Take a look at the Tuesday fixtures

Veterans League

Preview of the 10-Man League Divisions 1&2 fixtures for Tuesday 18 August

DIVISION ONE

Kirkheaton Con A v Clayton West (1030)

THERE’s a morning start to the action this week because of the funeral of a club member of the Con club. The home side go into the encounter on the back of Friday’s 7-2 home win over Longwood, a victory that lifted them into the top half of what is becoming quite a congested table below them. Clayton West are well away from the congestion and looking to build on to a run of six victories in their last eight league outings.

In-form: Second in the team’s overall averages the Con’s Richard Gledhill has won on his last four outings; Clayton West’s Malcolm Gilbert has not lost on an opposition green since June 2 in league encounters.

Cowcliffe v Lowerhouses

IT’s a classic bottom verses top encounter at Cowcliffe where league leaders Lowerhouses are the visitors. With just two defeats in their league campaign the south Huddersfield outfit will fancy their chances against a Cowcliffe side who have failed to put back-to-back league wins together this season. The first of their four remining home matches, every point will be vital for the hosts

In-form: Graham Dyson and Malcolm Stead have recorded wins in their last three pairs matches for Cowcliffe; Les Holmes has wins against his name in his last three Lowerhouses outings.

Elland WMC v Golcar Lib A

HAVE Elland WMC exceeded all expectations in their first season in the top division since last year’s double-winning campaign? A run of five straight wins came to a halt in a narrow setback at Lindley Lib A last time out so they will be looking not just to get back on track but also take revenge on a Golcar Lib A side who recorded a 7-2 success in the reverse fixture in May. However, Golcar have four wins on the bounce including a hat-trick of 7-2 results. A good game for the neutral to watch.

In-form: Elland’s Mick Hiscock has won five out of his last six league matches – and the defeat was only by one point! Mick Chapman and Ben Hammond have partnered each other to success in each of their last four outings for Golcar Lib A.

Lindley Lib A v Lockwood Con A

A CRUNCH encounter! Two teams who need every point that they can muster in the run-in to the end of the campaign. As you would expect wins have been hard to come by for both outfits so a repeat of the 6-3 scoreline from earlier in the season might be a likely outcome. But which team wins is anyone’s guess!

In-form: Geoff Jaskolski has won on his last two league outings for Lindley Lib A; Mick Cox has a run of five successive victories for the visitors.

Longwood v Elland C&BC

A RUN of four consecutive wins came to an end for Longwood in defeat at Kirkheaton Con A on Friday but they are well-placed for a tilt at a top four finish. They have recorded four 7-2 successes this season but fell to that scoreline in the reverse fixture in May. Elland C&BC can’t find a win at the moment with six successive defeats, though their last three setbacks have all been against sides in the top four.

In-form: David Walkden has the best singles average for the hosts (+3.83); Andrew Balmforth is Elland C&BC’s most consistent with nine wins from 12 games.

Marsh United A v Rastrick

AN encounter that at first glance looks to be a typical run-of-the-mill mid-table affair. But if the result is one-sided, then the losers are suddenly dragged into a relegation battle. The hosts will be looking for a repeat of their 6-3 win at Rastrick in May, and having won their last five home encounters – including a 6-3 success over likely champions Lowerhouses – they will fancy their chances.

In-form: Andy Carter has only once walked off the green having scored less than 16 for Marsh United A; Howard Dungworth has nine wins in 14 encounters for Rastrick.

DIVISION TWO

Almondbury BC A v Hemplow A

A BIG win for Almondbury BC A could keep them in contention for a promotion place as the Division 2 season unfolds. Only six league points separate the six clubs chasing leaders Meltham A. After a three-match losing streak the Almondbury club have responded with back-to-back 7-2 wins to keep their promotion hopes alive. A similar result against Hemplow A is not out of the question, the visitors sit at the foot of the table 16 points adrift of second-bottom Almondbury Lib and 24 points behind third-bottom Shepley.

In-form: Brothers Dennis and Terry Machin can’t be separated – they have both won ten times; Andrew Beardsall ended a 12-match losing sequence this season with back-to-back wins.

Almondbury Lib v Lindley BC A

FORM has deserted Almondbury Lib who have been winless for nine games. They are desperate for a return to winning ways if they are to stand any chance of maintaining their place at this level. Visitors Lindley BC are also lacking in any form of late, recording just one success in their last five outings. That’s in stark contrast with their start to the season when they had a 80% win success return.

In-form: Graham Shaw has won eight of his 12 matches this term for the Liberal club; Tony Allen has won seven out of eight league matches for Lindley.

Broad Oak A v Thongsbridge A

MID-TABLE Broad Oak A face a Thongsbridge A side that have figured highly in the league standings since the start of the season. Broad Oak A look to be in a relatively safe position in the table – ten points ahead of the relegation zone – and with a lack of consistency in their results so far they will be hoping to rectify that by backing up last week’s success at Netherton. Thongsbridge’s four-match winning run came to an end at Milnsbridge A a week ago, this week’s result will go a long way to defining their season.

In-form: Broad Oak have won 17 of their last 20 single matches; John Belfield’s 21-6 success last week was his best of the season.

Denby Dale v Netherton Con A

DENBY DALE head a number of clubs who will be looking at securing promotion by finishing second, with Meltham looking to be head and shoulders above their rivals at this level. Close on Dale’s tail is the Netherton Con A team who are just one point in arrears of their hosts. So, this game could have real bearing on the final positions in Division Two. Netherton will be wary that they have only picked up five points in their last two league outings, especially with Dale being on a five-match unbeaten run.

In-form: Dale’s Neale Wallace has five consecutive wins; Netherton’s Graham Brook and Rupert Shires are unbeaten in three.

Shepley v Milnsbridge A

SHEPLEY, third bottom heading into Tuesday’s fixtures, will be hoping that having four of their remaining seven games at home will be key to how their season unfolds. They have won just six times in league competition this term but all six have been at home. Milnsbridge A with five wins in their last seven outings will travel to Lea Head Road in confidence with recent on-the-roads wins at Almondbury Lib and Broad Oak A.

In-form: Paul Van Leeuwen has recorded back-to- back wins in Shepley’s last two outings; Graham Parr and Graham Sykes have recorded back-to-back wins to single figures for the visitors in their last two games.

Waterloo v Meltham A

MELTHAM hold a 12-point advantage at the top of the Division 2 table as they head to mid-table Waterloo. They have had mixed results on their travels in recent weeks, losing at high-fliers Netherton Con A and Thongsbridge A whilst picking up a 6-3 victory at Milnsbridge A. However, Waterloo are in a rich vein of form picking up 23 league points in their last 4 unbeaten outings.

In-form: Since losing to last season’s Rosebowl winner John Hodgson, Waterloo’s Paul Hartley has put together a run of five wins in the league; Meltham’s Steve Haigh tops the division’s averages (8.50).

All matches start at 1330 unless stated.