DESPITE being well depleted, Upton Athletic thrashed Premier Division title rivals Brixham United 3-0 to leagfrog their opponents into top spot.

Amongst the players missing were four of this season's regular starters – star striker Ryan Little, Ethan Foster, Dan Kingscote and Scott Davies – plus forward Louis Bergin, who plays when his work commitments permit.

In fact, Steve Kingscote's men only travelled to Wall Park with 11 men to begin with before calling reserve team player Ashley Dewdney over to take a place on a rather lonely subs' bench.

But the players who came into the side helped Ian Bastow-inspired Upton claim an impressive victory, with Brixham boss Mike Coysh again refusing to make any excuses for his team.

"We had Chris Mitchell and Charlie Dandridge missing but they obviously had players out as well so that kind of evened itself out," said Coysh.

"Upton were up for it and wanted it more. I'm very disappointed but we got beaten by the better team.

"At least we were a little bit better than we were against Plymouth Parkway (Reserves) last week (when we lost 8-0 in the Devon Premier Cup)."

After a goalless first half, defender Dan Redhead nodded the visitors in front in the 55th minute when he latched onto a cross from Mark Loram.

Ian Bastow, who relished his free role behind lone striker Andy Slough, then struck the post eight minutes later – but the former Torquay United man didn't have to wait long to double the advantage.

On 65 minutes, he controlled the ball in the six-yard box before slipping it under Nick Lamsin and into the back of the net.

The third came from a counter-attack, with Colin Bastow releasing Slough, who hit the ball over Lamsin from a tight angle.

"We played really well," praised Kingscote Snr. "It was a bit of a battle in the first half but we matched them physically and we could have had four or five in the end."

The Upton boss, whose team has done well to overcome a series of suspensions this term, welcomes another of his players, midfielder Andrew Walker, back ahead of this Saturday's Herald Cup tie against Harbertonford.

Darren Bastow, who's out until December 6, is now the only Athletic player serving a ban.

Brixham Villa – they currently occupy third place but are only three points off the summit with a game in hand – are Upton's next league opponents.

And Adam Castle's men, who have a bye to the second round of the South Devon League's Herald Cup, geared up for that clash with a 5-2 home win over Ashburton.

Villa didn't have it all their own way at St Mary's Park, though – twice falling behind in the opening eight minutes.

Steve Parry fired the Ashes in front inside 60 seconds after getting on the end of a Luke Chapple cross, but Neil Dyke levelled proceedings just two minutes later.

It was Danny Grute who restored the visitors' advantage in the eighth minute, after being teed up by Andy Steward, and that's how it remained until one minute into the second period when Chris Hazlewood headed home the equaliser from a corner.

The hosts never looked back after that, with stand-in skipper Tom Armstrong handing Villa the lead on the hour before Sam Jennings – who hit a cracking volley over Ashes player-manager Wayne Clark, who was deputising in goal, from an acute angle – and substitute Craig Dandridge, with his first for the club, sealed the victory.

Newly-promoted Watts Blake Bearne continued their unbeaten start in emphatic fashion, hammering Waldon Athletic 6-1 at Windmill Hill.

Joint player-boss Matt Heywood, who came in for the unavailable Tom Sercombe, got one of the goals, with Matt Barkwell, Martin Hoare, Nick Cousins, Dave Pooley and Jamie Hutchins completing the rout.

Cousins' was the pick of the bunch – the midfielder picked the ball up in his own half, before beating four players and rounding the Waldon keeper to slot into the empty net.

The result has seen WBB climb up to fourth in the table but manager-less champions Kingskerswell & Chelston – for whom chairman Paul Edwards is caretaking until a suitable replacement for Dave Shobbrook can be found – are only behind them due to an inferior goal difference of one after they demolished basement boys Hele Rovers 8-1.

Sam Tanner grabbed four of the goals, with Ashley Grimes (2), Tom Dare and Danny Brown – against his old club – compounding the misery on Hele, who were already 5-0 down by the time Joe Crooks pulled one back from the penalty spot with 25 minutes to go.

Kerswell's Ashley Batten was sent off late on.

The only other top-flight fixture saw Jail Ale Man-of-the-Match Andrew Davis bag a brace as Chagford edged East Allington United in a five-goal thriller.