DESPITE a couple of absentees, Bury Sports Club's squash team kept the pot boiling with a game win against a struggling Westhoughton side.

Gearing up for the season ending play-offs, the trip gave enough reassurance of the strength in depth at the Club with both newcomers acquitting themselves with distinction.

With a changed line up, Bury opted to get their in-form players on court early, but that plan looked like backfiring early as Eddie Black dropped the opening two sets to the home side's Trevor Orrell.

The prospect of dropping his first match of the season galvanised Bury's no 1, however, and he overturned the deficit in some style.

Once he took the third set with the minimum of fuss, the balance of the match had shifted irrevocably and it was plain sailing thereafter.

Steve Creegan, promoted to number three, also had to dig deep into his reserves of strength.

Also behind, at 2-1 to Shaun Gray, he followed Black's lead and rescued the match, playing some nice squash in the latter sets.

New boy Rik Denney, in a reverse of the preceding games, stormed into a 2-0 lead in the third game.

But this time it was a home player that came from behind as Derek Barker squeezed home with a battling fightback.

Captain Stu Garnett and Andrew Shaw, making his second appearance of the season, completed the card for Bury and both were in prime form. Garnett dropped the opening set against Phil Williams but thereafter was at his dominant best and Shaw had the quickest work of the night dispatching Daniels in three sets in his bid to stay in the side.

Westhoughton 1 (8pts)

Bury 4 (19pts)

Trevor Orrell 2-3 v Eddie Black (10-9, 9-7, 1-9, 4-9, 3-9); Phil Williams 1-3 v Stuart Garnett (9-5, 5-9, 3-9, 1-9); Shaun Gray 2-3 v Steve Creegan (7-9, 9-4, 9-6, 4-9, 4-9); Derek Barker 3-2 v Rik Denney (3-9, 3-9, 9-7, 9-4, 9-4); Frank Daniels 0-3 v Andrew Shaw (5-9, 3-9, 8-10).