JOSH Rice played a starring role, amid gale-force conditions, as Keynsham Town gained a deserved victory over Frampton Rangers, who played the match with only ten players. The hosts were quickly into their stride and Joe Cramner and Chris Courtney combined well on the edge of the Frampton box before Cramner’s deflected effort bounced just wide, having wrong-footed keeper Adam Bryant. The resulting corner was dinked in by Rice to Courtney, but the striker’s effort on the swivel flew wide of the target. Keynsham came close to breaking the deadlock when Nathan Legge picked up a loose ball 25 yards out and hit a powerful shot just over the crossbar. Cramner went close for a second time in the opening ten minutes when he managed to flick Joe Galley’s cross from the right wing goalwards, but the header was straight into the arms of Bryant. Frampton’s first threat on the Keynsham goal came after 20 minutes. Blaine Skuse delivered a lovely free-kick from near the left touchline, but the Town defence dealt with the danger well. With a strong wind at their backs, Keynsham kept the visitors pinned in their own half and they reaped their reward when they struck twice in as many minutes. The first goal came when the Frampton defence failed to properly deal with a long ball from Galley. It dropped kindly for Matt Curnock, on the edge of the penalty area, and he struck it first time beyond Bryant and into the bottom corner of the net. Keynsham doubled their lead after some patient build-up play. Legge slipped the ball between a defender’s legs and into the path of Courtney, who passed the ball beyond the keeper and into the net. The home side came close to adding a third before half-time when Rice slid a ball in behind the Frampton defence from the just outside the penalty area. But Courtney’s flick with the outside of his boot was well blocked by Bryant and Frampton scrambled the ball clear. Keynsham had been dominant throughout the half, making their under-strength opponents chase the ball all over the pitch as they controlled possession and moved it around nicely, with Rice and Will Harrison running the show from the centre of midfield. Straight from the re-start, Keynsham extended their lead to three goals. The ball was knocked left to Kyle Box, who played a superb aerial pass down the line for Liam Crispin. He showed good strength to hold off his marker before side-footing the ball beyond Bryant. Soon after, Keynsham nearly scored again. Legge’s corner was met by the head of Mitch Greenslade, whose effort was cleared off the line. Frampton then pulled a goal back. David Burgess and Skuse combined well before giving the ball left to Jake Macmillen, who took one touch before smashing it past Adam Salvage from a tight angle. Keynsham soon restored their three-goal advantage, though, when Harrison received the ball from Rice in the centre of the pitch and drove forward before slotting it into the corner of the net from 12 yards. Keynsham should have added a fifth when Legge picked out Box down the left wing and he whipped in a cross to the unmarked Jack Stiff, but the attacker side-footed the ball wide from six yards. The miss didn’t prove costly as, in the 58th minute, Harrison bagged his second goal – an outstanding solo effort – which made it 5-1 to the hosts. The midfielder displayed great skill and strength as he beat five Frampton players and rode several strong challenges before cheekily lofting the ball over the advancing keeper from just inside the penalty area. A few minutes later, Legge almost scored a sixth goal for Keynsham. He combined with Crispin on the edge of the penalty area and sent the ball bending towards the top corner, but Bryant leapt up and brilliantly tipped it over the bar at full stretch. With seven minutes left the result seemed settled, but that didn’t stop Frampton mounting a late charge for goals. A 35-yard free-kick didn’t appear to pose much threat to Keynsham until Burgess stepped up and superbly drove the ball goalwards, sending it flying beyond Salvage and into the top corner of the net. Frampton pulled another goal back after some great play from Toby Waterman. He beat three Keynsham players before releasing the ball across the penalty area to Ashley Beber, who set it up perfectly for Skuse to curl a shot beyond Salvage. Frampton’s late charge proved too little too late as the final whistle blew. It was a valiant effort from them with only ten players to call on, but the home side deserved the victory, which rounded off a very good season. Keynsham Town Juniors: Adam Salvage, Jacob Millard, Josh Jones, Jack Stiff, Joe Cramner, Kyle Box, Josh Rice, Chris Courtney, Nathan Legge, Mitch Greenslade, Joe Galley, Matt Curnock, Sam Hilton, Will Harrison, Liam Crispin. Frampton Rangers: Adam Bryant, Lewis Elliott, David Burgess, Fraser Crawley, Ashley Beber, Lloyd Kembrey, Blaine Skuse, Toby Waterman, Jake Macmillen, Will Macaulay.