It was cup semi-finals week in the Four Oaks and District League and in the Brian Goodman Cup it was going oh so well for Golden Hind Lions as they went 3-0 up before disaster struck and they lost the next six games to finish 6-3 losers to Erdington Arrows whose S.Winters scored the only maximum in the last four games.
The second of the semis between Red Lion and Golden Hind was all square after the opening six games at 3-3, but it was Red Lion who took the final three games to finish as 6-3 winners.
In the all division two tie between divisional leaders Heartlands and fifth in the division Bills Arrows the result was not achieved until the last game with Heartlands running out the very close 5-4 winners. Heartlands will take on division one team Old Oscott Arrows in the final after they won 6-2 against Erdington Flyers.
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Just the one preliminary round game for the division one League Cup was played in the Shirley and District Monday Night League in which the top two teams from the division played each other. Current leaders Tippetts Bar hosted second in the table Dunky’s Boys and it w Dunky’s who got the 7-2 result to take them into the hat for next round draw.
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It was cup week for the Sheldon and District Winter League with the quarter-finals of the Sheldon Shield on the fixture card. Probably the biggest shock of the round was the 4-3 win by Maggies over Highwood Gerry’s Boys as Maggies are in the bottom half of division one and Highwood in the top half of the premier division. Small consolation for Gerry’s Boys was the 180 by their Darren Wright.
In the all-premier division encounter Mackadown Social won 5-2 against Hobs Meadow while division two leaders Langley Flights lost by a narrow 4-3 to their division one opponents Sheldon Dukes. Irish Centre (division one) won by the same 4-3 margin away to Lyndon Old Boys from division two.
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Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club are long time leaders of the Netherton Thursday Night League but they suffered a surprisingly heavy 6-3 defeat in their twenty first fixture, when they went down playing away to Spring Meadow Social Club who are next to bottom of the league with just eight wins from 23 games. Despite the defeat and being knocked off their number one spot the Ex Serviceman’s are just one win behind, with a game in hand on new leaders Townsend Social Club who had a 5-4 win away to third placed Bulls Head.
Biggest winners of the week were Clock, their 8-1 success at Netherton Conservative Club leaving them just one win short of Bulls Head with a game in hand plus a superior average.
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Although the leaders of the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League White Horse had a bye in week 18 second placed Cross (Oldswinford) were unable to take advantage as they lost 4-3 at home to Woodman who are fifth in the table and six points behind their hosts. Third in the league Ten Arches managed to reduce the arrears on Cross by handing their hosts Bell ‘B’ a 7-0 whitewash to leave them within four points of Cross.
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Despite losing their home tie with Vine ‘A’ 6-1 Tamebridge have moved off the foot of the table in the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League as Sow and Pigs went down 7-0 to league leaders Waggon and Horses and although both Tamebridge and Sow and Pigs are both without a single point so far Sow and Pigs have the lesser average by just one leg.
At the other end of the table Waggon’s 7-0 win keeps them in pole position but again only on average as second in the league Dewdrop ‘A’ are level on the same 12 points and trail slightly on average after winning 4-3 at Miners Arms ‘A’.
After the top two there are four teams, Vine ‘A’, Dewdrop ‘B’, Horseley Tavern and Miners Arms ‘B’ all on 8 points, four short of Waggon and Horses and Dewdrop ‘A’.
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Talbot have been ousted from their number one spot and dropped to third in the Brierley Hill Monday Night League after losing their home game against sixth in the league Brickmakers Arms 5-4. Rose and Crown and Dudley Sports ‘A’ have jointly taken over at the top of the table, Rose and Crown winning 6-3 at home against Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ and Dudley Sports ‘A’ getting an 8-1 win at Black Horse. All of the top three teams are on 12 points, one leg of average the difference between the three of them.
With the majority of teams now having played seven games just Dudley Sports ‘B’ and Tommy Turners are without a win.
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The Rowley Monday Night League have completed their opening eight fixtures and there are no fewer than four teams, Plough and Harrow, Bell, Gate Hangs Well and Romsley Cricket Club all at the top of the table on 14 points and positioned in the table in that order with regards to their averages.
Prior to the latest fixtures Bell were alone in pole position but then suffered their first loss of the campaign when they lost 5-4 at Gate Hangs Well. Plough and Harrow won their home game with Three Diamonds 8-1 and Romsley had a much closer 5-4 win at Windmills End.
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Old Bulls Head are champions of the Sedgley and Gornal Tuesday Night League, they clinched the title with a 5-4 win at Chainyards to put them on a perfect score of 40 points from 20 games and with just two more fixtures to play they have an unassailable six points lead over second placed New Inn. The big question now is can Old Bulls Head win their final two games to make it a clean sweep, 22 games with 22 wins?
Second in the league New Inn had a 6-3 win at Five Ways to put them on 34 points and keep them two ahead of third placed Gornal Labour Club who won their home match with bottom of the table Meadow Lark 7-2.
The current top three teams will end the season in the top three with Old Bulls Head confirmed as title winners the battle is on for the runners-up spot between New Inn and Gornal Labour Club as fourth in the league Seven Stars, despite winning 6-3 against Lamp Tavern are six points behind the Labour Club and will finish fourth.
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Game sixteen had no positional effect on the Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League table whatsoever, White Horse continuing to lead the field after a close 4-3 home win over Fox Inn (Lye) with S.Hall and K.Bambrick both recording 160 breaks for the winners.
Second in the league Bird in Hand ‘E’ have gone two points behind White Horse after losing 4-3 at home to third in the table Bell ‘A’, Bird ‘E’ and Bell ‘A’ are now level on 22 points, the former having played 16 games, the latter 15 and leaders White Horse having only played 14 games.
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The Netherton Tuesday Night League have got their new season underway and the early pacesetters are Church Tavern who kicked off the campaign with a 6-1 home win over Bulls Head. Netherton Sports and Social Club’s 5-2 win against Samson puts them second in the table and in joint third with 4-3 wins are Plough and Wheatsheaf who in turn defeated Quarry Bank Social Club and Chop House.
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With Jon Blakemore not playing in week 7 of the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League he has lost the top spot and drops to second place eight points behind new leader Mal Pugh who after his 8-0 win over Matt Turley moves up one place to the number one position with 62 points from eight games, Blakemore now having two games in hand on Pugh.
On the same 54 points as Blakemore but from seven games is third in the table Ben Johnson whose 8-0 win over Eddie Gripton has moved him up two places to third and gives him a slender one point advantage over Simon Pritchard in fourth place who won his game against Chris Hill 5-3.
It was a good week for Colin Wood who in his sixth game of the season chalked up his first win, a 7-1 success against Lee Quarry, unfortunately for Colin the joy didn’t last long as in his very next game against Adam Teasdale he lost 7-1.
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Leader of the Ashwood Premier League Tom Stockton had mixed results in week four as he began the night with a 5-2 win over Gaz Cartwright and then for the first time in the eight games he had played he lost. Playing against fifth in the table Chris Manoila Stockton ended up on the wrong side of a 4-3 scoreline, however despite this he still holds pole position with a total of 51 points but has been joined on the same number of points by Connor Pickett who moves up two places in the league following his 6-1 win over Mitch Pickett and 7-0 against Rob Pierce.
Adam Edgar drops to fourth from second even though he won 7-0 against Mark Glaze and 4-3 against Martyn Harper, the two wins taking his points tally to 50, one short of the top two players.
Nick Fullwell caught up with some of his outstanding games playing two fixtures on the night and winning both against Jon Broome and Jon Underhill 7-0 to see him move two places to fourth just one point behind the two leading players with a game in hand.
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