AN error in the Concorde Trophy rules has resulted in many preliminary and first round matches being replayed.

The confusion surrounds handicapping.

Each player is awarded a handicap which should have been added to those of his teammates and multiplied by three, to give a total handicap for each team.

This should then be added to the aggregate scores from the nine games played, and the highest score wins.

Unfortunately, the rules did not include the multiplication factor and this has heavily distorted the results and rendered the handicaps worthless.

Matches will now be replayed in the week commencing December 10, when the second round was due to be played.

A handful of matches were played correctly, including that involving Cup holders Wilshaw B from Division III, who entertained Second Division Brooks C.

A cracking match it turned out too – Wilshaw winning by just four points!

Starting with a 54-point advantage, Wilshaw’s John Vaughan increased that by a further three against Stefan Arak. Nathan Spencer then played exceptionally well to pull back six points against Jonathan Vaughan, who was below par throughout.

Next up was Bob Manby, who has started the season in much better form than last and his unorthodox style bamboozled Brooks’ Matthew Corcoran, picking up a further 13 points in the process.

The tables then turned with both Spencer (14) and Arak (21) having strong wins over Jonathan Vaughan and Manby respectively.

By the time the final game was reached the result hung completely in the balance.

John Vaughan had a cushion of 17 points in hand over Nathan Spencer and, in winning the first two games 11-6 11-6, Brooks had reduced the deficit to just seven points.

The third game involved Vaughan changing tactics a little in an effort to nullify Spencer’s outstanding attack, and a much closer game ended 11-10 in Spencer’s favour.

With a margin of just six points things looked bleak for Wilshaw as Spencer swept into a 4-0 lead in the final game.

However, some dogged resistance and a few uncharacteristic errors enabled Vaughan to claw back, losing eventually 11-9 to give the holders the narrowest of victories.

In the League, the First Division clash between leaders Woodfield Park A and the all-Polish trio from Deighton B promised to be a close affair.

The leaders obviously shared that view as they pulled in their star trio of Darren Lindley, Ian MacLean and Mark Pugh – Pugh making his first appearance of the season.

It turned out to be surprisingly one-sided with Pugh and Lindley both unbeaten and MacLean losing only to Tomas Pietrzyk in a 9-1 victory.

In Division III, Golcar Liberal B’s team of youngsters have found it every bit as tough as they expected but full marks to Scott Singleton in recording his first league win against Wilshaw’s Martin Town.

Town’s side had no further glitches, however, in recording a 9-1 victory.