THIS is the first time for a number of years that a Premier Division team has not progressed to the Warburton Cup third round.

The big upset was recorded by Second Division Ladybridge B who knocked out last season’s winners, Premier Division Little Lever A, by 40 points.

Little Lever’s Ron Durose, Graham Jeffries and Steve McNicholas made inroads into the 177 points start received by Ladybridge’s Alex Waring, Steve Hathaway and Keith Butler. It was the fifth set which proved decisive when Ladybridge regained some of the handicap points lost in previous sets, from which point Little Lever were unable to recover.

The closest finish was in the match between Heaton D and Heaton E which the E team won by 1.5 points.

The E team’s Mike Dunn, Eric Shaw and Dave Bevitt received 37.5 start from Steve Woods, Frank Green and Paul McCormick. Both teams led at various points, and in the final set Mike Dunn pulled back a 15- point deficit to clinch the win.

The Farnworth derby match produced a surprisingly comfortable victory for the B team.

Nathan Patel, Sam Evans and Daniel Harris made good use of their 86.5 points start to win by 76 points against the A team’s Graham Clayborough, Kirit Chauhan and Jordan Brookes who only managed to pull back 10 points.

St Paul’s Peel and Hilton F from Division Three contested a close match.

Played off scratch, the Hilton team of Craig Duncan, Josh Sandford and Roger Bertrand eventually came out on top to win by 21 points against St Paul’s Ian Westmoreland Geoff Rushton and Mick Murray, Little Lever D’s Mark Martin, Alan Lansdale and Bob Waller from Division Two gave Division Four team Hit & Hope 156 points start and ran out winners by 43 points.

Hit & Hope’s Tim Fields, Dave Brookes and Ruth Coleman held the lead until the seventh set before they were overtaken.

Division Four team Harper Green utilised their 275 points start against First Division Nomads A to win by 39 points. They were represented by James Storey, Peter McMinn and Levi Robinson against Dennis Collier, Derek Watmough and Clive Taylor Hilton G beat fellow Division Three team Hilton I by 36 points The I team of Minh Le, Malcolm Rose and Andy Morey received 51 points start from Brian Hall, Barak Young and Gary Hibbert.

Last year’s winners of the Brian Gittins Cup, Hilton A, were knocked out by Division One team Coburg who won by 45 points.

Coburg, on 135 points start, fielded Bob Bent, Mark Speakman and George Mather against Hilton’s Mark Gibson, Dave Pickard and Ron Pennington.

Nomads A gave their B team 79 points start and finished with a 37 points winning margin. Their team was Dennis Collier, Derek Watmough and Clive Taylor against Keith Dale, John Davis and Martin Howarth.

Radciffe CC and Little Lever C both received a walkover into round three, and three matches have still to be played.

Holders of the George Yates Shield Heaton E moved into round three with a 25 points win at Hilton G. The Second Division side of Mike Dunn, Eric Shaw and Dave Bevitt gave the Division Three Hilton team, represented by Brian and Barak Young and Gary Hibbert 44 points start, and it was in the penultimate set when they secured a one-point lead before clinching their win in the final set.