Relegated teams bouncebackability

Veterans League

Review of the matches played on Tuesday 9 April in the 10-Man League Divisions 1&2

The headlines from the opening day of the 2024 season:

• The two teams promoted into Division 1 lose their first home matches

• The three teams relegated from Division 1 all have big wins in Division 2

• Division 1 Champions open season with a home win over bogie team
  

'Bouncebackability' is the longest word (17 letters) I have ever used on the website and as the Oxford Dictionary confirms it is a real word and means 'the ability to recover from a setback, especially in sport' and that seems to cover the three teams relegated into Division 2 at the end of last season. All three started on the recovery path in convincing style with two 8-1 and a 9-0 scoreline. That was helped by the fact that all three were playing at home but with Meltham's clean-sweep of the points over Promoted Golcar Lib B it is a 'throwing down of the gauntlet' moment to all-comers.

Good starts also for Elland C&BC who beat Almondbury BC A 8-1 whilst Milnsbridge A will make the biggest bouncebackability of bowling history if they continue at the level that brought them an 8-1 win over Linthwaite Hall. Last year the Milnsbridge team only collected 50 points from their 24 matches which was less than half the total of any other team in the division. They have a lot to recover and will need the biggest bounce back in Veterans League history if they are to bounce back to the top level.

None of the other 9 teams could match those scorelines but the only away win of the day in Division 2 came for Thongsbridge A Over Almondbury Lib (7-2) as they showed promise and built on their end-of-last-season form when they won 7 of their last 9 matches. Wins for New Mill A and Lindley Lib A against Shepley (5-2) and Broad Oak A (7-2) respectively indicated confirmation of last season's dominance of teams below them in the table.

Golcar Lib A began the defence of the Division 1 title in good form by beating their bogey team Cowcliffe who were one of only two teams to beat them on their home green last season. An emphatic 7-2 success put that result firmly to bed whilst it wasn't good enough to put them at the top of the table as Lockwood Con enjoyed the biggest win of the day, 8-1 over Rastrick.

The two teams promoted from Division 2 both lost opening home fixtures with Netherton Con A losing 2-7 to Marsh United A and Lindley BC A going down 4-5 to Waterloo courtesy of a 121-115 handicap advantage.

With the Kirkheaton Con green saturated their fixture with Longwood was switched and that allowed Longwood to take the initiative and collect a 7-2 first day win. Lowerhouses have been recruiting well during the Winter but their opening day team was no match for Clayton West who collected a 7-2 win.