Squeaky bum time in Division 1
Veterans League
Preview of the finals day fixtures in the Veterans 10-Man League Divisions 1&2
It is the last day of the Veterans League season and half of the 12 teams in Division 1 can still be relegated. The relegation places have been decided in Division 2 and two teams are still in the frame for the second promotion place.
Division 1
Clayton West v Rastrick
RASTRICK sit at the top of the list of those clubs fearing the possibility of relegation. They head three clubs who have 83 league points, Rastrick (7th) and Lockwood Con A (8th) both have seven wins to their name but ninth-placed Kirkheaton Con A have 10. The reason that Rastrick and not Kirkheaton Con A head the clubs on 83 points is because they have scored most points (2495) as opposed to 2462 (Lockwood Con A) and 2417 for Kirkheaton Con A.
Hosts Clayton West – with just three more wins than Kirkheaton Con A – are fourth and only one point behind Golcar Lib A in second. Much can change on Tuesday and if ever a league table shows how important every point is in a match than this one does.
In-form: John Hoyle Trophy winner Tim Poulter has won his last three matches for the hosts; Peter Hardcastle has won four of his last five matches for Rastrick
Elland WMC v Cowcliffe
WHAT a difference eight days can make. For much of the season the Elland club were second in the table and at the start of the month they were 7-2 winners over leaders Lowerhouses.
However, consecutive defeats have seen them slip from second to fifth, and there’s no guarantee that they can grab that second spot back.
Cowcliffe being bottom shows how competitive the division has been this season, they already have 77 points to their name and could be relegated with 80+.No club have been relegated with that sort of tally since the 12-club format was introduced in 2024.
In-form: Ray Gledhill was Elland WMC’s only winner in the singles last week; John Burnett has won three of his last four matches for the visitors.
Golcar Lib A v Lowerhouses
ANY other week of the season this would have been a must watch game with the top two teams meeting. And it’s not any two top teams – it’s the two teams who have held the honours of being champions for the past four seasons.
We know that Lowerhouses are champions for a third year but can Golcar gain enough points to retain second spot? It’s a tough ask because as well as a dogfight at the bottom end of the table there’s a real scramble for points to finish as runners-up.
The form of both clubs is good; Lowerhouses are unbeaten in three whilst their hosts are unbeaten in two.
In-form: Robert Senior has won his last two outings for Golcar Lib; Ashley Daykin has most wins in singles matches (17) than any other bowler in the division.
Kirkheaton Con A v Marsh United A
BOTH teams have ten wins to their name prior to the final game of the season but find themselves in vastly different situations.
The Con are just five points above the relegation zone so know that every point is valuable on Tuesday. To add to their jitters their home form hasn’t been too cracking in 2026, they have won just two of their last six outings at their postage stamp green.
Marsh United A have won their last two away games, at Lowerhouses and more recently at Cowcliffe. While the first was a surprise the second was more expected.
Whoever wins, Kirkheaton need points from this encounter.
In-form: Garry Senior, beaten finalist in the John Hoyle, has won his last two for the Con; Andy Carter has ten wins to his name this year.
Lindley Lib A v Elland C&BC
THIS looks to be a case of whether home advantage or recent form will count in what must be a must-win encounter for both teams. And there’s even a question that a 5-4 success might not be enough!
Lindley haven’t won since the first Tuesday of September and have lost their last three games. They won 5-4 in Elland when the scores were tied 119-119 in July.
Elland, who looked sure to be relegated a few weeks back, have given themselves an opportunity to stay up. They have won three from five and picked up three valuable points from the home defeat at the hands of Lockwood Con a week ago.
In-form: Bob Booth and Alan Wortley have 12 wins to their names this season; Andrew Balmforth has 11 wins out of 16 for the visitors.
Longwood v Lockwood Con A
CAN Longwood finish second for the third consecutive season? That will be the aim of the home club, and with the top two meeting at Golcar then a high-scoring win for Longwood could move them up to the runners-up spot.
The hosts are unbeaten on their home green and anything but an eleventh home victory of the season would be something of a surprise.
However, Lockwood Con A have back-to-back victories to their name in their last two outings and were 8-1 victors over Longwood when the two clubs met in July.
They sit eighth in the league table but like others around them they are just five points above the relegation zone.
In-form: Martin Skuse continues to rack up the wins for Longwood, he has 12 to his name; Mick Cox has one more (13) for the visitors
Division 2
Almondbury BC A v Shepley
ALPHABETICALLY the opening match of our Division 2 previews and one that falls into the category of an end-of-season mid-table affair.
The home side has just one win from four, a surprising return considering that they had a 100% record over their previous four matches.
A poor return for Shepley could leave them just one place above the relegation zone, which is not the sort of finish anyone would have expected of a club that finished nine points adrift of a promotion spot 12 months ago.
They had 13 wins in 2025 and the nine wins to their name so far this season shows the little difference between relative success and failure.
In-form: Almondbury BC won all three pairs matches last week and scored double figures in the four singles; John Hodgson has 12 wins for Shepley this season.
Almondbury Lib v Thongsbridge A
ALMONDBURY LIB’s 6-3 success over Shepley three weeks ago is their only win since the beginning of June.
With relegation confirmed they welcome Thongsbridge A to their patch looking for a repeat of the form that saw them pick up four points in the reverse fixture in July. Whilst they had a majority of wins that day their three other matches could only muster 16 points between them, they will hope that knowledge of their home green will give them a better result.
Fifth-placed Thongsbridge have been in good form in recent weeks with a return of four wins from their five most recent matches.
Their 7-2 home win over a Lindley BC side who won 5-4 at Almondbury Lib five days earlier is an interesting form line.
In-form: Peter McWilliam has most wins for the hosts in 2026 (15); Ian Ross (18) has most wins to his name in this division.
Hemplow A v Milnsbridge A
CAN Hemplow A find their third win of the season when they host Milnsbridge A on Tuesday?
It’s a tough-looking assignment though the hosts always pick up points on their home green, picking up a minimum of three points in their home matches since July.
Milnsbridge A know that they are safe from relegation, so that pressure is now removed, but two wins from their last six games isn’t the strongest of form lines.
In-form: Ray Howard and Bryan Cook were Hemplow’s only winners last week; David Deighton has won seven out of his last eight matches for Milnsbridge.
Lindley BC A v Broad Oak A
LINDLEY BC are the only side to do the double over champions-elect Meltham A but their own push for promotion suffered a major setback at Thongsbridge a week ago.
They now sit eight points adrift of second-placed Denby Dale, and that looks likely to be a mountain too big to climb as they complete their fixture schedule with the visit of Broad Oak.
A 6-3 win at Hemplow has been Broad Oak’s only success in September and another poor result could see them sliding further down the pecking order.
In-form: Stephen Haigh has won his last eight for Lindley BC A; Anthony Schofield tops the singles averages for Broad Oak A.
Meltham A v Netherton Con A
MELTHAM A only need two league points to secure the championship, a task that does not look beyond them given that they have home advantage over Netherton Con A
The league leaders have lost just once at home – a 2-7 defeat to Lindley BC A in August – so will feel confident being on home soil. However, Netherton Con A will have memories of a win over Meltham in July.
They travel in good form with a run of three consecutive wins to their name as the season heads to its concluding fixtures.
In-form: Meltham’s Steve Haigh is second in the Division 2 singles averages; Paul Rangeley has nine wins to his name for Netherton Con A.
Waterloo v Denby Dale
FOURTH-placed Waterloo are looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat at Shepley whilst Denby Dale still need to gain those odd two league points that will see them playing in Division 1 in 2027.
The hosts have certainly enjoyed a better second half of the season as they bid for a 13th win of the campaign which should guarantee them a finishing position in a congested top five.
Denby Dale’s five league defeats (the best record in the division) have all come on their travels but they go into the fixture on the back of home wins over Thongsbridge A and champions-elect Meltham A. Mathematically they still have a chance of top spot but being seven points in arrears it’s only a slim chance.
In-form: Paul Hartley has 16 wins for Waterloo this season; Neale Wallace has 15 for Denby Dale!
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