Portsmouth parks football teams set new world record for most successive penalties scored in a shoot-out

The Father Purcell Cup semi-final between Mid-Solent League pair Meon Milton Reserves and Burrfields ended 2-2 at Eastney Barracks after 90 minutes.

The tie went straight to penalties with Meon eventually progressing 18-17.

Remarkably, both teams scored their first 15 spot-kicks - the total of 30 beating by just one the previous world record (according to online research). Coincidentally, that was also set in Hampshire - Brockenhurst overcoming Andover Town 15-14 in a Hampshire Senior Cup tie in October 2013.

The Brockenhurst v Andover tie eclipsed the previous record of 27 consecutive penalties, set in an EFL Trophy tie between Dagenham & Redbridge and Leyton Orient.

In all, Meon and Burrfields players took 38 spot-kicks - and none of them were saved by keepers Dec Johnstone and Duane Gray.

Meon went first in the shoot-out with both teams converting their first 11 spot-kicks.

The two keepers were the last to go. Johnstone, only playing because Craig Mulholland and Sam Bennett were both cup tied, made it 11-10 before Gray levelled matters again with probably the best penalty of the entire shoot-out.

After 30 successful penalties, first to miss was Meon’s Ryan Ellis, who fired his penalty over the bar. With sudden death having come in after the first five spot-kicks for each team, Steve Mitchell could have sent Burrfields into the final. But instead he scuffed his effort well wide.

The next 13 penalties were all converted before Burrfields’ Kevin Parry skied his effort well over the bar to send Meon through to an Easter Monday final date with Mob Albion at Horndean’s Five Heads Park.

Burrfields boss Brian Kirby, told by The News about his side having helped set a new world record, said: ‘That’s brought a smile to my face.

‘It’s really interesting to know. It’s quite an achievement - I know we’re on the wrong end of the achievement, but it’s all good publicity.’

Meon’s Matt Hickey - who took charge of the reserves at the weekend - commented on the new world record: ‘That’s awesome.’

He added: ‘We hadn’t practised penalties, we’d never even considered doing that to be honest.’

Earlier, Meon had taken a 2-0 lead in normal time through goals from Taylor Hansen and ex-Moneyfields player Owen Elias.

Ironically, Gray HAD saved a penalty in the first half - after Craig Bull had been penalised for handball, though Burrfields claimed their player had been fouled - with Hansen opening the scoring from the rebound.

Elias was making his first appearance for Milton reserves, having also scored on his first team debut for the club in last month’s Hampshire Premier League loss against Harvest.

Burrfields hit back in the second half, a brace from Max Bleach setting up what turned out be a memorable finish.

Meon and Burrfields might have set one new penalty shoot-out record, but another evaded them by some distance.

A shoot-out containing 38 spot-kicks is fairly impressive, but it’s still some way short of the 54 that were needed to separate Northern League pair Washington and Bedlington Terriers only last month. After setting a new world record, Terriers eventually won 25-24.

That beat the previous record set in a Namibian Cup tie in 2005 where KK Palace and Civics shared 48 penalties. The accuracy of their spot-kicks, though, was less impressive - 15 being missed before Palace won 17-16.