Joy at last as ‘Macc firsts’ off the mark

LAST Thursday, for the second time in three weeks, 12 of the 13 men’s teams took to the courts to experience an even mix of victories and defeats in the North West Counties League.

Bollington 1 enjoyed one of the six wins - and the side’s fifth in a row - to remain second, as well as just two points off the top, in Division Two East.

Christian Ogden, Rick Walters, Rob Alcock, Rob Lamb and Brigg Simpson all triumphed at home as their team beat Brooklands’ ‘Firsts’ 5-0.

But divisional companions Prestbury 1 suffered a third successive loss and dropped two places to eighth, after going down by the same scoreline to a strong line-up at The

Northern 2.

The ‘Bolly Seconds’ are also now just one position behind the leaders, on the back of a 5-0 victory - in Division Three Central South, in their case - after visiting and thrashing Disley 1, thanks to Lyndon Stonier, Stuart Arnold, Martin Ogden, Mark Collins and 14-year-old George Lomas.

And there was at last some joy for bottom-placed Macclesfield 1, who achieved a first victory of the season - at the Sugden Centre over Manchester University.

James Douglas, Simon Evans, Martin Hall and Daz Glaser prevailed, as the ‘Macc Firsts’ drew level on points with their struggling hosts.

In Division Three South-East, by contrast, Prestbury 2 suffered an inaugural, and a surprising, loss - with only Mike Brauckmann’s consolation win to show for a disappointing evening at the Bollin Grove office against midtable Warrington 3 that saw the erstwhile unbeaten leaders slip to fourth.

But one Prestbury team will go into tomorrow night’s matches as tabletoppers with a 100 per cent record - and the ‘Thirds’ do so, with a one-point lead in the Fourth Division Central South, after enjoying a week off! Further down the table, their club-mates in the Fourth Team inched up a place to ninth, despite a 4-1 reverse, in which David Fitzpatrick was the sole victor, at home to City of Manchester 4.

Both local representatives in Division Four SouthEast earned 4-1 victories to consolidate their positions. Fifth-placed Bollington 3 saw off promotionchasing Hyde 3, with home wins for Neil Garner, Andrew Phillips, Aldo Palazzo and junior player Jack Walton (15).

And another 15-year-old, Prestbury 5’s Rhys AsquithEvans, together with father Gareth, Rob Thorneycroft and Alan Whiston, triumphed away, as the ‘Fifths’, in ninth, overcame basement side Knutsford 6.

The Fifth Division South-East staged a pair of ‘derbies’ - resulting in 5-0 victories for visiting sides Bollington 4 and Macclesfield 2 at, respectively, Macclesfield 3 and Prestbury 6.

Rob Harland, Gareth Ainsworth, Tom Grimes, Will Jordan and Eugene Mole all won in straight games against their fifthplaced hosts, to propel the unbeaten ‘Bolly Fourths’ into pole position with a five-point advantage. And the ‘Macc Seconds’ are up a place to third, following victories at Bollin Grove for Ollie Critchley, Simon

Fisher, Ian Hill, Craig Hulme and Chris Campbell.

Three nights earlier, in the Cheshire Ladies’ League, Prestbury 1 and 2, who had both won the previous Monday, slipped to defeats, at City of Manchester 2 and at home to Grove Park 2, to stay fourth in their respective Divisions Two and Three (b).

But Second Division Bollington got off the mark, and advanced to sixth, after a 5-0 home victory over Barnton 2.