Richmond struggle to hold onto lead as Turton fight back

IT was a week to remember for St. Cuthberts, as all five of their sides made it through the opening round of the Watkinson Trophy - the most notable of them coming from their fourth team.

The fifth division side made the most of their handicap advantage to narrowly take out third division leaders Ormskirk 404-400.

With the opening round of the FA Cup taking place this past weekend, the Master Lock & Safe Southport and District Badminton League began their very own historic cup event in the form of the Watkinson Trophy.

With all 64 league sides having a legitimate chance of winning due to the handicap points system, the motto of “every point counts” is more relevant then it could ever be.

The addition of keeping the handicap in an envelope for each match until its reveal at the end has become the norm for a few years now, and has become quite a success that keeps many matches competitive to the very end.

Unlike their fourth team, it was a much more comfortable outing for St. Cuthberts’ first and third sides. The first team saw off the stern test of fourth division’s Southsands III by 61 points, whereas St. Cuthberts III slightly bettered that score-line with a 64-point victory against Mawdesley IV.

While Woodvale did not get all of their sides into round two, they still matched St. Cuthberts’ efforts by getting five sides into the last 32.

One side that may very well have the strongest record in this competition is Woodvale VII. The sixth division leaders branched out their league form into the Watkinson Trophy after they saw off Churchtown V 391-328. They await the confirmation of their opponents for the next round.

Division one is not known for its strong record in this competition due to the handicap format. However, Woodvale’s first team were in ruthless form after they took down West End Park II.