Sharples Badminton Club were celebrating a cup double this week.
Its A team won the Jane Fletcher Memorial Cup final, and its D team took home the Robert Cup after lively finales to the season at the Bolton Arena.
Sharples faced tough opposition in Swinton, who have taken the B Section championship.
Undaunted, Sharples' Lisa Cartwright and Dave Sheldon took the first game to one, to signal the team's intentions. Swinton, however, came back with the second to 11 when Kate Wild and Steve Roberts put Swinton back in the fight, and then Swinton top pair Emma Hilsdon and Martin Isherwood took the next two to five and nil.
The games see-sawed with close results although Swinton managed to notch up more points overall, and they continued in this way into the first men's and ladies' games.
Sharples kept up the pressure when Madeleine Harrison and Susannah Peney took both second ladies' three and six, only for Swinton to reply with wins to one and three through Steve Roberts and Tony Waring.
When the envelope revealed a +120 handicap for Sharples, however, it took them to 281 to Swinton's 223, and cup victory.
Sharples D, who have finished the season close to the top of E Section, faced Westhoughton C from the middle of D Section, and this proved another close encounter.
They kept up the scoring, with useful wins from Marian Anderson and Dave Fairclough in particular.
Strong Westhoughton third couple Paul Heyes and Linda Evans helped Westhoughton to useful single figure wins in all but two men's and ladies' games, with a notable flourish in the final match of the night when Paul with Frank Stec won 15-14 in a tussle with Dave Fairclough and Simon Chinnick.
The revealed +100 handicap for Sharples eventually put the matter beyond doubt, giving them a 264-248 win from a competitive final.
Results - Section A: Markland Hill B 6 Markland Hill A 12; Hawkshaw A 10 Bury A 8; Christ Church 12 ABC 6.
Section B: Bury B 9 Swinton 9; Markland Hill D 0 Metros B 18; Swinton 9 DL Farnworth A 9; Swinton 4 Park A 14; Sharples A 15 Park A 3.
Section C: Deane B 12 Sharples B 6; Deane A 5 Hawkshaw C 13; Sharples C 7 Westhoghton B 11 Westhoughton B 11 Sharples B 7; DL Farnworth B 4 Forrest C 14; Park B 8 Farnworth B 10; Hawkshaw C 16 Smithills A 2.
Section D: DL Farnworth C 9 Forrest E 9; Moorside A 0 Forrest D 18; Metros C 17 Westhoughton D 1; Metros C 8 Smithlls B 10; Metros C 12 Westhoughton C 6; Smithills b 4 Hawkshaw D 14; Forrest D 1 Metros D 17; Westhoughton C 9 Markland Hill E 9; Westhoughton D 6 Metros D 12.
Section E: Moorside C 1 Smithills C 17; Deane C 14 Moorside C 4; Smithills D 5 Moorside B 13; Metros E 0 Smithills C 18.
Section C
P W D L F A Pts
Deane A 18 16 0 2 229 95 32
Hawkshaw C 18 15 0 3 231 93 30
Forrest C 18 14 0 4 219 105 28
DL Farnworth B 18 11 1 6 168 156 23
Sharples B 18 8 1 9 169 155 17
Westhoughton B 18 7 0 11 141 183 14
Smithills A 18 5 2 11 138 186 12
Sharples C 18 5 1 12 126 198 11
Deane B 18 4 2 12 144 210 10
Park B 18 1 1 16 85 239 3
Section D
Markland Hill E 20 16 1 3 232 128 33
Forrest D 19 15 0 4 236 106 30
Hawkshaw D 20 12 1 7 220 140 25
DL Farnworth C 20 12 1 7 19 161 25
Westhoughton C 19 11 3 5 198 144 25
Forrest E 20 11 2 7 189 171 24
Metropolitan C 19 10 0 9 181 161 20
Smithills B 20 7 0 13 143 217 14
Moorside A 19 6 0 13 133 209 12
Metropolitan D 20 3 0 17 117 243 6
Westhoughton D 20 1 0 19 96 264 2
Section E
Smithills C 20 18 1 1 276 84 37
Deane C 20 15 2 3 252 108 32
Sharples D 20 14 1 5 222 138 29
Moorside B 20 13 1 6 221 139 27
Moorside C 20 13 1 6 205 155 27
Forrest F 18 9 0 9 186 138 18
Forrest G 20 6 3 11 168 192 15
Moorside D 19 6 0 13 124 128 12
Smithills D 20 3 2 15 107 253 8
Metropolitan E 19 3 0 16 95 247 6
DL Farnworth D 18 1 1 16 70 254 3
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