11 years of top-5 finishes means nothing

Veterans League

Review of the Veterans 6-Man League results from Monday 20 April

There was only one away team that won their Division 1 fixture this week and that was enough to see Marsh United consolidate their second place in the table by beating Broad Oak A 5-2 away from home and create a three-points gap between the teams. Only the top two teams remain unbeaten after only two weeks of fixtures. The question I posed after week one of the season namely, 'Can Clayton West stay top all season?' and then forecast that they would, is gathering some evidence to support it after this week's 5-2 home win over Milnsbridge A.

Turning to the foot of the table and it is no surprise to see Thongsbridge A in the relegation mix after their final day escape last season but it is a surprise to find Shepley A sitting in bottom place. They finished 5th last season and they have had two 1-6 defeats this season to be a shadow of the team that has collected a top-five finish every year since 2015. There may be easier fixtures coming to their rescue but it is a worrying start for the serially successful Shepley side.

New Mill A have made a great start to their Division 2 season with two straight wins after relegation last season. The latest being a 5-2 away win at Paddock I&C where the home team collected 6 of their 7 victories last season. Brockholes A dropped through the Division 1 relegation trapdoor along with New Mill A last season and an impressive 6-1 away win at Longwood makes up for the opening day home defeat to Lockwood Con. That win completed a satisfactory unbeaten start to the season for the Lockwood team and sees them one point behind the joint leaders of New Mill A and Almondbury Lib.

This division promises to be the most closely contested of the four 6-man divisions with only 2 points separating the top four teams at present. Included in that quartet are the Division 3 Champions of last season. A first win for the Almondbury Lib team after their runaway success in Division 3 last season kick-starts their season after a previous opening day 3-4 defeat at Golcar Lib A. Three teams were promoted from Division 3 last season and two of those teams played each other on Monday. Milnsbridge BC B coming out on top with a 5-2 home win over Denby Dale who remain one of only two teams looking for a first win in 2026.

Hemplow A recorded a second 6-1 win to start their 2026 Division 3 season and sit at the top of the table. This latest one being at home over Linthwaite Hall and they have been joined by Thongsbridge B as the only two teams with 100% win records in the division. They inflicted a first defeat of the season on Elland C&BC.

Clayton West B and Primrose Hill Lib were the only two away teams to collect wins on Monday against Marsh Lib B and Golcar Lib B respectively. Both had previously lost home fixtures so a quick reversal of fortunes was most welcome.

Golcar Lib B and Broad Oak B are the two teams occupying the two relegation places at present and both are without a win to their name to date. Plenty of time still to go of course but a good win behind any team early in the season is always welcome.

New to the League and Division 4 is the new Brockholes D team and they are still coming to terms with their new standing and are still looking for a first win of the season. They sit in the bottom two along with Shepley B who, along with Meltham, are all looking for a first win.

The two Hemplow teams appear to have swapped their suffixes after the A team was relegated from Division 3 last season and swapped places with the club's B team who finished top of the Division 4 table. Regardless of what names they are called, both have made good starts to their seasons and both sit at the top of their respective divisions. The B team had a great 6-1 away win at Marsh United B who had played two games previously and now sit 4th in the latest table.

Thongsbridge C and Greenhead Park B have also both had good starts to their seasons with two wins from two games. This is a big step up for the Thongsbridge C team as they finished at the foot of the table last year and only collected three wins all season so they are almost treading new ground already so good luck to them.