THORNTON-LE-DALE and Union Rovers will contest the Beckett League’s Ryedale Hospital Cup final after success in Saturday’s semi-finals.

Thornton shocked division one leaders Kirkbymoorside reserves, winning 5-4 on penalties after the game had ended 1-1.

Jordan Rivis was the fall guy for the Moorsiders, missing their third spot-kick – the only failure of the shoot-out.

Scorers for Kirkby were Shaun Cox, Lee Nesfield, player-manager Andrew Ferguson and Jason Brown.

Thornton bagged all five of their penalties, through Rory Lancaster, David Elliot, Chris Sellars, Paul Simpson and Taryn Midgley – who had earlier scored the goal that sent the tie to penalties.

The Moorsiders had made the better start to the game and took the lead after 15 minutes through Nesfield’s six-yard shot after Brown had crossed the ball following a well-worked move. Thornton came into the game later in the half and, while the Moorsiders’ teenage goalkeeper Will Smith twice superbly denied Elliot in the second period, the equaliser arrived after 73 minutes. Danny Russell won the ball and found Lancaster, whose low drive saw Midgley turn the ball in.

Simpson, of Thornton, and 16-year-old Kirkby debutant right-back Matthew Butler were the men of the match. Union should have been away to Ryedale Sports Club reserves in the other semi-final but the tie was switched to Rovers’ Norton College pitch.

Union won 2-0 thanks to second-half goals by Anthony Taylor, with a header following a Ben Webster cross on the hour-mark, and Nicky Drew, from a Taylor cross 10 minutes later.

Union’s man of the match was centre-back Sean Willie.

• GOALKEEPER Viktor Kovacs was the hero for Settrington as his three penalty saves saw his side progress in the Beckett League’s Panasonic League Division 2 Cup.

Settrington were drawn at home to Rillington Athletic reserves but switched the game to Rillington due to their own pitch being waterlogged.

The game ended goalless after 90 minutes and went to a shoot-out.

Kovacs superbly saved Rillington’s first three spot-kicks, from Lee Oxendale, Shaun Ward and Richard Malthouse, to earn himself man-of-the-match honours.

Dec Copland, Nick Bell and Chris Duckworth scored to seal victory for Setty, who will host Wombleton Wanderers in the second round next month.

Midfielder Liam Rapp was Rilling-ton reserves’ man of the match.

Other ties were postponed due to waterlogged pitches.