THE battle of the Brooks turned out to be a tight affair – with the ‘B’ team the victors.

The early season fixture list brought together last season’s Division I champions, Brooks A, and runners-up, Brooks B, and surprisingly it was the ‘B’ team who came out top winning 6-4.

Brooks A started well with Russell Senior beating Mick Rushworth in three sets, however, the B team then took the next four sets.

Shaun Ellis, who was unbeaten without dropping a game, first beat Neil Crosland and then impressively dealt with Russell Senior, before teaming up with Philip Schofield to win the doubles against Senior and Crosland .

Schofield was also in good form, beating Alan Rennison and then Crosland before going down to Russell Senior in four very close games.

Rennison and Crosland both beat Rushworth to bring the two sides closer at the end of the evening than might have been predicted at the halfway stage.

These two sides will undoubtedly be strong again this season, but the A team will need the services of Tim Dyson in future key matches if they are to retain the title.

There was a surprise in store for much fancied Scissett WMC A as they went down 7-3 at Marsh Wanderers A.

Fielding a side weakened by the absence of Darren Lindley and Ian McLean, Scissett faced a rejuvenated Tony Stead, who was returning after missing last season due to a troublesome elbow.

Stead is a fine player when in top form and so it proved in his hat-trick of victories over Roger Morley, Andrew Rawnsley and Stewart Clarke.

He was well supported by Ian Tweedale and Shane Crowther, who both won twice – losing in each case to Rawnsley.

This was Clarke’s second match of the week as he had earlier played a decisive part in inflicting the first defeat of the season on Deighton Leisure Centre A.

Playing for Scissett WMC B, alongside Paul Rourke and Peter Heywood, they had a comprehensive 10-0 victory over a side without Barry Drain, but which still including the impressive Kevin Senior, who had been previously unbeaten.

At Scissett Middle School, the youngsters were also tasting defeat at the hands of an experienced Marsh Wanderers B team, for whom Michael Townend, David Taylor and Fraser Krishke all secured maximums.

The fixture brought focus on the wide gulf in experience which exists in the newly structured Divisions 2A and B – Marsh were last year competing in the top flight while the Scissett youngsters were honing their talent at coaching sessions at Newsome College.

Their first month of competition has brought them a win and two defeats, but to quantify the experience and learning they have gone through in the process, only the coming weeks will tell.