After the recent lull in darts due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the West Midlands, thanks to Marie Millward, has a brand new darts league, the Black Country Thursday Night Singles League hosted by Allens Sports Bar, Tipton.
In its inaugural season the league has attracted an encouraging total of twenty nine players including a variety of professional, county, super league and local league players.
After the opening round of fixtures Gareth Johnston, with 8-0 wins over Lewis Handley and Alfie Jacques leads the field, his perfect start giving him maximum points of 20. Just one point behind Johnston is Benjamin Hollowood who kicked off his campaign with a similar 8-0 win against Alex Mason and then followed up with a 7-1 success over Paul Harrison.
There is a quartet of players after the top two, Reece Colley, Graham Hall, Shane Price and Shane Sheridan all on 18 points, only two adrift of leader Johnston.
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The Camp Hill League were involved mainly in cup finals this week, first the League Cup which was played off at the Moseley Arms and saw current league leaders Aston Inn Nomads retain the League Cup title with a close 4-3 verdict over Roost Rebels.
Aston Inn was the venue for the final of the Consolation Cup in which Tyseley Newbies defeated possible if not probable league champions Sheldon Marlborough Flights, again with a very close 4-3 result.
There was just one rearranged league fixture played, Tyesley WMC, who are next to bottom of the league beating Sedgemere Devils, who are bottom of the league, 5-2.
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With only four more fixture remaining in the Kings Norton League, leaders Copper Fox have a six point’s advantage over their nearest rivals Rubery Legion after adding their latest 5-2 win over Thurlestone who drop one place in the table to fifth. E57 lose their number two spot following a very surprising 4-3 defeat away to Grant Arms who are some six places below them in the table fourteen points fewer. Replacing E57 in second place is Rubery Legion who had a convincing 6-1 win at home against bottom of the league Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club.
Bournebrook have moved up into fourth place just one leg of average to the good on former fourth placed Thurlestone but a huge ten points off the top after their 6-1 win over next to bottom Kings Heath. ———————————
While leaders Boldmere St Mikes had a comfortable 7-2 win at Walmley CSC Flights in division one of the Four Oaks and District League second placed Erdington Arrows were 5-2 up against Highcroft Social but finished with a somewhat close 5-4 result. At two points behind St Mikes, Erdington are still in with an outside chance of winning the divisional title but they do have a couple of tough fixtures remaining.
In division two Heartlands and Bishop Vesey both won 6-3 in turn against Plough and Arrows and Sutton Sharks, they are separated by just two points with Heartlands leading the division.
Third and fourth placed Charley’s Flights and Plough and Arrows can still mathematically win the title, however with only four more games to play and six points off the top it is very unlikely they will do so. Charley’s Flights were 6-3 winners against Rosey Mac’s.
What a match it was when Bills Arrows visited St Thomas Arrows and hit 17 tons including two 180’s, yet with only 5 tons St Thomas hit the doubles and won 5-4.
There were maximums for Bills Arrows M.Cooper and R.McLaughlin, McLaughlin recording his second in two weeks, and one for M.Page (Old Oscott Arrows).
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Sheldon Marlborough Arrows and Langley Arrows are locked together on 20 points at the top of the premier division of the Sheldon and District Winter League after Sheldon won 5-4 at home against Mackadown Social to keep them two legs of average to the good on Langley who also played at home and were 6-3 winners against Iron Horse Flights.
Third in the division Dunky’s Boys lost ground in the title race and fell four points behind the top two teams when they suffered a 5-4 home defeat at the hands of the Highwood Gerry’s Boys team who are fourth in the division and four points behind their hosts.
Hollywood Social opened up a two point’s buffer at the top of division one when they won 5-4 at home against second in the table and previous divisional leaders Sheldon Dukes. Third placed Kingshurst Labour Club won 5-4 against Irish Centre to keep within four points of Hollywood but a 6-3 victory for fourth placed Shirley Misfits over Yardley Ex Colts, despite leaving them four points off the top do have two games in hand on all three teams above them.
Willclare Sports and Social lost 5-4 playing away to next to bottom of the division two table Raven but remain in pole position on average and also have a game in hand on second placed Langley Flights who after beating Journeys End 5-4 replaced them in the number two spot.
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In a top of the table clash in the Netherton Thursday Night League leaders Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club had a 7-2 trouncing by an in-form Townsend Social Club who are second in the table and now just one win behind their opponents, but Townsend have played one game more than the Ex Serviceman’s Club.
Third in the league Bulls Head were the week’s biggest winners handing out an 8-1 defeat to bottom of the table, with just one win in nineteen games, Netherton Conservative Club.
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The Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League had the semi-finals of their Doubles Knockout this week which saw currently third in the league White Horse win 4-3 against second in the table Bird in Hnad ‘E’ and with a similar 4-3 scoreline Ten Arches ‘B’ defeated their local rivals Ten Arches ‘A’.
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It was cup matches for the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League, round two of the Waggon and Horses sponsored League Cup in which there were 5-2 wins for Albion and Waggon and Horses who defeated respective opponents Miners Arms ‘B’ and Vine ‘A’. S.Cliff hit a maximum for his team Horseley Tavern in their close 4-3 win over Vine ‘B’ while league leaders Dewdrop ‘A’ recorded the biggest win of the round when they handed their visitors, next to bottom of the league Tamebridge, a 7-0 whitewash.
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The Rowley Monday Night League is only up to week four and of the sixteen teams that began the season only two remain undefeated, Bell top the table, their latest 7-2 win at Ex Serviceman’s giving them a two legs of average lead over second in the table Gate Hangs Well who were 6-3 winners at Spring Meadow.
Plough and Harrow, Whiteheath Tavern, Romsley Cricket Club and Tividale FC are all within two points of the top two teams, Plough and Harrow and Romsley Cricket Club both losing for the first time when the former lost 5-4 at home to Windmills End and the latter went down by the same margin at Cradley Sports and Social. Whiteheath Tavern had a 5-4 win at White Swan and Tividale FC won their home tie with Wonder 6-3.
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Week three of the Brierley Hill Monday Night League and only average separates the top four teams. Roebuck head the table, increasing their average by handing bottom of the table Tommy Turner’s a 9-0 whitewash. Dudley Ex Serviceman’s ‘B’ are four legs behind Roebuck in second place, they won 7-2 at home against Dudley Sports ‘B’, the Ex Serviceman’s ‘A’ team are third a further one leg of average behind after winning 7-2 at the Bridge. Making up the top four is Talbot, who are six legs short of Roebuck after their close 5-4 victory at Pensnett Liberal Club.
Five teams Black Horse, Shrewsbury Arms, Dudley Sports ‘B’, Union and Tommy Turner’s are all still to get their first points on the board.
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At the halfway point of the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League White Horse are in pole position with a total of 22 points from a possible 24. In the latest round of fixtures White Horse won 6-1 at Crestwood to keep them two points to the good on second placed Cross, Oldswinford (formerly Britannia) who had a bye this week.
There is a gap of four points to third and fourth placed Ten Arches and Bell ‘A’, Ten Arches winning 6-1 at Seven Stars and Bell ‘A’ having the better of a 5-2 result at Gate Hangs Well.
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Old Bulls Head have made it an impressive seventeen wins in seventeen games in the Sedgley and Gornal Tuesday Night League after beating fourth placed Seven Stars 5-4. The win gives them a six points lead with just five games to go to the end of the season and the question now being asked is can they go throughout the season without conceding a single defeat?
New Inn are second in the league, still keeping in with a very outside chance of taking the title with a 7-2 win over Pensnett Liberal Club which also keeps them two points ahead of third placed Gornal Labour Club who won 6-3 at Griffin.
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Week four was a perfect week for Jon Blakemore in the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night League as he recorded two back-to-back 8-0 wins. Jon’s opening game was against Justin Evans and he rounded the night with a further success against Michele Pritchard to take his points tally from five games to 46 and a lead of eleven points over second in the table Simon Mountford who like the majority of the league has only played four games, the latest one seeing him win 8-0 against Eddie Gripton.
Former leader Scott Baker was held to a 4-4 draw by seventh placed John Simms, Baker now on 33 points and third in the league, Simms has 29 points.
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With just one more fixture to play Railway Tavern have lost pole position in the Black Country Super League. Game number 21 saw Railway uncharacteristically lose 3-2 playing away to High Acres ‘A’ who are fifth in the league and 24 points behind Railway. The defeat sees them drop to second place with Yeltz Bar ‘A’ taking over in the top spot with 119 points following their 5-0 win over High Acres ‘B’. The two results have seen Yeltz Bar ‘A’ open up a three points lead over Railway
The title now goes down to the wire depending entirley of the outcome of the final results for Yeltz Bar ‘A’ and Railway Tavern.
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