Bollington stretch lead at the top
ONCE again last Thursday, all 13 men’s teams from clubs in and around our town took to the courts in North West Counties League action - with winning sides ending up, for the third successive week, in a narrow minority.
Bollington 1 marched on as Second Division East leaders with a 10th victory on the spin - putting Alderley Edge 2 to the sword, as Christian Ogden, Rick Walters, Rob Alcock, Brigg Simpson and Rob Lamb all triumphed in the course of a 5-0 home win.
The ‘Bolly Firsts’ also increased their lead at the top by 15 points to 32, with one match still to play before the season’s halfway-point.
Further down the table, Prestbury 1 dropped two positions to ninth after going down 3-2 at home to Hyde 1 - despite victories for junior player Jonny Murray (17) and Brian Lomas - while the club’s ‘Seconds’, for whom Chris Dunkerley registered a lone win, were on the wrong end of a 4-1 reverse at table-topping Knutsford 2, and slipped a place to fourth, in Division Three South-East.
In the Third Division Central South, fourthplaced Bollington 2 chalked up a third consecutive success by winning 4-1 at promotion-chasing Alderley Edge 3 - thanks to wins by teenagers James Walton (18) and George Lomas (15), as well as by Stuart Arnold and Martin Ogden.
But Macclesfield 1, in 12th, continued to struggle - losing by the same scoreline at home to unbeaten leaders The Northern 4.
Simon Evans was the only player to triumph on the night for Macc.
Prestbury 3’s lead at the top of Division Four Central South was extended to 13 points following a 5-0 victory at home to The Northern 6, as Rich
Curry, Paul Bartle, Rob Thorneycroft, Andrew Worsley and 18-yearold Harry Mattocks ensured a collective rout.
And club-mates in the Fourth Team earned a first win since mid-October to propel their side up to seventh, after Kevin Wynne, Alan Whiston and father and son duo Gareth Evans and Rhys Asquith-Evans (15) triumphed to defeat their hosts Knutsford 5 4-1.
There were different fortunes for local representatives playing in the Fourth Division South-East, as Bollington 3 won 5-0 at Disley 2, and inched up a place to fourth, following wins for Neil Garner, Andy Phillips, Aldo Palazzo, Rob Harland and 15-year-old Jack Walton - but Prestbury’s ‘Fifths’, in ninth, were edged out 3-2 at home, with victories by Bauke van der Ploeg and Dave Marwood not quite enough to overcome Hyde 3 and avoid a fourth defeat running.
Bollington 4 remained unbeaten for the season, and are eight points ahead of Alderley Edge 7, in Division Five SouthEast, after seeing off New Mills 2 at home 5-0 - courtesy of wins for Tom Grimes, Phil Colville, Will Jordan, Andrew Berry and a walkover-victory at fifth string.
Alderley’s
‘Sevenths’, as closest challengers to the ‘Bolly Fourths’, travelled to fourthplaced Macclesfield 2, and kept up their pressure on the leaders by winning 4-1 - with Russ Stagg the sole victor for the hosts.
But Macclesfield’s Third Team fared rather better, and advanced a position to fifth, by triumphing 5-0 in a ‘derby’ at
Prestbury 6, lying three places lower.
Stephen Ince, Jean-Baptiste Laurens, Simon Coates, Jon Stoker and Jen Robinson all prevailed to earn their side a first victory in five matches.