Mawdesley have First Division title in range
MAWDESLEY made a huge step in retaining their first division title, after battling to a welldeserved 5-3 win against Woodvale in a battle of the top two sides in week 14 of the ‘Master Lock & Safe’ Southport and District Badminton League.
It was a night for comebacks, especially for Fay Andrews, as two three-set wins in the matches involving the Mawdesley player seemed to be the key to their victory.
The night’s proceedings began with Fay partnering with husband Steven. After losing the first set against Woodvale’s top mixed doubles pair of Michael Johnston and Emily Miller 21-15, the Andrews’ recovered well to secure victory 21-16, 21-17.
Despite that result Woodvale made a comeback of their own, as second mixed doubles pair Paul Maguire Terri-Lee Holmes managed to come through against Rob Metcalf and Rachel Graham 21-8, 19-21, 21-13.
Shortly after that, Mawdesley comfortably took the remaining mixed doubles contests and move into a commanding 3-1 lead.
In the men’s doubles, Woodvale put the pressure on their opponents early on, as Johnson along with playing partner Chris Chu comfortably saw off Andrews and partner Andy Fowler 21-17, 21-18. But despite that result, wins in the second men’s doubles match and the first women’s double encounter secured Mawdesley all three points. A couple of three-set wins for former Woodvale player Rick Wallbank, along with Metcalf as well as Graham and Andrews extended Mawdesley’s gap at the top of the table to five points with only four matches remaining.
Making the most of this result was Churchtown and Victoria Hall. Both of their commanding 7-1 wins over Churchtown II and Southport respectively still gave them a chance of finishing second in the division.
Meanwhile, a crushing 8-0 defeat for Burscough Pioneers against West End Park puts them on the brink of relegation.
In division four, it was wins for all four promotion contenders. With one win separating the top three, there is no time to slip-up against lower-ranked sides. Leaders Mawdesley IV continue to return to their early season form with a strong 6-2 away win at bottom side West End Park III.
Crosby keep up the pace and keep the dream alive of another promotion season after winning 7-1 against strugglers Southport V. A further point behind are Tarleton III. They produced a near perfect display to take down St. Cuthberts’ second team 7-1.
Waiting in the wings for an opportunity to catch-up are Woodvale V. Their 6-2 win over Ormskirk III keeps them to five points off a promotion spot.
Very little could separate the top two sides in the sixth division as they fought to a draw. However, leaders Woodvale VII managed to secure the extra point by achieving more points during the match over promotion rivals Ormskirk IV. That result now puts Woodvale two points ahead of Ormskirk.
This opened the door for third place side Churchtown V. Sadly they could not capitalise, as they could only conjure a losing draw over a Crosby II side that fought well for the two points they collected.
At the opposite end of the table, Southport VIII pulled further away from the bottom two. A strong start saw them end up being 5-3 winners against fellow bottom half side Hesketh Bank III.
That result further cemented the fate of Soutsands V and West End Park, who remain firmly in the bottom two. They clashed this past week, and Southsands ended up collecting a winning draw.
The battle for survival in division three has taken many twists and turns for the majority of the season. Sadly in the drop seat for relegation is currently Southsands II, and their losing draw with Woodvale IV was not enough to get them out of the drop-zone for the time being. After being 4-1 up against a side that is on the bubble of relegation, they failed to find that vital last win to collect the full three points.
As for the other teams around them, Burscough Pioneers were no match for leaders Ormskirk in their 6-2 defeat. St. Cuthberts continue to fall back into this relegation battle as they suffered a 6-2 defeat to top half side Tarleton II. Whereas, Churchtown III secured an important and yet expected 7-1 win over a Southport IV side who are now officially relegated. That result now puts them four points clear.
At the top, Hesketh Bank are all but certain to join Ormskirk into the second division for next season. Their 6-2 win over Ormskirk’s second team means only a couple more wins will confirm promotion.
In the fifth division, leaders Churchtown IV suffered a hiccup in their losing draw against Woodvale VI, who remain hopeful of a promotion themselves. After conjuring an early 3-1 lead, Woodvale fought back to snatch a result that could see them make a late charge into the top two at the end of the season.
Currently in that driving seat is Tarleton IV, who were involved in a thrilling contest against third place side St. Cuthberts III. Tarleton prevailed 5-3 and overtook their promotion rivals into second place.
Elsewhere, it was a battle of the bottom between Southport’s sixth and seventh teams. A 5-3 win for the higherranked side gives them a fighters chance to changing their fate of relegation over nearest rivals Formby Methodist.
Mawdesley III secured an unexpected winning draw over a West End Park II who now join their opponents into the bottom two. After only securing three points during the season before this encounter, Mawdesley produced a strong all-round team display to collect two valuable points over their nearest rivals.
Worries of relegation for Southport III look to have been averted for now, as their surprising 7-1 win over Formby moves them into sixth and out of the relegation zone.
It was smiles all round for Mawdesley, as their second team comfortably saw off Woodvale’s third team 7-1 to further cement their top-half finish.
In the league’s seventh division, Burscough Pioneers IV secure an 8-0 win over bottom side St. Cuthberts V. Along with two games in hand, they are now three points off the second promotion spot, which is currently occupied by Formby III.
For more info, be sure to check out the league’s official website, www.southportbadminton.com as well as the latest news, results and league tables. Also, make sure you like the league’s official Facebook page.