Week four in the Shield commenced with The Mixtures of Rastrick, Cowcliffe and Elland (Roger Stopford, Trevor Heley, Derek Hewitt and Andy Balmforth) against defending champions Nomads (Phil Holroyd, Mark McGorlick, John Armitage and Les Holmes). Mixtures captain Stopford had a good start against Holmes, leading 6-1 and 19-3 before Holmes rallied to finish with nine. Heley and McGorlick exchanged points to eight across from where the Nomad kicked on leading 12-9, 16-11 and 17-12. Heley wasn’t finished yet and stormed back to level at eighteen and went in front 19-18. McGorlick counted a pair to reach all but only to see Heley count a pair at the next end to take the game 21-20. Balmforth was 3-0 behind to Armitage but scored the next twelve points and went on to win 21-8. In the final game Hewitt was always behind and Holroyd led 17-6 before Hewitt made a come back but could only finish with thirteen. A final match score of 17-11.
Mirfield Old Bank (Walt Morgan, John Green, Kevin Morton and Mel Stradling) were matched up with this year’s team to fear Clayton (Alan Peel, Hedley Kettlewell, Ian Johnson and Paul Gill). Morton and Peel exchanged points early on as is the norm but it was Peel who proved the stronger coming through to win 21-8. Stradling and Kettlewell were level at eight from where Stradling moved on to lead 17-9 and 18-12, Kettlewell then crafted a break of 7 to lead 18-19, only for Stradling to count a pair and swing the game in his favour, 20-19 but Kettlewell took two at the next end to pinch the game for Clayton, 21-20. Green and Gill up next and again they were level at six from where Green got the upper hand and went on to lead 18-9. Gill pulled out the stops and built a break of eleven to go in front 20-18, Green took the next point to reach nineteen but it was Gill who took the game at the next end, 21-19. The Morgan and Johnson game fell in to the same pattern, Morgan starting the stronger leading 11-3 and 15-6. Johnson got back in to the game at 15-13, only for Morgan to move on to nineteen but as in the previous games Johnson built a break of eight to take the game for Clayton 19-21 and a match score of 13-20.
Hanging Heaton (Alan Thompson, Malcolm Preston, Ian Smith and Graham Hirst) took on Greetland (Barry Sugden, George Simpson, Mick Shaw and Pete Lea) who were under achieving to-date and that continued this week as the Batley side provided all four winners. Shaw was best for Greetland with nineteen and the match score was 20-9.
The final game in the Shield was Lindley Libs (Richard Dickinson, Mark Sykes, Richard Saunders and Pete Hopkinson) playing Cleckheaton Sports (Jack Glazzard, Richard Cleghorn, Ian Poutney and Richard Bentley). With two winners each it was the Libs who just came out on top 15-13, Sykes and Saunders victorious for the winners and Bentley and Poutney replying for Sports.
In the Plate, Pellon (David Agnew, Robert Walker, Mark Bolton and Paul Firth) had one winner, Bolton, in their game with Spen Victoria (Les Mitchell, Barry Firth, Kevin Wood and Brian Thompson), who counted three winners, Thompson, Firth and Wood as they took the game 18-12.
Cleckheaton Sports (Anne Watkinson, Joyce Ellis, Dave Griffiths and Jayne Bradley) played Silsden (Derek Metcalfe, Alan Hughes, Andy Welch and David Beardsworth) who came good this week and provided all four winners. Griffiths was best for Sports with seventeen.
Rastrick (Graham Hall, Donald Booth, Ann Heley and Alan Standing) played the only unbeaten team in the division, Sowerby West End (John Sharp, Shirley Dillingham, Andy Wike and Lorraine Hirst). SWE kept their run going with a 17-9 win and three winners to one. Booth the victor for Rastrick.
Bronte’s (Fred Rothwell, Derek Pollard, Dave Hemsley and Martyn Benson) were against high flying Asa Briggs (Don Harrison, Malcolm Isles, Trevor Kendal and Graham Pearson). Asa took the spoils 19-12 with three winners and Pearson contributing four points with his losing score of 20.