Report by Adam Coates

A big division 6 scrap between 2nd bottom Consett 4 and bottom of the table Eldon 3, with the latter searching for their first win of the season.

It was a good start for Eldon, with Matt Barnes (Eldon) taking the number 5 match 3-1 against Andy Jewitt (Consett). Barnes took the 1st and 2nd comfortably, both 15-7. Jewitt raised his game in the 3rd and took it 15-9 and played well in the 4th, but Barnes managed to hold him off and take the 4th 15-13.

The number 4s game was a much closer affair and saw Richard Davies of Consett face off against Umer Chughtai of Eldon, who has recently returned after an ankle injury. This was a match in which neither player was able to take complete control, leading to a very tight and enjoyable game to watch. Davies won the 1st 15-12 and then Chughtai responded in the 2nd, winning it 15-10. Chughtai continued with his ferocious hitting
in the 3rd and took it more comfortably, 15-6. Davies forced the match into a decider by winning the 4th 15-12. This was a match with neither player deserved to lose, however there had to be a winner and it was Chughtai, taking a nail-biting 5th game 15-14 to put Eldon 2-0 up in the the fixture.

Consett weren’t about to let the tie go without a fight and the number 3s match proved that, with Ian Worrall-Dutton (Consett) beating Eldon captain Matt Waddington in a reasonably straight-forward 3-0. Worrall-Dutton controlled the 1st and 3rd game, but Waddington pushed the Consett number 3 in a closer 2nd
game.

With the tie poised at 2-1 to Eldon, the 2nd string match was crucial for both teams and saw Philip Nodding (Consett) play Anthony Bullock (Eldon), another Eldon player recently returning from injury. Bullock dominated the match with an array of accurate shots giving him a 3-0 victory; 15-8, 15-6, 15-7.

This gave Eldon an insurmountable 3-1 lead going into the final match.

The final match was between Consett’s Tony Coleby and Eldon’s Bob Lightowlers. Lightowlers’ unorthodox and very attacking style won him the 1st and 2nd games; 15-11 and 15-12 respectively. Coleby made a big push in the 3rd and just edged it 15-14. Lightowlers continued his unrelenting attacks in the 4th and Coleby was unable to cope with it, leading to a 15-6 scoreline in favour of the Eldon no.1.

A great win 4-1 win for Eldon saw them gain a much needed 17 points which pushed them 3 points above Consett, and off the bottom of the table for the 1st time this season.