Week 23 News
The Bolton Badminton League season has finished its fixtures with mixed fortunes for a couple of the biggest clubs.
In A Section, Bury has repeated its success of the last couple of seasons by taking the championship – two points away from former champions Markland Hill A.
But, while Forrest A finishes in third place, the club’s B team just escapes relegation with Markland Hill’s B team just one place above them. And for both clubs’ C teams, it’s back to B Section next season from the drop zone.
It’s the same story in B Section where DL Farnworth A hung on to take the divisional title by one point from Oakgate B, but with DL Farnworth B facing relegation along with Markland Hill D.
Deane A just failed in their bid for top-flight badminton, finishing in third place, but with fourth-placed Hawkshaw C completing their season’s fixtures with an exciting 10-8 win over Deane.
Forrest D kept up the pace in C Section to emerge worthy champions and collect the silverware, with former A Section side Metro A runners up and no doubt planning to move back up the divisions.
Another Deane side, the club’s B team, just missed out on promotion, and finished third - just two points away from promotion.
A superior games’ tally over GMT kept Forrest F in this section and pushed the Eccles based club into the relegation area but, ironically, Forrest E is relegated.
A better games’ score – mostly accrued during the first half of the season – has handed Westhoughton C the D Section title over Moorside B after the two clubs finished on identical match points.
Westhoughton C’s 17-1 win over third-placed Lads & Girls Club A finally did the damage for Moorside after the two have tussled for the No.1 slot all season.
Only Lads & Girls’ top couple Meyuni Augama and Sam Muschamp could make any headway against the strong Westhoughton side by splitting their opening mixed set.
Credit, however, must go to the Westhoughton side of Jackie Roberts, Linda Redford, Ruth Atherton, Anthony Hughes, Nigel Muddiman and Stephen Dixon for keeping their nerve to the final rally to clinch the title.