10/02/2023
DIVISION 1
Hesketh Fleetwood A dropped 3 ladies but won all the mens and mixed to finish 21-3 winners in their quest to remain champions. All the men, Tim Vickers, Dave Wiseman and James Lester won 8 whilst Sam Gregory won 3 ladies for Kingfisher B.
Moving quickly up the table, Poulton easily despatched Hesketh Fleetwood B despite missing their 2 strongest players. Poulton won all the ladies and mixed and dropped only 2 mens to Ben Yau and Richard Percival. 4 players won all 8 games but Nikki Wilford easily conceded the fewest points.
With all the top 4 teams now having played the same number of games it is becoming clear that there is a fight for first between Poulton and Hesketh Fleetwood A and a separate fight for 3rd between Kingfisher A and Lightning with both teams well ahead of the rest.
DIVISION 2
There was an exciting match between Lids and Kirkham Charter B where the score changed hands several times. Both teams won a ladies with a split, with the teams also winning a mens and a split to leave the levels at 6 all. Into the mixed where Kirkham won the first 2 sets to lead 10-6. The match swung back as Lids took the next 2 sets for a 10 all score with 2 sets remaining. In the penultimate set, Kirkham’s Carol Howarth and Jamie Sedgwick won the first game but Lids pair Helena Lempur and James Norman won the second to tie the match once again. In the final set Pauline Weafer and Mark Green put Lids in front winning 21-7 but then Kirkham’s Anita Driscoll and Dave Mackay produced a great fight back to win 21-10 and draw the match. Mark won 6 as did Carol and Jamie.
Lightning B continue their great form with an away win at Stanley B to record their 7th consecutive win. Lightning won 3 ladies and 4 mens to have a 7-5 narrow lead and the prospect of a tough mixed ahead. However, the league leaders moved up a gear to win 11 of the 12 mixed games for an 18-6 win. Stanley’s best players were Clare Doherty, Wendy Rutter and Jake Meakin who won 3. Lightning’s Ling Fang and Andy Heaton were on form as they each won 3 levels and 4 mixed.
Hesketh Fleetwood C beat Stanley C without losing a game, although there were some close games especially in the ladies. Mike Percy conceded the fewest points but only by 1 point better than Sean Andrews.
LEVELS
Lightning B recovered from 5-3 down at the half way stage to beat mid table rivals Bloomfield A 10-6. The match went to 6-6 before the final 2 sets. Lightning veterans Jeremy Cara and Mike Cooper then took the penultimate set before James Bunting and John Wright wrapped up the match for Lightning in the final set. James and Jeremy won 6 with Richard Pascucci and Shwe Wah Lwin winning 4 for Bloomfield.
Lids, in a fight for third, kept up the pressure by beating Kirkham Charter levels. They led 8-2 at one point but a spirited fight back from Kirkham reduced their lead to 8-6.
Only a comfortable final set victory from Jason Lydon and James Leigh secured the win for Lids. Jamie Sedgwick and Dave Mackay won 5 for Kirkham but the top scorer was Jason who won 6.
Struggling Bloomfield B gained a surprising bonus point against top of the table challengers Hesketh Fleetwood A. HF seemed to be cruising after winning the first 2 sets before Bloomfield kept in the match by winning set 3. In the next 3 sets, HF again won 4 games to lead 8-4. The penultimate set was split with the final set being won by Bloomfield to give themselves a point and a respectable scoreline. Ant Cross won 6 for HF, but Phil Hough was Bloomfield’s hero as he also won 6.
