Division 2 Roundup - Week 19 / Cup Round of 32 (Updated)

Princes Crowned as Runners-Up Chase Hots Up Further

The past two weeks have featured all six Division 2 teams entered in the Challenge Cup, battling for a Round of 16 place, whilst the third last week of League play has seen one final position cemented, but others remain close and up for grabs.

In the Cup, after the success of all six teams reaching the knockout stage, some big handicaps have contributed towards four of those six teams being knocked out at the Round of 32 stage.  Milton Keynes Cavaliers were 19 points short of their 100 point handicap deficit, whilst Greenleys Princes were 23 points short of their 200 point handicap deficit, and Open University Shockwaves ended up 60 points adrift as they, too, faced a 200 point handicap.  The one D2 team to overcome a big handicap was Little Horwood Wooden Tops, who won through by 11 points, after catching up the 200 point handicap they faced.  The other two D2 teams faced each other, and it was another 11 point victory, as Mursley Hawks edged past Leighton Buzzard Van Hire.  As such, only Wooden Tops and Hawks progress to the Round of 16 this coming week.

Back in the League, the past week's results mean that Princes have already clinched the Division 2 title.  Princes, who only needed one point to be assured of top spot, irrespective of other results, did it in style with their 8-2 win over fourth-placed Woburn Sands Mosquitoes, as both Anand Keshav and Ricky Jackson went the night unbeaten, backed by one win for Richard Bailey, plus a share in the doubles with Anand - although it took four fifth set wins (two at 12-10) to do so,.  Third-placed Van Hire were held to a 5-5 draw by seventh-placed Cavaliers, with a third successive maximum for Oliver Young of Cavaliers, to counter two wins each by Christi Hulpan and Nathan Fry for Van Hire, to overtake Little Horwood Wooden Tops for second spot.  In the other result, fifth-placed Hawks claimed a sixth win in seven, overcoming sixth-placed Shockwaves 7-3, as both Mark Dixon and Mick O'Mahony (on his debut, this season) won maximums, and in doing so, Hawks have moved up to 4th spot.  With just two League weeks remaining,, there are just nine points separating 2nd to 5th, with all four teams having two matches to go, so the battle for the runners-up spot seems destined to go down to the wire.  Shockwaves remain a little way back in sixth, whilst despite some good recent results, Cavaliers remain seventh and cannot escape the bottom two places.

This coming week sees the Round of 16 in the Cup, where both Wooden Tops and Hawks will face big handicaps, whilst in the following week's penultimate round of League matches, Hawks (4th) will take on Van Hire (2nd), Cavaliers (7th) will host Wooden Tops (3rd) and Shockwaves (6th) visit Mosquitoes (5th).

Player of the Week : Oliver Young.
Team of the Week : Mursley Hawks.