PREMIER Division champions Horwich Bridge A started the new Bolton and District Table Tennis season with a narrow defeat.

British Aerospace A triumphed 5-4 with two wins each for Steve Crook and Andy Christopher and one for Ronnie Pennington.

Philippe Juniver (2), Micky Malcolm (1) and Barry Crook (1) replied for the home side.

In the same division Ramsbottom A, who finished bottom last year, started with a storming 8-1 victory over Little Lever A thanks to trebles from Steve McNicholas and Wayne Renton plus two from Andy Jackson.

Ron Durose was Little Lever's lone contributor.

A treble from Brian Doxey and two each from Kamal Hussain and David Kay brought a 7-2 victory for Wharton B over MET B, for whom Nigel Shields and Andy Elliott won one each.

Elsewhere in Division One, veteran Johnny Scowcroft had a treble, Mel Brooks won two and Brian Heyes registered the other in Heaton B's 6-3 victory over Wingates A.

J.Bradbury won two and A.Bradbury one.

Heaton D and C slugged it out at Lower Pools in a tight Division Two match which the D team won 5-4 thanks to a treble from Mike Dunn and two from Ian Craig.

Paul McCormack had two for the losers with team-mates Dave Holden and Steve Peet contributing one each.

BEN A beat Jubilee B 7-2 with trebles from Mike Audsley and Nil Ghosh plus one from Mike Heaton. Zulphi Ali and Tom Corbett had one each in reply.

Meadow Hill B started their Division Three campaign with a 6-3 victory over Breightmet Electrics thanks to a treble from Phil Noden, two from Stephen Jones and one from Roy Caswell.

George Hindley (2) and Dennis Lomax (1) contributed for the losers.

Withins A, who won Division Four last year, were stopped in their tracks one step up when they were hammered 8-1 by Chorley Old Road B.

Ian Wheeldon and Frank Davies had trebles and Geoff Harris contributed two. Paul Pover prevented the whitewash.

In Division Four, Memorial Road A saw-off the YMCA 6-3 with wins for Richard Hannant (3), Peter Ellis (2) and John Hannant (1) against two from Jack Quin and one from John Swarsbrick.

Also in this division Jubilee D trounced Beesley Green 8-1 with trebles from Keith Hardman and Wilf Hunt plus two from K. Pennington. Alan Platt was the only Beesley Green contributor.

Ladybridge D began the Division Five season by beating Heaton F 6-3 with a treble for Jimmy Beevers, two for Philip Hinks and one from Steven Greenhalgh.

Fred Martindale (2) and Glen Roberts (1) made the Heaton reply.

If you have pictures of league teams send them - with the names of the players photographed - to: Alan Calvert, Bolton Evening News, Churchgate, Bolton, BL1 1DE. THE Hilton table tennis centre in Nuttall Avenue, Horwich is 'bursting at the seams' says secretary Christine Crumblehulme.

She adds: "We have had to split Friday Family night into two sessions - 6.30pm to 8pm and 8pm to 9.30pm - because of the numbers of players, mainly juniors, who want to play TT.

"Because there is a match being played at Hilton on Wednesday evenings we can have an extended practice night till 10pm. Old bats and rubbers would be appreciated for our juniors - every bat was given out last week!

"Please can we have some extra help - anyone who could supervise a session would be most welcome. We will possibly have to split the Tuesday night session later.

"The Woolwich League will be starting soon. It is an opportunity for junior non-league players to gain experience in matches in teams of two - and to have a good time.

"The Over 50 session on Friday afternoon is going well and we have to have a tea break in the middle of the session to make the oldsters have a break. The oldest is Des, 75 years young.

"If anyone got a ladder that we can buy that will enable us to change the lights at Hilton?" Christine can be contacted on 01204 406693.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.