Sterling show ensures Bolly pride is intact

WITH all of the North West Counties Squash League’s regular winter fixtures completed, attention focused last Thursday on an initial round of play-off matches arranged to determine the various divisional ‘champions of champions’.

Local interest was provided by Bollington 2, who, having secured the Division Four South title the previous week, now faced a 140-mile round-trip to Blackpool to take on their table-topping counterparts from the North, YMCA Thornton 1.

With the ‘Bolly Seconds’ having won 15 out of their last 16 matches, and their hosts having remained unbeaten throughout the campaign, a close contest for a place in the semi-finals was in prospect.

And so it was to prove, in terms of the final 3-2 result in Thornton’s favour – although this partially masked a very creditable effort on the part of the travelling Bollington side that had made the long journey without regular players who were unavailable due to holiday and work commitments.

Captain Olli Stewart, at second string, led from the front at the outset – edging his match by the odd game in five, after falling two games behind. And first-stringer Rick Walters, later in the evening, was precisely to repeat the feat.

But in between those two victories, the visiting side suffered three straight-games defeats - with Mark Collins, as well as Eugene Mole and 19-year-old Martin Ogden who had both been drafted in from the Third Team, succumbing to a trio of opponents with just a single Fourth Division defeat to their collective names all season.

“It was a great team effort,” said Olli Stewart afterwards.

“Thornton were strong all the way down the order, and each one of their players had a good ranking.

“They played well on the night, and deserved the win.

“But we gave it our best shot. And for Eugene – who has been injured for much of the season – and Martin to step up in the way they did was typical of the spirit that we have at the club.

“It has been a fantastic achievement to win promotion.

“Our players - including Stuart Arnold, Malcolm Kendrick and Aldo Palazzo, who couldn’t make the trip to Thornton - have been consistent all year, and we can’t wait to get going in the Third Division next term.”

Bollington’s Third Team, as Division Five South winners, will be in play-off action tomorrow, at home to City of Manchester 4.

Play-off quarterfinal: YMCA Thornton 1 v Bollington 2 (Bollington players listed first) 1. Rick Walters won 3-2 (12-15, 12-15, 15-9, 15-13, 15-9) v Matt Gilmartin. 2. Olli Stewart won 3-2 (9-15, 9-15, 15-12, 15-9, 15-13) v Eugene Sloane. 3. Mark Collins lost 0-3 (3-15, 7-15, 8-15) v Nick Stafford. 4. Martin Ogden lost 0-3 (7-15, 8-15, 8-15) v Jason Bottomley. 5. Eugene Mole lost 0-3 (5-15, 3-15, 7-15) v David Brookes.