Ormskirk VI suffer heartbreak after relegation on set difference
THE final week of the Southport Tennis League saw excitement, upsets and unexpected results that saw the final promotion and relegation spots confirmed.
Southbank’s third team pulled off the unthinkable and escaped the dreaded drop of relegation from division seven, after defeating the already promoted North Meols 4 by a score of 11-5.
Therefore, it was heartbreak for Ormskirk 6 as set difference sent them down despite a well fought 8-8 draw with Formby 3.
There were final week wins for seventh division champions Mawdesley 4 in their 12-4 win over Carlton 4, and Formby Holy Trinity 5 in a narrow 9-7 victory against North Meols 5.
Sphynx 2 confirmed promotion to the top flight after their commanding 14-2 win over Birkdale 2. They will be joining second division champions Ormskirk who responded well after recording their only loss of the season last week, with a 14-2 win over already relegated North Meols 2.
Southbank avoided relegation in a winner-takeall match-up with Ormskirk 2 by defeating them 11-5 and sending their opponents to division three for 2017.
Mawdesley managed to finish in third ahead of nearest rivals Aughton after defeating them 14-2.
Aughton 2 may consider themselves fortunate as they snatched the second promotion spot in division six, despite a 10-6 loss to Town Green. Croston 2 was the team to lose out as an 8-8 draw with sixth division champion Hillside 2 was not enough.
Even though they were both relegated, it was a winning end to the season for Ormskirk 5 and Blundellsands 3 as they defeated Formby Holy Trinity 4 and Southbank 2 respectively.
Despite a tough 9-7 loss to Hillside, Ormskirk 3 managed to secure promotion from division three as results elsewhere prevented any chance in the race for second place. David Lloyd missed the chance to take that opportunity as they fell 9-7 to division three champions Formby.
Carlton condemned Mawdesley 2 to relegation after taking them down 12-4, and Formby Holy Trinity 2 ended their season on a high with a 10-6 win against bottom-side Argyle 2.
Waterloo were crowned division four champions in such emphatic style after beating Carlton’s second team 15-1. They managed to edge ahead of Campion 2 by set difference.
Meanwhile, Hightown cemented North Meols’ third team’s misery as their 15-1 result meant it was a 100 per cent losing season.
Hoole escaped relegation from division five by the skin of their teeth. Their 11-5 win over Formby 2 sent Birkdale 3 down, as they missed out in their 10-6 loss to division champions Sphynx 3.
Carlton 3 were in celebratory mood after last week’s promotion after their hard fought 9-7 win over Mawdesley 3. Sadly for Argyle 3, their relegation season ended with another loss in their 14-2 defeat against Formby Holy Trinity 3.
Even with only one win in their last five matches, Hillside 3 managed to nudge themselves over the line to finish second in the eighth division. That is due to their 12-4 win over North Meols 6, who themselves confirmed relegation to division nine. That result forced Sphynx 4 to defeat Birkdale 4 and become division champions by one point.
Sadly missing out on promotion was Mawdesley 5 as their 15-1 win over bottom side Hillside 4 was not enough. Formby 4 and Argyle 4 both escaped relegation as they battled to an 8-8 draw.
First division champions Sphynx became the only team to end with a 100 per cent winning record. They recorded their 14th win of the season by comfortably beating second place side Birkdale 13-3.
At the opposite end of the table, Blundellsands avoided the wooden spoon with a comprehensive 13-3 win over Croston who now end the season in the bottom spot. Meanwhile, there were wins for both third and fourth place sides Campion and Formby Holy Trinity over North Meols and Argyle respectively.
It was the perfect end to Rainford’s first season as a 16-0 white-wash win over Hightown 3 made them ninth division champions. Fellow promoters Campion 3 almost mirrored that result as they ousted Hightown’s second team 15-1. Also ending their season on a high were Mawdesley 6 in their impressive 12-4 win over Birkdale 5.
To find the rest of the results and the final league tables, check out www. southporttenisleague.org.uk for more information.