Focus on the second promotion place race

Veterans League

Preview of the Divisions 3,4&5 fixtures for Tuesday 28 July

With Almondbury Lib striding away with the Division 3 title and with a home match against lowly Lockwood Con B this week, focus turns to the battle for the second promotion place. There are three teams all on 64 points and all with away matches this Tuesday.

Linthwaite Hall beat the leaders last week and moved into 2nd place as a result. This Tuesday they go to Slaithwaite and having won 6 of their last 7 fixtures, will be confident of hanging on to that 2nd spot with a good away win. If they don't, then Holmfirth A and Hemplow A are poised to move in. Holmfirth A have the most difficult fixture at Springwood who haven't lost a home match since the 2nd week of the season and they feature very much in the promotion race being only two points off a promotion spot.

Hemplow A have the easier match on paper at relegation contenders Thorpe Green. Only Springwood have won at Thorpe Green all season so the task maybe not as easy as presented at first glance. Brockholes A feature in the group of 5 teams vying for that second promotion place being only one point behind the present incumbents, Linthwaite Hall. A trip to play Paddock I&C awaits them and a heavy home win could see the teams reverse their placings.

Marsh Lib A had a good home win over Slaithwaite last week and hope that signals the start of a revival to push them away from bottom spot. They wouldn't have picked a trip to play Lindley Lib B as the best follow-up match as the home side has only been beaten once on their own green this season and that was against Linthwaite Hall.

Division 4 leaders Skel Windmill have an unblemished 13-match record and with a home fixture against mid-table Ravensknowle Park will fancy their chances of adding another notch to that record. Kirkheaton C&BC A lost at Ravensknowle Park last week to end a three-match winning run that had taken them into 2nd place and will expect to get back on track at home to Meltham B on Tuesday.

Attention diverts to the foot of the table with the bottom two teams going head-to-head. Primrose Hill Lib have home advantage and play the only team below them in the table as Netherton Con B come to visit. The Netherton team hasn't won an away match all season and what better time could there be to amend that statistic? Another defeat would leave them well off the pace and this may be the last chance they have to send out a message of defiance to the other relegation dropzone teams.

Brockholes B have only lost once in their last 10 Division 5 matches and only once at home all season and in both cases that was against the leaders Kirkheaton Con B. That record will be challenged this week by third-placed Dalton who sit just one point behind them. Lindley BC B will be looking to securing a rare double over the leaders, Kirkheaton Con B, having beaten them 5-4 on their own green in April.

Hemplow B sit under the radar in 4th place but only 4 points off the 2nd promotion place and with a home match against lowly Kirkheaton C&BC B this week could draw the top three teams back towards them.

The bottom two teams both have home fixtures against mid-table opponents as New Mill B host Broad Oak B and Marsh Lib B entertain Greenhead Park. There are two teams in range of the bottom two and they meet up as Holmfirth B (9th) host Almondbury BC B (8th) with the loser flirting with a drop into the bottom two.

JJ