Crosby finally put the inevitable end to rest
ALL bets, as they have been for some time, are now officially off as Crosby A (144pts) retained their title in fine style away to Waddington A (130pts).
Jack Dempsey led from the front in his customary way, giving his side a great start in overcoming opposite number Matt Wilson in three straight. Further wins from captain Sylvia Graham, Yameen Al Dahiri and Joe Mullin were then added to by Jack’s and Yameens second wins of the night to put the result beyond doubt.
Just the one blip from the visitors, Matt Wilson earned Waddington their only point against Joe, before they rattled off another three wins to clinch the match and the season!
Crosby B (133pts) looked also to have wrapped up second place, this after a good home win over Holy Trinity A, where the early withdrawal of the visitors’ number one Barry Davis made things a little easier.
Nevertheless, Rhys Davies and company did what was necessary to complete a deserved victory.
Mal Kent and Brian Crolley chipped in with a win a piece to give them a four point league advantage ahead of their ‘derby encounter against their B team next week.
Argyle A’s (124pts) quest for third place suffered a small set back at the hands of a resilient visiting Waddington B side, who pushed the home side all the way in a narrow 6-4 loss.
In fact with seven of the contests going to five games, with the remaining three going to four, a punishing night was had by all. Vital wins by Dave Britton (2), Ged Wilson and Martyn Coleman not only made it a fabulous contest, but also virtually assured Waddington (71pts) of their place in the top flight next season.
That situation was made certain after Argyle C’s drop to the second division was confirmed after a 2-8 defeat to their B team.
With promotion assured to the first division along with Waddington D, Crosby E (137pts) took a big step towards going up as division two title winners, after an excellent home victory over Holy Trinity C.
Rashad Al Dahiri and Felix Anderson were the standout performers for the home side, whilst Susie Hughes and Janette Hutchings caught the eye again for the visitors.
Waddington D (133pts) without a match this week and with one to play, must now hope for a miraculous collapse by the Crosby outfit, but with a match in hand to boot, a seven points target could well be achieved at the first attempt.
Holy Trinity C still remain firm favourites for that ‘top of the rest’ spot with 109pts.
At the bottom Holy Trinity D finally had something to cheer about after a good home win over Crosby D.
Waterloo ‘A’ remain favourites to go up as league winners after they kept pace with their B team.
A convincing 2-8 win at Argyle F put them back in pole position on 143pts, the same as their rivals, but having played a match less, they hold that top spot. Waterloo
B’s win at the Para’s relied again on a full quota of wins from young Nathan Jago and a useful double from John Mooney.
In the battle for third place, Para’s (118pts) will need a good win against Southport C in their last match, to put a little pressure on Argyle.
H (115pts), who with two matches to play now look the more likely to capture that position.
Argyle G, certainly had a topsy turvy week, a convincing 9-1 win against North Meols, was then totally reversed when they visited Crosby H in a rearranged fixture, where the young Crosby side was bolstered by the inclusion of, let’s say the more senior Andrew Hawkins.
An all round team performance gave them a deserved 9-1 win, and as well as Andrew’s contribution, Louie Cooper, Jack Savage and Ciaran Lynch, showed just how much they all had improved this season.
And bet your bottom dollar they will be even better next season so opponents beware!
With the season being extended by one week, hopefully all the finer points of who wins what for sure, will be sorted next week, if not the first Final’s week will have some accompanying news. For more go to www.tabletennis365.com/southport