Marsh Utd complete double over Lowerhouses

Veterans League

Review of the results from Tuesday's 10-Man League Divisions 1&2

Not a good day for the table toppers in Divisions 1 and 2 as both lost at home and in both cases that made it a League Double over the leaders. In Division 1 it was Marsh United A who inflicted the first home defeat of the season on Lowerhouses to go with the 6-3 win over them in June. A 127-111 aggregate win this time turned into a 7-2 win for the visitors and when you factor in the 9-0 win for Golcar Lib A it cuts the leaders points cushion down from 25 to 19 in a week. That whitewash win over Lindley Lib A saw the Golcar team overtake Elland WMC who were, in comparison, mere 7-2 winners away at Rastrick.

Things are becoming very interesting at the foot of the table as well with only six points between the bottom six teams as Elland C&BC beat Kirkheaton Con A 7-2 to bring the two teams to both ends of that increasingly nervous grouping. The bottom six teams, excepting Elland C&BC, all lost this week with Cowcliffe going down 3-6 at Longwood where a 120-126 aggregate scoreline showed the tightness of that match. Lockwood Con lost 3-6 at Clayton West to go along with the Rastrick and Lindley Lib setbacks as previously mentioned.

Meltham A were the Division 2 top team to suffer a 2-7 home defeat and a league double to Lindley BC A to go with the 6-3 home win in June. That reduced their lead over 2nd placed Denby Dale from 11 points to 8. That win was unexpected as the Lindley team have only won two of their last 6 fixtures. They do have a match in hand over all the other top half of the table teams which they play on Thursday away to Almondbury Lib. A big win there could see them hijack the promotion race and then anything is possible.

Denby Dale stay in the second promotion place but their lead over the chasing pack was halved this week to four points as Almondbury BC A emerged from the three teams on the same 79 points total in impressive style with a 9-0 away win over a Netherton Con A team in free-fall. This was a fourth consecutive defeat for the former division leaders as they drop down to 6th place and out of contention. It was a fourth successive win for the Almondbury team which leaves them only four points off the second promotion place.

At the wrong end of the table, Hemplow A look doomed, being 25 points off safety with just five matches left to be played but they did win this week. A second win of the season was at home to Almondbury Lib by the narrowest of 5-4 margins with a 130-128 aggregate scoreline. The last time they did win was on the opening day of the season. It has not been a good year for the Hemplow boys who will be making an immediate return to Division 3 but who will be joining them? Probably Almondbury Lib who need points from their Thursday catch-up fixture against Lindley BC B but with a 13-point gap to safety, they will not be moving up any time soon.