Southport and Formby Quiz League : Quiz Notes
By Tom Farley


Week ending 30th March 2024

Handicap Cup - First Round
Conceding 15 points, Formby Sports needed 6 rounds to establish a narrow lead over plucky ExPats but then added a few further points to finish 45 - 41 ahead led by good scoring from Sheila Tickle 18 and Bill Hodgson 13 with Kath Jackson 11 leading for the visitors. Conceding 8 at home to Exams, E Street Band led after 3 rounds but the visitors rallied to lead by 2 points going into the final round only for the first division team to win the last to finish 42 - 40 ahead with Dave Nickeas 14, Geoff Hedley 11 and Alan Wright 10 scoring well and ever- reliable Nick Philpott 17 leading for the visitors. Receiving 3 at home to Grapes of Wrath, and led by Dave Phillips 20 and Mike Taylor 11, Southport Grasshoppers led from the start and finished 43 - 30 in front with Derek Roberts 14 leading for the Grapes. Conceding 19 at home to Quads, Wings had pulled back only 4 points over the first 6 rounds. However, they won the next 10 - 1 to raise hopes but finished 57 - 52 down with Richard Farbon 15 and Steve Redfern 10 scoring well for the visitors and Dag Griffiths 19, Mauruce Wright 14 and Tom Farley 10 for Wings. Aardvarks Zetland, MPs, Fishermens Rest and Mixed Blues all had byes.


Week ending 23rd March 2024


Don Standing Cup Final
Despite their relative league positions, Formby Sports have beaten Wings every few years and they made an excellent start and held their lead for 3 rounds before Wings won the 4th to edge a point ahead. Wings then managed to consolidate their lead to finish 51 - 40 ahead led by an excellent 23 from Dag Griffiths well backed up by Tom Farley 11, Maurice Wright 9 and Keith Mulhearn 8 with Sheila Tickle a fine 21 with Tony Morris 10 and Nick Aindow and Leon Metford leading for the visitors.

Ma
urice Jefferies Plate Final
While the home side Fishermens Rest were clear favourites to win and took an early lead, the visitors had pegged them back to draw level at halfway. However, the home side took the second half 27 - 15 to draw away and finish. 48 - 36 ahead with good scoring from Harry Owen 20, Alan Ascott and Dave Williams, both 10 and John Clarke and a fine 21 from Dave Phillips backed up by Mike Taylor, Gary Middleton and Mick Hopkins for the visitors.

Merseyside Mimir Individual Heats
Of the six qualifiers from our league, last season’s champion Dag Griffiths (Wings) reached the final, to be played later, Ray Oakes (Casablanca) reached the semi final and Neil Macaskill (Fishermens Rest) and Tom Farley (Wings) reached the second round.


Week ending 16th March 2024


Don Standing Cup Semi-Finals
Grapes of Wrath led Formby Sports for 3 rounds but the first division side established a narrow lead and won the last 6 - 3 to finish 47 - 41 ahead .Sheila Tickle 19 and Leon Metford and Bill Hodgson, both 12, led for Sports and Jack Gardner 19 for the visitors. In the final, they will meet Wings who led Quads from the second round and steadily increased their lead to finish 52 - 36 ahead . All of their players were in double figures, Tom Farley 17, Keith Mulhearn 14, Bob Parry 11 and Maurice Wright 10 all made good contributions and Steve Bray 14 led for the visitors. The final will be played at the Bold Arms, Churchtown on Tuesday 19th March

Ma
urice Jefferies Plate Semi-Finals
Fishermens Rest established an early lead at home to E Street Band though the visitors were never far behind without being able to catch up and the “Fish “ finished 49 - 42 ahead with good scoring from Neil Macaskill 17, John Clarke 13 and Harry Owen 11 with Dave Nickeas 15 and Alan Wright 12 leading the reply. In the final, they will play Southport Grasshoppers who led from the start against Exams and finished 42 - 34 ahead led by an excellent 24 from Dave Phillips and 10 from Mick Hopkins with Nick Philpott 19 leading for Exams.

MQL Plate Semi-Finals
Three of our league teams were involved. Fisherme's Rest played very well to beat Wings 48 - 40 and will play Aigburgh Peoplen who beat a depleted E Street Band, in the final at a Warrington venue on 15th May.

 

Week ending 9th March 2024


Don Standing Cup Quarter Finals
Top match this week was at Wings with the league runners-up entertaining the champions Casablanca. The home side edged the first round by 1 point and remained narrowly ahead throughout a very tense contest to finish 53 - 50 in front with Tom Farley 17, Keith Mulhearn 16, narrowly missing out on a “full-house “ , and Dag Griffiths 14 leading for Wings and Ray Oakes 16, Andy Page 15 and Dave Dutton 12 for the visitors. In the semifinals, they will face Quads who, like Wings, led Aardvarks Zetland from the start to finish 9 ahead at 48 -39 with good scoring from Richard Farbon 15, Adrian Cannell 13 and Steve Redfern 12 with John Richards and Brian Cummins, both 13 and Steve Wilson 11 leading for the home side. The other semi final will be between Formby Sports, who had a bye, and Grapes of Wrath who came from 5 points behind at halftime against Mixed Blues to win all the remaining rounds and finish 48 - 42 ahead led by good scoring from Derek Roberts 15 and Jack Gardner 14 with Bill Morris 15 and Jim McGrath 12 leading for the visitors.

Ma
urice Jefferies Plate Quarter Finals
E Street Band led by 16 points at halfway in their match at MPs and, though the home side picked up in the later rounds, were still comfortable winners at 47 - 37 with Dave Nickeas 17 and Alan Wright 15 scoring well and Dan Evans 13 and Chris Hodgen 11 leading the reply. In the semi finals, they will play Fishermens Rest with the other match being between Exams and Southport Grasshoppers, both of whom had byes.

Week ending 2nd March 2024


Don Standing Cup First Round
A key match this week was at Fishermens Rest who entertained Wings. The home side took an early lead but the scores were level after 3. Wings won the next 3 to establish a 9 point only for the Fish to win the next 9 - 3 but the visitors won the last 9 - 4 to finish 53 - 45 ahead. Dag Griffiths 17, Tom Farley 13, Maurice Wright 12 and Keith Mulhearn 11 led for the visitors and Neil Macaskill 16 and John Clarke and Harry Owen, both 12, for the home side. Mixed Blues dominated their game at home to Expats in winning 45 - 25 with a fine 23 from Bill Morris supported by Jim McGrath 12 and Claire Newbery 11. Grapes of Wrath overcame their first division opponents Southport Grasshoppers 43 -36 led by Jack Gardner 21, including 7 x 2s with David Phillips 18 and Mike Taylor 10 leading for the visitors. Led by a fine 27 from Sheila Tickle (including a “full house “, Formby Sports proved too strong for Exams in winning 47- 27 with Nick Philpott 13 leading for the home side. Quads proved much too strong for first division E Street Band in winning 40 - 24 with Steve Bray 13 and Richard Farbon 12 leading for Quads and Ian Wainwright 12 for ESB. At home to MPs, Aardvarks Zetland established an early lead which they steadily built on to finish 41 - 35 ahead led by Steve Wilson 13 and Brian Cummins 12 with Ann Evans 16 leading for the visitors. Holders Casablanca had a bye.


Week ending 24th February 2024

Handicap League Week Seven
In the final round of matches, Quads did not let slip their 2 point advantage over their 4 nearest rivals and finished top of the league with just one loss. Wings were runners-up on points difference followed by Mixed Blues, Cavalette and Southport Grasshoppers. Receiving 9 at home to Formby Sports, Quads led throughout and finished 44 - 35 ahead led by Steve Bray 15 with Bill Hodgson 11 and Sheila Tickle 10 leading for the Formby side. Conceding 25 at home to ExPats, Wings were still 7 points adrift after 6 rounds but won the last two 9 - 1 and 5 - 1 to finish 49 -44 ahead with Dag Griffiths 18 and Maurice Wright 14 scoring well and Don Hobson 10 leading for ExPats. Receiving 22 at Casablanca, Mixed Blues were never headed and finished 55 -44 ahead led by Chris Newbery 13 and Claire Newbery 10 with Dave Dutton 15, Andy Page 12 and Ray Oakes 11 leading for the home side. Receiving 4 at MPs, Cavalette led throughout to finish 48 - 36 ahead led by a fine 18 from Kate Woods with Dan Evans 15 and Ann Evans 10 leading the reply. The lead in Grasshoppers game at home to Exams changed hands a few times but they won the last round 6 - 3 to finish 37 -34, not needing their one point advantage. Mick Hopkins, back on form, 14 and Dave Phillips 10 led for the home side and Chris Wood 12 and Nick Philpott 11 for the visitors. E Street Band, conceding 6 at home to Grapes of Wrath, fought a tight match for 7 rounds but won the last 6 - 1 to finish 35 -30 led by Dave Twigge 13 and Dave Nickeas 11 with Jack Gardner 16 for the visitors. Conceding 7 at home to Aardvarks Zetland, Fishermens Rest, lost the first round but won the rest to finish 47 - 39 in front with good scoring from Neil Macaskill 21,Harry Owen 13 and Alan Ascott 10 with Steve Wilson 14 and John Richards 12 led for the visitors.

Eddie Conway Cup/MIMIR heats
In a closely contested final, Ray Oakes (Casablanca) finished a point ahead of Dag Griffiths (Wings) reversing the result of the equally close final of last year. Tom Farley (Wings) was a further point behind, with Neil Macaskill Fishermens Rest) making up the quartet. At 84, Tom was probably the oldest player to make the final. These 4, plus Alan Wright ( E Street Band) and Harry Owen (Fishermen's Rest) will represent the league in the Merseyside Finalson the 20th March. As usual, the evening was very efficiently run by Ann Evans (MPs) aided by taem mates Dan Evans and Owen Lea-Porter.



Week ending 17th February 2024

Handicap League Week Six
Of the 4 teams on 8 points, only Quads won and can only be caught if they lose in the final fixtures next week. This week, conceding 2 at home to Cavalette, they took the lead after round two and gradually extended it to finish 35 - 24 ahead with Richard Farbon 13 leading the scoring. Conceding 3 at ExPats, Southport Grasshoppers never caught their opponents and went down 30 - 24 , despite a 13 from the ever - reliable Dave Phillips. Conceding 17 at MPs, Wings put in a very strong performance to win 53 - 43 led by Dag Griffiths 24, just missing a “full house “ and Tom Farley 14, with Dan Evans 12 leading the reply. Conceding 5 at Aardvarks Zetland and led by Sheila Tickle 15, Sports overcame their handicap to finish 37 - 33 ahead with John Richards 10 leading for the home side and Bob Rimmer putting in a rare appearance. At home to Fishermens Rest and receiving 11, Grapes of Wrath had extended their lead at halftime to 12 but the visitors dominated the second half to finish 42 - 36 ahead with good scoring from Neil Macaskill 16, Alan Ascott 12 and Harry Owen 11 with Jack Gardner 14 leading for the Grapes. Conceding 7 points at home to Mixed Blues, E Street Band’s match swung this way and that with ESB shaving the final round to finish 35 - 34 ahead with good scoring from Dave Nickeas 16 and Alan Wright 11 with Claire Newbery 14 leading for the visitors. Receiving 23 at home to Casablanca, Exams remained ahead throughout, drawing the first round and winning the last to win 56 - 46 led by Nick Philpott 16 and Jim Quigley 10 with Ray Oakes 19 and Andy Page 14 scoring well for the visitors.

MQL Plate Quarter-Finals
There were good wins for Wings and E Street Band who beat Soapsuds (Wirral) and Exile (Liverpool) respectively on Wednesday 14th February,. There will be at least one S&F in the final as Fishermen's Rest who had a bye will entertain Wings in the semi-finals on 13th March. E Street Band can make it an all S&F Fnal if they can get past Aigburth People (Liverpool( in the other semi-fnal.

Week ending 10th February 2024

Handicap League Week Five
The first draw in the league saw Formby Sports, conceding 7, come from behind in the final round against MPs to level the scores at 37 - all. Sheila Tickle 24 led for the Formby side and Ann Evans and Chris Hodgen, both 10, for MPs. Leaders Southport Grasshoppers lost their unbeaten record at home to Quads despite receiving 3 points against the second division side who put together a fine performance to win 50 - 36 with all of their players in double figures, Richard Farbon 16, Steve Bray 12 and Adrian Cannell and Steve Redfern, both 11, with Dave Phillips 14 leading for the home side. Receiving 20 points at home to Wings, Mixed Blues greatly helped their own cause by taking 7 points from their own questions in rounds 1 and 6 to hold off Wings 59 - 56 led by Jim McGrath 16 with Tom Farley 16, Dag Griffiths and Keith Mulhearn both 14 and Maurice Wright 12 leading for Wings. Receiving 23 at home to Casablanca, Aardvarks Zetland were caught after 6 rounds and eventually lost 53 -45 . Dave Dutton 23, Andy Page 17 and Bill Thomas 13 all made useful contributions. Receiving 12 at home to East Street Band, Exams led for 6 rounds but the visitors won the last two 16 - 5 to finish 47 - 41 ahead led by Dave Nickeas and Geoff Hedley, both 15 and Alan Wright 11 with Nick Philpott 11 and Jim Quigley 10 leading for Exams. Expats finally won a match this season, finding questions that suited them. Receiving 17 against Fishermens Rest, they won 56 -45 led by Don Hobson 14, Kath Jackson 13 and Phil Ward 12 with John Clarke 14, Harry Owen 11 and Francis Daly and Neil Macaskill both 10 leading for the Fish. Receiving 2, Cavalette were never headed at home to Grapes of Wrath and finished 35 - 27 ahead with good scoring from Kate Woods 12 and Dave Palmer 11 with Derek Roberts 13 leading for the Formby side.

Week ending 3rd February 2024

Handicap League Week Four
Perhaps the most interesting result this week was at Grapes of Wrath where the second division's side conceded 3 points to first division Southport Grasshopper and lost 36 - 34. Dave Phillips 19, led for the visitors and Jack Gardner and Derek Roberts, both 11 and Keith Wilkinson 10 for the Grapes. Receiving 12 and led by Kath Jackson 13, ExPats held off East Street Band to win 45 - 42 with Alan Wright 14, Ian Wainwright 13 and Dave Nickeas 10 leading for the visitors. Receiving 10 at Formby Sports, Mixed Blues were always in the lead and finished 49 - 45 ahead despite losing the last round 10 - 1. Ed Davies 12 and Claire Newbery 11 led for the Blues and Sheila Tickle 16,Leon Metford 12 and Nick Aindow 11 for the home side. Starting from scratch, Cavalette and Exams were still level at halftime but the home side pulled away in the second half to win 35 - 29 led by Kate Woods 18 and Alan Martin 11 with Nick Philpott 18 leading for the visitors. Conceding 9 at MPs, Fishermens Rest made up the deficit after 3 rounds and finished well ahead at 55 - 28 with good scoring from Harry Owen 17, Neil Macaskill 15, Alan Ascott 12 and John Clarke 11. Receiving 21 at home to Casablanca, Quads were always comfortably ahead in winning 61 - 38 with Richard Farbon 15 and Steve Redfern 14 scoring well and Andy Page 26 leading the reply. Conceding 15 at home to Aardvarks Zetland, Wings drew the first round but won the rest to finish 53 - 37 ahead with all of the players in double figures, Keith Mulhearn 17, Tom Farley 15, Bob Parry 11 and Maurice Wright 10 with John Richards 10 leading the reply.

 

Week ending 27th January 2024

Handicap League Week Three
While we await a draw in the Handicap League this season, 2 matches this week ended with a 1 point margin and 1 of 2 points. Conceding 9 at Grapes of Wrath, Formby Sports were 1 ahead at half time and managed to maintain that to finish 1 ahead at 43 - 42 with a 18 from Sheila Tickle backed up by Bill Hodgson 12 and Leon Metford 10 with Jack Gardner 13 leading for the home side. Conceding 6 at home to Quads, East Street Band made up their deficit by winning the 4th round 9 - 3 and maintained their narrow lead until the last round which Quads won 7 - 5 to snatch a 42 - 41 victory. Steve Redfern 12 and Richard Farbon 11 led for the visitors and Alan Wright 13 and Dave Twigge 10 for ESB. Conceding a hefty 27 and playing with only 3 players at home to ExPats, Casablanca never quite caught their visitors and went down 52 - 50 with Andy Page 26, Dave Dutton 14 and Bill Thomas 10 scoring well and Phil Ward 13 leading for the visitors. Southport Grasshoppers made the most of their 5 point start at home to MPs in a match of swaying fortunes but won the last round 8 - 4 to win 40 - 36 with Dave Phillips 12, Mike Taylor 11 and Mick Hopkins 10 scoring well and Dan Evans 10 leading for MPs. Conceding 12 at home to Mixed Blues, Fishermens Rest never looked like catching their visitors who put in a good team performance to win 50 - 40 led by Paul Tandy 12 and Jim McGrath 10 with John Clarke 18 and Harry Owen 10 leading for the Fish. Conceding 21 “away“ at Exams, Wings put in a solid performance to win 53 - 45 with good scoring from Dag Griffiths 22, Tom Farley 16 and Keith Mulhearn 12 with Nick Philpott 14 leading for Exams. Cavalette also made good use of their 6 point start at Aardvarks Zetland with a 40 - 35 victory led by Dave Palmer 12 with Steve Wilson 13 and John Richards 12 leading for the home side.

Week ending 20th January 2024

Handicap League Week Two
In general. the questions were much better this week and produced some closer games. Closest match was at the Richmond where Wings beat Quads 54 - 51. Conceding 19 , they eventually caught the home side after 7 rounds and the won the last 7 - 4. Dag Griffiths 19 led for Wings, supported by Keith Mulhearn 16 and. Tom Farley 13 with Richard Farbon 12 leading the reply. Second division Mixed Blues overcame their 1 point concession to Cavallette in winning 35 - 30 after a strong performance in the first half. Bill Morris 12 and Paul Tandy 10 led for the home side and Chris Swallow 13 and Alan Martin 10 for Cavalette. Conceding 13 at Exams, Fishermens Rest had pulled back the handicap after 3 rounds and finished 52 -38 ahead led by Harry Owen 15 and Alan Ascott and John Clarke, both 14, with Nick Philpott 14 leading the reply. Conceding 15 points at ExPats, Formby Sports had levelled the match after 3 rounds and finished 52 - 38 in front with good scoring from Sheila Tickle 18, Bill Hodgson 16 and Leon Metford 10. Receiving 7 at home to Aardvarks Zetland, Southport Grasshoppers led all the way with David Phillips 16 scoring well and Dave Leyland 11 leading the reply. Conceding 4 at home to visitors MPs, East Street Band produced a strong performance to finish 47 - 33 ahead led by Alan Wright and Dave Nickeas, both 17 and Ian Wainright, making a rare appearance, 13. Grapes of Wrath made the most of their 21 points start at Casablanca, always being comfortably in front and finishing 61 - 47 ahead led by good scoring from Jack Gardner 22 and Keith Wilkinson 11 with Andy Page 18, Ray Oakes 14 and Bill Thomas 13 leading for the Formby side.


Week ending 13th January 2024

Handicap League Week One
In general, this week’s quizzes showed the difficulty of the stronger team beating the handicap when the questions are too obscure for either team to answer them. The top win of this week was MPs 54 - 34 victory over the Division One champions Casablanca, aided by the latter having to field a weakened side. Ann Evans 15 led for MPs and Dave Dutton 14 and Andy Page 13 for the home side, MPs winning without the benefit of their 19 point start. Similarly, Aardvark Zetland, receiving 2, were much too strong for E Street Band in winning 42 - 27 led by John Richards 16 and Dave Leyland 14 with Geoff Hedley 10 leading for ESB. Wings made up 16 of their 19 point concession to Grapes of Wrath in the first 3 rounds but could only gain a further single point in going down 46 - 44 with Jack Gardner 13 leading for the visitors and Maurice Wright and Bob Parry, both 12 and Tom Farley 11 leading the reply. Mixed Blues, conceding 2 to Southport Grasshoppers were leading 21 - 15 at halftime but scored no points in rounds 6 and 7 to finish 35 - 32 behind with Dave Phillips 16 leading for the Hoppers and Bill Morris for the Blues. Conceding 11 at home to Quads, Fishermens Rest never threatened their visitors despite 11 from Harry Owen and 10s from John Clarke and Neil Macaskill, all making reasonable scores, with Adrian Cannell 12 leading for the visitors. Led by Nick Philpott 14, Exams made good use of their 11 point advantage at Formby Sports and were never headed, finishing 37 - 33 ahead with Sheila Tickle 13 and Bill Hodgson 11 leading for the Formby side. Cavalette and ExPats probably had sarcastic comments about the questions after their low scoring encounter in which 28 questions remained unanswered . Cavalette conceded 4 points and won the match 28 - 18 led by Kate Woods 10.

 

Week ending 16th December 2023

Division One
Congratulations to Casablanca who completed the season with a 100% record. This week, they heavily defeated Southport Grasshoppers 65 - 31 with good scoring from Ray Oakes 24, Andy Page 18, Bill Thomas 12 and Dave Dutton 11 with Mick Hopkins 13 leading the reply. Wings finished in second place thanks to a slightly better points difference in their matches against Fishermens Rest. This week, they comfortably beat Cavalette 61 - 35, though the visitors did win 2 of the rounds. For Wings, Dag Griffiths had a second "full house' of the season in his 24, backed up by Keith Mulhearn 16, Tom Farley 11 and Maurice Wright 10 with Kate Woods 16 and Alan Martin 11 leading for the visitors. Fishermens Rest and East Street Band played a double-header. In the first, the Fish built up a comfortable lead from the start to finish 51 - 35 ahead led by John Clarke 18 and Harry Owen 17 with Dave Nickeas 12 and Geoff Hedley 11 leading for the Band. The postponed game was much tighter, Fishermens Rest winning 42 - 41 with ESB winning the last round 8 - 3 to almost snatch a draw. Alan Ascott 16 and John Clarke 11 led for the Fish and Alan Wright and Dave Nickeas, both 13, led for the Band.

Division 2
Congratulations to Aardvarks Zetland for making an immediate return to the first division. They ended the season with a comfortable 51 - 28 victory at St Pats led by a season’s best 22 for Brian Cummins with John Richards 16 and Dave Leyland 13 scoring well also. MPs also secured promotion with a 38 - 28 victory at Mixed Blues in which winning the 4th round 8 - 1 proved crucial. Ann Evans 12 and Dan Evans 11 led for MPs and Ed Davies 11 for the home side. Quads finished 1 point behind MPs in the league. In their match at home to Exams, their 7 - 2 win in the 7th round also proved crucial to their 42 - 37 victory. Richard Farbon 13, Barbara Farbon 12 and Steve McGinty 10 led for Quads and Nick Philpott 17 and Jim Quigley 12 led for the visitors.

 

Week ending 9th December 2023

Division One
Champions Casablanca maintained their 100% record at Fishermens Rest but were pushed pretty close by the home side in winning 45 - 40 with the issue being decided well into the final round. Andy Page 17 and Ray Oakes 14 led for the visitors and John Clarke 16, Neil Macaskill 11 and Harry Owen 10 for the Fish. Formby Sports won the first round at home to Wings but the visitors won the rest for a comfortable 53 - 30 victory with Dag Griffiths 18, Keith Mulhearn 16 and Tom Farley 11 all scoring well and Sheila Tickle 18 leading for the Formby side. East Street Band and Cavalette played a double- header. The first was close at 38 - 32 to ESB with a 10 - 2 scoreline in the 5th being crucial. Alan Wright and Dave Nickeas, both 12. led for ESB. The postponed match was very one - sided with ESB winning 47 - 22 with good scoring from Geoff Hedley 17, Dave Nickeas 12 and Alan Wright 10.

Division Two
An under- strength Aardvarks Zetland lost their 100% record at home to Quads 35 - 27 with Richard Farbon and Steve Redfern, both 10, scoring well and John Richards 11 leading the reply. All of Exams players scored a consistent 9 to produce a successful 36 - 29 outcome against Grapes of Wrath with Derek Roberts 14 leading for the visitors. A solid performance at ExPats gave MPs a 40 - 29 victory with an 8 - 2 win in the 5th round setting them on their way. Chris Hodgen and Ann Evans, both 12, led for MPs and Peter Lyth 10 for ExPats.


Week ending 2nd December 2023

Division One
Congratulations to Casablanca who probably clinched the championship with a 60 - 51 victory over Wings. The Tuesday questions were much easier than average and produced higher scores in both divisions. Casablanca scored 26 two point answers at home to Wings with Andy Page, Ray Oakes and Dave Dutton all 17 and Bill Thomas 11 putting together a formidable score with Dag Griffiths 18, including a “full - house “, Keith Mulhearn 14 and Tom Farley 10 leading the reply. On the same questions, Formby Sports won 51 - 42 at E Street Band led by Sheila Tickle 16, Nick Aindow 15 and Bill Hodgson 12 with Dave Nickeas 14 and Geoff Hedley 11 leading for the Band. On the Monday questions, Fishermens Rest continued their fine season with a 47 - 28 victory at Southport Grasshoppers led by Alan Ascott 16, Harry Owen 13 and John Clarke 11 and Dave Phillips 16 for the home side.

Division Two

All of the matches were played on the Tuesday questions with all of the 6 teams scoring at least 40 points. Champions Aardvarks Zetland were behind at halfway at Grapes of Wrath but pulled it round to finish 50 - 43 ahead with all players in double figures, Dave Leyland 17, Brian Cummins 12, John Richards 11 and Steve Wilson 10 with Derek Roberts 15, Keith Wilkinson 14 and Dave Berrington 12 for the visitors. Quads continued their good run with 49 - 41 victory at home to ExPats with Adrian Cannell 14, Steve McGinty 13, Richard Farbon 12 and Steve Bray 10 all scoring well with Don Hobson 14, Phil Ward 13 and Kath Jackson 10 all making useful contributions for ExPats. Mixed Blues were also behind at halftime at Exams but won 3 of the later rounds to pull ahead and finish 44 - 40 in front with good scoring from Bill Morris 16 and Ed Davies 13 with Jim Quigley 15 and Steve James 14 leading for the home side.


Week ending 25th November 2023

Division One
Top match this week was at Wings with the home side wishing to reverse their loss to Fishermens Rest in the earlier fixture. After 5 rounds, the scores were still level but Wings were able to put together a flurry of 2 pointers to win the 6th 10 - 2 and keep the momentum up to finish 57 - 45 ahead. Wings’ captain Keith Mulhearn achieved his first “full - house “ in his 18, well supported by Dag Griffiths 15, Maurice Wright 13 and Tom Farley 10 with John Clarke 16 and Neil Macaskill 13 leading the reply, Formby Sports were always in control at home to Cavalette with good scoring from Gary Buxton 19, Leon Metford 14 and Nick Aindow 10 with Kate Woods 14 and Christine Vasey 12 leading for the visitors. Southport Grasshoppers remained in touch for 4 rounds at home to E Street Band but the visitors finished the stronger to win 42 - 30 led by Dave Nickeas 14 and Alan Wright 13 with Dave Phillips 13 and Mick Hopkins 10 leading for the home side.

Division Two

Aardvarks Zetland continued their fine run with a 44 - 31 defeat of Exams, though the visitors did manage to outscore the home side in the second half. Steve Wilson 14 and Dave Leyland and John Richards, both 12, led for Aardvarks and Steve James 11 for Exams. Mixed Blues proved to be a little too strong for visitors Grapes of Wrath in narrowly winning 27 - 24 though they had maintained the lead throughout. Bill Morris 12 and Ed Davies 11 led for the Blues and Dave Berrington 11 for the visitors. MPs’ narrow 34 - 33 loss at home to Quads hinged on a heavy loss in the 6th round which they were not able to make up. Adrian Cannell 13 and Richard Farbon 11 led for the visitors and Owen Lea Porter 11 and Dan Evans 10 for MPs.


Week ending 18th November 2023

Division One
Casablanca consolidated their position at the top with a double victory over Formby Sports. In a high-scoring regular match, they prevailed 60 - 42 with Andy Page 20, including a “full -house “, Ray Oakes 15, Bill Thomas 13 and Dave Dutton 12 with Sheila Tickle 16 and Bill Hodgson 15 leading the reply. In the rearranged match, Formby Sports did win their only round of the night but went down 53 - 40 with Andy Page 23, Ray Oakes 15 and Dave Dutton 11 scoring well and Sheila Tickle 19 leading for Sports. Though Wings established a solid lead at halftime, E Street Band rallied to close the gap to 54 - 43 with Dag Griffiths 17, Keith Mulhearn 15 and Bob Parry 14 scoring well and Alan Wright 18 and Dave Nickeas 13 leading for ESB. Closest match was the local derby at Cavallette in which the “visitors “ Southport Grasshoppers led by 4 at halfway and held on to finish 43 - 38 ahead led by David Phillips 19, Mike Taylor 11 and Gary Middleton 10, with Christine Vesey and Chris Swallow, both 11 ,leading for the home side.

Division Two
Aardvarks Zetland virtually confirmed their return to the first dIvision with a solid victory 43 – 33 at MPs, having led throughout Dave Leyland 18 and Brian Cummins 11 led for the visitors and Chris Hodgen 11 and Ann Evans 10 for MPs. In a double - header, ExPats came close to pulling off a notable win over Grapes of Wrath but were just pipped 39 - 38 with Jack Gardner 17 and Dave Berrington 12 leading for the Grapes and Don Hobson 13 and Phil Ward 11 for ExPats. Grapes won the other match comfortably at 44 - 26 with Jack 19 and Derek Roberts 11 scoring well and Kath Jackson and Peter Luther, both 11 leading the reply. Mixed Blues established a 4 point lead over Quads at halftime and hung on to finish 38 - 35 led by good scoring from Paul Tandy 13 and Claire Newbery 12 with Richard Farbon 11 and Steve Redfern 10 leading for the home side.


Week ending 11th November 2023

Division One
Cavalette came very close to a famous victory at Fishermens Rest but couldn’t convert a 4 point lead going into the final round to finish 37 -36 behind. Neil Macaskill 15 led for the Fish and David Palmer 10 for the visitors. Formby Sports led Grasshoppers by only a point after 6 rounds but won the next 9 - 4 to pull clear and finished 39 - 33 ahead led by Sheila Tickle and Leon Metford, both 11, and Nick Aindow 10 with a fine 19 from David Phillips leading the reply. Casablanca and E Street Band played a double header with former winning both, the first 55 - 32 and the second somewhat closer at 52 - 42. In the first, Andy Page 15, Bill Thomas 14 and Ray Oakes and Dave Dutton, both 13, led for the home side and Alan Wright 15 for the visitors. In the return match, Ray Oakes 16, Andy Page 15 and Dave Dutton 14 led for Casablanca and Alan Wright 14 and Dave Nickeas 13 for the Band.

Division Two
ExPats achieved their first point of the season with a 26 - all draw at Mixed Blues,having gone into the last round 4 ahead. Don Hobson 10 led for ExPats. The postponed match led to a decisive 42 - 19 victory for Mixed Blues with good scoring from Claire Newbery 12 and Ed Davies and Bill Morris, both 11, with Kath Jackson 10 for ExPats. After establishing an early big lead at Exams, MPs let it slip and just managed to finish 2 ahead at 40 - 38 led by Ann and Dan Evans, both 12, with Nick Philpott 15 and Jim Quigley 11 leading for the home side. Going into the last round at Grapes of Wrath, Quads were a point behind but won the round 6 - 3 to finish 35 - 33 ahead led by Richard Farbon 12 with Jack Gardner 24 dominating the scoring for the home side.

 

Week ending 4th November 2023

Division One
Leaders Casablanca continued their 100% record with a comfortable 54 - 29 victory at Cavalette though the home side did win the final round. Dave Dutton 19, Andy Page 15 and Ray Oakes 12 led for the visitors and Kate Woods 14 for Cavalette. Fishermens Rest enjoyed a little more comfort at Formby Sports than earlier in the season in winning 50 - 41 though it was closer for much of the match. John Clarke 18 and Alan Ascott 14 led for the “ Fish “ and Sheila Tickle 18 and Gary Buxton 12 for the hosts. All of the Wings players were in double figures in their 53 - 29 victory at home to Grasshoppers ; Keith Mulhearn 16, Dag Griffiths 15 and Maurice Wright and Tom Farley, both 11, with Mick Hopkins 11 leading for the visitors.


Division Two
Led by John Richards 17, Brian Cummins 11 and Dave Leyland 10, Aardvarks continued their 100% record with a 47 -34 victory at home to Mixed Blues with Bill Morris 16 and Ed Davies 12 leading for the visitors. At halfway, MPs were 8 behind at home to Grapes of Wrath but won the 5th round 9 - 0 and all of the other rounds to pull off a fine 41 - 34 victory with good scoring from Ann Evans 15 and Dan Evans 11 with Derek Roberts 14 and Jack Gardner 13 leading the reply. Ex Pats were one point ahead going into the final round and on the verge of their first win but the visitors Exams took it 7 - 3 to finish 36 -33 in front . Nick Philpott 13 and Dave Martin 12 led for Exams and Andrew Dalby 13 and Phil Ward and Kath Jackson, both 10, led for the home side.

 

Week ending 28th October 2023

Division One
Cavalette won one of the early rounds at home to Wings but the visitors were pretty relentless and won comfortably at 54 - 24 with Dag Griffiths 23, Tom Farley 16 and Bob Parry 10 all scoring well and Kate Woods 11 leading for the home side. Southport Grasshoppers fared somewhat better at home to Casablanca in going down 54 - 38 with Andy Page 22, Ray Oakes 13 and Bill Thomas 11 leading for the visitors with a fine 19 from David Phillips and 11 from Mick Hopkins leading for the Grasshoppers.

Division Two
A real “ding dong” battle at Exams saw the lead repeatedly change hands at home to Quads before the visitors won the last round round 5 - 2 to snatch a 33 - 32 victory. Adrian Cannell 14 and Richard Farbon 10 led for Quads and Nick Philpott 18 for Exams. Aardvark Zetland maintained their 100% record with a comfortable 41 - 24 victory at home to ExPats led by Dave Leyland 16 and Brian Cummins 14 with Phil Ward 11 leading for the visitors. MPs led Mixed Blues by just one point at halfway but won the next 2 to open a gap and finished 41 - 35 ahead led by Ann Evans 12, Dan Evans 11 and Chris Hodgen 10 with Ed Davies and Bill Morris, both 11, leading for the visitors.

Presidents Trophy
Our league team suffered two very narrow losses against Warrington and Ormskirk with the regular quartet Dag Griffiths and Tom Farley (Wings), Neil Macaskill (Fishermens Rest) and Dave Dutton (Casablanca) all making useful contributions. In each match a bonus point was picked up for fininshing within four or less of the winners.

Week ending 21st October 2023

Division One
The match between the two unbeaten sides Casablanca and Fishermens Rest was disappointing in that the visitors had 2 regular players missing and were behind from the first round and were never in touch. With strong scoring from Ray Oakes 20 and Andy Page 16, the home side finished 48 - 33 ahead, with Harry Owen 12 leading for the visitors. Champions Wings got back to winning ways with a comfortable 53 - 31 victory over Formby Sports with good scoring from Dag Griffiths 20, Keith Mulhearn 13 and Maurice Wright 11. E Street Band v Cavallette was postponed

Division Two
Led by Dave Leyland 16 and John Richards 11, Aardvarks Zetland maintained their 100% record with a 35 - 29 victory at Quads though the home side, led by Steve Bray 16, had won the first two rounds. Led by Ann and Dan Evans, both 15, MPs were always in charge at home to ExPats in winning 39 - 23, with Kath Jackson 11 leading for the visitors. Grapes of Wrath won every round at home to Exams and finished 42 - 20 ahead with Jack Gardner 16, Keith Wilkinson 15 and Dave Berrington 10 all making useful contributions.

Week ending 14th October 2023

Division 1
Key match this week was that between old rivals Wings and Casablanca. It was close throughout with the visitors leading by 2 going into the final round and they held on to finish 49 - 45 ahead with good scoring from Ray Oakes 20, Dave Dutton 11 and Bill Thomas 10, with Keith Mulhearn 16 and Dag Griffiths 14 leading for the home side. Fishermens Rest continued their good form with a comfortable 54 - 25 victory at home to Southport Grasshoppers with Neil Macaskill 17, Harry Owen 14, Alan Ascott 12 and John Clarke 11 all making good contributions and Mick Hopkins 13 leading the reply. Under - strength E Street Band started well at Formby Sports but were eventually overpowered 52 - 27 led by Gary Buxton 17, Sheila Tickle 16 and Nick Aindow 12 with Dave Twigge 11 leading for the visitors.

Division Two

Though Aardvark Zetland led throughout at home to Grapes of Wrath, the visitors finished the stronger to get within 3 points in going down 41 - 38, with Brian Cummins 13, John Richards 11 and Dave Leyland 10 scoring well with Jack Gardner 15 leading the reply. Mixed Blues and Exams fought a 41 - all draw after Exams produced a strong last round to claw back a five point deficit. Paul Tandy 11, Bill Morris 11 and Clare Newbery 10 led the scoring for the home side with Nick Philpott 14, Jim Quigley 12 and Chris Woods 10 leading the way for Exams. Good scoring from Richard Farbon 13 and Steve Redfern 10 led Quads to a 38 - 28 victory at Ex Pats.


Week ending 7th October 2023

Division 1
Fishermens Rest and Wings fought a very close match for 6 rounds but then the home side produced some very good answers to pull ahead for a deserved 44 - 41 victory led by Harry Owen 14 and John Clarke 12 with Dag Griffiths 18 leading for the visitors. E Street Band both started and finished strongly in their match with Grasshoppers in winning 49 - 30 with good scoring from Alan Wright 18 and Dave Nickeas 16 with Mick Hopkins 11 leading for the visitors. Cavalette also began and finished strongly in their match with Formby Sports but the visitors dominated the middle rounds to finish 44 - 37 ahead with Leon Metford 14, Sheila Tickle 13 and Bill Hodgson 12 all scoring well and Kate Woods 13 and Dave Palmer and Alan Martin, both 10, leading the reply.

Division Two
Aardvark Zetland are keen to return to Division One and produced a strong performance at Exams in winning 47- 25 with good scoring from Dave Leyland 17, Brian Cummins 12 and Steve Wilson 10 with Jim Quigley 10 leading for Exams. Grapes of Wrath began well at home to Mixed Blues but lost the 5th round 8 -1 to go behind, only to finish strongly and edge the match 39 - 38 with good scoring from Jack Gardner 18, and Derek Roberts and Dave Berrington, both 11, with Bill Morris 13, Ed Davies 12 and Jim McGrath 11 leading for the visitors. A strong performance at Quads gave MPs a 46 - 37 victory led by Dan Evans 16, Chris Hodgen 12 and Ann Evans 11 with Richard Farbon 11 and Adrian Cannell 10 leading for Quads.

Presidents Trophy
Our league side scored two fine victories over Liverpool and Wirral respectively to start the season. The league was represented by Dag Griffiths and Tom Farley, both Wings, Neil Macaskill, Fishermens Rest and Dave Dutton of Casablanca.


Week ending 30th September 2023

Division 1
Wings started well, winning the first two rounds 9 - 1 and 9 - 2 at home to E Street Band but the visitors showed they have some bite in winning the next round 9 - 3. However, Wings proved the stronger and finished comfortably ahead at 52 - 34 with all of their players in double figures, Tom Farley 15, Keith Mulhearn 14, Dag Griffiths 13 and Maurice Wright 10, with Dave Nickeas 12 leading the reply. The local derby between Grasshoppers and Cavallette was close throughout but the former won the 6th round 6 - 3 to edge ahead and held on to win 31 - 30 with Dave Phillips 10 leading a team effort and Kate Woods 17 leading for the visitors. Casablanca v Formby Sports postponed.

Division Two
Aardvarks Zetland continued their good form with a 41 - 33 victory at home to MPs, overcoming a 2 point deficit at halftime with good scoring from Dave Leyland 15 and Brian Cummins 14 with Ann Evans and Chris Hodgen, both 11, leading for the visitors. However, MPs made up for this in winning their rearranged match with Grapes of Wrath 45 - 33 led by Ann 15, Dan Evans 12 and Chris 10 with Jack Gardner 15 leading for the Grapes. Quads’ match at Mixed Blues hinged on the second round which they won 7 - 0 and finished 7 ahead at 37 - 30 led by Richard Farbon and Adrian Cannell, both 10 with Jim McGrath 11 leading for the home side. Grapes of Wrath v ExPats postponed.


Week ending 23rd September 2023

Division 1
Both of the newly promoted teams continue to struggle, both again playing against top sides. Cavallette began well at home to Fishermens Rest but all of the visiting players were scoring heavily and finished 55- 33 ahead with John Clarke 17, Harry Owen 14,Neil Macaskill 13 and Alan Ascott 11 all contributing, with Christine Vasey 14 and Kate Woods 11 leading for the home side. Southport Grasshoppers also started well at Formby Sports but heavy scoring from Leon Metford and Sheila Tickle, both 17, and Gary Buxton 13 led the home side to a 55 - 26 victory, with Mick Hopkins 12 and Dave Phillips 10 leading the reply. E Steret Band v Casablanca was postponed.

Division 2
Three man Exams competed well in the first half, only 3 behind, but the hosts MPs then pulled away to finish 38 - 25 ahead led by Chris Hodgen 11 and Dan Evans 10. On the Tuesday questions, Quads and Grapes of Wrath fought out a very entertaining 38 - all draw. Quads led for all but the last few questions but the visitors finished the stronger to win the round 7 - 3 to force a draw. Adrian Cannell and Steve Redfern, both 12, and Steve Bray 10 led for Quads with an excellent 23 from Jack Gardner underpinning the visitors total. Ex{ats v Mixed Blues was postponed


Week ending 16th September 2023

Division 1
The exciting match this week was at Fishermens Rest with Formby Sports the visitors. After 3 even rounds, the visitors took the next 8 - 2 and retained the lead until the penultimate question, answered by the home side,followed by a bonus to finish 41 - 39 ahead. Neil Macaskill 14 and Alan Ascott 12 led for the Fish and Leon Metford and Gary Buxton, both 12, and Sheila Tickle 10 for the Formby side. Wings were always ahead away to promoted Southport Grasshoppers in winning 53 - 34 led by Bob Parry 18, Dag Griffiths 16 and Tom Farley 10 with Dave Phillips 17 and Mick Hopkins 10 leading for the home side. The other promoted side Cavalette ran into a brick wall at Casablanca, going down 59 - 29 with Ray Oakes and Andy Page, both 18, Dave Dutton 13 and Bill Thomas 10 all scoring well and Alan Martin 12 leading for the visitors.

Division 2
Aardvark Zetland began their quest to retrieve their first division status with a 41 - 30 victory at Mixed Blues, with a 10 -1 scoreline in the 3rd round proving crucial. Steve Wilson 13 and John Richards 12 led for the visitors and Ed Davies 13 for the Blues. A fine 17 from Nick Philpott with 11 each from Jim Quigley and Steve James led Exams to a comfortable 46 -30 victory at home to Expats. Grapes of Wrath v MPs was postponred.

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