27/03/2019
Gazette Trophy Fleetwood A v Poulton A +25
A fitting end to the season as two of the strongest teams in the league met on Tuesday. Fleetwood were attempting to do the double having already cruised to another Division 1 title, whilst Poulton were trying to retain the trophy, something that hadn't been achieved for over 20 years! Both teams were at full strength and as expected, the ladies proved to be a titanic battle, with Fleetwood restricting Poulton's very strong ladies to just 20 points, as every game was evenly contested. The mens proved to be very different however, as Fleetwood were simply too strong, ending with a huge 58 points advantage. This meant the Champions already had a 13 point lead going into the mixed, a lead they never looked like relinquishing. After the first half of the mixed, Fleetwood's lead had increased to 34 points and their second trophy was almost in sight. In the final 3 sets Fleetwood maintained the pressure, gaining another 29 points for a very comfortable 63 point victory. Tim Vickers was POTM for his 8 games and +69 points with James Lester close behind on +66 and Andy Wisemen +31. It was, however, Fleetwood's ladies of Caroline Andrew, daughter Elizabeth, and the experienced Cath Bagley that produced the best performances as they withstood the pressure from the league's best ladies. Special mention to youngster Elizabeth who played extremely well and is undoubtedly a Blackpool star of the future.
Bridgewood Trophy Lids C v Kirkham Charter B +80
Teams from two different divisions contested the Bridgewood Trophy with Kirkham from Division 3 having an 80 point start over Lids from Division 2. Both teams had struggled this year in their respective divisions, so this final was a season end bonus. Kirkham were the reigning cup holders and hoping to become the first team ever to retain the Bridgewood Trophy! In the ladies, Kirkham, against the odds, actually gained 3 points and although the Lids men won by 23 points this meant that Lids had only pulled back 20 points at the half way stage. Needing to make up 60 points Lids needed a good start in the mixed games but Kirkham fought well and in the next 3 sets only yielded 10 points to take Lids to +30 but still a massive 50 points behind with only 3 sets remaining. When Kirkham's top pairing of Katie Kinder and Richard Pascucci won the next two games to 13 and 12 it was match over and even though Lids pulled the score back in the final 2 sets it was too little as Kirkham eventually won by 38 points. Statistically, Jason Lydon +43 and Mark Green +36 from Lids, were the best performers, but it was Katie's scores in the ladies and mixed that were the key to the victory. A special mention also to another young star, Amelia Parker from Kirkham, who was undaunted by the occasion and won many vital points for her team!
