Furness Vale unbeaten run is ended by Fairfield

The gap at the top of the table is 24 chalks in the Furness team’s favour as the season enters its latter stages.

Darryl Hall gave Furness the ideal start as he won at halfway before being joined in the winning enclosure by team mates Arthur Carrington and Richard Spencer.

The Fairfield winning cards were led by Carl Critchlow and Craig Hobdey before in the final game of the night Rob Hobdey edged out Bob Hall in a classic which confirmed the home sides win.

Josh Golpin led the Peak Dale B charge at Rams Head with a single figure success and, although homester Gordon Sutton replied in kind, it was the visitors who claimed the spoils.

Whaley Bridge B continued their upward surge when they won at Ashwood Park.

Dave Wardle,Peter Shore and Dave Naden were victorious for the home side but a single figure win from Andy Sweet and another win at halfway by his brother Alex keeps Whaley in the hunt for promotion.

The Division One title race is the tightest for many years with three teams vying for the number one spot.

After the latest round of fixtures Whaley Bridge A,averaging 190.9 lead the way from in second place Fairfield A,with a 190.2 average, and third placed Chapel Park A with a 190.1 average.

Whaley hit 200 while entertaining Hope Works, with Richard Slack and Paul Hawker in imperious form, while for the visitors George Elliot and Paul Walton put ticks in the win column.

Fairfield dropped 14 at Chapel Park B for whom Barry Fletcher,Jim Hearson and Phil Walker were the winners.Jonathan Guess and Richard Peach were the Fairfield big hitters.

Chapel Park A played twice and put in two big performances.

First up were Peak Dale A and it was a very quiet return journey as they failed completely to visit the winners’ enclosure.

Pete Allsop and Brian Vale almost got there, but big wins by Tim Norton and Phil Clapham saw Chapel win in a canter.

The second fixture looked very tricky as it was at defending champions Burbage, but in a tremendous all round team effort they had nine winners as only home captain Craig Shore repelled the Chapel charge.

Keith Middleton and Nick Thorpe shared the kitty as the visitors had five single figure winners.

Peak Dale A also made the trip to Tideswell where the home side triumphed by nine.

David Wain was the pick of the home winners while for Peak Dale Peter Bingham put in an eye-catching display.

Buxton Park A claimed team win number two after entertaining Trades Hall.

Five winners apiece in an entertaining game was swung the home side’s way via solid victories by Geoff Wharton,Peter Freeman and Dennis Chadwick. John Walter was the visitors’ pick.

This Friday two of the heavyweights meet in the final of the Rathbone Trophy (7pm).

Fairfield A clash with Whaley Bridge A in the competition, which gives home advantage to the previous season’s lower placed club with the match consisting of three pairs and four singles games.