Division 8 Tuesday Preview

Winter League

Tuesday will see the Division 8 teams start their season at Hemplow

The second of our new host clubs open their gates to the Winter League bowlers with great expectations on all fronts.

DIVISION EIGHT season starts on Tuesday at Hemplow. The hosts have a B team who sit out the fixtures on the opening day leaving eight other sides battling it out for an opening day win.

Of those eight teams two are champions from last year, and they face each other with Lockwood Con C taking on Division Nine champions Kirkheaton C&BC C. The Lockwood side, who hosted division eight last season opted to decline promotion, whilst the Kirkheaton team were runaway champions of Division 9 finishing the season with six wins to their name.

Mirfield CBC B finished third at this level last season and take on Broad Oak B in a game that they hope they can continue their form at the end of last season which finished with three consecutive wins. They will remember, though that two of their six defeats last term were against their opening day opponents!

Broad Oak’s A team – relegated from division 7 – are in action against Golcar C&BC, a side who finished fourth last year, level on points with their opponents’ B team. Does that point to a likely win for the Broad Oak side?

The final opening day encounter at Hemplow sees New Mill C face Greenhead Park. The latter were promoted from Division 9 whilst New Mill drop down a level this term. The New Mill side had four wins to their name last term but finished the season with back-to-back defeats as did the Greenhead Park side. They had done enough to grab promotion in their first 12 matches.