Week three in the Shield commenced with Cleckheaton Sports (John Innes, Richard Cleghorn, Ian Poutney and Dave Griffiths) matched up with Clayton (Alan Peel, Hedley Kettlewell, Ian Johnson and Paul Gill) who adapted to the conditions far better. Clayton had all winners with Cleghorn carding 20 and Ineson 19 being best for the Sports. A match score of 10-20.
Greetland (Barry Sugden, Ken Fleming, Mick Shaw and Gordon Bradford) were drawn with Lindley Libs (Richard Dickinson, Mark Sykes, Richard Saunders and Daniel Bousfield) and were another team to struggle with the conditions. Lindley provided all four winners, with Bousfield and Sugden tied at twelve across, Bousfield finished the stronger running out a 21-16 winner. Hopkinson and Shaw were level at seven, ten, twelve and fifteen, Shaw was ahead at 18-15 only to slip as Hopkinson finished strongly for a 21-18 win. Sykes was always in control in his game with Fleming as he ran out a 21-6 winner. In the final game Dickinson was off to a flier as he led Bradford 16-5, Bradford did mount a rear-guard action and pulled it back to 19-16 before Dickinson counted two singles for game. Final score of 10-20.
Defending champions Nomads (Phil Holroyd, Mark McGorlick, James Senior and Les Holmes) with a maximum-points win and a 15 point match under their belt already met Hanging Heaton (Alan Thompson, David Armitage, Ian Smith and Graham Hirst). New recruit Holmes was up first against Hirst and clearly the conditions didn’t suit as he was turned over to eight. McGorlick steadied the ship with a 21-14 victory over Armitage. Holroyd and Senior both got home for wins but the Batley side could count themselves unlucky as both their men counted twenty. 16-15 the final result.
Crosshills (Barry Turnbull, Kevin Burnett, Dave Rankin and Barry McCourt) took on The Mixtures of Rastrick and Elland (Roger Stopford, Viv Smith, Derek Hewitt and Andy Balmforth) and first up were Rankin and Smith. Smith hit the ground running and led 13-1 Rankin did stage a come back but could only manage a final score of 21-9. Turnbull and Stopford had a much closer affair, they were level at eight and twelve from where Stopford made the break and ran out for 21-12. McCourt led Balmforth 6-3 and 16-11 but could only finish with eighteen as Balmforth finished strongly. In the final game Burnett led 3-2 but was behind 8-4 and 15-6 and could only reach nine by the end for a 21-9 result and a match score of 07-20.
In the Plate, Asa Briggs (Don Harrison, Malcolm Isles, Trevor Kendal and Steve McGrevy) going well were matched with Silsden (Derek Metcalfe, Paul Outhwaite, Andy Welch and David Beardsworth). Asa continued their good start to the season with three winners to one, taking the points 17-14.
Lindley B.C. (Simon Anderson, Mick Thornton, Tony Lockwood and Linda Gledhill) played Bronte’s (Fred Rothwell, Derek Pollard, Dave Hemsley and Martyn Benson) who, on paper, were two evenly matched teams and so it proved as they finished with two winners each. Tony Lockwood and Gledhill were the winners for Linley and Hemsley and Benson replied for Bronte’s. 13-17 the final result.
Pellon (David Agnew, Robert Walker, Mark Bolton and Paul Firth) and Cleckheaton Sports (Janet Inness, Joyce Ellis, Elaine Binns and Jayne Bradley) trailed the field as both had had byes in the first weeks. There were four close games but with three winners to one it was Pellon who came out on top, Ellis the sole winner for Sports beating Firth who counted nineteen. A match result of 19-12.
Spen Victoria (Les Mitchell, Gerald Bromley, Kevin Wood and Brian Thompson) on similar points to Rastrick (Graham Hall, Donald Booth, Ann Heley and Alan Standing) were looking to steal a march on their rivals. Rastrick captain was first up against Wood, the normally reliable Hall never got going and Wood found it straight away playing extremely well for his 21-5 win. Mitchell and Heley were locked together to ten but four pairs by Mitchell made the difference and the Spen man went on to win 21-14. In the Bromley, Booth game it was the Rastrick man who held the upper hand and he led 14-9 only for Bromley to level at fourteens and take a further pair to lead for the first time. It was nip and tuck from there on but Bromley held on for a 21-18 win. In the final game Standing led Spen’s Thompson 7-5 but then went behind 7-14. Standing did fight back but he had a mountain to climb and finished with fifteen. Match score 20-09.