1st Division
Once again the 1st division title went to Mere Brow A after they beat Tarleton BC C 5-1, finishing on 98 points from their 22 league games. They stayed unbeaten for the season and have made it a remarkable four consecutive years now where they picked up the top prize. For Tarleton this result meant a bottom placed finish and so relegation after a short two years in the top flight division. They struggled to match the performance of last year and only won the two matches all season in this league campaign. I’m sure they will bounce back soon though.
Tarleton BC A ended their 2015-16 campaign going down 4-2 to Birkdale Cons A who won at Tarleton for the first time in many a year. Tarleton ended the year just 5 points behind the champions in a season where they actually went 4 matches at the turn of the year without dropping a single point. For Birkdale they have a Frank Lodge quarter-final to look forward to and a potential cup win to see for their efforts this year.
Fleetwood Hesketh A beat the Waddington Cons A team 4-2 last week to finish on the unlucky 13 wins for the season, and a 3rd placed finish once again. The defeat for the Waddy meant that they had gone the last 7 matches of the campaign without a win to leave them sat 8th in the league table.
Banks A might have only drawn 3-3 with Tarleton BC B but it would represent the side’s best points haul and finish in the league for a very long time. Banks only lost twice at home this year, both to the two top sides in the division, winning 11 times this year for their 76 points. For Tarleton this result meant they topped the table for most draws in the season with this result making it their 9th such 3-3 score line.
Rickerby Cup semi-finalist’s Argyle LTC won their last home game of the season 5-1 to send the visiting Waddington Cons B team back down to the 2nd division. It was Argyles 3rd such score line at home this year, and back-to-back home 5-1’s at that. For the Waddy B team it meant slipping back down a division after a short two years in the 1st, and I’m sure they will be among the favourites to come back up next year.
The Les Dodd’s B team managed to get enough points in the end to stay up on the 1st division after they earned a 3-3 draw with the visiting Churchtown Cons A team. The two sides below them only managed to get the 1 point on the night as the Doddy’s side managed to hang on to their 1st division status after promotion last year. Churchtown Cons had been struggling for most of the season but did enough in the end to stave off the threat of relegation, finishing the four points clear of the drop.
2nd Division
The 2nd division champions Banks C brought up their 16th win of the season when defeating the visiting Bretherton B team 4-2 last week. The long-time leaders in the division, they ended up 16 points clear of their nearest challenger in a season where Alan Johnson & Steve Harris only lost once throughout the whole campaign. For the lads from Bretherton B, it was a good year after their promotion from the 3rd division, and will be targeting finishing above their A team next year.
Joining Banks C in the 1st division next year will be the lads from the Southport Cons A team after they hung on to second place with a 3-3 draw with Mere Brow B. It is some 13 years since Southport Cons have graced the top table, and it will be a welcomed sight back for all to see. For Mere Brow it was a season that never took off after relegation from the 1st division last year. Though they only lost one of their last 6 league fixtures, so maybe better things are ahead for them next year.
Bretherton A came up just 2 points short from returning to the 1st division and have to in the end settle for a 3rd place finish in the division after they beat Les Dodd’s A 4-2 last week. The defeat at Churchtown Cons last week made it a bit of a long shot to overturn the 3 point deficit on Southport Cons, but they have a potential Frank Lodge semi-final ahead of them if they can beat the champions Banks C next. For Les Dodd’s A it was another year holding the wooden spoon as they finish some 9 points adrift at the bottom of the table, with only the one win to show for the season.
Southport & Birkdale Cricket club missed out on bouncing straight back in to the 1st division as they too finished 2 points short of the Bath street side. They still had a chance of getting promotion had they beaten Banks B 6-0 but with the match ending up in a 3-3 draw the Cricket club side face another year in the 2nd division. For Banks B they finished in 5th place in the league, only the 5 points short of second place.
Scarisbrick A signed off their last home match of the campaign with a resounding 6-0 thumping of Our Lady’s to end the season on a high. It was their 2nd such 6-0 thumping of e the year, though they will be glad to see the back of Banks C who beat them in both league fixtures 6-0 this year. For the lads from Formby it seems travelling away from home is their Achilles heel wining just the once at Les Dodd’s in all their travels for the season.
Churchtown Cons B sat out last week’s fixtures because of the bye week, now have the pleasure of looking forward to a Rickerby Cup semi-final date against the 1st division outfit of Argyle LTC soon. They end the season sat in 10th place after winning the 5 times in the season, losing only three times at home all year.
3rd Division
Les Dodd’s C came out as Champions of the 3rd division after they managed to defeat Churchtown Cons D 4-2 in the final match of the season. The two top sides in the division have traded blows all season long but the two head-to-heads saw the Doddy’s men take it 7 points to 5 in the end. Three of Les Dodd’s players, Martin Cusack, Chris Rae & Jim Bradley, have made the Atherton Cup semi while Churchtown Cons have the small matter of a Rickerby Cup semi-final versus 2nd division Mere Brow B to look forward to soon.
After seeing their club shut after just three weeks of the season the Formby Sports & Social lads managed to finish in a very creditable 3rd place in the division. With 15 wins for the season they certain took to their new home of Southport Cons who kindly took them in. They finished off the campaign with a 4-2 victory over Banks D, leaving the lads from Banks sitting in 10th place.
The Southport Cons B could not emulate their A team and gain promotion but they finish the season in 4th spot, with 11 wins from their 22 played. Only three defeats in the season, proves they are tough to beat, taking 6 points off Churchtown Cons in the season for starters. For British Rail they gained 10 wins and a 5th place finish in a season where they went some nine games without a win in the league.
Scarisbrick B signed off the season in the same style as their A team with a 5-1 victory over the Birkdale Cons C team, their 6th win of the season. Star player for them Wayne Cooper finished on 18 wins from his 21 played and comes top of the merit ‘Players Rankings’ after a wonderful debut season in the Southport Snooker league. For Birkdale it was their 8th defeat on the road, where they have suffered a few heavy defeats in that time.
Birkdale Cons B once again finished above their C team after they thumped the visiting Churchtown Cons C team 5-1 last week, making it their biggest home win of the season. They won half of their league matches in the season but took a few big hits as well along the way suffering three 6-0 defeats in the season. For Churchtown Cons it was defeat number 16 and just the one win which is a long way short of the 7 wins they earned last year. Better luck next year guys.
Fleetwood Hesketh B returned to winning ways in the last match of the season when they beat the visiting Waddington Cons C team 4-2. It was some 5 weeks since the last victory came for the B team from Marshside as they finish 8th in the table. For the Waddy C team it was another ‘wooden spoon’ finish with just the one win to their credit for the season. Next year it’s onwards & upwards for the Waddy C team we hope.
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