Burscough Pioneers restore form in Shield

With only win to their name this season, second division strugglers Burscough Pioneers 2 seemed to have found their place in the Shield. Despite battling with the controversial scoring system, their visit to Greenbank High School was a successful one as they progressed to the semis with a 7-5 win over third division leaders Woodvale 3.

The handicap also caused a stir as Burscough were given a +4 start with each match, even though they are the higher placed side. This was going to be a real test for Woodvale to see if they were worthy of being promoted next season.

The opening two matches made it a promising start for Woodvale as Andrew Cardus and Rick Knighton edged out David Broadbent and Paul Hawes 30-28 after being behind for most of the match. Alongside them, captain Charlotte Buckingham and Jordan Woolley who was floating up from their fifth team halved their match with Steve Howard and Maria Lyon 30-25, 28-30.

Burscough answered back with a comprehensive win from Andy Broadbent and Marie Mollins over Knighton and Katie Dixon-Turner 30-23, 30-16. On the court next to them, Woodvale’s duo of Buckingham and Lauren Eyes saw off tough opponents Jennie Daley and Di Jennings 30-26 to tie things up with five matches remaining,

After a short break, the lower division side re-took the lead in the match as Cardus collected a second win in the men’s doubles, this time with Woolley as they come out comfortable winners over D.Broadbent and Howard 30-23. However, Burscough dealt a huge blow by winning both sets in the mixed doubles match as Hawes and Jennings pulled off a 30-21, 30-15 win over Mark Waggett and Becca Mayers and had one foot into the final four.

Daley and Mollins put their team in a virtual winning position with 30-21 win over Eyes and Dixon-Turner. The final round of matches saw Cardus complete his hat-trick of wins with Waggett against both Broadbent’s 30-22.

If Woodvale were going to end up victorious they would need Eyes and Mayers to win their match by more than 16 points. However, Burscough decided to win in style as Daley and Lyon prevailed 30-14 to confirm victory in the final match.