Setback for the revival at Bollin Grove
THE second weekly round of the new year’s North West Counties League matches saw all 13 men’s teams from clubs in and around our town take to the courts last Thursday, with victories and defeats experienced in roughly similar measure.
In Division Two East, the mini-revival of sixth-placed Prestbury 1, who had last lost in November, came to an end at Bollin Grove, where the hosts, in spite of wins for Brian Lomas and 17-year-old Jonny Murray, were edged out 3-2 by Brooklands 1.
Divisional companions Bollington 1 retained their 20-point lead at the top, after winning by the same scoreline at Hyde 1 - but the ‘Bolly Firsts’ needed to do it the hard way, having found themselves two matches down before Christian Ogden, Brigg Simpson and Rob Lamb fought back to secure victory.
Remarkably, Bollington’s Second Team went through an identical routine at home to Hyde’s ‘Seconds’ in Division Three Central South - with teenagers James Walton (18) and George Lomas (15), as well as captain Olli Stewart, overturning a twomatch deficit to triumph.
Macclesfield 1 stay nine positions below the fourth-placed
‘Bolly Seconds’, after falling 5-0 at Bowdon 3 to suffer an eighth successive defeat. And in Division Three South-East, Prestbury 2, having beaten Alderley Edge’s ‘Fourths’ seven days earlier, perversely lost 3-2 at Alderley 5 and dropped a place to sixth - despite victories by Chris Dunkerley and Graeme English.
Prestbury 3 continue to head Division Four Central South, albeit with a slightly reduced lead of 14 points, as Rob Thorneycroft, Dave Jones and David Fitzpatrick prevailed to edge a 3-2 home win against Bowdon 5.
And Prestbury’s 10th-placed ‘Fourths’ were triumphant for the first time since November - winning 4-1 at Lymm 1, courtesy of victories for 18-year-old Harry Mattocks, Kevin Wynne, Bauke van der Ploeg and Gareth Evans.
There was no joy for either of our local representatives, playing at home, in Division Four SouthEast.
Bollington 3 slipped one position to fourth, with straight-games wins by Neil Garner and Andy Phillips not quite enough to prevent a 3-2 reverse against Alderley Edge 6. And a ninth loss running for Prestbury’s ‘Fifths’ - 5-0, on this occasion, to leaders Stockport 1 - keeps them 11th.
The Fifth Division South-East featured two ‘derbies’ at the town’s leisure centre, with a victory apiece for hosts and guests. Macclesfield 2, lying fourth, saw off Prestbury 6, who went down a place to eighth, as Russ Stagg, Craig Hulme, Ollie Critchley, Ian Hill and JeanBaptiste Laurens ensured a collective 5-0 rout.
And Bollington 4, in second, narrowed the gap on table-topping Alderley Edge 7, after successes for Rob Harland and Phil Colville, as well as for father and son duo,
Will and 15-year-old Sam Jordan, combined to achieve a 4-1 triumph over fifthplaced Macclesfield 3 - for whom Bollington Ladies regular Jen Robinson earned a consolation win.
She had been less successful three nights earlier in her Cheshire Ladies League match against Knutsford Sports, although Bollington team-mates Annika Hall, June White and junior Bea Lomas (12) pulled off a 3-2 win over their promotion-chasing visitors to propel themselves up to sixth in Division Two - a couple of places below Prestbury 1, who triumphed at Alderley Edge 2 by the same margin thanks to Jane Mackay, Helen Thaw and a walkover victory.