THIRD-placed Forrest A beat the team one place below them in A Section of the Bolton Badminton League, Westhoughton A, 13-5 to stay ahead of them.

But the match was a lot closer than the scoreline suggested.

Forrest A made a good start when Paula Wright and Peter Taylor claimed both games 21-14, 21-12, against Westhoughton’s top couple, Sarah Jameson and John Davenport.

This was followed by Forrest’s number one couple, Christine Seddon and Chris Mealor winning both games, 23-21, 21-9, against Ann Hirst and James Lowe.

Westhoughton shared their games when the third couples met, Rebecca Shurvington and Chris King winning the first 21-15, and Carolyn Wood and Brad Walton taking the second 21-16.

There was another pair of shared games in the clash of the first couples – Seddon and Mealor taking the first 21-17, and Jameson and Davenport winning the second 22-20.

Forrest’s Wright and Taylor claimed both games, 21-15, 21-9, against Westhoughton’s Hirst and Lowe when the second couples played.

Going into the level doubles, Forrest were 8-2 ahead, and the first pair of ladies’ games were claimed by Wood and Seddon, 21-16, 22-20, against Shurvington and Jameson.

The first pair of men’s games were shared, Walton and Mealor winning the first 21-16, and Westhoughton’s King and Davenport claiming the second 21-17.

Westhoughton continued the fight and Shurvington and Hirst claimed the second pair of ladies’ games 21-15, 21-14, against Wood and Wright.

The final games of the match went in Forrest’s favour when Walton and Taylor won 21-17, 21-13 against King and Lowe.

In B Section, there was another 13-5 result when hosts Deane A saw off Sharples B.

Janice Jackson and John Cole, Deane’s first couple, won the opening games comfortably, 21-9, 21-13, against Kate Bridge and Nick Hitchen.

Deane’s second pairing of Jean Smith and Robert Brocklehurst then won two close games, 21-19, 23-21, against Alison Holt and Adrian Smith.

When the third couples met, Deane’s Teresa Gough and Brian Strickland won both games 21-17 against Janette Owen and Barry Hilton.

The games were shared when the first couples met – Sharples’ Holt and Smith took the first 21-18 and Jackson and Cole claimed the second 21-17.

When the second couples met, Deane’s Smith and Brocklehurst claimed two very comfortable games against Bridge and Hitchen.

At the conclusion of the mixed games Deane were ahead 9-1 and in the draw position.

The first pair of ladies’ games was shared, but Gough and Jackson drew first blood winning 21-17 to claim the match against Owen and Holt, who then took the second 21-18.

Sharples continued to fight and shared the first pair of men’s games, Hilton and Smith taking the first 21-18, and Strickland and Cole reciprocating by claiming the second 21-18.

Sharples’ Owen and Bridge then won the second pair of ladies’ games 21-12, 21-16, against Gough and Smith.

The second pair of men’s games was an epic fight, Deane’s Strickland and Brocklehurst taking the score as far as it can go in the first game 30-29, and then coming out on top 21-17, against Hilton and Hitchen.