OAKGATE started the New Year as they finished the old one - beating the opposition and keeping their eye on the Bolton Badminton League's D Section title.

Their latest victims were fourth-placed Sharples C, who found the home side in determined form.

Andrea Mason and Julian Patrick started the scoring with their opening set to seven and 18 before Sharples' Linda Duckworth and John Pimblett hit back to split the second set and kick-off their campaign.

Mason and Patrick added two more, as did Margaret Howarth and Iquaba Khan, with only Sharples' third mixed pair of Ann Marie Saunders and Steve Duckworth able to make any impact by winning both their games.

Oakgate were 7-3 ahead after the mixed and ensured the points with the first of the top men's games after top ladies went to the home team.

The visitors showed some spirited resistance, but they could not contain Oakgate and the final result gave the home side a 14-4 win to continue their unbeaten record.

Smithills A are in second place in the section and hoping for promotion - a situation helped by a competitive fixture with Smithills B.

The latter's third couple, Linda Singh and Stuart Shaw, took the only mixed game of the night, and Shaw teamed up with Dave Edwards to win the mens.

Apart from that, the A team of Lesley Heyes, Jaqui Gibson, Linda Hawker, Barry Hilton, Chris O'Beirne and Clive Bass produced a faultless performance to record a useful 16-2 victory.

Section E is also throwing up some hard-fought fixtures, as the match between Forrest G and Bolton Lads & Girls Club showed.

Played at Forrest's Arena base, the match started with the home side taking the first five games before BLGC got off the mark.

Betti Worth and Andrew Mealor were in fine form at number one couple, but visiting number two duo, April Foster and Will Murray, played well throughout, adding two to their side's tally.

Forrest, however, were 7-3 up after the mixed and ensured at least a point when Worth and Helen Peters took top ladies'.

The match's fate was sealed when Andrew Mealor and Karl Kennedy won the first top men's game.

BLGC added three more, but could not prevent Forrest being 12-6 winners on this occasion.

At the other end of the league, Markland Hill A continue to top the table, while Park and Forrest B head B Section and D L Farnworth A and Forrest C lead C Section.