Author: Scott Armstrong

by Scott Armstrong

League Fixture #2 Preview

Well its only the second week and already we have a massive game along with a lot of interesting contests. There is a clash of B teams as well.

Gorton Con Club vs Prince of Wales
The games don’t get much bigger than this. Two of the favourites for any competition they participate in face off early in the season. The Gorton and the Prince sides will be eager to establish their dominance and have talented players throughout their squads.
Last season: Gorton Con Club 3 vs 5 Prince of Wales

The Holdsworth vs Waggon & Horses
The Holdsworths will be eager to secure their first three points on the board and will likely feel confident at home. However, I have a hunch that they will be significantly stronger this year with a few new additions.
Last season: N/A

Prince of Wales ‘B’ vs The Buxton
The Prince B all came back last week buzzing that they were in the game, and why not? The Studio are a class team, with some brilliant players. On to this week though, and the Prince B will be looking to turn the home-field advantage into 3 points. The Buxton surprised quite a few last season and will be looking to continue their fine performances since joining the league.
Last season: N/A

Steelworks Tavern vs Clayton Con Club
The Steelworks at home can be among the most difficult teams to face, and they will be looking to get the job done this week. They managed to get a good away point last week against a completely new team, which can always be a banana skin, but they will want more. Clayton had a good draw last week as well, but with their new players, they will be hoping that they can start to pick up more points earlier this season.
Last season: Steelworks Tavern 7 vs 1 Clayton Con Club

Strawberry Gardens vs Studio Bar
They took their time to get going last year, but once they did, they started accumulating a steady number of points. They will be hoping that the hard-fought-away points they secured last week are just the beginning. Despite being underdogs even at home, they are aware of this. The studio can say whatever it wants about them that hasn’t already been said: they have been an exceptional team, and there doesn’t appear to be any reason why that won’t continue. They have even improved their team’s quality. Will it be up to captain Chris to secure the three points once again this week?
Last season: Strawberry Gardens 3 vs 5 Studio Bar

The Sidings vs Strawberry Duck
The Sidings last week relied on tried-and-tested team players, and they performed really well away to the champions. What was noticeable last week was that the Sidings have got a much larger squad this season, and I have been told they are all of a good standard. They are playing an unknown team in the Duck and will be cautious but optimistic. The Duck can look at this season almost as a free hit; they don’t yet know where they feel they should finish. The teams facing them will also have no idea what the team is like, which could result in some very interesting nights and results.
Last season: N/A

Waggon & Horses ‘B’ vs. Gorton Con Club ‘B’
The Waggon B team comprises both seasoned league players and relatively new ones. This unique composition presents an intriguing challenge. Will the experienced players impart their expertise and enhance the skills of the newcomers, ultimately leading to improved performance as a team? The Gorton B team, led by Wayne and bolstered by new players, demonstrated a promising start this year. Overall, the prospects for the team appear promising.
Last season: N/A

by Scott Armstrong

Fixture Review #1 – Review

Well, just like that, we are back up and running. The first fixture has come and gone, and already, we can see that this won’t be plain sailing for the top teams. The new teams made a decent start as well, which is always great to see.

Clayton Con Club 4 v 4 Strawberry Gardens
Clayton has signed some new players this year and also has welcomed the return of Steven Scholes after a few years out. The Strawberry Gardens also added new players to their ranks and were looking for a better start than last season. The match itself was even all the way through. Clayton took the first frame but that was immediately countered by the Strawberry Gardens team who then took the lead 2-1 before Clayton hit back with 2 of their own. The rest of the match went 1 frame each way with the Strawberry winning the final frame to secure the draw. Both Clayton and the Gardens will be happy to have gotten a better start than last season, both with a point on the board.
Match breakdown
Match card

Gorton Con Club B 5 v 3 The Holdsworth
The Gorton B will be pleased to start with a win, especially against a new team, which always provides a challenge. The Holdsworth is not 100% a new team, but a new venue, with many familiar faces and names. The match was going the home side way racing into a 4-0 lead to guarantee themselves a point. The Holdsworth though made it interesting pulling it back to 4-2, before captain Wayne Redfern clinched the 7th frame and the full 3 points.
Match breakdown
Match card

The Prince of Wales 5 v 3 The Sidings
The Prince was looking to start the season as they finished last season. The Sidings, for the first time in a few years, came with an abundance of players, which is great to see. The match started well for the Prince, racing to a 4-0 lead. That was before one of the Sidings’ most consistent players, Mark Rushton, pulled one back with a very good clearance. They then followed this up with a victory in the second doubles, before Tom Leavy, last year’s singles runner-up, secured the 3 points for the Prince. The Sidings then won the final frame to keep the score tight.
Match breakdown
Match card

Strawberry Duck 4 v 4 Steelworks Tavern
This was an interesting match in terms of the captains: The Duck on their second captain and the Steelworks on their 3rd, and that’s at the first game of the season. The match itself started well for the home side with the first frame, but then the Steelworks started to take control, winning 4 of the next 5 frames. The match finally poised at the start of the final frame, the Steelworks going for the win and the Duck hoping to get a draw. It was the Duck who won that and gained a very good start to the season.
Match breakdown
Match card

Studio Bar 5 v 3 Prince of Wales B
The Studio, which was likely everyone’s favourite before the match began, faced a formidable challenge from the Prince B side. The Prince B team emerged victorious in the first frame, setting the stage for an intense battle. The Studio rallied and secured the next three frames, taking a commanding 3-1 lead. However, Prince B fought back, winning the next two frames to tie the score at 3-3. The match concluded with a thrilling finish, as the Studio won the final two frames to secure a 5-3 victory. Captain Chris’s crucial win in the final frame sealed the points for the Studio. It’s fantastic to witness Phil Dodd’s return to the league, and it’s equally impressive to see Prince B giving it their all. I’m certain they’re pleased with the outcome, as it was an evenly contested match.
Match breakdown
Match card

The Buxton 6 v 2 Waggon & Horses B
The Buxton team has truly started this season on a much better note compared to last year. Consequently, they will be the league leaders heading into the second week. While this achievement doesn’t directly impact the title, they will undoubtedly be pleased with their overall performance.
The Buxton team took an early lead, securing a 4-0 advantage. However, the Waggon B team managed to break through Carol Cheffings and win their first frame. Despite this setback, the Buxton team swiftly regained control and secured the next frame, ultimately winning the match and securing crucial points.
The Waggon B team managed to win another frame as a consolation, but the Buxton team ultimately secured the match and achieved their biggest win of the week with the final frame.
Match breakdown
Match card

Waggon & Horses 3 v 5 Gorton Con Club
Gorton would have felt fantastic racing into a 4-0 lead, especially considering Neil McEwan’s first clearance of the 2025 season, which involved defeating the previous Waggon MVP, Sam Lunt. The Waggon managed to win the next three frames, narrowing the score to 4-3 for the final frame.
Scott Livingston then stepped up to secure Gorton’s victory and earn the three points.
It’s encouraging to see that the match was intense and competitive, highlighting the close rivalry between the two teams. Gorton will recognise the challenge they faced, while the Waggon will be pleased to have put up a strong fight against one of the pre-season favourites and played a truly remarkable game.
Match breakdown
Match card

by Scott Armstrong

League Fixture #1 – Preview

So here we are; the wait is finally over, and the new season kicks off this week. We have an exciting season ahead, we have a new league format and new teams. The first week is always hard to preview as there are always unknowns, team form, and how good the new teams are.

Clayton Con Club v Strawberry Gardens
Clayton signed some new players and is optimistic that this will help them improve this season. The Strawberry Gardens have also made team changes for their second G&DPL season. A Droylsden derby as a first game will give one of these teams a better start than last season.
Last season: Clayton Con Club 5 vs 3 Strawberry Gardens

Gorton Con Club B vs. The Holdsworth
This match should be a decent one between two fairly even teams. Gorton ‘B’ are hoping to get off to a good start this season against The Holdsworth, who are not exactly a new team, just a new venue. Made up of some of the old Friendship team, they are making a new start at the Holdsworth after the sad closure of the Friendship. They hope to continue in the same vein as last year, where they picked up a lot of good wins. Gorton ‘B’, after they have introduced new players, will be looking to get off to a better start than last year’s 6-2 first match defeat.
Last season: N/A

Prince of Wales vs. The Sidings
There are a few player changes on both sides, which could make this an interesting match. The Prince, champions for the last two seasons, will be looking to get off to a better start than last season. They lost the opening game, their first league game in a year. The Sidings will be looking to better last year’s results, especially after they are a team that can pose a threat to any on their day.
Last season: Prince of Wales 5 vs 3 The Sidings

Strawberry Duck vs. Steelworks Tavern
Another match and another new team, the Strawberry Duck, are pretty much unknown, so it will be hard to figure out how to play them. Their captain is John Hughes, who returns to the league after a time away. If his team show the same quality we know John has, they will almost certainly cause a few upsets along the way. The Steelworks are always a good, strong league side and have been improving over the last few years. They have got to finals, and team members have won things, so they will be looking to avoid an early setback.
Last season: N/A

Studio Bar vs. Prince of Wales ‘B’
This is an interesting match. The Studio has a new captain, Chris, and a couple of quality new players. Prince ‘B’ is a mix of the old Friendship and Cotton Tree teams. The Studio’s talent means they will be clear favourites, but as we have seen repeatedly in this league, no team can be discounted, and looking at Prince ‘B’s team, they will be capable of anything.
Last season: N/A

The Buxton vs. Waggon & Horses ‘B’
One of last year’s surprise packages, the Buxton, started slow but then found themselves and took some big wins along the way before having a mixed end to the season. They will, however, be hoping to get off to a good start and keep it going this season. The Waggon B is a new team that will have a few familiar faces, but as I write this, they are pretty much unknown. It’s a hard one to predict.
Last season: N/A

Waggon & Horses vs. Gorton Con Club
The Waggon are a great team; they always play in the right spirit and have a good time, but don’t underestimate them, they have proven to be giant killers in the past. They have added some new players, too, so they will be looking to cause an early-season surprise. The GCC are an incredibly talented team, winning the main Team KO and last year’s teams doubles league. Will they equal last year’s results, or will the Waggon get their upset?
Last season: Waggon & Horses 1 vs 7 Gorton Con Club