Prestbury edge up in spite of loss

ALL 13 men’s teams from our area had a scheduled North West Counties League fixture last Thursday - although, in the event, two of them ended up with a free night, as Prestbury’s ‘Sixths’ could not raise a side for their Division Five South-East ‘derby’ at Macclesfield 3.

Of the 11 that did actually play, five were victorious - including Second Division East table-toppers Bollington 1, whose victory at Crewe Vagrants 2 kept them 36 points clear in pole position. Christian Ogden, Rob Alcock, Rick Walters, Brigg Simpson and Rob Lamb achieved their collective 5-0 rout.

Divisional companions Prestbury 1 inched up a position to seventh, in spite of going down by the odd match in five at Alderley Edge 2 - with cousins Paul and Brian Lomas victorious for the visitors. And Prestbury’s Second Team also advanced one place, after wins by Chris Dunkerley, Rick Bower and David Fitzpatrick saw off Alsager 1 by the same overall scoreline at home in Division Three South-East.

In the Third Division Central South, 3-2 results were also the order of the evening. Fourth-placed Bollington 2 triumphed at Village Hyde, courtesy of victories by Lyndon Stonier, Stuart Arnold and Martin Ogden - but relegationthreatened

Macclesfield 1, in 13th, fell narrowly short at fellow strugglers Marple 2, despite successes for Simon Evans and Annika Hall.

Long-time leaders of Division Four Central South, Prestbury 3, suffered a rare defeat - having previously only lost at home to Monton 3 on

Halloween Night. The Salford side repeated the feat as hosts of the return fixture, with victories by Dave Jones and Paul Bartle proving not quite enough to get Prestbury’s ‘Thirds’ over the line in the course of a 3-2 reverse.

Only five points now cushion them from Grove Park 4, following the second-placed team’s 4-1 success at Bollin Grove against Prestbury 4. Sixteenyear-old Rhys AsquithEvans earned a consolation win for the hosting ‘Fourths’, who slipped one position to seventh.

There were mixed fortunes for local representatives in Division Four SouthEast. Bollington 3 remained third after entertaining Knutsford Sports 4 and thumping them 5-0, thanks to victories for Tom Binder, Neil Garner, Andy Phillips, Malcolm Kendrick and Tom Grimes. But Prestbury 5, eight places lower, crashed to a 4-1 defeat at Alderley Edge 6 - with the visitors’ sole success arriving after Alan Whiston’s opponent conceded their first-string match due to injury.

Bollington’s ‘Fourths’, in Division Five South-East, emulated their First and Third Team-mates by winning 5-0, as Rob Harland, Will Jordan, Phil Colville, junior Jack Walton (15) and a walkover-victory accounted for visiting four-player side New Mills 2. They stay in second place, two above Macclesfield 2, who lost 5-0 at table-topping Alderley Edge 7, and who, in turn, sit, respectively, one and four positions ahead of the inactive Macclesfield 3 and Prestbury 6.

Three days earlier, in the Cheshire Ladies League, both of Prestbury’s teams were on the wrong end of

4-1 results at home - with Fran Taylor and Linda Maher picking up respective consolation wins for the ‘Firsts’ against unbeaten Second Division leaders Heswall 1 and the ‘Seconds’ at the hands of Grove Park 2 in Division Three (b). But there was a positive

4-1 outcome for Bollington, as Annika Hall, Charlotte Dewar, Debbie Kent and June White sealed a Division Two triumph at The Northern 2.