THE Bolton League’s Handicap Competition quarter-finals have taken place and in the Jane Fletcher Memorial Cup Deane B narrowly edged out Forrest D in a closely-contested match.

Deane’s first couple, Margaret Wong and Tony Waring, shared the opening games with Karen Holden and Shalin Patel, as did Pat Beck and Robert Brocklehurst against Forrest’s first couple, Georgina King and James Wallen.

Forrest’s Clare Stopford and Peter Lambert then put them ahead with wins against Samantha Robertson and Umer Azeem of Deane.

Wong and Waring shared the spoils with King and Wallen before Deane’s Beck and Brocklehurst dug in to win considerable points for their team at the expense of Holden and Patel.

Going into the level doubles Deane were 186-178 ahead but Forrest went ahead after Stopford and King beat Robertson and Wong 21-12, 21-17 and Lambert and Wallen beat Azeem and Waring 21-9, 21-15.

Stopford and Holden split the points with Robertson and Beck before Forrest’s Lambert and Patel won both of the final games 21-18, 21-8 against Azeem and Brocklehurst.

At the end of play Forrest led 322-289 but the envelope revealed a handicap of 45 in Deane’s favour and a victorious final total of 334.

In the Robert Cup Sharples B hosted Metro A.

Metro’s Carol Lanham and Peter Holden shared their games with Jude Stenson and Paul Bargh but Metro led after two wins for Jean Egan and David Smith against Deb Burgess and Alan Burgess.

When the third couples met the games were shared between Joanne Holden and Jack Milner and Sharples’ Linzi Casey and Matt Duckworth.

In the first couples’ clash Egan and Smith took the honours in a tight contest against Stenson and Bargh.

The second couples’ games were also shared, with Lanham and Holden winning the first 21-14 and Burgess and Burgess taking the second 21-13.

At the conclusion of the mixed games Metro led 191-187, and their tally was boosted when Holden and Egan beat Casey and Stenson.

Sharples’ determined duo of Duckworth and Bargh hit back, claiming both games against Milner and Smith, before Casey and Burgess beat Holden and Lanham.

The final pair of men’s games, between Metro’s Milner and Holden and Duckworth and Burgess, were shared and the final score, 329-324 in Metro’s favour, meant they won even without a 60-point handicap to book their place in the semi-finals.