Division One

Nerves were a-janglin’ in this week’s clash of the top two in Harrogate League Division One in which Chapel Allerton 1 hosted Harrogate 1.

It was the home side who emerged not only with victory but with a nine-point lead with just four games of the season remaining. Can they hold on? The glitterati in the bistros and cafes of the north Leeds suburb are talking of little else.

Although veteran Randolph Victor went down in straight games to Mark James on Monday, second string John Riley handed Olly Hotchkiss his third successive Harrogate League defeat (having won his previous nine!) before Chapel skipper Ross Williamson brilliantly dismissed Simon Myring at No.1 for a 9-4 win.

Collingham 1 may yet get their sweaty palms on the trophy though. They larruped winless Aireborough 12-1 and although they are 24 points off the lead, they have a game in hand on the top two.

Monday’s only other Division One fixture was a mid-table tussle between Adel 1 and Otley 1 which the Chevinistas won 9-4 by virtue of Matt Wood and Mark Swift victories.

Division Two

It was a massive night in the second tier. Glancing into their rear-view mirror, Collingham 2 can see their challengers fading to a speck. A maximum-points win over Adel 1 saw them go 14 points clear, with James Rollinson (current winning run: 12), Dan Adams (10) and Nick Williams (unbeaten all season) all flexing their promotion muscles.

It’s going to be an epic battle to the finish for second place. The current incumbents are Chapel Allerton 5, but they were thrashed at Dunnington. Mike Dale surrendered a two-game lead and blew three match points in losing to Darren Mould, before curling into a sobbing, foetal ball on the back seat of Mike Robinson’s BMW on the way home.

Robinson himself lost in four to Jermaine Manners and the York club showed their keenness for promotion by bringing in Yorkshire League Division One player Johnny Everitt at No.1, who promptly handed Tim Manuel a first defeat of the season.

Harrogate 2 are four points back in third after routing bottom-of-the-table Collingham 3 by 12-2. Two points further back on 115 are Dunnington and then there’s Chapel Allerton 4 on 110, still well in contention. Although skipper Mark Taylor lost to Skipton’s volley specialist Jack Pearce at three, Julian Gorton and Bobby Pearson were efficient enough up the order to post a 10-3 triumph.

In the night’s other fixture, Simon Child moved up from his usual habitat of Division Four to turn out for Chapel Allerton 6 and recover from losing the first two games 9/3 9/0 to win in five. Tim Belcher and Matt Johnson couldn’t match his heroism though, losing to Otley 2’s Paul Roberts and Hayden Stewart.

Division Three

It’s all getting very tight here too, with shock home defeats this week for leaders Adel 2 and third-placed Ilkley 1. Lowly Harrogate 3 were the shock winners at Adel thanks to Dave Mann and James Green’s victories, while Ilkley 1 succumbed to Chapel Allerton 8 thanks to wins for Ben Richardson and Alex Paes for the Leeds side.

Chapel Allerton 7 moved stealthily within six points of the lead after beating fourth-placed Otley 3. Although the visitors’ No.3 Brian Portwood won in four over Matt Davenport, Sam Smith and Lloyd Palmer overturned the early deficit.

Bottom side Ilkley 2 lost heavily again – their fifth in a row – with Harlow 2’s Richard White, Jim Ruddy and Aaron Gallimore all winning in contrasting manners.

Division Four

David Lloyd made the squash press this week with news of court closures at many of their fitness centres. Their Leeds branch courts remain happily undemolished, although a heavy 12-1 loss to leaders Ilkley 3 won’t have done much to dissuade the bulldozers.

Collingham 5 trounced Adel 5 in the second v third duel, led by No.1 Maximus Cooke’s straight-games destruction of Nigel Lister and backed up by Michael Odling-Smee and Steve Osbourne.

For struggling Chapel Allerton 9, Simon Child suffered a bagel in the opening game against Aireborough 2’s Roger Wilkinson but eventually lost 10-9 in the fifth and (his words) “saw the first ever case of an opponent being given a let for kicking off his shoe!” His narrow loss was crucial as his side lost 2-1.