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DEFEATED, BUT NOT DOWN. Abington A lost their last match of the Monday Triples League. Yet, with with one winning and one tied rink, they achieved enough of a result to edge back past Kettering Lodge. The latter were pointless at Earls Barton A, and will instead line-up with Abington B next season, in Division 2.

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Going into the game, there was still the tiniest chance of Kingsthorpe B staying up, needing to make up five points on the Lodge and a shot difference swing of 61. The former was almost achieved. Just four extra shots, in the right places, would have taken them above Abington A and level with 6th place on points. But to have pulled off the greatest of escapes would have required 20 extra shots across the board, and Abington A were never going to surrender that easily.

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It caps off a difficult season for the As, but they can take a lot of heart from their resilience, and a chance to rebuild next year at the same level. The top flight of the Monday league is becoming more competitive than ever (West End's improving B-team will be an intriguing new addition next season), but Abington A remain worthy of a place in the thick of it.

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Abingtons B and C had nothing riding on their matches, so it's difficult to know whether the results are worth analysing. Both could have been seismic clashes, against direct rivals, but the Bs were already Div 3 champions before their 1-4 defeat to 2nd-placed Roade. And the Cs were already down before a blistering sign-off at former relegation rivals Brackley A. Though it could be that Brackley had already signed off, with Div 2 safety assured ahead of time.

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At least the Cs go down with a 5-0 win, their only one of the campaign. (Although they lost by that mark twice, in both matches vs Byfield, which cost them more than any other fixture.) Finishing only a point behind Brackley will prompt a few 'what-ifs' but indicates they still have the quality to bounce swiftly back. The B and C teams essentially swap places for 2027, back into a more 'natural' running order on paper. We'll see you again next year!

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23/08/2026: NO TOP CLUB glory for Abington this year, but it was a spirited performance in places against the stars of Kingsthorpe. Stuart Johnston fought hard to ultimately claim a point for the home side in the 4-wood singles, beatign Dave Iddles 21-19, while Trevor Aston & Simon David so nearly produced a sensational result against the garlanded duo of Andrew Manton & Neil McKee.

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With just two ends remaining, the Abington pair actually lead 19-18, against opponents of proven international quality. Unfortunately they were swiftly disabused of that possibility, as the Kingsthorpe duo turned on the class to pepper​ the jack and claim a six on the penultimate end. Aston & David claimed one back on the last, meaning they claimed the majority of ends, but it was too late.

 

In truth, the odds were always against Abington, and especially so when Adam Brown lost the 2-wood in short order, while the fours were a mile behind before they even scored. The triples showed late signs of rallying, but once the pairs had also fallen, there was no route back.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​