In the very last match of the season of the Four Oaks and District League the league’s top two teams fought it out for the division one title. Prior to the fixture The Boat topped the table with a two points lead over Boldmere St Mikes and had home advantage in the final game. As expected it was a very close game with The Boat eventually winning the tie 5-4 to finish the season with 32 points four more than Boldmere St Mikes who for the third consecutive season finished as runners up.
The Boat
In the second division St Thomas’s Social Club held their nerve after losing their previous two league matches to beat Erdington Club 6-3 and clinch the title by just four legs of average as second placed The Boot beat Rosey Mac’s 7-2 to put them on the same 24 points as St Thomas’s.
A.Rose (St Thomas’s Social Club) and M.Westmorland (Erdington Club) both hit maximums in the final week.
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With Lee Harris not playing this week in the Shirley Red Lion Premier League Chris Thomas seized the opportunity to return to the top of the table with 3-1 wins over Ken Hopton and Lee Holtham. Joining Thomas in pole position with the same number of points and average is Mark Gwalchmai who after beating Lee Holtham 4-0 was held to a 2-2 draw by Ken Hopton.
With 31 points the leading duo are three to the good on third placed Paul Higgins who had a 3-1 win over Andy Hoy before finishing all square at 2-2 with Dave Heighway. Fourth and fifth placed Lee Harris and Tom Bent have both only played eight games compared to the three players above them who have played ten and in turn Harris and Bent are on 26 and 25 points.
Individual highlights in week five included a terrific nine darts leg from Jack Sidwell which included a 160 break in his 4-0 win against Tim Lowe. Steve Sidwell and Andy Hoy also recorded 160 breaks
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The Forest of Arden Winter League played off the finals of their Presidents Cup and Consolation Cup, in the former Journeys End made it a fantastic double when with a 6-3 win over Greville Arrows they added the title to their division one title.
Journeys End
The Consolation Cup final turned out to be somewhat of a shock result as Inn on the Green who were third in division two lost 6-3 to Chelmsley Town who finished bottom of division two with just one win in their nine games played.
Chelmsley Town
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Erdington Members Club continued their push for the South Birmingham League division one title with a resounding 9-0 win at Banbury Arrows to put them on 20 points from 12 games. Second placed Mackadown Social are four points behind Erdington but have three games in hand.
In the second division leaders The Gate maintained their two points lead with a 6-3 win away to Banbury Flights while their nearest rivals The Bell handed out a 9-0 whitewash to their visitors The Kingfisher to keep the pressure on The Gate as they have a game in hand which could see them take over the number one spot.
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With just one more game to the halfway stage of the Kings Norton League leaders Hillyfields ‘B’ took their unbeaten run to thirteen games when they won their home tie with Toby Jug Flights 7-0. However despite having won all of the fixtures Hillyfields ‘B’ only have a slender two point’s advantage over second in the table West Heath who in turn are six points to the good on the following pack of three teams Stirchley United, Rubery RBL and E57.
Bear and Staff chalked up only their third win in 13 when they won 4-3 away to bottom of the table Coldstream.
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The Winmau Centre Monday Night League staged a top of the table clash between leaders Just The Tip and second placed The Untouchables, the result was a 26-22 win for Untouchables which sees them reduce the arrears on their opponents to 18 points.
Utter Nutters in third place are on 75 points some 33 short of the leaders after going down 31-17 to What’s The Point who in fourth place are on 70 points 38 off the top but they have a game in hand on all three of the teams above them.
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Foaming Tankard have lost second place in the Small Heath League table after losing for the first time in three games, they went down 5-4 away to Gulp Tribe who take over the number two spot on average from their opponents. Top of the table East Birmingham Allotment Holders Association now go two points clear of the chasing duo after handing their visitors, bottom of the table Emerald Club a 9-0 beating.
Wagon and Horses recorded their first win of the campaign a 5-4 away victory over Cob’s Bar, the two teams are now level on two points with Cob’s having the slight edge on average.
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The Sheldon Marlborough Cricket Club Singles League staged their individual knockout competition and the eventual final brought together the league’s current top two players Dave Humphries and Dave Howlett. Both players reached the final without dropping a single leg, Humphries winning 2-0 against Ray Turner and 3-0 against Paul Sunner while Howlet won 2-0 against Steve McCarthy and Martin Cox before booking his final place with a 3-0 success against Pete Jones.
The final saw the league leader Humphries complete the course without dropping a leg as he defeated Howlett 3-0.
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Many of the players in the Winmau Centre Thursday Night Champions League have reached the halfway stage of the season and completed 21 games, Chris Williams is one of those players and is currently in pole position with a total of 114 points but reigning champion Mick Baker has now caught up with some of his outstanding fixtures and after 20 games is just three points short of Williams. Sam Guest who is fourth, has a total of 109 points and with 19 wins from his 19 games is the only remaining player to have won all of his fixtures. With the maximum wins in his outstanding games Guest would amass a total of 123 points to make him the clear leader.
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Bulls Head (Netherton) lost for the first time in eight games in the Brierley Hill Monday Night League when they went down 5-4 at Dudley Sports ‘B’, Bulls Head remain in pole position with 14 points but Mount Pleasant, who had a 7-2 win away to Lamp Tavern, have now joined them on the same number of points. Dudley Sports ‘B’ move into fourth place with the same 12 points as third in the table Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club after they won their home tie with The Swan 6-3.
There was a rare win for Dudley Sports ‘A’, their second in eight games when they won 5-4 at Brewers Wharf to put both teams on four points.
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The local derby in the Brierley Hill Friday Night League between the two Pensnett Welfare teams produced something of a shock result as the ‘A’ side, who are third in the table lost 4-3 to the ‘B’ team who are fourth and four points behind the ‘A’. The top two teams Netherton Cricket Club ‘A’ and Brickmakers Arms did battle on the Brickmakers board with the 5-2 result going in favour of the home team and seeing them replace their opponents in the number one spot with a two point’s advantage. Former leaders Netherton Cricket Club ‘A’ were the only losers in the top five teams.
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A 6-3 win at Belgrave Club kept Queens Head’s undefeated run intact in the Pip Club League taking them to 13 wins and 26 points and a two points lead over second placed Bulls Head ‘A; (Polesworth) whose latest fixture saw them win 7-2 at home against Sports Bar ‘180; with Daz Jones notching a maximum for the winners while Terry Molineux and Phil Jones emulated the feat for Sports Bar.
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After the opening eleven games in the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League just two points separate the top two Ten Arches teams. The ‘A’ side lead the field, their 5-4 win away to fourth in the table Brickmakers Arms making it an unbeaten eleven games and keeps them just ahead of their ‘B’ team in second lace following their 9-0 home win over Gigmill. Gate ‘B’ are third on the same 20 points as Ten Arches ‘B’ and they had the same 9-0 result as their rivals in their home game against Starving Rascal, Brickmakers are a further two points adrift on 18.
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The Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League played off the quarter finals of their Rickuss Cup and lining up in the semi finals will be Ivy Bush, Wonder, The Vine and Island Inn who in turn defeated Old Court House, Merry-Go-Round, Horseley Tavern and New Talbot.
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Biggest winners in week eleven of the Rowley Monday Night League were second in the table The Bell who handed out a 9-0 whitewash to their hosts Whiteheath Tavern who are fifth. Leaders Ex Serviceman’s ‘A’ won 6-3 at home against Cottage taking them to a maximum 22 points from their eleven games and two points to the good on The Bell.
In only their third win of the season Three Diamonds ‘X’ with a 160 break and an 8 darts game for Stuart Bourne won 5-4 at home against The Roost who are placed sixth in the table.
Despite two 160 breaks for C.Whitehouse it was not enough for his team, Ivy Bush, to avoid a 5-4 defeat away to Fairfield.
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The wins keep mounting up for Woodside in the Silver End Sunday Morning League their latest win being 5-3 at home to fourth placed Dudley Sports ‘B’ to keep them six points ahead of second in the table Brickmakers Arms ‘A’ who won by the same 5-3 margin against Railway.
Third in the table The Bell kept the deficit on Brickmakers ‘A’ to four points when they recorded the league’s biggest win of the week, 7-1 against Portway.
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After losing 5-4 at home to their nearest rivals in the Wednesbury and Darlaston Wednesday Night League Churchills ‘A’ have slipped to joint second in the table and their victors Black Horse take over in pole position but only on average as in addition to Black Horse and Churchills ‘A’ being on ten points so are third placed Staffordshire Knot after their 8-1 win at home against Churchills ‘B’, not a good week for the two Churchills teams.
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The Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League had their Divisional Knockout Cups on the fixture card and in the division one games there were wins for Jack’s Bar, Sunbeam and Victoria, Riley’s ‘C’, Pavilion, Wednesfield Conservative Club and Riley’s ‘B’ all had a bye.
The division two winners were Wednesfield Legion, Red Lion, Woodfield Social and Dog and Partridge, there were byes for Pendulum, Shed, Bird in Hand and Roebuck.
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The Tamworth League’s season is up to week eleven and top of the table with a total of 78 points from nine games is Fox and Dogs who are closely followed by Sports Bar, who from the same number of games have 74 points. Both of the top two teams have the advantage of having played one game fewer than the next two teams in the table, third placed Wigginton Arms ‘B’ (69 points) and fourth placed Sports Bar ‘180’ (50 points).
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