LANCASTRIAN RK squash team faced division leaders Tame Valley at home, trying to at least make them work for a victory.

Lancastrian did just that, being unfortunate to be on the wrong end of a 3-2 defeat. It might easily have been 4-1 in Leigh's favour with just a little luck.

John O'Donnell led off and lost in three games. Howard Thornley, at 4, came in determined to even things up and took the second game to nil. Thornley won 3-0, as did Graham Collier playing great squash to see off a very good opponent, who fell away as he realised he had at last met his match this season.

It was now up to Mark Taylor and Mike Carter to force the win. Taylor was always playing catch up against an energetic, ungainly player who just would not lie down. Taylor gave everything but lost 3-2. Carter lost by the same score having been 2-1 in the lead, but he just could not quite take it through to a victory against another very good opponent.

Lancastrian RK second team lost 4-1 away to Bowdon. After a good start by Mike Howard, the rest of the team failed to clinch wins that were within their grasp.