TAUNTON and Abingdon United played out 45 minutes of open entertaining football in atrocious conditions before referee Roger Vaughan was forced to abandon the game at half-time.

With three debutants, Taunton enjoyed the best of the opening half-hour. One of the new boys – centre-half Dan Short from Wellington – came closest to scoring when Simon Goodrham headed his shot off the line after 33 minutes.

Taunton’s other newcomers were left-back Raiff Gwinnett, signed on loan from Bath City, and local teenage midfielder Rodney Marsh.

As the half progressed, visiting forwards John Mills and James Faulkner were getting behind the home defence with increased frequency, and after 37 minutes midfielder Billy Beechers put United ahead with a heavily deflected effort.

Faulkner made it two with a solo effort in injury-time, but his side will have to do it all over again later in the season. With the torrential rain leaving patches of standing water, the officials had little choice but abandon the game.

Taunton: Lloyd Irish, Luke Cole, Raiff Gwinnett, Dan Short, Neil Bailey, James Clough, Andy Butler (captain), Rodney Marsh, Kristian Miller, Nick McCootie, Ben Newby. Unused subs: Leon Simpson, Shaun Anthony, Darren Rice, Alexis Piper Abingdon United: Jon Beames, Jeff Brown, Ben Weedon, Richard Peirson, Tom Franklin, Julian McCalmon (captain), Billy Beechers, Simon Goodrham, John Mills, James Faulkner, Elliott Osbourne-Ricketts. Unused subs: Sam Elkins, Pablo Haysham, Conor Hunt