The day has arrived for the final weekend of the 2013 Women’s British League season.
The Doncaster Dome will be the home to 34 teams battling it out in five divisions, with victory a priority for all.
As always, the Press and Publicity team will be covering the event throughout the weekend, with interviews, reports and much more.
Make sure you follow the British League on Twitter @BritishLeague for up to the minute updates.
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Alan Ransome speaks with Matt Shaw about Ormesby’s Premier division title win.
Interview with Alan Ransome here
Chloe Whyte speaks to Matt Shaw about Ormesby’s and her own aspirations for the final weekend.
Watch the interview and read the article here.
More video interviews…
Interview with Alice Loveridge
Interview with Marketa Myskova
Interview with Angharad Phillips
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End of Round Updates
Round One
Ormesby maintained their three point lead at the top of the Premier Division after edging past Thornton’s TT 4-2. An outstanding double from Marketa Myskova was not enough as Thornton’s wait for their first point of the campaign continues. Meanwhile, Halton TTC moved into second place after overtaking Draycott. Their 4-2 victory over Guernsey along with Draycott’s 3-3 draw with Burton Uxbridge means Halton lead the chasing pack with four games remaining.
Byng Hall A suffered a shock as they were defeated by bottom side Woolwell. Vicky Smith’s double victory along with wins from Sally Cutler and Rachel Trevorrow saw them move up to fourth spot. Poole Ladies now lead Division 1 after their 5-1 victory over Drumchapel Glasgow 1.
The landscape of Division 2 remains the same after the top three sides all won 4-2. Leeds Ladies’ victory over Morpeth Greenhouse sees them remain one point above Halton TTC 2, who beat De Vere Netts while Ireland Ladies beat St Andrews TTC.
Fusion Ladies showed no signs of weakness as they cruised past Gloucestershire Old Spots 6-0 to maintain their one point lead in Division 2. Aices remain hot on their heels as they narrowly beat Scarborough Ladies 4-2.
Formby’s dominant display from the first weekend continued as they picked up their sixth successive win. Their 6-0 success over Cippenham Ladies maintained their two point advantage at the top of Division 4 after Byng Hall C’s 4-2 win over Fusion Wannabees.
Round Two
Ormesby moved within three points of the Premier Division title after their 5-1 victory over Burton Uxbridge. They sit four points clear of both Draycott and Halton after the latter drew with Thorntons TT.
Poole Ladies took a one point lead in Division 1 despite their 3-3 draw with Knighton Park. Their draw left an opening for Byng Hall to take a stranglehold of the division, however their 4-2 loss to Drumchapel Glasgow meant Poole remained at the top.
Leeds Ladies maintained their place at the top of Division 2 after beating De Vere Netts 4-2. There was no let off from the chasing pack either, with Ireland Ladies and Halton TTC 2 beating Morpeth Greenhouse and St Andrews TTC respectivley.
Fusion Ladies moved one step closer to the Division 3 title after disposing of Pink Pong South West 5-1. However they can’t afford any slip-ups after Aices remained one point behind the leaders with a 4-2 win over Byng Hall B.
Formby kept their 100% in tact after their 5-1 defeat of Fusion Wannabees. Byng Hall C kept pressure on the leaders with a tight 4-2 win over Halton TTC 4.
Round Three
Ormesby’s 5-1 over Sportingbet Guernsey moved them to within just one point of being Women’s British League Champions. Draycott are the only side who can catch the league leaders now after their 4-2 victory over Halton TTC. Meanwhile, Throntons TT moved off of the foot of the table as they thrashed Burton Uxbridge 6-0. Burton now languish at the bottom.
Poole Ladies enter the last day of the season with a one point lead in Division 1. Their 5-1 victory over Fusion Wags maintained their spot at the top. However, Byng Hall A are within striking distance after their 4-2 win over Knighton Park. The two teams will go head to head in the final round of fixtures.
Division 2 is still wide open heading into the final day as the top three teams all drew. League leaders Leeds could only draw with St Andrews, while Halton TTC 2 and Ireland could not be separated. A mere two points separates the three sides.
After the separation of Division 3, Fusion lead Division 3A by a solitary point following their 5-1 defeat of East Midlands Draycott Ladies. Aices, however, refuse to back down, beating Pink Pong South West 6-0 and remaining just one point behind the leaders in the process.
In Division 3B, Byng Hall B’s 6-0 win over Gloucestershire Old Spots sees them two points clear of Drumchapel Glasgow 2, who beat Scarborough Ladies 4-2.
Formby will go into the final day of the season with a 100% record after they beat Cippenham Ladies 5-1. They still sit just two points above Byng Hall C, who beat Halton TTC 4-2.
Finally, Fusion New Stars are just one victory away from winning division 4B after their 5-1 win over Halton TTC 4. Their Fusion counterparts, New Stars, are three points behind the leaders after a 4-2 win over Sutton At Hone.
Round Four
Ormesby became the new Women’s British League champions after a tense draw against Halton TTC. Ormesby knew a point would be enough, however they were trailing 3-1 before wins from Yang Yi and Karen Shepherd confirmed the title would be going to Middlesbrough. The match between Guernsey and Thorntons TT in the final round will decide who goes down, with the latter needing a win to stand a chance of survival.
Both Poole Ladies and Byng Hall lost before their title showdown in the final round of Division 1. Byng Hall’s 4-2 defeat against Fusion Wags meant Poole could seal the title. However, they were defeated 4-2 by a Woolwell team that has moved from the bottom of the league to third place over the course of the weekend.
Halton TTC moved to the top of Division 2 for the first time all season after Leeds’ 5-1 defeat against Ireland Ladies.
Halton’s 6-0 win over already relegated Morpeth Greenhouse sent them to the top ahead of their clash with Leeds.
Fusion Ladies will need just a draw in their final match to win Division 3A after disposing of Pink Pong South West 5-1.
They will face second placed Aices, who were victorious in their match against East Midland Draycott Ladies.
Finally, Formby finally confirmed their status as champions of Division 4 after their 5-1 win over Halton TTC 4.
Round Five
Draycott and Long Eaton felt a bittersweet ending to the Women’s British League after beating the league champions, Ormesby. However, their 4-2 was not enough to take the title they had challenged for all season, missing out on the gold by a solitary point. Meanwhile, Thorntons TT’s 17 year stay in the Premier Division came to an end as they agonisingly missed out on safety. Despite their 4-2 victory over Guernsey, who were also relegated, Burton Uxbridge’s win over Halton confirmed their demise.
Poole Ladies will play in the Women’s British League Premier next season after they secured the Division 1 title through the skin of their teeth. Poole needed a draw to guarantee the title and had to dig deep to do so, before eventually coming through to draw with Byng Hall A and get the title in the process.
Halton TTC 2 confirmed their status as Division 2 champions in style, as they hammered Leeds in their title showdown. Ireland will join them in Division 1 next year after they confirmed promotion after their 5-1 win over De Vere Netts.
Aices clinched glory at the death after a dramatic win over Fusion Ladies. Fusion only needed a draw to win the league but went down to a determined Aices outfit.
Formby were the only Women’s side to finish with a 100% winning record as they overcame second placed Byng Hall C 5-1. The trio of Cherith Graham, Zoe Cheesman and Janine Bromley never looked like losing as they eased to promotion.