Just a: 8 minute read
The final curtain fell on the 50s Dorset Walking Football League season on 12 April 2026. It was a landmark evening for Dexter Sports Walking Football Club (DSWFC), hosting the season’s conclusion at the County Ground – further cementing the venue as a premier hub in Poole for walking football.
DSWFC fielded two squads, Dexters Storm and Dexters Thunder, showcasing the club’s impressive depth in a day of contrasting fortunes on our home turf.
Matchday Info
🏆 50s League Round Six, 2025/26
📆 Sunday 12 April 2026, 16:30
📍 County Ground, Hamworthy, Poole
Dexters Storm
Billy Bulloch 🧤
Darren Snell 🧢
Simon Baker
Gary Craig
Luke Hitchen
Chris Short
Dexters Thunder
Andy Hatchard 🧤
Paul Gillis 🧢
Mark Williams
Chris Cockwell
Mike Excell
Martin Ball
DSWFC Tournament Report
Storm warning: A clinical 4th place finish
Dexters Storm saved their best performance for last, securing three wins from three and scoring 10 goals in the process. The afternoon belonged to the “Dynamic Duo” of Luke Hitchen and Chris Short, whose clinical finishing blew the opposition away.
📰 Storm review
Storm 4-0 Verwood
Luke Hitchen opened with a sensational hattrick (his 5th, 6th, and 7th of the season), while Chris Short added a fourth.
Storm 3-0 Thunder
Hitchen remained in unstoppable form, bagging a second consecutive hattrick in the club derby.
Storm 3-1 Weymouth
Chris Short took the spotlight for the final match, netting a hattrick of his own to seal a fantastic afternoon.
Season Verdict
Storm finished in 4th place with 33 points. While we tied with Bournemouth on points, we only narrowly missed out on a podium finish due to goal difference—a fantastic achievement in a highly competitive league.
🔢 Storm results
| Opponents | Score | Scorers |
|---|---|---|
| Verwood | Won 4-0 | Luke Hitchen x3, Chris Short |
| Dexters Thunder | Won 3-0 | Luke Hitchen x3 |
| Weymouth | Won 3-1 | Chris Short x3 |
📢 Storm quotes
Storm gave the most complete performance of the season in the final league round, scoring ten goals, conceding only one and playing like a group who had played with each other before. It was a remarkable improvement over the previous round which I’d describe as ‘chaotic’. This was quite the reverse and a real privilege to watch such quality football being played by everyone. To have missed out on third place by goal difference alone is a considerable achievement.”
Andy Madden, DSWFC 50s Manager
Well played everyone, thanks to Cookie and Wheels for stepping in at short notice.”
Luke Hitchen, Storm player (and former captain)
Well done everyone in both team’s today. I echo Luke’s comments with Wheel’s and Cookie. I may be a little bias when I say well done to the Storm lads. We went with a different system today to what we’ve been playing all season and everyone did their job to make it work. I’d say with 3 wins, 9 points, 10 goals and the only blemish to a perfect round being one goal conceded. In my first outing as Storm Captain I couldn’t have asked for more effort from everyone. Again, well done to everyone in both Dexter’s teams.”
Darren Snell, Storm Captain
Well done to Storm for finishing so high in a high quality league. They played really well through the 3 games.”
Mark Williams, Thunder player
Thunder Show Resilience at the County Ground
It was a tough final day for Dexters Thunder, who faced a gauntlet of the league’s top sides. Despite the difficult results, the team displayed the grit and spirit that has defined their season.
📰 Thunder review
Thunder 0-1 Eastleigh
A heartbreakingly narrow loss against the league runners-up. Thunder pushed Eastleigh to the limit, only conceding once.
Thunder 0-3 Sherborne
A disciplined Sherborne side proved hard to break down.
Thunder 0-3 Dexters Storm
Thunder battled hard in the intra-club clash but couldn’t withstand the Storm’s attacking momentum.
Season Verdict
Thunder secured an 8th place finish. By (mostly) maintaining their discipline throughout the season, they finished comfortably above Bournemouth Whites and Verwood, cementing their place in the heart of the table (ish).
🔢 Thunder results
| Opponents | Score | Scorers |
|---|---|---|
| Eastleigh | Lost 0-1 | |
| Sherborne | Lost 0-3 | |
| Dexters Storm | Lost 0-3 |
📢 Thunder quotes
With Thunder what might be construed as an unsuccessful day must be very clearly put into perspective. We were without our captain, vice-captain, principal striker, replacement striker, regular goalkeeper and ever-present defender. Our starting six included four players with a combined 18 months of Dexter’s membership. And yet, at times, we looked like we had known each other for a considerable time. I was immensely proud to see every one of us playing WITH each other and FOR each other.”
Andy Madden, DSWFC 50s Manager
It was a really enjoyable day playing with the Thunder lads despite the results not being what we wanted. We gave Eastleigh a really good game and were unlucky not to get a draw. Really enjoyed the game against Storm and thought we held our own at times, but excellent saves from Billy and clinical finishing from Shorty and Luke won the game. I just want to say I’ve really enjoyed being back playing again. Dexter’s is a fantastically well run club. Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome into the club and the banter of team mates again is exactly what I’d been missing. One day I’ll get the hang of this not running lark!”
Mark Williams, Thunder player
It was a strange day to be honest. The results don’t show it, but every Thunder player played well. Andy was superb in goal and Chris, Mike, Mark, Martin and Darren all played some excellent football, showing a whole range of skills and great teamwork. We came away with nothing – three games, no points, no goals and six conceded, yet nobody had a bad day… football can be cruel sometimes. Well done boys, you deserved better.”
Paul Gillis, Storm and 60s player
DSWFC Player Stats
With the 2025/26 league season done and dusted, we can look at some individual achievements.
- The DSWFC 50s Top Scorer for league matches is Gary Craig with 13, closely followed by Luke Hitchen on ten.
- 24 players pulled on the red and blue, but only four players turned up at every league tournament…
- Well done to Simon Baker, Billy Bulloch, Gary Craig and Darren Snell who all managed 100% league attendance this season.
- A further two, Simon Allen and Nick Webb, were at five of the six league tournaments.
League Overview
Amesbury secured their second 50s Dorset Walking Football League title in four seasons. Having last won the league in 2022/23, they put in an even better set of results this time round. Just one defeat and two draws in 18 matches is testament to an excellent season. A goal difference of +41 confirms what a dominant display it was.
Eastleigh pushed them all the way to the final day, losing just two matches along the way. A wonderful result for them, having never finished higher than fourth previously.
The defending champions, Bournemouth, finished some way off the pace of the top two, and pipped Dexters Storm to third spot on goal difference.
Why not take look at the Dorset Walking Football League tables. Our page includes the results and history of the 50s, 60s and 65s over the past few seasons.
Future dates
The next date on the 50s fixture list is 10 May, when we’ll be playing in the League Cup. Last season Storm made it all the way to the final of the Dorset Walking Football League Cup before losing on penalties to Dorchester.
This years tournament is scheduled to be played at the Littledown Centre, Bournemouth, with kick-off at midday. Check with your club nearer the time before making the journey though!
Get in touch
The physical and mental health benefits of regular exercise are well known. If you’re interested in playing football in a friendly, safety first environment, get in touch with Dexter Sports Walking Football Club now…
Follow us
For more tournament updates during the course of the season, including the 50s, 60s and 65s teams, be sure to follow us on our various social accounts to be ahead of the game…
