AFTER a weekend's brinkmanship, Bradshaw took hold of the Knockout Trophy by beating a powerful Astley side against all the odds, thanks largely to Gareth Jones and Stuart Cartwright.

Bradshaw's weekend began with a semi-final against Holcombe Brook A which, despite the top form efforts of Graham Clarke, ended initially in a tie.

Extra-time saw both the Janette Walsh/Linda Hawker and the Jones/Cartwright pairings contributing well to a win.

In the final however, Bradshaw struggled against the impressively forceful play of Andrew Westmoreland and Hannah Wilson.

Behind after the mixed sets and with the Walsh/Hawker pair going down to Miss Wilson and the tenacity of Gill Dempsey, Bradshaw seemed doomed.

But nobody told Jones and Cartwright.

Cartwright's hitting has decidedly nuclear qualities while Jones proved a true all court athlete as they secured a 9-1 victory.

One other brave performance of the weekend came from Holcombe B's Neville Edmondson, as his team surrendered a semi-final to Astley's ferocious hitting.

Sensibly, he decided to fight fire with fear in denying the opposition pace. A series of spins, angles and lobs helped but mainly he employed the slower serve to help overcome the odds. It was all to no avail but clearly Edmondson will continue to improve as he matures as a player.

So, another winter season draws to a close and thanks must go to Vanessa Edwards, Emma Foxall, Jean Henderson, Anne Lindsey and Barbara Millington for invaluable help; to Gordons (Bolton) Ltd for perennial financial support and to the staffs at Harper Green and the Arena.