Only two matches to report on for this latest week. With both at home it was another packed out Mals Club where the B team hosted Cheddleton C in division 3 and the F team hosted joint league leaders Chedd H.
The B team knew that any result scoring 1.5 board points or more would ensure retaining the title, with only our own C team able to equal them if they can get an unlikely 4-0 win in their final match. Doug Barnett started the ball rolling with a solid draw on board 3 before losses on top two boards left the Bees short of their target. However Simon Layhe underlined his top-scorer status with a well deserved win to give the Bees the 1.5 pts required to guarantee the title, taking his personal tally for the team to 9/11 for the season.
The F team had a fabulous result in beating Cheddleton H, who had not lost a match all season, which allowed the E team to take top spot in division 5 by the slender margin of 1 extra board point. Division 5 has become a 2-horsed race for the title with 3 matches left each for our Es and Chedd H. In a closely contested match Nigel Gardner (bd 4), Harry Gardiner (bd 2) and Martin Frisher (bd 1) all won their games to give us a 3-1 scoreline.