MARSH UNITED won the Colne Valley 4-man Team Knockout final – but it was a close-run thing.

They beat the two Crosland Moor teams in qualifying and then repeated the feat by defeating Lockwood Con B and Lockwood Con A in the Mick McCluskey-sponsored competition.

Anthony Harper did most of the damage for Marsh United by defeating Eddie Haigh 21-16 in the semi-finals before leaving Peter Kain at six to put Marsh 15 points up.

Lockwood Con fought back bravely and looked like pulling off a comeback win with the other two games standing at 20-12 and 19-14 in their favour, but in an exciting climax, Marsh produced the finish they needed to win by a single point.

Lockwood Con A 51 Golcar Lib 34 – M Higgins (Snr) 21 S Manson 14, M Higgins (Jnr) & M Wood 21 T Chatfield & M Jennings 10, P Kain 9 D Singleton 10 (Unfinished).

Lockwood Con B 56 Marsh United 62 – D Duck 19 S Howard 21, M Fisher & R Manning 21 D Taylor & A Carter 20, E Haigh 16 A Harper 21.

Lockwood Con A 48 Marsh United 49 – P Kain 6 A Harper 21, M Higgins (Jnr) & M Wood 21 D Taylor & A Carter 13, M Higgins (Snr) 21 S Howard 15.

Penistone’s Marcus Hill and Wayne Ditchfield (Eccleston) were the first qualifiers in the £5,300 Brighouse Classic sponsored by Naylor Wintersgill.

Hill defeated Richard Jackson (Sheffield) 21-11 in the third round while Ditchfield left Leeds’ Mark Hughes on 9.

The qualifying continues tomorrow with another top field. Full draw, 6.30pm start: Ian Booth (Halifax) v Nick Brooks (Rochdale), Nick Hughes (Wrexham) v Ernie Wearing (Sheffield), Paul Hillam (Eccleshill) v Jack Hargreaves (Hyde), Darren Holt (Rochdale) v Andy Hodgson (Pudsey), Stephen Leach (Rochdale) v Chris Brown (Lower Hopton), Matt Gilmore (Wirral) v Duncan Reeves (Pudsey), Ryan Bancroft (Hyde) v Mike Holden (Rochdale), Jack Summers (Clayton) v Roy Sutton (Huddersfield).

PLACES are still available in the Brockholes BC Ladies Pairs Open Day on August 19, when the start is 10.00am, but the field of 32 needs to be completed this weekend. To enter contact Sue Green on 01484 602447.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Crosland Moor Floodlit Open Competition, entries are now being taken for this year’s event.

The event has being kindly sponsored by IN-Tents Yorkshire and Park Road Fisheries, both of Crosland Moor, and the event now boasts a prize pot of £1000.

Four qualifying sessions are being run on Friday nights beginning on August 31, with the final set for Friday, September 28.

Entries to Mark Atkinson on 07854 179622.