Division 1 top two both away this week

Veterans League

Preview of the 10-Man League Divisions 1&2 fixtures for Tuesday 3 June

With only 7 points between the 6 teams in the top half of the Division 1 table things remain very open as the 2025 season hots up. Longwood continue to set the pace but only have a 2 points lead over Lowerhouses and both teams have away fixtures this week. The Longwood fixture looks the more difficult of the two as they go to play a Cowcliffe team that appears to be recovering from an early-season stutter. Lowerhouses have won more matches than any other team in the top division but stay second and have to go to play Lindley Lib A this Tuesday. They have won their last 4 matches including away at Longwood so are in good form and will relish visiting bottom-three opposition and the chance of a big score to threaten Longwood's grip on top spot.

Golcar Lib A will be keen to jump back to winning ways and a chance of a return to the top position after last week's loss at Lockwood Con A. In fact the previous table toppers have lost half of their 6 fixtures with the 4 teams behind them all having won more than that. So their grip on third slot may be under threat making Tuesday's home match with the fast improving Rastrick team all the more important for them. As the only team to beat Lowerhouses this season, Rastrick have moved on from their opening day 0-9 whitewash defeat to Longwood and put that behind them.

Rastrick are in a group of four with the same Won-4 Lost-2 records and separated by just 2 points. Also in that group are Kirkheaton Con A, Clayton West and Cowcliffe who all have home fixtures this week. As a Kirkheaton Con A bowler I would just like to remind our Tuesday visitors, Lockwood Con A, that this will be the first anniversary of their first ever 0-9 defeat in the Veterans League which just happened to be at Kirkheaton Cons in June last year. i am sure that they will appreciate the timely reminder and I am happy to take the stick and eat humble pie if they reverse the score this year.

Cowcliffe and Rastrick have already been covered earlier but the fourth team in this close quartet are Clayton West who only managed to raise 9 bowlers last week in a 2-7 defeat away at Rastrick but can redeem themselves with a home match against relegation threatened Meltham. Meltham are sitting in a relegation spot at present but with holiday interference and injured team members on the verge of returning they expect things to turn in the very near future.

Only two teams in any division of the 10-man League have lost all 6 of their 2025 fixtures and one of those is Waterloo in Division 1. This week they have home advantage over an under-performing Marsh United A team who are well off the form that saw them finish last season in 3rd place. Two out of form teams but one of them will win this fixture and go on with renewed hope of better times ahead.

The Division 2 relegation battle is warming up with just 4 points between the bottom four teams and the bottom two meet up this week. Denby Dale have home advantage over Golcar Lib B with both teams desperate for a win with the Golcar and New Mill A sides having played one less match than their bottom four rivals. New Mill A are at home to Thongsbridge A this week. After a poor start, the Thongsbridge team are recovering and have won 3 of their last 4 matches to climb away from the lower regions and now sit comfortably in the top four.

Netherton Con A are the other bottom four team having won only one of their 6 matches to date and this week have to travel to play top of the table Elland C&BC. The home team will be looking for a big win to extend their existing 9 points lead at the top and anything other than a home win would be a major surprise. It would be a greater shock if their nearest rivals, Elland WMC, closed the gap between first and second as they travel to meet a Milnsbridge A team that has won both of their most recent fixtures.

Almondbury BC A will be on a high after winning away at Elland WMC last week and will be looking to use home advantage to beat the team immediately above them in the table, Broad Oak A. It could be a close outcome from the clash of 3rd-placed Shepley away at Lindley BC A (8th). Shepley really need to cast aside any threat from teams below them in the table if they expect to feature in the end-of-season battle for the promotion places. However the only visiting team to win at Lindley BC are the Division 2 runaway leaders Elland C&BC so anything to equal that would be a great achievement.