Mirfield League
Review of matches played 3 August 2021
The top four teams in Division 1 all won their fixtures this week to maintain the same running order but a 12-0 whitewash win for Lower Hopton 'A' contributed to their improved lead of 10 points in front of Thongsbridge 'A'. Littlemoor had beaten Thongsbridge 'A' 7 days ago but they were no match for the leaders this week failing to hit the 100-mark from their 10 games. Crossgates 'A' and Pudsey 'A' remain in the frame with 9-3 home wins but even Pudsey's game in hand cannot close the 20-point gap to the top sufficiently to make them serious contenders. Increasingly it looks like it is Lower Hopton's title to lose. The two teams promoted to the top division this year - Lower Hopton 'B' and Denby Grange 'A' - are vying for the safety of third from bottom with the other likely to occupy the second relegation spot and be condemned for a quick return to Division 2.
Kirkheaton Con 'A' and Alverthorpe 'A' both recorded 8-4 Division 2 wins this week to keep the gap between them at 10-points but Woodlands Park seem to be finding the pace too hot to maintain and Crossgates 'B's hopes of joining in the promotion party took a setback when they went down 2-10 at Brighouse Sports. That win lifted the Brighouse outfit level with Pudsey 'B' who are both now engaged in a fight to stay out of the second relegation place with the Brighouse team particularly keen not to suffer a second successive drop in divisions.
Division 3 leaders Shipley were without a game this week and second-placed Dodworth's match at Cleckheaton Sports 'A' was called off because of COVID related problems which all left a clear path for Littlemoor 'B'. A 12-0 win would have put them at the top but they had to settle for an 11-1 win over bottom of the pack Milnsbridge 'A' which left them level with Shipley on 91 points with Dodworth third on 90 points, so all a little congested at present. Elsewhere Elland C&BC and Rothwell confirmed their mid-table status with wins over Ossett C&AC and Horbury respectively.
Thornhill and Farsley are the two form teams in Division 4 with both having won 4 of their last 5 matches and clear at the top of the table and both had double-figure wins this week. There are just 11 points between the bottom 6 teams which makes them all nearer the bottom than the top and whether they acknowledge that or not, they are all in the relegation battle. That situation became more compact after this week's matches with the bottom two - Denby Grange 'B' and Mirfield Old Bank - both avoiding defeat whilst none of the other 4 teams in that grouping managed a win.
Morton House had an emphatic 9-1 home win over bottom of Division 5 Cowcliffe to widen their lead at the top to 15 points over Heckmondwike with Almondbury Lib moving threateningly into third place above Cleckheaton Sports 'B' as they had different outcomes from their away fixtures this week. The bottom four teams all lost this week to retain the same positions but with only 12 points between them that can soon change.
Three of the bottom four teams in Division 6 played this week and they all won with Milnsbridge 'B' collecting their first home win of the season with the notable scalp of second-in-the-table Golcar Lib. That still leaves them 32 points off the safety level with the interest more about which team is going to go down with them at the end of the campaign. Just 12 points separate the next 5 teams so all will be keen to get a few wins under their belts before the season progresses much further.
Shepley 'B' didn't play this week and Royds Park closed the gap on the Division 7 leaders after a 7-3 home win over third-placed Springwood 'A' but that gap is a massive 26 points with little sign of Shepley feeling any pressure at all. The meeting of the bottom two teams resulted in an 8-2 home win for Thorpe Green 'B' over Dalton.
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