Winter League
A review of the Division 1 & 2 fixtures played on Wednesday 31 January
Thorpe Green tightened their grip on the Division 1 title by beating bottom-of-the-table Golcar Lib 8-0 on Wednesday. That puts them 8 points clear of the chasing pack with only 3 matches left to be played. Their greatest threat may still come from reigning Champions Lower Hopton who have 4 matches still to play all against teams in the bottom half of the table. But a 14-points deficit may be too much of a difference to make up.
The chasers hopes rest with Thorpe Green slipping up in the 3 matches they still have to play with two of them against the teams in 2nd and 3rd position so all is not lost yet. Those two teams met on Wednesday when a 6-2 win for New Mill A over Lindley BC A reversed their standings in the table but critically saw the leaders extend their lead at the top. Lower Hopton remain in the hunt after a 6-2 win over Meltham but the 4 matches already lost this season equates to the total number they have lost over the past two seasons.
Lowerhouses survival hopes took another setback this week when losing 0-8 to Kirkheaton Con A for an eighth consecutive defeat and with Lower Hopton their next opponents things are getting serious and they are in real danger of extending their record of being promoted or relegated between the top two divisions every season so far.
Cowcliffe are on the verge of clinching promotion from Division 2 and now need to win one of the last three fixtures to confirm their long expected promotion to the top table for next season. No doubt that the title confirmation will quickly follow-on. An 8-0 win this week against Brockholes A was matched by Lindley Lib A who beat Huddersfield Recreation Club A to stay second but are under pressure from Denby Dale for the second promotion place. Denby Dale are well placed to gate-crash the promotion picture being only 2 points behind 2nd-placed Lindley Lib A with a match in hand after beating Lockwood Con A 6-2 this week.
The bottom four teams all lost this week with Springwood A completing that picture when suffering a white-wash 0-8 result against Lindley BC B who remain on the fringes of the promotion race waiting for other contenders to slip up before they can stake a claim.