Veterans League
It is a straight two-up two-down scenario in Division 3 at the end of last season so it should make things a lot easier to assess looking forward to the new season but that doesn't always help in sorting the chaff from the wheat as they say in Lincolnshire.
A dramatic end to the 2024 season saw Marsh Lib A clinch the Division 4 title with a final day 7-2 home win over Lockwood Con B which pushed the losers down into the second promotion spot. Both teams move up to Division 3 this year and can either of them look forward to another title chase this time around? Well Marsh Lib certainly have a track record worthy of serious consideration. With two promotions and two 3rd place finishes in the last four seasons they are certainly on the up and should only be discounted at your peril and they remain on my shortlist.
Lockwood Con B despite finishing as runners-up to Marsh Lib A had only one bowler in the Top 35 Singles Bowlers in the Division 4 averages so no superstars at Lockwood. Sometimes you need a top bowler to raise their and their teammate's game but that isn't likely to happen to them so I am putting them in 'my possible but unlikely pile' for now. Plenty of experience at the top level in their squad and they may well prove me wrong.
Brockholes A have finished in 4th place in Division 3 for the last two years since they were relegated from Division 2 in 2022 as were Slaithwaite. The Slaithwaite team finished in 3rd place last season and may be on the up and I have fancy for them this time around. Lindley Lib B played in Division 3 last year after promotion as the Division 4 Champions the previous year. Maybe last season was a period of consolidation as they got used to the higher standards or maybe they just weren't good enough at that time. Being a B team also means that you are always likely to lose your best bowlers at the call from your A team captain and the fact that they played 24 different bowlers in their B team last season shows that is a major factor in their role in the club and damages any hope of selecting a settled team on a regular basis.
Linthwaite Hall were unfortunate to be relegated from Division 2 at the end of last season being one of three teams level on the 78-point mark. The worst Aggregate For total sent them down along with Almondbury Lib. Their worst run of the season of 6 defeats in their last 7 fixtures sealed their fate. They only entered the 10-Man League in 2022 and were placed in Division 3 which they topped with a bit to spare. However, things started to go wrong then and they finished in 9th position in Division 2 at the end of the 2023 season followed by last season's relegation place. So what next for them? They finished top of this division just 3 years ago, why shouldn't they do that again?
BOTTOM OF DIVISION 2 END OF 2024 SEASON
After flirting with relegation from Division 2 for two years, Thorpe Green finally pushed their luck too far and ended up being relegated at the end of the 2023 season. Then followed an underwhelming season last year finishing just above the relegation places in Division 3. So why don't I have them down as relegation favourites? Well with Outlane withdrawing from the 10-Man League and a history of sharing players in other leagues I note that several of the Outlane bowlers have now registered with the Thorpe Green team so I expect them to be much stronger this term. That leaves Paddock I&C and Springwood as relegation fodder and in the absence of any other team with strong claims to drop a level I nominate the pair of them as my selections for the drop although Almondbury Lib may be in free-fall and that could scupper that bold move by ending up as the whipping boys in the Division once again - but what do I know?!
TOP TIPS: Marsh Lib A and Slaithwaite
DROP TIPS: Paddock I&C and Springwood
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