VIPERS manager Martyn Kelsall insists his side will improve in the wake of their monster 29-2 Exeter & District Sunday League drubbing at the hands of Tivvy Park Rangers.

The King George V Playing Fields-based outfit could only muster seven players for the ridiculously one-sided Division Three match at the weekend, which league fixtures secretary Maurice Mason branded 'an embarrassment'.

But Kelsall says his selection problems are only temporary and he is confident he will be able to put a full side out in the coming weeks.

He said: "It was demoralising to concede so many, but we expected them to score a lot past us with the amount of players we had.

"We didn't have our number one goalkeeper available and we had one guy in the team with learning difficulties and he wasn't really sure what was going on.

"Another of our players hurt his neck heading the ball in the second half, so we pretty much had to play the whole of the second half with five players.

"But we will take it as a positive — they could have dominated us but we got two goals and we were over the moon with that. I hope it's not like that every week. I see it as a hurdle and as soon as we get over it we will be all right.

"I have got this week off which means I can concentrate on getting a team together while I'm not at work."

League official Mason was not happy to hear Vipers had only managed to field seven players, especially as they had failed to raise a team the previous week.

He says Kelsall's side will not get many more chances to prove they are committed to the league before they are thrown out. But Mason was adamant that the league would still offer Vipers as much help as possible in the meantime.

He said: "We need to sit down with members of that team and sort things out, because we don't want to be embarrassed like this — the less said about it the better.

"It's the biggest Sunday League scoreline I have heard of. I felt sorry for the referee and the away team when I heard about it.

"If Vipers cannot sort it out they will be thrown out of the league. They have got another two chances at least I think. In the meantime we will try and talk to them and if they have got to go it won't be for the lack of trying to help them on our side."

Tivvy chairman Shawn Grace admitted it was a strange experience to win a game in such an emphatic manner.

The result allowed Rangers to remain top of the division in the early standings after they won their opening match 11-0 the previous weekend.

But despite profiting massively from Vipers' misfortune, Grace said he would not like to be in a similar scenario every week, although he was impressed with how the Exeter side conducted themselves.

Grace said: "It was very surreal. According to their manager they had 15 players ready to play on Saturday night and then they simply didn't turn up on Sunday.

"I wouldn't want to go through it on a regular basis — it's a shame because our side made the effort to travel down to Exeter from Tiverton, but that's how it goes sometimes.

"We were leading 21 or 22-0 and their goalkeeper came out, played up front and scored a couple of goals. By that time half of our team were standing around on the halfway line having lost interest."

Tom Williams scored eight goals for Tivvy, Tim Penney added six, Alan Brice and Chris Tolley three each, Marlon Holley and Ben Penney two apiece, and there were single goals for Jordan Woodgate, Luke Thomas, Dan Brooks, Luke Billison and David Mariner.

Elsewhere in the Exeter Sunday League, super-sub Rich Johnson scored four times as Barley Celtic thrashed Timepiece 11-1 in the Premier Division.

There were also braces for Mark Harris, Sam Moore and Kees Munton Willis. Brinley Way also got on the scoresheet, but man of the match was midfielder Mark Saunders.

Robert Hawkins continued his good start as manager of new Division Three team Snooker Club of Exeter as they had a convincing 6-0 win over Kings Crediton.

Chris Bennett scored five of the goals and Mark Barler added the other.

Results, RC Scaffolding & Roofing Sunday League, Cheers Off Licence Premier Division: Wonford 8 Deeside 2, Timepiece FC 1 Barley Celtic 11, Otterton 1 Mount Radford 3, Number Nine 2 Phoenix 3, Barley Rovers 2 Whipton & Pinhoe 2

Heaver Brothers Division 2: Exmouth Beach Boys 6 Whimple 1, Starcross Royals 5 Barley Wanderers 1, The Heavitree 4 Exe Rovers 5, St Thomas Social 5 Victoria Inn 3, Rail Madrid 7 Starcross General 2

Passmore Carpenters Division 3: Viper FC 2 Tivvy Park Rangers 29, Kentisbeare Rangers 1 Bank Utd 5, Kings Arms (Crediton) 0 Snooker Club Exeter 6, Exeter Snooker Club 3 Green Gables 2, Sidmouth Town 5 Stoke Arms 1, Phear Wednesday 1 Exeter Phoenix 6

— This weekend's fixtures and referees in Saturday's Echo.