BOLTON Lads and Girls Club A reached the final of the Bolton Badminton League Handicap Competition's Jane Fletcher Cup with a 13-point victory over Hawkshaw A.

The Bury side, who are second in Section A, won every game of the match as would be expected against a side ninth in Section B.

But when the handicap envelope revealed a points addition of 260 to the 131 BLGC earned on the night, it just about took them past Hawkshaw's 378.

Hawkshaw's first couple, Steph Dawid Palugh and Matt Green, began the night with a comfortable 21-4, 21-10 win against Abi Edwards and Pranay Lad.

Jenny Woods and Nathan Whitehead then won 21-8, 21-6 against Emma Dean and Chris Saunders.

While the victories were fairly emphatic, BLGC were slowly adding vital points to their team’s tally.

And Meyoni Algama and Zaryab Khan gave a major boost to the lower-placed side when they beat Hawkshaw’s Suzannah Penny and Olly Gregory 21-13, 21-11 in the clash of the third couples.

After the mixed games Hawkshaw were ahead by 138 points which meant BLGC had to keep steadily adding points.

In the first pair of ladies’ games Penny and Palugh won 21-6, 21-14, against Algama and Dean – were again creditable scores for the youngsters.

Gregory and Green beat Khan and Saunders 21-6, 21-8 in the first pair of men’s games and the story continued through the match with BLGC amassing enough points to give them a chance of victory which they eventually gained once the handicap envelope had revealed its contents.

Smithills BC had a more conclusive semi-final victory against a side from a division above in the Robert Cup.

Fourth in D Section, they beat C Section leaders DL Farnworth B 430-357 after the handicap had been added to the home team's total.

DL Farnworth’s second couple, Linda Marney and Tim Barrow, were restricted to a 23-21 victory in their first game against Lorraine Shepherd and Malcolm Rolfe – Smithills' first couple – before taking the second comfortably 21-6.

That meant vital points for the hosts, and there were more to come in when Smithills' Diane Hunt and Barry Hilton lost to Kate Bridge and Jamie Allen by just 21-16, 22-20.

DL Farnworth’s third couple also won both their games, 21-10, 21-15, when Julie Horsfall and Stephen Clegg beat Diane Leigh and Tony Sames, but again vital points were gained by the lower-placed side.

Going into the level doubles Farnworth were ahead on games, but in the handicap competition it is about points not games.

And Smithills’ Leigh and Shepherd put a load more on the board when they had their team's first victory of the night in 21-11, 21-14 wins against Horsfall and Bridge in the first pair of ladies' games.

The visitors won four of the last six games with Smithills’ Sames and Hilton taking the final game of the match 21-15.

Farnworth amassed 357 points to Smithills' 280 but the envelope revealed 150 for Smithills to earn a place in the final.