Saturday 9th March 2019

Leaders Mytholmroyd (Shaun Frewin, Richard Helliwell, Mark Jeffries and Paul Fisher) and second placed Shipley Club (Chris Bedford, Dave Bland, Sharon Gadd and Paul Wilczynski) both played one of the Mirfield teams.  Both contenders took maximum points, so no change at the top as we go in to the final week. Mytholmroyd will play fourth placed Drighlington and Shipley, lying four points behind, will play sixth placed Moldgreen.

Sowerby West End (Pat Skene, Glenda Hartley, Baz Morgan and Geoff Price) who have slipped in recent weeks took on Drighlington (Ann Billington, Derek Goor, David Billington and Josh Gamble) a team whose recent form has picked up. Drig provided three winners with Skene just pipping Goor 21-18 to be the only West End winner.

Moldgreen (Andy Bairstow, Andy Wike, Andy Hoult and Craig Wood) took on the defending champions Hanging Heaton (Mick Armitage, Ian Smith, Steve Wainwright and David Armitage) who in recent weeks had put themselves in with a chance of retaining the title but maybe have a little too much to do. Hoult and Wike were winners for the Huddersfield side and Wainwright and David Armitage replied for the Batley side. The match score of 17-14 reflected the Moldgreen losers counting 15 and 20 to the two fourteens of Hanging Heaton.

In the Trophy the leaders All Stars (Marie Lockwood, Linda Gledhill, Lynda Drury and Carole Harpin) were looking for a big win against Shroggs Park (Mark McLaughlin, P O’Callaghan, Joshua Craven and Mike Murray) to keep daylight between themselves and second placed Cleckheaton. With three winners the All Stars won the game 18-13 but were watching the Cleckheaton game closely.

King Cross (Graham Dewhirst, P McDonald, P Stead and Terry Jackson) played second placed Cleckheaton Sports (Tony Quinn, Dave Marshall, Jack Glazzard and Dave Griffiths) and Sports kept up the pressure as they provided all winners for a maximum twenty points, All Stars lead down to five points with a game to go. The fixture for the final week should be a cracker as All Stars play Cleckheaton Sports to decide the title.

Luddenden (Claire Broadbent, Kay Lund, Judy Cockroft and Mick Skwarek) just outside the top two played the Jekyll & Hyde, Hit & Miss (Paul Lowery, Michael Briggs, David Avery and Lynn Hobson). It was one of their good weeks as Hit & Miss provided three winners in Standing, Lowry and Avery as they went on to win 18-10.

Last up were Drighlington 2 (Mark Smith, Dianne Hoole, Bruce Illingworth and Stuart Avison) and Coxenhope (Alan Downing, Derek Pollard, Lorraine Douglas and Fred Rothwell). Coxenhope winners were Rothwell, Douglas and Pollard, with Smith the only Drig winner.

Thursday 7th March 2019

Current leaders Hanging Heaton (Alan Thompson, David Armitage, Michael Armitage and Graham Hirst) took on The Mixtures of Rastrick and Elland (Viv Smith, Roger Stopford, Trevor Heley and Derek Hewitt) who still have a chance of the title. Hirst’s good form of late was brought to an end as Heley just got the better of him in a tight 21-15 win. David Armitage beating Smith 21-13 put the Batley side in the driving seat and Thompson’s victory over Stopford 21-13 put daylight between the two teams. Michael Armitage then suffered a 21-14 defeat to Hewitt which gave a match score of 15-14 which didn’t help either side.

Mid table Cleckheaton Sports (Paul Fincher, Tony Quinn, Chris Bray and John Ineson) were matched with Crosshills (Barry McCourt, Rod Bastow, Kevin Burnett and Barry Turnbull) a team who are on the slide, with relegation looking a possibility. The slide was halted, as the Aire Valley side produced all four winners in their 20-11 win, giving a great display of team bowling.

Greetland (George Simpson, Mick Shaw, Barry Sugden and Ken Fleming) took on defending champions Nomads (Philip Holroyd, Les Holmes, James Senior and Mark McGorlick) and knew they needed a result after the Crosshills result. All four games were close, Sugden, Simpson and Shaw all going down while Fleming just scraped home 21-19 against Yorkshire bowler Senior, in the best match of the day.

Mid table Lindley Libs (Richard Saunders, Richard Dickinson, Mark Sykes and Pete Hopkinson) were looking for a big win against bottom club Mirfield Old Bank (Brian Scarth, Dave Sharp, Mel Stradling and Kev Morton). Sykes and Hopkinson were winners for the Libs and Stradling and Morton replied for Old Bank, Dickinson’s twenty against Morton just gave the Libs the game 17-15.

The opening game in the Plate was Asa Briggs (Don Harrison, Trevor Kendall, Kenny McCafferty and Malcolm Isles) still in with a chance of the title, playing current leaders Spen Victoria (Barry Firth, Les Mitchell, Gerald Bromley and Brian Thompson). The leaders did their chances no harm as they provided three winners in Bromley, Mitchell and Thompson with Kendall replying for Asa.

Second placed Bronte’s (Fred Rothwell, Derek Pollard, Martyn Benson and David Hemsley) form has picked up in recent weeks hence their latest league position and they were looking for a decent win against bottom club Cleckheaton Sports 2 (Janet Inness, Ian Wilson, Joyce Ellis and Jayne Bradley). Bronte’s got their win, 17-11 but with only two winners, Rothwell and Hemsley. Wilson and Ellis were successful for Sports.

Lindley B C (Simon Anderson, Michael Thornton, Steve Haig and Tony Lockwood) were looking to stop Sowerby West End’s (Lorraine Hirst, John Sharp, Geoff Price and Shirley Dillingham) race to the top after recent results had put them in contention. West End provided three of the four winners but only won by 16-15 as unusually Hirst was beaten to single figures.

Silsden (Alan Hughes, David Beardsworth, Colin Hargreaves and Nigel Stockdale) and Pellon (Paul Firth, Robert Walker, Mark Bolton and David Gowing) had a nice game and with two winners each, Beardsworth and debutante Stockdale for Silsden and Firth and Walker for Pellon who just got home 16-14 with the better scoring losers.

Saturday 2nd March 2019

Match of the day had to be the leaders Mytholmroyd (Shaun Frewin, Phil Brown, Mark Jeffries and Paul Fisher) against second placed Shipley Club (Chris Bedford, Dave Bland, Sharon Gadd and Paul Wilczynski). The first game saw the Mytholmroyd skipper Fisher beating Shipley’s consistent Wilczynski but it wasn’t as easy as the 21-11 score line suggests. Wilczynski bowled very well but he found Fisher on top form. In the second game Jefferies was slowly away as Gadd started well, Jefferies did level at seventeen but the Yorkshire Lady bowler pulled out all the stops to take the game 21-17.  Brown, on debut for the valley team, was paired with Bedford and it was another close game but again it went the way of the Shipley club 21-17. Frewin with only one defeat to date was last up to try and turn it round for the leaders as he played Bland, himself undefeated. As expected, another close encounter as Bland kept his record intact and Frewin finished on sixteen. Mytholmroyd going down 14-17 but held on to top spot and there are now only four points in it with two games to go.  

Mirfield (Brian Scarth, Terry Varney, Mel Stradling and Graham Sheard) and Sowerby West End (Pat Skene, John Sharp, Baz Morgan and Geoff Price) was the next fixture. It was another game that finished with two winners each, Varney and Sheard for Mirfield and Sharp and Morgan for SWE. West End took the game 16-14 with their better scoring losers.

Old Bank (Dave Sharp, Kevin Morton, Dave Bentley and Duncan Terry) were pitted against Moldgreen (Andy Bairstow, Trevor Atkinson, Andy Hoult and Craig Wood). There were wins for Bentley and Morton of Old Bank and Hoult and Bairstow of Moldgreen and the Huddersfield side winning the game 16-13.

Drighlington (Ann Billington, Derek Goor, David Billington and Josh Gamble) took on the defending champions Hanging Heaton (Mick Armitage, Ian Smith, Steve Wainwright and David Armitage) who in recent weeks have put themselves in with a chance of retaining the title. In another tight game Drig started the stronger with Ann Billington and Goor both winning their games against Smith and Mick Armitage. Wainwright and David Armitage turned it round as they both won their games against David Billington and Gamble. Two winners each and the Bradford team beating the Batley team 16-13.

In the Trophy the leaders All Stars (Lynne Saxby, Linda Gledhill, Lynda Drury and Carole Harpin) were looking for a big win against Hit & Miss (Paul Lowery, Michael Briggs, David Avery and Lynn Hobson) who belied their position last week as they secured a draw with second placed Cleckheaton. All Stars provided all the winners in a 20-06 win.

 Second placed Cleckheaton Sports (Tony Quinn, Dave Marshall, Jack Glazzard and Dave Griffiths) needed the points to keep in touch with the leaders but third placed Luddenden (Claire Broadbent, Kay Lund, Judy Cockroft and Mick Skwarek) were also keen to take the points. In the opening game Griffiths went down 21-20 in his game with Skwarek but Glazzard levelled the scores with another close encounter as he beat Lund 21-19 in the second game. Quinn was beaten by Cockroft in the third but Marshall battled for a victory in his game with Broadbent and the game ended all square at sixteen all, a result that did neither team any favours.

Next up were Coxenhope (Alan Downing, Derek Pollard, Lorraine Douglas and Fred Rothwell) against King Cross (Graham Dewhirst, P McDonald, P Stead and Terry Jackson). Coxenhope winners were Rothwell and Pollard, with MacDonald and Jackson replying for King Cross in a 16-12 score line.

Drighlington 2 (Mark Smith, Dianne Hoole, Bruce Illingworth and Stuart Avison) struggled in their game with Shroggs Park (E Craven, P O’Callaghan, Joshua Craven and Mike Murray) and went down 16-08, Smith their only winner as he beat O’Callaghan.

Tuesday 26th January 2019

In the Shield, Lindley Libs (Richard Saunders, Daniel Bousfield, Robert Dickinson and Mark Sykes) just outside the top three played Clayton (Alan Peel, Hedley Kettlewell, Tommy Harney and Paul Gill) who were lying second. Saunders after a shaky start fell behind 11-8 and 16-12 in his game with Peel but finished the stronger as he levelled at seventeen and went on to win 21-19. In the second game Bousfield led Gill 10-7 but fell behind 12-18 where Gill looked to have the game sewn up. Bousfield had other ideas and even at 18-20 Gill looked the favourite but Bousfield prevailed for the narrowest of victories 21-20. Sykes never allowed Kettlewell in to their game and went on to win 21-9. The final game saw Dickinson and Harney exchange points right up to sixteen from where Harney went on to record a 21-16 win. 

The Mixtures of Rastrick and Elland (Andy Balmforth, Roger Stopford, Viv Smith and Derek Hewitt) who have slipped in recent weeks looked for a turn round in this week’s game with Greetland (George Simpson, Pete Lea, Barry Sugden and Ken Fleming). Mixtures produced three of the winners with Fleming beating Hewitt for Greetlands only winner.

Hanging Heaton (Alan Thompson, David Armitage, Michael Armitage and Graham Hirst) who have lacked a bit of consistency this year had a close game with Cleckheaton Sports (Paul Fincher, Ian Poutney, Chris Bray and John Ineson). Two winners each, Sports just taking the game 17-15 with the better scoring losers.

This week’s final match was Mirfield Old Bank (Brian Scarth, Dave Sharp, Mel Stradling and Graham Sheard) against Crosshills (Barry McCourt, Rod Bastow, Kevin Burnett and Barry Turnbull) and it was Crosshills who hit a bit of form as they provided all four winners in their 20-12 victory.

The opening game in the Plate was Rastrick (Gary Shaw, Alan Standing, Terry Leach and Donald Booth) against Lindley B C (Simon Anderson, Michael Thornton, Linda Gledhill and Steve Haigh), two teams on similar points. Leach just got the better of Anderson in the opening game 21-18.  Gledhill, only dropping one game so far this season, had a comfortable win, beating Shaw 21-8. Standing swung the match back in Rastrick’s favour with a 21-15 victory over Thornton and Booth put the icing on the cake with a narrow 21-17 win over Haigh.

Cleckheaton Sports (Joyce Ellis, Anne Watkinson, Dave Griffiths and Jayne Bradley) were paired with current leaders Spen Victoria (Kev Wood, Barry Firth, Gerald Bromley and Brian Thompson). The leaders provided all four winners with Bromley “back on the horse” after a recent run of bad form. Watkinson and Griffiths were best for Sports both carding eighteen.

Bronte’s (Fred Rothwell, Derek Pollard, Martyn Benson and David Hemsley) had three winners to one in their game with Silsden (David Beardsworth, Allan Hughes, Derek Metcalfe and R Ramsden) who had Metcalfe as their only winner.

Pellon (Paul Firth, Robert Walker, Mark Bolton and David Agnew) in the final game of the day with one winner lost out to Sowerby West End (John Sharp, Pat Skene, Geoff Price and Shirley Dillingham) 15-18. Firth 17, Bolton 18 and Walker 19 all contributed to Pellon’s score.