NO quarter asked and none given.

Such was the situation when two of the four contenders for relegation from Division II in the Huddersfield Table Tennis League met at the Milnsbridge Scout Hut.

And it really was a battle royal.

At one time a 7-3 victory for Brooks C seemed likely. Half an hour later you would not have bet against a five-all draw.

In the end justice was, I believe, done when at two games each in the final set Tony Astwick fought brilliantly to come back from 5-2 down to pip Barrie Chatterton by 11-7.

Playing patiently, Astwick was always looking for the chance to use his pen-holder style forehand hits down his opponent’s backhand side.

In the final seven points he hit five such winners, wide of Chatterton, to take the set and the match by 6-4, thus reducing Golcar Lib’s lead to seven points. Golcar having one match to play to Brook C’s two.

Jim Irving, calling on all his Division I experience, was the evening’s star performer, wining all his single matches.

His performance was closely followed by Rodney Hullah of Brook C and Steve Tattersley of Golcar, both players with two wins each.

Even so, the match with potentially the most impact was the doubles.

Roy Crosby and Chatterton, teaming up for the first time, gave Golcar a most valuable point when they beat Irving and Hullah by 11-9, 11-2, 6-11, 11-9.

It could well be the point which saves them from going down, though the possibilities along those lines are endless.

This division’s fortune could well be decided not by sets won but by “games won”, or even by “fewest games lost”.

Elsewhere in Division II, Kingsmith Terriers, among the relegation battlers, sent shock waves through the division when they beat championship contenders Kingsmith Eng C 7-3.

Peter Walker won three, Oliver Shaw a couple, with one for Jack Woodhead.

Restricting the C team to one win each was a fine performance, particularly so with two of the C team squad featuring in the top four of both the Averages and the Merit Table.

This win for the Terriers makes Kingsmith FOB’s task of avoiding relegation well nigh impossible – but where there’s life there’s hope, and a 100/1 outsider did win the Grand National.