With the Leicester & District League in its final two weeks of “catch-up” time there are, naturally, fewer matches to record but those that are being played make up for the lack of numbers both with excitement and significance, particularly in the lower divisions.

Division Four is a case in point where Knighton Park’s 10th team, with mainly new players to the league, started uncertainly by winning just one of their first four matches. Since then they have not lost once and have been working their way steadily up the chart until finally facing Nomads IV knowing they had promotion but still in with a chance of the championship.

KP certainly played like champions with Zia Malik and Prajesh Patel both picking up what are now customary maximums in winning 8-2, taking the doubles, and Abe Lam supplying the other singles. Malik also almost clawed his way to the top of the averages, but not quite by 0.7 of a percent at 88.2%, while Patel finished on 79%.

This left everything resting on the final match, again featuring the same Nomads team, this time with the young Winstanley Wizards team needing to win to leapfrog the Park to become champions, and you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife both before and during the whole match, which went to the wire before the Wizards got home by a short head when they took the doubles to win 6-4 knowing that a draw would not be enough.

The first two sets indicated what sort of match it would be when Dan Andrews beat Mark Clay 11-9 in the fifth before Kelsey Andrews defeated Roger Burley also 11-9 in the fifth to give the Wizards a two-set lead. Laszlo Kocsis is always difficult to beat and he brought Nomads back into things with a terrific win over Himansu Mishra who actually topped the averages with 88.9% despite this setback.

Kocsis was in good form and went on to take a fine maximum, but in vain, while Dan Andrews and Mishra both won two for the Wizards, Kelsey Andrews one and Mark Clay grabbing the other Nomads success.

Syston Casuals IV deserve some sympathy in Division Five. Having vied all season on or very close to the top of the chart with very keen players still finding their way in league play, they needed a win against fourth-placed Blaby & Whetstone III to ensure second position but found themselves 3-0 down.

Battling back with Scott Morris winning his other two, Wes Glauds and Nick Bishop one apiece, they could not quite manage even a draw which would have given them a little hope as Blaby took the doubles to slam shut the door. For the winners, Jack Angrave and Tom Phipps each won two and Alan Willson one.

This left Goons II needing any sort of win against Knighton Park XI which, with a very strong trio, they did emphatically at 10-0 with Steve Harrison, Kev Edwards and Scott Robinson all in an uncompromising mood to secure promotion behind Unicorn III who still have the only match remaining in this division but with enough points to top it.

At the other end of the scale in Division One Knighton Park’s first team kept an almost impossible dream alive with a very good 9-1 victory over Arnesby without their star player, Chris Rogers.  Karen Smith and Reza Kiani each won three with Les Baker supplying two.  Leaders, Unicorn, need only to draw one of their remaining two matches for the title.

Meanwhile the final nail was hammered into the Electricity second’s relegation coffin when Thringstone beat them 7-3 with Trevor Kerry and Maurice Newman each claiming maximums for the winners.