Close

Cup Report W/E 6th March

07/03/2020

Gazette Cup

Pilling A v Pilling B +70 - Pilling B win by 15 points
Cup matches between teams from the same club, but different divisions, are usually tense but very exciting, and this was no exception . As expected, the A team won the ladies by 33 points and mens by 21 points. This gain of 54 points meant the difference was now reduced to 16 points and that the A were now favourites. The very first set went +18 to the A to put them into the lead for the first time by 2. However Pilling B showed all their fighting qualities as the next set put them back in front by 11 points. Next 2 sets were narrow wins for the A, who were now only 2 points behind. The penultimate set proved to be the most crucial set of the whole match as Pilling's No 1 pair of Elaine Danson and Andy Davis faced B teamers Kath Coleman and Mike Aspden. Surprisingly, the underdogs managed to win the first game by a big margin 21-12. The A pair recovered to win the second game but only by 21-18. All this meant that the B team were now 8 points ahead with the final 2 games to play! Alison Crosbie and Dan Walton from the B lost the first game narrowly 21-18 but then comfortably won the second 21-11 to finish as winners!

Albany A v Fleetwood B + 255 - Albany A win by 44 points
Albany had to play consistently well to overcome a tough handicap against a decent Fleetwood side. Albany gained 86 points in the ladies and 80 in the mens to cut the handicap to 89 at the half way stage. In the first 3 sets of the mixed, Albany gained another 71 points to be just 18 points behind. Then in the final 3 sets another gain of 62 points meant Albany were the winners by a good margin of 44 points. Sian Nixon was POTM, finishing on a points difference of +117 !

Fleetwood A went through to the next round as Kingfisher B conceded.

Bridgewood Trophy

Ribby Hall A v Ribby Hall B +100 - Ribby A win by 36 points
The Ribby teams had mixed fortunes this season with the A narrowly missing out on second place with the B unfortunately finishing bottom. Both matches had ended 18-6 for the A and so the handicap of +100 for the B looked reasonable. The A picked up 36 points in the ladies and 22 points in the mens to pull back 58 points at the half way stage. However, in the first 3 sets, the handicap was overtaken as the A team gained another 45 points to move 3 points into the lead and just needing to maintain their superiority in the final 6 games - which they did by 33 points. Graham Bielby had the best points difference on the night.

Lids B +120 v Stanley A - Lids B win by 20 points.
The top 2 teams in Division 3 met with the new Champions Stanley facing a tough handicap. Lids ladies actually gained 15 points but Stanley's men, the 3 best performers in the division, pulled back 63 points to reduce Lids lead to 72. Stanley's task was made more difficult as the first set was split with Lids picking up 2 points. In the next 2 sets Stanley gained 35 points to remain behind by 39 points. The 4th set proved to be the crucial set as Lids 1st pair of Pauline Weafer and Mark Green won both 21-15 and 21-14 to put Lids 52 points up and close to victory. Although Stanley pulled back 32 points in the final 2 sets it wasn't enough as Lids triumphed by 20 points. Pauline was the star player as she not only won 7 but more importantly gained 35 points for her team.