Bolton League

5:13pm Friday 10th October 2008

BADMINTON: BOLTON Badminton League veterans shone in sunny Spain where the prestigious European Seniors’ Badminton Championships were being held in Punta Umbria.

A strong contingent of local players joined the English squad there to compete for the honours against hundreds of players from 24 countries.

In different age groups, Markland Hill’s Julian Priestley won a gold medal in the mixed doubles and a silver in the men’s doubles, while Bury’s Steve Ramsbottom won a silver medal in the men’s singles.

Bill Hamblett (Markland Hill), Graham Holt (Bury) and Ray Murphy (Bury) won bronze medals, the former two for the men’s doubles, and Murphy in the mixed. And former Bolton League star Brian Wallwork, now living and coaching in Yorkshire, won two gold medals for his mixed and singles’ performances.

Back home in league matches, Markland Hill A gave the club’s D team a 17-1 baptism of fire in their first A Section clash of the season, and Bury A set out their intentions with an 18-0 victory over last season’s B Section champions, Forrest B.

D Section winners Oakgate made a good start in C Section with a 15-3 victory over D L Farnworth B. Runners-up Smithills A, meanwhile, had a tougher time against newly-demoted Westhoughton B away.

After the opening set was shared, Smithills’ number one couple Jaquie Gibson and Barry Hilton took both the next games. Westhoughton top mixed, Val Marsden and Mel Rosser, however, levelled the score, but Smithills’ second couple Linda Singh and Malcolm Rolfe took both games in their second set to give the visitors a 6-4 lead.

Gibson and Linda Hawker pushed that score to eight with both top ladies’ games and Hilton and Clive Bass took it to nine with the first of the top men’s. Westhoughton fought back, first with a top men’s game from Rosser and Peter Nicholson, and then with both second ladies’ from Linda Evans and Viv Coleman.

Westhoughton needed both the final men’s to draw and Alan Green and Nicholson did not disappoint. They took the first to 12 and the second to 15 in two closely-fought games to ensure a point from a close encounter.

Markland Hill F, who missed out on promotion from this section on games’ difference last season, started their campaign well with a 14-4 win over Moorside A. In E Section, Moorside C announced their promotion intentions with a 12-6 win over Metro D.

Section A: Forrest B 0 Bury A 18; Markland Hill D 1 Markland Hill A 17.

Section B: Park 11 Westhoughton A 7; Deane A 14 Forrest C 4.

Section C: D L Farnworth B 3 Oakgate A 15; Westhoughton B 9 Smithills A 9; Deane C 2 Sharples B 16; Smithills A 8 Forrest D 10.

Section D: Forrest F 9 Westhoughton C 9; Markland Hill F 14 Moorside A 4; Sharples C 11 Metros C 7; Moorside A 5 Sharples C 13.

Section E: D L Farnworth D 13 Oakgate B 5; Metros D 6 Moorside C 12; Moorside C 14 D L Farnworth D 4.