The first aspect of the 2021/22 Harrogate League to reflect upon is the joyous fact it took place at all.

After the pandemic had spoiled our fun in 2020/21, the committee managed to pull together enough teams who hadn't quite had all their enthusiasm, fitness and life spirit crushed by the preceding 18 months and formed four divisions. Overall numbers were down from 37 to 29, but October saw us return cautiously to the battlefield, with aching limbs aplenty and the distinct whiff of Deep Heat in our nostrils.

Division One was down to eight teams and Collingham 1 were victors by just five points over Adel 1. 

It was Collingham who led the table on the night that fateful email was delivered back in April 2020 informing all players that the league would be suspended due to this weird, totally-blown-out-of-proportion new phenomen called coronavirus. It is therefore fitting that the villagers have picked up the silverware two years on.

George Wileman lost just once all season while Ben Hodgetts won seven out of nine - both defeats on occasions when he stepped up to top string. The team won every game from Christmas until the end of the season to deservedly clinch the trophy.

James Wilkinson and Chris Saunders were the mainstays for runners-up Adel. Wilkinson lost just twice - both times to Collingham's top man Wileman.

Harrogate 1 finished in third but their stablemates Harrogate 2 won only twice and finished bottom by a hefty margin.

Replacing them at the top table (subject to committee confirmation) will be Collingham 2 who absolutely stormed Division 2. They lost only once all season (on an epic night at home to Adel 2) and outscored runners-up Ilkley 1 by 22 points. 

Dan Adams (of Rab C Nesbitt string vest fame) won 10 matches out of 10 (taken to a fifth game only once!) and Maximus Cooke lost just once in nine. Paul Fotherby was another star performer with 10 victories out of 12.

Ilkley 1's second place came courtesy of the late-season multiple-cancellation of their fixture against nearest rivals Chapel Allerton 4 due to reasons which varied from Covid-19 to flooding to 'sorry sir, the dog ate my homework'. So long and tortuous were the negotiations that both sides gave up with exasperation and Ilkley claimed the 12-0.

At the other end, it's a double relegation for the boys from the Stray as Harrogate 3 finished bottom of Division Two, just a point above Chapel Allerton 5.

Into Division Three, and would you believe it, Collingham finished top of the pile here too! There's obviously something in the Wetherby water. Their fifth team made it a hat-trick of titles for the villagers by a margin of 10 points.

Adel 3 were their only serious challengers but two 2-1 victories over them in November and January and a 3-0 win in March proved the difference in the end for Collingham.

With only seven teams in the division, everyone played each other three times. Nick Williams played all but one game for the champions, winning 15 out of 17.

Chapel Allerton 6 and 7 finished in the bottom two positions and their fate will be decided at the dreaded committee meeting in summer, depending on new teams joining, others dropping out and brown envelopes addressed to Hookstone Wood Road. (N.B. this is a joke. Card payments only)

Division Four consisted of just five teams last season - each playing each other four times. They'll all be sick of the sight of each other, no doubt, especially opponents of Harrogate 4 who lost just twice in 20 games and took the title by a mammoth 33 points ahead of Skipton.

Collingham teams may have topped three divisions, but they finished bottom of the bottom division. Their sixth team won just twice all season, but like everyone else, we hope they'll be back next year. Enjoy your summer folks, please spread the word that squash is back, safe and lots of fun. See you in September.