Ormskirk’s dream of double promotion hit by big setback

THE dream of a double Ormskirk promotion in the third division might not become a reality, as their second team suffered a shock 5-3 defeat at the hands of Tarleton II in week 12 of the ‘Master Lock & Safe’ Southport and District Badminton League.

That result gave the opportunity for Hesketh Bank, to overtake their promotion rivals.

They capitalised on that, after a well fought 5-3 win at strugglers Churchtown III.

A thrilling 23-21 final set win for Hesketh Bank’s top men’s doubles pair Chris Cottam and Steve Johnston against Churchtown’s captain Dan Whittle and playing partner Sam Neilson was the key in a match that also could have been the form book being torn up.

For third division leaders Ormskirk, it was another strong display as they eased to an 8-0 win over a Southsands II side that were pushed back into the second relegation spot.

That was due to Woodvale IV recovering well to claim a winning draw against mid-table side St. Cuthberts.

Sadly for Southport IV, it is only a matter of time before relegation is confirmed as their 6-2 defeat to Burscough Pioneers II extends their winless run.

Hesketh Bank II managed to hold off an almighty comeback from Churchtown IV, as they secured a winning draw in a thrilling fifth division contest.

Despite conjuring a 3-1 lead after the mixed doubles, almost all of those opening contest were decided by two points. Turning the tables at the halfway point were Churchtown, who managed to snatch three of the remaining four contests.

However, with Hesketh Bank claiming a set in the final women’s doubles match, which in the end was enough to give them the winning draw by claiming one more set then their opponents.

Elsewhere in the division, Burscough Pioneers III managed to put a spanner in the works of promotion hopefuls Woodvale VI, as they managed to topple their higher-ranked opponents 6-2.

The opening half of the contest saw every mixed doubles match go to a third and deciding set.

Holding their nerve the most were the underdogs, as Burscough took an early 3-1 lead.

That theme carried on into the men’s and women’s doubles, and the upset result was confirmed.

As for Mawdesley V, they avoided any possible upset as they produced a professional display to defeat Southport’s seventh team 6-2.

Also coming out victorious were Tarleton IV, who managed to secure an 8-0 win over a Formby Methodist side who had an unfortunate night of many near misses.

It was nothing but one-sided affairs in the first division this week.

Leaders Mawdesley saw off the valiant resistance from Churchtown II to win 7-1 and maintain their gap at the top. Second place side Woodvale slightly bettered their title rivals display, as they quickly saw off Southport’s first team 8-0.

Matching that was Churchtown, who only managed to drop one set in their 8-0 win against Burscough Pioneers.

Top half side Victoria Hall were made to work hard in their 6-2 win over Wood- vale II.

With many people expecting a comfortable win for captain Matt Tolman and his team, Woodvale showed up for this encounter and were looking to spoil the proceedings.

A couple of well-earned three-set wins in the mixed doubles saw the match level at 2-2 going into the men’s and women’s doubles.

However, those results managed to ignite spark in Victoria Hall, as they stepped it up a gear and secured wins in all of the four remaining contests to take all three points.

In division four, Nicky Mitchell was a very happy captain as her Mawdesley IV team saw off Formby’s second team 7-1 to remain in control of their destroy at the top of the division.

Joining them is currently Crosby, who are in terrific form as they did not even drop a set in their 8-0 domination of strugglers West End Park III.

Another side managing to keep up with the promotion contenders are Woodvale V, after they managed to see off Southsands III in convincing fashion 6-2.

With a perfect mix of experience and youth, team captain Malcolm Banham and his team look determined to fight for a spot in the top two till the very end.

Also coming out smiling this week were St. Cuthberts’ second team.

Despite more than half of the matches being decided in the final set, they managed to hold their nerve when required as they defeated Southport’s fifth team 7-1.

Despite not having their best possible side, Southsands did enough to win 5-3 against mid-table side Woodvale III, to keep their hopes of promotion to the first division alive.

Despite taking a 3-1 lead after the mixed doubles, Southsands were still wary of a possible comeback by Woodvale.

But after a few close encounters, victory was confirmed by Southsands captain Sarah Guppy and playing partner Vicky Higgins after a 21-16, 21-19 win over Woodvale’s Jean Sephton and team captain Sue Hall.

Elsewhere, Tarleton also remain confident of promotion after their strong and solid 6-2 win at West End Park II. Also, wins in both the women’s doubles was the key in the 5-3 win for Mawdesley III over Formby’s first team.

In the league’s bottom division, Formby III managed to escape with a 5-3 win at Burscough Pioneers IV.

With Burscough going into their match with one lady’s player short, Formby already began the match with a 2-0 lead.

Burscough battled hard to worry their opponents.

But Formby managed to secure all three points, where the highlight was a 22-20, 22-20 men’s doubles win for Peter Jones and Steve Quinn over Burscough’s Steve Foley and Pete Taylor.

There was only one confirmed result in the sixth division, and it saw Crosby II take care of West End Park IV in whitewash fashion with an 8-0 victory.

Apart from a three-set thriller in a mixed doubles match, and a narrow win in a women’s doubles encounter, it was a near-perfect team display from captain Michael Choong and his side.

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.