Veterans League
Review of the Divisions 3, 4 & 5 fixtures played on Tuesday 21 May
The Division 3 leaders, Denby Dale, lost for the first time this year when going down 4-5 at Hemplow on Tuesday. Their longest trip of the season ended in a surprise defeat against a Hemplow A side that sits in the bottom half of the table and whose only other win this season was against relegation-threatened Springwood. Despite that defeat the Denby Dale team remain at the top of the table with a reduced but still hearty, 4-points lead over Elland WMC. That outcome means that the Division 5 leaders, Netherton Con B, now have the last 100% win record in all five divisions of the 10-Man League
Elland WMC halved Denby Dale's lead at the top to four points after an 8-1 away win against Skel Windmill with 3rd placed Brockholes A also having the same scoreline win over Paddock I&C to remain level on points with the Elland team.
Another 8-1 winner was Outlane who overwhelmed Thorpe Green to move up two places to fourth. With Springwood registering a 7-2 home win over Holmfirth A to leave Thorpe Green 7 points seriously adrift at the foot of the table. That also took Springwood up to join a group of six teams separated by 2 points who are now all in the relegation dog-fight. Slaithwaite are in that group of six after a first reverse in four as a 1-8 home defeat by Lindley Lib B took the winners up to 5th place.
Division 4 leaders, Kirkheaton C&BC A, picked a bad day to lose for the first time in 5 matches when going down 3-6 at Marsh Lib. The next three teams in the table all won their Tuesday matches with a now congested top quartet separated by just two points.
A 2-7 defeat at Marsh Lib is a big setback to the promotion hopes of the Kirkheaton C&BC A team but not terminal although the hopes of the chasing threesome will have been raised by this dip in results. Marsh United B, Milnsbridge B and Lockwood Con B were all at home this week and all clocked up good wins to move threatenly towards the leaders. There were 8-1 wins for Marsh United B and Lockwood Con B which left their two opponents, Lindley BC B and Thongsbridge B in the bottom three positions. A 6-3 win for the Milnsbridge team over Huddersfield RUBC completed that picture.
The defeat for Lindley BC B left them well stranded at the foot of the table and they are already 14 points behind their nearest rival in the table. Two points separate the four teams above the bottom position. It was a better day for Meltham B as they beat fellow strugglers Brocholes B by 7-2 to move out of the relegation places. A 7-2 win for Huddersfield Recreation Club saw them swap places with their opponents Ravensknowle Park and although both are mid-table that means little when the gap to the drop zone is so small. However the same can be said of the gap to the promotion places and it all depends on whether you have a glass half-full or half-empty mentality.
Netherton Con B has the only unbeaten record in the 10-Man League after seeing off another of their Division 5 top three rivals as they overcome Kirkheaton Con B by 7-2. Six straight wins leaves them with a 7 points lead and only David Brown Sports close enough to be considered a threat at present. Although it is a 6-month season and we are just approaching the third of the way point so plenty of time for things to change.
David Brown Sports lost ground on the leaders this week after going down 4-5 at Holmfirth B when a 133-135 aggregate deficit was key to the points distribution and moved the Holmfirth team out of the bottom two. There was an equally close aggregate points outcome in the Greenhead Park versus Broad Oak B clash but even winning that 124-122 was insufficient to swing the result in favour of the visiting Broad Oak side who went down 4-5 which left both teams filling the bottom two positions in the table.
A division's only away win of the week saw Primrose Hill Lib beat New Mill B by 6-3 and move ahead of them in the table as a result. That result pulled the New Mill team into the plight at the foot of the table which sees the bottom five teams all within one-point of each other. Almondbury BC B remain in that mix after a 3-6 defeat at Dalton. Kirkheaton C&BC B moved clear of that threat after a good 7-2 home win over Hemplow B who drop a place to 5th and now just a point ahead of their Tuesday vanquishers.
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