Red Press delivered their biggest statement of intent yet as they thrashed Hermits 8-1. The result, which saw Red Press leapfrog Hermits into second, is a serious dent in Hermits’ title challenge, having now suffered back to back defeats.
Shaun Ellis and Janet Adams played key roles as they won all three matches, whilst Stephen Hanson superbly chipped in with two wins. Paul McKreith provided a small consolation for Hermits with victory over Hanson.
The result means Red Press are Greetland Social’s nearest title rivals, seven points adrift albeit with a game in hand. The league leaders made it 25 games unbeaten as they dispatched fourth-placed Warriors 6-3, despite having only two men after James Foster forgot to turn up!
Jack Dabrowski and Sam Clayton both defeated Dave Wood, Ian Tweedale and Bob Sanderson to keep Greetland’s unbeaten run intact. Meanwhile, Greetland Social B picked up their first win of the season with a 5-4 win over Central. Two wins from Fraser Riley and Mushtaq Ahmed’s five-end victory over Garry Jowett had helped Central to a 3-1 lead. However, four consecutive sets, including epic five-game victories for Gilly Broadbent and Chris Lowson over Ahmed, and Jowett picking up a victory over Riley, secured a big win for Greetland.
Panthers made it three wins on the bounce with a 7-2 win over Grasshoppers with David Bowers being the star as he registered three superb results, including a brilliant victory over Jake Clarke. Staggeringly, Grasshoppers had taken a 2-0 lead with Clarke beating Alan Veal and Ken Mirfield producing a massive shock to defeat Ben Fillingham.
However, Bowers set the ball rolling with a four-game victory over Steve Thomas, which resulted in seven unanswered sets for Panthers.
In Division Two, Central 2 caught up ground on Hotshots with a 9-0 victory over Dolphins. Eric Greenwood, Steve Thomas and Shaun Forbes performed strongly to ramp up the pressure on Hotshots, albeit Denise Scott was unfortunate as she took both Forbes and Greenwood the distance.
Meanwhile, Hotshots survived their biggest test yet as they defeated fifth-placed Rams 6-3. Ollie Hill, Steve Marshall and debutant Johnny Heslop won two apiece, with Dave Melbourne responding with two wins and stand-in Steve Thomas winning one, while third-placed Oakland Raiders made it four wins from five with a 7-2 victory over Central 3.
Matthew Horrocks was the difference between the two sides as he won all three games. Despite Michael Hepworth picking up two wins for Central, two wins apiece for Stephen Horrocks and Tony Hemmingway added gloss to Oakland’s victory.
Keighley Nomads registered their fourth win of the season with a 7-2 victory over Team G. Clive Sherratt’s impressive run of form continued as he won three matches, as did stand-in Dave Melbourne
In Division Three, Leopards won the top-of-the-table clash as they defeated the previously unbeaten Ramsbridge 6-3. The match lived up to its billing as the game of the week, with little separating the two sides. Ultimately, the difference was Leopards’ ability to win the five-end thrillers, with Leopards taking all four ends that went the full distance.
Allen Cowburn gave Ramsbridge a flying start as he defeated the previously unbeaten Richard Musgrove. However, five-end victories for Ronnie McNamara and Jake Challenger over Joe Broadbent and John Schofield respectively, before Musgrove beat Broadbent 3-0, gave Leopards a 3-1 lead
Cowburn earned the tag of a percentage killer as he ruined Challenger’s 100 per cent record to make it 3-2 before McNamara regained Leopards’ two-point cushion with victory over Schofield. Broadbent gave Ramsbridge hope with victory over Challenger, however Musgrove’s victory over Schofield before McNamara recorded his third victory of the night over Cowburn secured the win.
Sowerby 2 moved up to fifth with a 7-2 win over Rainbow 1. John Korner won all three matches whilst Andrew Whiteley and Phillip Parry won two apiece.
Finally, Netamatix closed in on third place with a 5-4 victory over Jokers. John Wasilewski was the star as he recorded three victories, whilst Michael Craven’s two wins over Karen Levin and Graham McWhirter got them over the line. It means Netamatix are one point behind Jokers in third, with a game in hand.
Player of the week: Ronnie McNamara, who picked up three wins in Leopards’ top-of-the-table victory over Ramsbridge.
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Barry Snowden
December 2, 2014