CORSHAM Town confirmed their status as top dogs in Wiltshire after a tense extra-time victory over Melksham Town in last night's Wilts Senior Cup final at Hardenhuish Park.

In a repeat of the 2005/6 final, the Reds once again triumphed over their rivals in a scrappy but engaging encounter that held the attention for 120 minutes.

A late lunge by Melksham winger Ben Thomson on Corsham captain Colin Towler set the tone for an evening of bruising battles after just 45 seconds.

Referee Ian Robinson failed to produce a card for the challenge, and the promised spectacle soon turned into a skirmish.

Fourteen minutes of head tennis followed before Corsham striker Simon Gray fashioned the game's first shooting chance. Gray received a pass from makeshift midfielder Jerad O'Pray and was about to pull the trigger when former Chippenham Town full back Wayne Thorne made a desperate sliding tackle.

Another ex-Bluebird was in the thick of the action after 20 minutes as Melksham threatened to break the deadlock.

Veteran marksman Steve Tweddle played a neat one-two with Shaun Clarkson before blazing high over the crossbar from next to the penalty spot.

The Chippenham connection continued when former Blues goalkeeper Steve Perrin came to Melksham's rescue after 26 minutes.

O'Pray's tame shot fell to Toby Colbourne eight yards out, and his low strike was blocked by Perrin's legs and the ball hacked to safety by Josh Brigham.

Corsham playmaker Scott Lye was shunted off the ball twice in the space of two minutes as Melksham looked to mark their territory.

When referee Robinson failed to act, O'Pray decided to exact his own revenge with a dangerous high tackle on Brigham. The former Westbury United man was fortunate to stay on the field after Brigham was left writing in agony on the turf.

In first half stoppage time Melksham created, and wasted, their best chance of the night. Luke Ballinger's deflected strike fell to Thomson 10 yards out, but the Wiltshire winger could only direct his shot straight into the arms of Craig Chaplin.

Chaplin was redundant for large parts of the second period as cup holders Corsham seized the initiative.

Colbourne thought he had scored with a side-foot effort until Perrin somehow clawed the ball around the post.

Mike Perrott kept Corsham honest with a powerful back-post header from Thomson's deep cross as Melksham began to show signs of life.

But Corsham finished the second half strongly with O'Pray, Gray and Colbourne all squandering good chances to kill the tie off.

Perrin made two flying saves, from O'Pray and the luckless Colbourne in the first half of extra-time, but the two- times non league goalkeeper of the year could do nothing to prevent Lye's precisely placed effort crossing the line.

Lye cut inside from the right wing and shot low with his left foot into the bottom corner to spark wild celebrations in the Corsham dugout.

The game then had to be stopped for five minutes after referee Robinson snapped his achilles tendon and had to be carried off on a stretcher.

Assistant referee Kevin Perbrick, from Melksham, took the whistle for the final 10 minutes, but this failed to inspire the Conigre boys, who fought tirelessly but could find no way through the impregnable Corsham defence.

Corsham will hope to be back next year to make it a quadruple of trophies; Melksham fans will hope it is third time lucky for them.

  • Reaction and pictures in Friday's Wiltshire Times and Chippenham News.