BOLTON League champions Bury A have started the new season as they finished the old one -- by winning matches in style.

The first two victims were newly promoted Metro A and Markland Hill C, despatched 15-3 and 14-4 respectively. Their sterner tests will start in a week's time when they face runners-up ABC, who have also made a useful start.

Re-organisation of the league to lose F Section has meant promotion for a couple of teams while others have avoided relegation.

Forrest E, third place in E Section last season, were unexpectedly promoted to D Section. And, as an early fixture, they faced Westhoughton C, who avoided relegation from D Section in spite of finishing second from bottom.

The two teams were obviously evenly matched with games see-sawing through the mixed doubles, but it was the final two from Westhoughton's second pair Lesley Kenworthy and Frank Stec that gave the visitors a 6-4 edge.

Top ladies' and men's games were all shared to leave Westhoughton ahead. Forrest's Gerry Carter and Philippa McCarthy, however, redressed the balance with both second ladies in a tight set to 13 and 10. When the final two games of the night were shared, the result was a deserved draw.

Rivalry was similarly intense, but for a different reason, when Moorside B and C teams clashed for the first time this season in E Section.

With something to prove for all the players, games were necessarily close with the first four games shared.

The B team's third couple P Morran and M Pates took both their games to leave them 6-4 ahead but it was the C's J Entwistle and M Pennington who took both top ladies to square up the scores.

Top men's were shared, but when the C team's M Pennington and L Walton took both second ladies 8 and 10 an upset was on the cards.

Needing only one game for victory the B team's P Ementon and M Pates lined up for the final men's doubles' games against G Hibbert and T Keefe. And when the latter took the first game 15-10, the C team had won.

The former took the final game of the night, but the points still went to the C team on this occasion.