25/11/2022
DIVISION 1
Two unbeaten teams Hesketh Fleetwood A and Lightning A met on Wednesday in a top of the table clash which ultimately ended with a close 13-11 win for HF mainly due to their ladies who won 5. The men’s was very even as all 3 sets were split with only 1 point difference in the 6 games! Lightning had a great win in the first mixed through Jenny Stothard and Oliver Hives to reduce the deficit to 8-6, but a split and a set win for HF restored their lead to 11-7. In the final half of the mixed Lightning needed 5 games to draw. but just fell short, winning 1 set and splitting the other 2. Elizabeth Andrew won 6 for HF and Oliver won 6 for Lightning.
At the other end of the table Kingfisher B easily overcame Stanley 18-6. Their ladies won 3 and their men won 5 to give them a good 8-4 start with Stanley hoping to reach the 8 games required for a bonus. In the first 3 sets of the mixed, Kingfisher won 4 to reach 12 with Stanley moving to 6 wins. However, Kingfisher maintained their momentum and won the final 6 games to deny Stanley a point. 3 Kingfisher players won 7 games Lynne Williams, Tim Chetwood and Mike Aspden and despite ending on the losing team, Maya Meakin won 4 games. Kingfisher pick up their first points of the season whilst Stanley remain pointless.
DIVISION 2
Kirkham Charter A met their B team in a club derby match which they were expected to win comfortably. A terrific performance from the B meant the match was much closer than anticipated. The ladies and mens ended all square as did the first 2 mixed to give a score of 8 all. In the 3rd mixed set Aimee Brown and Richard Pascucci won both games to put the A team in the lead. This was short lived, as in the next set the B team’s Emma Nickson and Dave Mackay won which was followed by a split set which meant the match was tied at 11 all. In the final set Verity Parker and Ian Chase won both games 21-16 to give the A team the narrowest of wins. Unusually, the best performance went to a player on the losing team as Emma won 6 with Amelia Parker and Ian Chase from the A winning 5.
Lids A easily defeated Stanley B 21-3 to move into 2nd spot. A healthy 9-3 lead from the levels was consolidated with a maximum 12 games from the mixed. All 3 men from Lids, Andrew Hardaker, Gregg Littler and Mark Green won 8 games. Sarah Rayner was involved in all 3 of Stanley’s wins.
Levels
5 of the 16 games went to settings in a highly contested match between Bloomfield A and Lightning B. Lightning won 3 sets whilst 5 were split. After losing heavily in the penultimate game, Richard Pascucci and James Atherton then won to 16 to give Bloomfield a well deserved consolation point. Jon Jackson lost only 1 game for Lightning whilst Richard split all his sets to win 4.
Although they may be propping up the table, Kirkham Charter are still playing with determination even in their latest defeat, a heavy 16-0 loss to Hesketh Fleetwood B which included some close games. Kaz Ahmed from HF was just the best player as he conceded 1 point fewer than Mike Percy.
