Favourites in top spot and four in danger zone
THE halfway point of any season is a perfect time for reflection, and this season of the ‘Master Lock & Safe’ Southport and District Badminton League has seen many expectations met, but also some surprising revelations.
It has been the perfect first half of the season for second division leaders Churchtown II. After being billed as favourites during pre-season, they are certainly matching everyone’s predictions. Their latest win was a comfortable 6-2 victory against promotion hopefuls Southsands.
Currently sitting in the second promotion spot is another expected promotion contender, Woodvale II. They have won all of their matches, except for a 6-2 defeat at the hands of division leaders Churchtown II. Despite those impressive first nine matches, Victoria Hall III remains in touch of a promotion spot in third.
The battle to avoid relegation looks to be a four-horse race, with Southport IV propping the table with one point so far.
Success for Churchtown continues, as their first team remain on course to defending their title in the first division. Their comfortable 8-0 win over strugglers Burscough Pioneers was the perfect recovery after suffering a losing draw to nearest rivals Mawdesley.
As for the second place side, they recorded an impressive 6-2 win against Woodvale. After a shock 5-3 defeat to Victoria Hall, Mawdesley keep themselves in contention of a possible historic division title in the league’s top division.
Meanwhile at the bottom, Southport III continues to struggle as expected without a point to their name. Looking to join in relegation looks to be either Victoria Hall II or Burscough Pioneers.
After being relegated last season, Woodvale IV and Southsands II look to be making their swift return after a strong first half of the season in division four. Woodvale IV has had the most commanding season out of any team. They have won all of their matches so far, with only one narrow result and they are currently on a hat-trick of 8-0 wins. Their impressive start sees them ten points ahead of nearest rivals, Southsands II and Woodvale V.
The battle at the bottom looks like it could last till the final round of matches as Southsands III, Southport VI and Burscough Pioneers III are all on three points each.
Another team maintaining their 100% winning record is fifth division leaders Formby II. Their latest win over promotion hopefuls Churchtown IV sees them firmly in control of securing promotion and possibly division champions.
The rest of the division looks to be perfectly split in two. Four points separate second and fifth, whereas four points is the gap from three sides for the second relegation spot. Sadly for Mawdesley V, they have no points to their name and are currently seven points off safety.
In division six, Tarleton IV are looking likely to end the season as champions after a perfect eight wins out of eight. After a top half finish last season, their sudden jolt up the league pyramid has given the Tarleton club a real boost with a strong first half of the season.
Looking to join them in second is proving to be tough to predict, as five teams remain hopeful, including two Southsands sides.
As for the other four teams in this division, five points separate them and all are hoping to miss out on moving down to division seven next season.
In division three, it is Mawdesley III that is ruling the roost. Their unbeaten run sees them five points ahead of the chasing pack. The most interesting race within this division is the battle for the second promotion spot. Currently leading that one is Hesketh Bank, who are having one of their best seasons in a long time. Just two points behind is Formby, who is another team having an unexpectedly successful season.
At the opposite end of the table, the race to avoid the drop could already be settled as Mawdesley IV and West End Park III look to be too far out of reach from their nearest rivals.
In the league’s seventh division, there is an exciting three-way battle for top spot. One point is the gap between current leaders Ormskirk IV, and Churchtown V and Southsands VI.
The rest of the division look to be playing for pride. That is currently being led by Southport IX with a healthy nine points recorded so far.
Next week sees the first of the individual tournaments take place with A & C tournaments. All matches will take place every evening at Greenbank High School, ending with the finals on Sunday 27th November from approximately 4pm onwards.
If you want to keep up to date with the latest news, results and league tables, then be sure to check out the league’s official website, www.southportbadminton. com. Also, make sure you like the league’s official Facebook page.