The journey to south Wales was all worthwhile when the Warwickshire County Darts squad returned with a 19-17 victory. Playing in their fourth premier division fixture of the Riley’s BDO Inter County Championships Warwickshire got off to a great start in Saturday’s games when the ladies chalked up their first win of the campaign, a resounding 5-1 success, Kat Spanswick their top player with a 21.05 average. The men were also in top form making it three consecutive wins with an 8-4 result. Taking the men’s award was Antony Allen with a 28.56 average.
Sunday’s results were not so good, the ladies, for the second game in a row lost 5-1 Denise Keyte (15.95) their sole winner and surprisingly the usually reliable Trina Gulliver losing by the odd leg in her tie with Chris Savvery.
From 1-0 up, then 4-1 down and 5-4 up the men’s ‘A’ team went on to lose the game 7-5, opener Nigel Heydon recording a superb 30.00 average to take the man of the match award.
The overall win consolidates Warwickshire’s fourth place in the table on 80 points, with Cambridge (86), Lancashire (99) and leaders Yorkshire (107) above them.
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West Midlands had their winning run of three games in division two of the Riley’s BDO Inter County Championships come to an end when they went down 21-15 away to Berkshire, their only highlight being the 7-5 win by the men’s ‘A’ team. The men’s win was their third in four games and taking the match award with a 28.27 average was Gavin Baker. The men’s ‘B’ lost 8-4, John Platt (24.71) the best of their four winners.
Both of the ladies teams lost 4-2 and strangely enough the winners for the two teams were the first and last players. Sarah Roberts once again took the lady of the match award for the ‘A’ side, her 21.56 average making it four awards in as many games this season. Heather Wright (15.34) was the ‘B’ team’s top player.
Despite the defeat West Midlands hold on to fourth place with 83 points, but their victors have now joined them on the same number of points. The three teams above West Midlands, Derbyshire, Somerset and Cleveland all have 91 points.
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The Cradley Tuesday Night League have wound down their season with cup finals. The Wally Fellows Memorial Cup saw The Gate (Darby End) beat Netherton Sports and Social Club ‘B’ quite convincingly with a 6-1 result, losing only the last game.
The Harry Siviter Memorial Cup, as expected, was a much closer affair with the league’s top two team’s Brickmakers Arms (champions) and Chainmakers ‘B’ (runners up) squaring up to each other. With top scoring from both teams the match went to the final doubles game, the deciding factor being the score of 177 from Alf Turley to leave his partner Neale Cooper on a finishing double, which he got with his next visit to the board to give the Brickmakers a very close and fiercely fought 4-3 victory.
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The Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League are another league to be rounding off their season with various finals, the winners of the Knockout Cup in division one were Victoria, with Otter and Vixen ‘B’ runners up. The division two knockout was won by Roebuck, who beat Wednesfield Legion ‘B’ in the final. The division one Riley’s Cup title went to Otter and Vixen ‘B’, with Penn Bowling the losing finalists, while Corpus Christi took the division two title with Village ‘B’ runners up.
A final win over Terry Harris (Roebuck) gave Stephen Pike (Riley’s ‘B’) the singles title, the doubles winners being Gurpal Singh and Bal Singh from Village ‘A’, they beat Mark Hubble and Ian Beirne (Emerald) in the final.
Winning the Three a Side competition were Phil Mayo, Stuart Kendrick and Simon Pritchard from Otter and Vixen ‘B’, runners up were Sean Flynn, Sean Neish and Peter Jones representing the Bull.
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The League Cup quarter finals were on the fixture card for the Sheldon and District Winter League the biggest shock in the premier division being the 5-4 defeat of third placed Crown at Shard End by Highwood ‘A’, who are fifth in the table. Other winners from the round were, Crown at Olton, George V and Saltley Amateur Gardeners.
In the division one play off second placed EBAHA lost their home game to fifth in the division Shard End Social by 5-4 and joining Shard End in the last four are Riley’s Rags, Sheldon Social and Raven.
The division two games produced the biggest winners with two of the four game producing 8-1 results. Shirley RBL Misfits and Baldwin Bears in turn chalked up the massive wins against Langley Hall Sports and Social Flights and Emerald Club. Crown Arrows won 6-3 at Highwood Exiles and completing the semi final line up will be Riley’s Wings with a 5-4 win at Small Heath Amateur Gardeners.
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Pavilions, without a win and bottom of division one of the South Birmingham League were the surprise package this week when they played hosts to second in the table Riley’s Kings and actually beat them 6-3. This was not only Pavilions first win in four but also Riley’s first defeat in the same number of games.
Prior to the weeks fixtures The Dog and Coleshill Social were locked together in joint second place in division two, but something had to give when the two teams played each other. The result was a 6-3 win for the home side, The Dog putting them in a clear second place on the same 10 points as leaders St John’s, who also won by 6-3 in their home tie with Smithswood Social, W.Yates recording a 160 break for the winners.
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The Nomads gained an important 6-3 win over division one leaders Red Lion Flights in the Four Oaks and District League to put them level on the same eight points, with a game in hand. Also on eight points is reigning champions Sutton Sports, who after a somewhat stuttering start to the season appear to be getting their act together, their latest fixture seeing them win 7-2 at Old Oscott Arrows, to leave Arrows on six points and level with Drakes Drum, who had a 6-3 home win over bottom team The Greyhound.
The two top teams in division two both had tough games this week, leaders Beehive were 4-0 up at Brookvale Social, but in the end had to win the final game to clinch a 5-4 win after the home side had fought back to level terms.
Second in the table Anvil Nomads also opened up a 4-0 lead against their visitors The Fox. Fox then took the following three games before the hosts sealed a victory in the penultimate game, the final scoreline 5-4 to Anvil leaving them two points adrift of Beehive with a game in hand.
Division three’s top team, White Lion had to fight all the way in their fixture at Pint Pot Flights for their 5-4 win, the lead changing no fewer than three times throughout the match before White Lion took the last game to seal their win. Bishop Vesey, who are second in the table had a much more comfortable 7-2 home win over Boldmere Oak.
K.Shepherd hit his second 180 of the season for The Nomads, W.Taylor (Bromford Lions) and R.Stanton (The Fox) also recorded maximums.
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A 5-4 win at Highwood ‘A’ has seen Olton Crown draw level with their opponents, both on ten points at the top of division one of the Forest of Arden Winter League, with Highwood ‘A’ just edging the top spot on average, plus they have played one game less than their rivals.
In addition to the top of the table clash there was also a bottom of the table clash, which saw next to bottom Greville Arrows beat bottom team Crown Arrows 6-3.
Sheldon Flights lost ground in division two going down 6-3 at home to Riley’s Wings Flights drop two places to fourth, while Wings move up one place to second, four points behind Chelmlsey Town, who won 7-2 at Ivy Leaf Bulls.
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The Camp Hill League played off their Captains and Secretaries Competitions and winning the former was Martin Cooper (Cotterills Lane Club), with Richard Hogan (Shaftmoor Lions) runner up.
The Secretaries title was won by Linsey Chant from Bordesley Labour Club, Mark Standley (Wagonners) lost in the final.
The league will be holding a meeting at the Wagon and Horses, 28 Adderley Street, B9 4ED this evening, commencing at 8.30pm. Anyone wishing to enter a team in the league for the forthcoming season should submit their registrations at this meeting.
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Congratulations to Jason Lowe, who for a record breaking fifth time has won the Rowley Monday Night Singles title. Runner up on the night was Matt Tedstone.
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The Andrew Evans Memorial Cup was the order of the day for the Tamworth League and winning through round two were, Sports Bar ‘180’, Old Liberal House, Mile Oak Rovers and Fox and Dogs.
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Top played bottom in the Pip Club League when leaders Bulls Head ‘A’ took on local rivals and bottom of the table Bulls Head ‘B’, The result as expected was a 14-2 win for the ‘A’ team to keep them in pole position on 16 points, just two ahead of Birchmoor Club and Belgrave Club who in turn won 14-2 away to White Lion and 12-4 at home to Anchor Inn.
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