Lack of action leads to fall for Bolly firsts

FOR the second Thursday running, last week’s North West Counties League fixtures – the final set before a half-term break – saw one of the 13 men’s teams from our local clubs miss out on match action.

Once again, too, the side to have a free week was from Division Two East - although, unlike Prestbury 1 who had endured a permanent cancellation seven days previously, Bollington 1’s match at The Northern 2 was merely postponed a fortnight until 2 November. The ‘Bolly Firsts’ dropped a place to 10th as a consequence of their inactivity - albeit just three points into the relegation-zone, and with one or two matches in hand over other teams.

Prestbury’s First Team, meanwhile, took to the court after a week’s absence - and in some style, too, as Nathan Mayers, Rob Alcock, Brian Lomas and Adam Colebatch all won to secure a 4-1 win at Warrington 3 and propel the ‘Firsts’ up three places to seventh. They may, however, face several forthcoming fixtures without Paul Lomas, who was forced to retire hurt during the opening game of his second-string match.

In the Third Division South-East, both representatives from the area suffered 4-1 defeats at home. Prestbury 2 and Bollington 2 remain in ninth and 10th, having been respectively thwarted by Tollgate 1 and Club AZ 1. In each case, the sole victory was earned by a fifth-string player, as Prestbury’s Graeme English and Neil Garner of the ‘Bolly Seconds’ both won.

Prestbury 3 were, for the second consecutive week, the only victorious local team in Division Four South. The ‘Thirds’, for whom Rob Thorneycroft, Andrew Worsley, David Fitzpatrick and Dave Jones were successful, moved up one position to sixth, after also repeating their immediately-preceding 4-1 winning scoreline – on this occasion against Prestbury 4, whose captain Kevin Wynne picked up a consolation triumph.

Macclesfield 1 travelled to Knutsford Sports 2 on equal points with their hosts – but, by the end of the night, had slipped behind them to ninth after losing 4-1, and in spite of the usual stellar, victorious performance at first string by James Douglas.

Bollington’s Third Team remains without a win after losing all five strings at home to third-placed Alderley Edge 5. But the ‘Bolly Thirds’ did gain enough points over the course of the evening to leapfrog Prestbury 4 into 11th - with the latter now lying in the basement position.

In Division Five South, Prestbury’s ‘Fifths’ further cemented their hold on second place, and are now only two points off the top, after edging a 3-2 win against Bollin Grove tenants, Radbroke Hall 3. Wins by father-and-son duo, Gareth Evans and 13-year-old Rhys AsquithEvans, together with a triumph for another junior, Greg Ralley (16), saw Prestbury home.

Remaining divisional encounters of local interest took the form of ‘derbies’ resulting in victory, and a one-place rise, for each home side: at Prestbury, where the ‘Sixths’, now up to fifth, thanks to victories for Phil Colville, Pat Hunter, Dave Marwood and junior Rory Hughes (16), beat, and swapped positions with, Bollington’s Fourth Team (whose 13-year-old junior player, Sam Jordan, chalked up a first individual win on court); and at Macclesfield Leisure Centre, as the ‘Macc Seconds’ went ninth after edging past bottom-placed side Prestbury 7 - courtesy of wins by Russell Stagg, Bader Khan and Ken Nicholls that cancelled out 16-year-old Harry Mattocks’ second-string triumph and a walkover at fifth string for the visiting ‘Sevenths’.

Three days earlier, the Cheshire Ladies’ League signed off for half-term with a third successive victory for Bollington, who were handed a walkover against Bowdon 3 and lead Division 3b going into the break. But Prestbury’s two sides each remain in search of an inaugural win, after the ‘Firsts’ - despite hard-fought successes for Jane Mackay and Linda Maher - lost by the odd match in five at home to Alderley Edge 2, and the ‘Seconds’ were beaten at Warrington 2.