Cons conquer Champions

Winter League A review of the Division 1 matches played at Milnsbridge on Wednesday 2 February

Finally, with one more match to go, Lower Hopton were beaten and their all-winning run halted at the hands of Kirkheaton Cons. Second in the table Cons, were under pressure from the New Millers to battle for the runners-up spot but they thrived on that pressure from the start as their pairs duo of 84-years old Gordon Walker and Keith Manning playing his first game of the season raced into a 15-0 lead. That was unsustainable against the division's top pair in the averages table who fought back to 17 before the deficit became too match to catch up.

Graham Hirst then levelled the match out with a 21-12 win to give the already crowned Champions a 38-33 aggregate lead before 'Crafty' Cooper showed why he is top of the averages with a 21-10 win in the final singles match to give the Cons a much revered 6-2 win.

That surprise result was not what the third-placed New Millers team wanted to hear and that setback was compounded as they went down 2-6 to a Milnsbridge 'A' team fighting for their Division 1 life. They had only won one of their last 13 matches whilst the New Millers were on a 2022 winning four-match run so a second shock result of the day giving Milnsbridge a lifeline as they go into the final match of the season next week. Then they will face Lower Hopton no doubt waiting to correct their form to finish the season in style as Division 1 Champions. That win enabled Milnsbridge to edge above Lowerhouses 'A' and move out of the second relegation place to leave Lowerhouses, without a game this week, back in trouble.

Lindley BC 'A' and Thorpe Green 'A' fought out a 4-4 draw which was a commendable result for a Thorpe Green side struggling to make up the numbers. They drafted in Barrie Fielding for his first match for 3 years and he contributed an invaluable 19 points to the aggregate total which they then won 59-55. Clayton West completed their fixture programme with an 8-0 whitewash win over Rastrick who will be pleased for some respite in the summer bowling competitions.