Bolly make it back to back whitewashes
LAST Thursday, for the second week running, not only were 11 of the 13 men’s teams from clubs in and around our town in North West Counties League action, but five again ended up victorious.
Just two of that quintet could enjoy celebrating a second successive triumph, although both were to prevail by precisely the same winning margin as they had done seven days earlier. Bollington’s in-form ‘Firsts’ did so by means of another 5-0 victory, and moved up a place to sixth in Division Two East after Christian Ogden, Rick Walters, 17-year-old James Walton, Lyndon Stonier and Stuart Arnold all won at Crewe Vagrants 2.
The ‘Bolly Firsts’ now sit level on points with Prestbury 1, who dropped one position following a 3-2 defeat at Bollin Grove to third-placed Alderley Edge 2 - despite straightgames victories for the home side by Mike Lomas and Adam Colebatch.
There were directlycontrasting fortunes for the two teams from this area plying their trade at Third Division level. Prestbury 2, following a week’s break, returned to the courts in style by triumphing 5-0 at basement-side Crewe Vagrants 4, as Brian Lomas, Chris Dunkerley, junior player Jonny Murray (16), Graeme English and Mike Brauckmann ensured a collective rout that keeps the ‘Seconds’ fourth in Division Three South-East.
But Bollington 2 lost by the same scoreline, at home to second-placed Brooklands 2, to remain 12th in Division Three Central South.
The other side to replicate its victoryscoreline from the previous week was Prestbury 3, who held on to second place in Division Four Central South after edging out lowly Brooklands 4 at home by the odd match in five, thanks to wins by Rich Curry, Andrew Worsley and Mike Quartley.
At the other end of the table, Prestbury 4 slipped a position and into the relegation places following a 4-1 reverse at mid-table Moss Side 2. Gareth Evans achieved a consolation win on the night, but the ‘Fourths’, who have now lost their last six, will quickly need to rediscover their form from the autumn - during which they notched up five victories - if they are to beat the drop.
In Division Four South, Macclesfield 1 were without a fixture and tumbled two places to fourth - while both other local teams featured in 5-0 thrashings, but at opposite ends of the experience!
Bollington 3, in seventh, were victorious at second-to-bottom New Mills 2, after recentlycrowned Cheshire Junior Closed Under-15 Boys’ Champion George Lomas (14), together with Andy Phillips, Malcolm Kendrick, Rob Harland and Gareth Ainsworth, secured a clean sweep of straight-games wins. But Prestbury’s ‘Fifths’, three places below, conceded all five matches, as their side - including four junior players - went down at home to highflying Alderley Edge 5.
Prestbury 7 had a week off in Division Five Central South - while the Fifth Division South saw a local ‘derby’ take place, albeit in Staffordshire, as Macclesfield 2 used temporary home Leek Leisure Centre to host still-winless Prestbury 6. Robin Thorpe, Annika Hall, Ollie Critchley, Simon Fisher and Ian Hill made light of their club’s short-term relocation to win in straight games and earn a 5-0 victory for fifth-placed Macc.
Bollington’s ‘Fourths’, in sixth, found themselves having to face a top-three side for the second successive Thursday, and duly suffered another defeat - on this occasion to Crewe Vagrants 6 (third), although Eugene Mole earned a consolation win in the course of an overall 4-1 reverse at the village’s leisure centre.
Three days earlier, in the Cheshire Ladies’ League, both Prestbury teams were beaten at home by second-placed, promotion-chasing visitors. The ‘Firsts’, fourth in Division Two, narrowly lost 3-2 to Heswall 1 - with both Linda Maher and Judy Scorer claiming their matches for the hosts. And the ‘Seconds’, having been awarded a walkoverwin at fifth string, fell 4-1 to an experienced Grove Park 2 side in Division Three (b).