Mirfield League
The season is completed and we have our Division 1 Champions with the top prize going to Lower Hopton WMC 'A' taking the Division 1 title. It was hardly a grandstand finish, more a stumble over the line as they won only one of their last four matches, a sequence matched by the runners-up and defending Champions Thongsbridge C&BC 'A'. But it is not just about the latest performances that wins titles, it is the resolve and ability over a season and Lower Hopton had that and a 6-point lead at the end of the campaign so congratulations to them. It was a double celebration for the Lower Hopton club as their 'B' team won their final match to preserve their Division 1 status for another year. They beat Denby Grange 'A' 7-5 in a final day loser-gets-relegated encounter and they join Ossett Flying Horse 'A' who went down in style winning 3 of their final 4 fixtures including the one against the new Champions.
Kirkheaton Con 'A' got the 8 points they needed to win the Division 2 title in a 10-2 home win over relegated The Harold Club. As it happens they didn't need all those as Alverthorpe lost 5-7 at Eccleshill but they were already promoted as well. Spen Victoria 'A' and Brighouse Sports went into their final fixture against each other knowing that they needed 1 and 6 points respectively to avoid relegation and send Pudsey 'B' down instead. They achieved that in a 7-5 away win for the Brighouse team but as it happened neither needed that insurance as the Pudsey team went down 1-11 at Woodlands Park.
Shipley went to play Cleckheaton Sports 'A' in the knowledge that they needed 7 points to guarantee the title but went down 3-7 to have a nervous wait for the Rothwell result. That saw a 5-7 loss at Littlemoor 'B' which enabled Shipley to tiptoe past Dodworth MW, who had a bye week, on a better Aggregate For total and locked together on 118 points each.
Thornhill and Farsley both recorded 10-2 final day home wins to collect the points they needed to go up as first and second from Division 4 and a last day 0-12 home whitewash for Broad Oak 'A' by Kirkheaton Con 'B' sent them down along with already relegated Denby Grange 'B'.
Heckmondwike needed 10 points from their final match to guarantee promotion from Division 5 but they only collected 6 from their trip to The Harold Club 'B' and that enabled Almondbury Lib to pip them to that second place when winning 7-3 at already relegated Cowcliffe Lib. Morton House's winning margin stretching to 27 points with an 8-2 last day home win over Longwood.
Netherton Con joined Thongsbridge C&BC 'B' in the Division 6 promotion places after beating Golcar Lib 7-3 at home and Almondbury BC join Milnsbridge 'B' in going in the opposite direction.
Springwood 'A' needed 4 points from their final Division 7 match to pass Royds Park, who were without a match, and take the second promotion place which they duely did when overcoming Cleckheaton Sports 'C' by 8-2. Dalton beat Broad Oak 'B' 8-2 in the battle of the bottom two but it wasn't enough to lift them off the foot of the table.
MIRFIELD LEAGUE BOWLSNET PAGES
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