25/02/2022
Division 1
A comprehensive 20-4 defeat of Kingfisher A saw champions Hesketh Fleetwood A move back to the top of the division and emphasised the gap between the top 2 and the rest. HF were virtually assured of the victory after dropping only 1 mens in the levels. This was followed by a 9-3 mixed win. Cath Bagley was the POTM as she was the only player to win all 8 games. Tom Lowe split 3 sets to be Kingfisher’s top scorer.
Division 2
Stanley A had to dig deep to overcome stiff opposition in the shape of Kirkham Charter A. Although Kirkham’s ladies came out on top 4-2, Stanley’s men won 5 to nudge ahead 7-5 after the levels. Stanley then won both opening sets to put them nearer to the winning line. The last 4 sets ended 4-4 to give, not only a 15-9 win for Stanley, but a well deserved point for Kirkham. Lee Meakin was top scorer for Stanley with 7. Not far behind was Amelia Parker who won all her ladies plus 2 mixed. Stanley putting pressure on the league leaders as they move to within 2 points of Hesketh Fleetwood B.
Hesketh Fleetwood C had a very good away win when they visited Stanley B. 6 wins from their mens gave them an advantage despite their ladies only winning 2. They were much stronger in the mixed where they won 10. Minoj Mandahar was the star player for winning all his 8 games. Clare Doherty also had a good night by winning 5 of Stanley’s 6 games.
Project 12 maintained 3rd place with a 16-8 win over bottom team Lids. The levels ended 6 all with Lids winning 5 ladies and Project replying with 5 mens. The mixed was a different story as Project took 10 of the 12 games. In the penultimate set Lids managed an important split to earn themselves a point. Jon Jackson and John Wright both won 7 games for Project. Lids’ Ling Fang won all her ladies and 1 mixed for a consolation 5 games.
Levels
Lightning won 6 straight games against Bloomfield before dropping a game in a split set. They continued their form by winning the next set to go 9-1 ahead and win the match. Bloomfield won 3 of the final 6 games but just miss out on a bonus point. Graham Cooper remembered his kit this week to win 7! Despite the defeat, Eddie Choudhury won 4 and was involved in all of Bloomfield’s wins.
A top of the table clash and a club derby match ended in Hesketh Fleetwood A beating their own B team by 10-6. This was only after some very close games and 3 settings which included a 27-25 marathon. After the first half, the A had a 6-2 lead, which the B were never quite able to pull back as the final 4 sets ended 4-4. The A team retain their 100% record and look certain to win the division. The B team, helped by their bonus point, are in with a chance to finish second. Richard Percival won 6 for the A. Phil Fyles and Minoj Mandahar won 5 games for the B team.
