FORREST B won through to the final of the Bolton Badminton League's Jane Fletcher Memorial Cup with victory over Hawkshaw.

The ninth-placed side in Section A had a 175-point handicap against the team second in the same division, and it proved more than enough after the game finished 376-249 in Hawkshaw's favour.

Caz Matthews and Olly Gregory won the opening games for the higher-ranked side, 21-13, 21-13, but it had not stopped Forrest’s second couple, Janet Bailey and Matt Latham, collecting a quantity of points, a result which could be expected by the handicapper.

Hawkshaw’s second couple, Julie Bates and Matt Green, then beat Nichola Hill and Chris Latham 21-7, 21-10, in what was a good result for Hawkshaw.

Forrest then showed their intentions in the third couples’ set, Laura Bradley and Mahendra Patel claiming the first 21-17 – which would have boosted their team’s confidence – and Nicola Duerden and Phil Worthington taking the second 21-9.

When the first couples met, Hawkshaw’s Matthews and Gregory beat Hill and Latham 21-14, 21-14, which meant Forrest were still hanging on in the match.

Hawkshaw had to step up their game, but in the second couples’ games, Bates and Green won 21-16, 21-14, against Bailey and Chris Latham; a result which was not enough to turn Hawkshaw's fortunes.

Going into the level doubles Hawkshaw were leading 206-131 and a determined Forrest team were in the driving seat for when the handicap would be taken into account at the end of the match.

Duerden and Matthews then claimed the first pair of ladies’ games for Hawkshaw, 21-18, 21-15, against Bradley and Hill, in another good result for Forrest.

The first pair of men’s games could have gone either way but Gregory and Worthington just won through for Hawkshaw, 21-19, 21-19, Patel and Chris Latham’s strong resistance paying off for Forrest.

Duerden and Bates then produced Hawkshaw’s best result in the second pair of ladies’ games, winning comfortably, 21-7, 21-8, against Bradley and Bailey.

Hawkshaw’s men would have to produce a similar result in their set, but Forrest fought tigerishly, and Worthington and Green only edged their games 23-21, 21-13, against Patel and Matt Latham.

Moorside B got the better of their C team in the semi-final of the Robert Cup.

When the handicap of 110 was added at the end, the C team's overall score of 331 was short of their club-mates' 368.

Second couple Pauline Charnock and Steve Drinkwater got the B team off to a good start by claiming both games 21-10, 21-9, against the hosts' Sue Beamer and Jamie Belton.

The B team’s first couple, Pam Lievesley and Andy Yates, won their games, 21-10, 21-6, against the C team’s second couple, Abi Sewart and Dave Wood, in another good result.

The lower-ranked team’s Jane Whelan and Stuart Hall then upset the handicap by claiming their games, 21-18, 21-14, against Laura Goff and David Gittins, when the third couples met, boosting the team’s tally considerably.

In the clash of the first couples, Lievesley and Yates beat Beamer and Belton, 21-10, 21-6; and, likewise when the second couples met, the B team’s Charnock and Drinkwater claimed both games, 21-17, 21-8 against Sewart and Wood, putting the B team back on track.

Going into the level doubles the B team were in a comfortable position, leading 200-118.

The B team’s ladies, Goff and Lievesley, carried on the good work, winning the first pair of ladies’ games 21-9, 21-11, against Whelan and Beamer.

In the first pair of men’s games, the C team showed some resistance when with Hall and Belton gained a healthy 21-14, 21-16 defeat against Gittins and Yates.

The B team then established their dominance, with Goff and Charnock winning the second pair of ladies’ games, 21-10, 21-15, against Whelan and Sewart, and the final men’s game going according to the handicap with the B team’s Gittins and Drinkwater beating Hall and Wood 21-18, 21-10.