Derwent ground out another 1-0 to hold on to their lead in the standings, despite a dogged performance from James.
Early on, Derwent goalkeeper Seb Treasure had to be alert to save the ball at James Offord’s feet, when a slight miscalculation could’ve resulted in a stone-wall penalty.
The game saw a return of the veteran Joe Jenkinson, a former James College captain. At first he looked off the pace; he miscued an straightforward clearance, presenting Jake Farrell with a half chance which he blazed wide. But soon Jenkinson began to show glimpses of the player he was, coming close to scoring with an acrobatic overhead kick.
James put in a good all-round performance, but Derwent grabbed the only goal; a cool finish from Steve Walwyn. After their goal, they turned up the intensity. Xander Brinkworth would have scored one of the goals of the season had the crossbar not denied a fine left-footed effort from 25 yards. Dan Atherton then showed great composure to dribble around Toby Owen in the James goal, but lost focus and rolled the ball into the side-netting.
The win leaves Derwent sitting pretty at the top of the table, while James languish in mid-table.