seized upon a loose ball and riffled a low effort beyond the Roller's keeper from around 25 yards out. His corner was then turned home as Bullock swooped to head in Ewell's third from his customary poacher's position on the edge of the 6 yard, in spite of the highly optimistic calls for offside. The third goal was a hammer blow to Rollers' hopes of progressing and Ewell looked to punish their dwindling confidence. Hodge looked set to provide the fourth goal, yet he unselfishly passed up the opportunity to go for glory as he squared the ball to Keogh, who proceeded to keep his head and double his tally for the afternoon with a calm finish. Ewell continued to create promising openings and manouvre the ball in intricate manner, and brought on reinforcements in the form of pacey striker Bunde and the return of metronomic midfield man Stevens, after a suspiciously lengthy absence. Hodge's earlier act of altruism did not go unrewarded as he got on the scoresheet in the closing minutes, rising high and supplying an emphatic header after meeting Chipperton's corner at the near post. Kingshott, intent on keeping Ransom occupied, threatened to undo all of his and Ewell's sterling defensive work with one of the last kicks of the game, after conceding a cheap penalty. However, the penalty taker had the unenviable task of dealing with the submerged penalty spot and the imposing presence of Ewell's cup specialist Ransom, and the keeper ultimately triumphed in this contest after repelling the tame effort. Cleansheet intact, Ewell saw out the remaining minutes unscathed and set up a grudge match in the next round with Cheam Village Warriors Reserves in the process. However, their chances of retaining the presitigious Geoff Ellis Shield are now in the hands of the League Gods, with the competition hanging in the balance due to the unrelenting poor weather. Come what may, Ewell's performance on the day was commendable and they will look to carry that sort of form into their remaining league fixtures.