Quite a few of the local leagues have completed their winter seasons and have since been playing off their various finals, the Sheldon and District Winter League are one such league as Crown at Olton completed their fixtures in the premier division in the best possible way confirming themselves as champions with a 7-2 away win over their nearest rivals Crown at Shard End to finish four points ahead of Shard End who took the runners up spot.
In division one Solihull Moors despite losing their final game 5-4 away to Iron Horse took the title with a total of 34 points four clear of both Highwood KB’s and Iron Horse who both still have one outstanding game to play the outcome of which will decide the runners up for the division.
Crown Arrows ended their season in division two with a 7-2 win at Highwood Exiles having lost only one of their eighteen games giving them 34 point’s four more than second placed Highwood Arrows who still have one fixture to play.
The shadow league titles went to Mackadown Social (Premier Division), Willclare Sports and Social (Division One) and Small Heath Amateur Gardeners (Division Two).
Crown at Olton provided two of the four players in the semi finals of the league’s singles knockout but it was Saltley Amateur Gardeners man Tom White who took the title with a final win over Pete Yardley.
Crown at Olton also supplied two of the last four pairings in the doubles knockout and they were drawn against each other in the semi finals with Jason Jennings and Tony Randell getting the 2-1 result over their team mates Bob Nixon and John Sidwell. The other last four game saw Jason Prince and Neil Parsonage (Crown at Shard End) beat Glen James and Martin Heaven from Mackadown Social again 2-1, and that was the scoreline in the final as Jason Jennings and Tony Randell took the title with Prince and Parsonage runners up.
In the league’s divisional cups the premier division competition saw league runners up Crown at Shard End win 7-2 against Saltley Amateur Gardeners who finished sixth in the table on the same 22 points as third placed Langley Hall Sports and Social Arrows but with an inferior average.
The division one final was a close 5-4 affair with fifth placed Crown-Forget-Me-Not just getting the verdict over Iron Horse while the division two final was a real one sided event with Crown Arrows, the divisional champions running out 8-1 winners against Greville Arms who ended the season in seventh place.
The final of the M & B Cup was fought out between bottom of the premier division East Birmingham Allotment Holders Association and Sheldon Heath Social who won the wooden spoon in division one.
Despite being one division lower than their opponents Sheldon Heath Social put up a brave fight but it was East Birmingham who eventually got the 5-4 result.
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With Mackadown Social crowned group one champions in the South Birmingham League and Banbury Flights winning group two only cup finals and the mini league title were left to be decided, in the Knockout Cup the top two teams in group one squared up to each other and once again as in the league Erdington Members Club finished as runners up as the divisional champions Mackadown Social got the 6-3 verdict.
Knockout Cup Winners Mackadown Social
The Jimmy Walker Cup final brought together Coleshill Social from group one and The C’s from group two with Coleshill running out the winners with a very close 5-4 result.
Jimmy Walker Cup Winners Coleshill Social
The final of the Roy Parry Cup was a repeat of the Knockout Cup whereby league champions Mackadown Social took on runners up Erdington members Club, the only difference being that on this occasion it was Erdington who got the 5-4 verdict.
Roy Parry Cup Winners Erdington Members Club
Group two team The C’s won the Roy Parry Consolation Cup they were 5-4 winners against their group one opponents The Family Tree.
Roy Parry Consolation Cup Winners The C’s
The Mini League season was completed with a final fixture between St John’s and The Raven which saw the former win 16-11 to secure the title with 90 legs four more than their opponents who finished as runners up, Mackadown Social were third on 72 and Erdington Members Club fourth with 69.
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The Crown at Olton was the setting for a charity match between two select teams from South Birmingham League and Forest of Arden League who in turn took on the Gulp Charity Team.
Both results finished with a 6-4 scoreline South Birmingham winning and Forest of Arden losing, however the results were secondary as the evening was all about charity and raised a terrific amount in excess of £160 which was donated to the Harry Moseley Charity.
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Court Oak went through the sixteen games season in the Harborne and District League undefeated, in their final fixture they won 5-4 away to Hillyfields ‘B’ to finish four points to the good on runners up Hillyfields ‘A’ who handed out a 9-0 whitewash to their final opponents Avenue Social who took the wooden spoon.
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The newly formed Sheldon Marlborough Cricket Club Singles League played off their divisional singles knockouts and in the Premiership Division it was Sean O’Donnell with top scores of 135,104 and 4×100 who took the title with a final 4-3 win over Paul Seadon who had two 120 breaks and scores of 135 and 127.
The Championship Division contest was won by the divisional leader Ken Salsbury who clinched the title with a final 4-2 success against Matt Murrin while division leader Steve McCarthy lost out in his final against fourth placed Alan Wale going down in three straight legs.
Full Results:Premiership Division:Preliminary Round:- Paul Brown 0 Dave Howlett (104f) 2, Dave Humphries 0 Mark O’Donnell (102) 2, Quarter Finals:- Adam Plows (135) 0 Sean O’Donnell (100) 2, Barry Steptoe (100) 2 Liam O’Donnell (2×100) 0, Paul Seadon (120) 2 Paul Sunner 0, Dave Howlett (100) 2 Mark O’Donnell 1, Semi Finals:_ Sean O’Donnell (3×100) 3 Barry Steptoe )105b,100) 2, Paul Seadon )100b,2×140,100) 3 Dave Howlett (123,100) 2, Final:- Sean O’Donnell (135,104,4×100) 4 Paul Seadon (2x120b,135,127) 2, Championship Division:Quarter Finals:- Pete Jones (100) 1 Martin Cox (112b) 2, Ken Salsbury 2 Neal Righani (100) 0, Alan Eden snr 0 Matt Murrin 2, Jay Vaughan 1 Ray Turner (122f) 2, Semi Finals:- Martin Cox 2 Ken Salsbury (130b) 3, Matt Murrin 3 Ray Turner 0, Final:- Ken Salsbury (111) 4 Matt Murrin (111b,139) 2, Division One:Preliminary Round:- Brian Farmer 1 Marie Jenkins 2, Nigel Ricketts 2 Nicola Brown 0, Quarter Finals:- Marie Jenkins 2 John Young (100b) 0, Ian Genge 1 Steve McCarthy 2, Pete Ayling 0 Dave Brown 2, Nigel Ricketts (100) 1 Alan Wale 2, Semi Finals:- Marie Jenkins (132,100) 1 Steve McCarthy 2, Dave Brown 0 Alan Wale (125) 2, Final:- Steve McCarthy 0 Alan Wale 3.
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Samson and Lion have won the Pensnett and Bromley Tuesday Night League by the narrowest of margins, they finished the season with a total of 30 points with 85 legs for and 34 against while runners up The Bridge also amassed 30 points but with 84 legs for and 35 against losing the title by just one leg of average, it doesn’t get any closer than that.
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The Nutan won the Bilston and District League some weeks before the end of the season leaving the battle for the runners up spot between Tilted Barrel and Lanesfield RBL who were both on 58 points wih one fixture to play.
Tilted Barrel won their final game 4-3 away to Darlaston Conservative Club while third placed Lanesfield RBL were 6-1 winners against White Hart ‘B’ to finish on the same 60 points as Tilted Barrel but were well behind on average so the runners up spot went to Tilted Barrel.
In addition to their runners up placing Tilted Barrel, the reigning 501 league champions retained their title winning the league again with a total of 64 points two more than the runners up The Nutan who narrowly missed out on the league double.
The shadow league title went to 44 Club with 22 points, Rocket Pool were runners up with 20.
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There’s been a few knockouts around the region of late the first of which was at the end of May at Riley’s Sports Bar, Solihull who staged the latest of their ever increasingly popular Last Sunday in the Month Open’s, and taking the top prize of £110 was Mike McFall.
In the semi finals McFall handed out a straight 5-0 defeat to Pete Shipley while from the other half of the draw Neil Parsonage won by the same scoreline against Dan White. The final was more evenly fought with McFall coming out of the contest as the 6-3 winner.
As runner up Parsonage received £70 and there was £20 each for both Shipley and White.
Winner Mike McFall and Organiser Sue Kingdon
The playoff for the last four in the Plate competition saw Jake Webster beat Chris Millward 3-2 and Steve Cain win 3-1 against Matthew Cain. Webster was again taken to a deciding leg in the final by Steve Cain but it was Jake Webster who collected the winners £40 and Cain £20.
Winner Jake Webster and Organiser Sue Kingdon
Results: Main Competition:Semi Finals:- Mike McFall 5 Pete Shipley 0, Dan White 0 Neil Parsonage 5, Final:- Mike Mcfall 6 Neil Parsonage 3, Plate Competition:Semi Finals:- Jake Webster 3 Chris Millward 2, Steve Cain 3 Matthew Cain 1, Final:- Jake Webster 3 Steve Cain 2.
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Just six days later McFall was the star again when at Langley Hall Sports and Social Club he won their Classic 2016 Open. Throughout the day McFall dropped just two legs one in the earlier rounds to Jamie Robinson and the other in the semi finals to Paul Nixon before going on to take the top prize of £400..
The final was a really entertaining high scoring affair with McFall hitting 11×100,3×180 a 135 finish plus he recorded two twelve darts legs, while his opponent Kevin Bambrick had top shots of 5×100 and 180, McFall coming out the convincing 6-0 winner.
Bambrick as runner up received £150 and there was £50 for each of the losing semi finalists Paul Nixon and Aaron Carter.
The Consolation Competition was won by Andy Hutchings who had a straight 3-0 win over Stuart Page in the final after beating Dane Wells by same the scoreline in the semi’s, Page was also a 3-0 winner in the last four against Mikey Harris. Hutchings received £70 and Page £30.
Results:Quarter Finals:- Aaron Carter 4 Simon Edwards 3, Kevin Bambrick 4 Ian Jones 3, Leighton Powell 0 Paul Nixon 4, Mike McFall 4 Micky Barber 0, Semi Finals:- Paul Nixon 1 Mike McFall 5, Aaron Carter 2 Kevin Bambrick 5, Final:- Kevin Bambrick (5×100,180) 0 Mike McFall (11×100,3×180,135f,2×12 darts :- games) 6, Consolation Competition:Semi Finals:- Mikey Harris 0 Stuart Page 3, Dane Wells 0 Andy Hutchings 3, Final:- Andy Hutchings 3 Stuart Page 0.
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Dudley Ex Serviceman’s held their second darts open which was again won by the winner of the first West Midlands player Nick Fullwell. Fullwell won his last four game against Richard Hosey 4-1 while his final opponent Phil Tonks won 4-2 against Robert Carr, the final saw Fullwell confirm his win with a 5-1 result.
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The Royal, Albrighton staged the fourth of their popular knockouts and taking the winners prize of £160 was Matt Padgett from Ilkeston, Derbyshire who defeated Telford’s Andy Roberts 6-0 in the final, Roberts collecting £70 as runner up.
Both of the semi finals finished with 5-2 results Padgett accounting for Matt Roberts while Roberts beat Steve Groucott.
Left – Andy Roberts (Runner Up) and right – Matt Padgett (Winner)
Results:Semi Finals:- Matt Padgett 5 Matt Roberts 2, Andy Roberts 5 Steve Groucott 2, Final:- Matt Padgett 6 Andy Roberts 0.
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