Simon Power may have won both of his latest games in the Dave Duncan Double Top League, 3-2 against Terry Webster and 4-1 against Tom White but it was not enough for him to hold on to pole position as Andy Hutchings chalked up a straight 5-0 win over John Taylor and then a 4-1 success against Simon Edwards to put him on 19 points from five games giving him a lead of three points over second placed Power who has a game in hand. Jason Jennings is in third place one point behind Power after he added a 5-0 win against Mark Wall and a 4-1 win over Richard Mills to his account.
Biggest climber of the week was Steve Sidwell who kicked off his season in style with a 5-0 win over former third placed Ian Spencer, a 4-1 win against Jack Sidwell and rounded off his evening with another 5-0 win, this time against Nigel Davis to lift him from sixteenth in the table to fourth on 14 points, although five short of Hutchings he does have two games in hand.
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The Shirley Legion Double Top League got back into action after the Golden Jubilee Bank Holiday and league leader Kyle Bevan continued his unbeaten run making it eight wins in as many games and still without dropping a single leg. Kyle’s latest 4-0 victim was third in the league Mark Gwalchmai to take his number of points to 32 with a three points lead and three games in hand on his nearest rival Mick Bown who has moved up from seventh to second place following his 4-0 wins over both Michael Forsyth and Dave Fisher plus a 2-2 draw with Jordan Ottley. Despite his defeat Gwalchmia holds on to third place but is five points off the top and has played two games more than Bevan, he also now has to share the number three spot with John Smyth whose 3-1 win over Dave Heighway and 3-1 defeat to Tony Daly puts him level on games played, points and average with Gwalchmai.
Finding the three treble twenties this week were Kyle Bevan, Mark Gwalchmai and John Smyth while the top finish of 140 went to Tony Daly.
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The Sheldon and District Summer League got have got their new season underway with eighteen teams making up three divisions. In Group One Langley Arrows and Dingle share the top spot after their respective 6-2 wins over Highwood Gerry’s Boys and Iron Horse Rebels. The top two teams have a single leg of average lead over Raven Arrows who won 5-3 against Mackadown Social.
Amazingly all three games in Group Two finished all square at 4-4, all the group’s six teams, Willclare Sports and Social, Langley Flights, Yardley Ex Colts, Hornet, Shirley Misfits and Maggies sharing the number one position. This must surely be previously unheard of, a unique situation whereby all of the teams are level in every respect after the first round of fixtures.
Irish Centre are the only outright leaders in the league as they top group three with a 6-2 home win over Hampton and Solihull Cricket Club putting them one leg of average to the good on second in the group Sheldon Marlborough Ridge who won 5-3 at Raven.
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It was a case of the top half of the league beating the bottom half in week five of the Camp Hill League with 6-1 wins for the top two teams as leaders Aston Inn Nomads won at Peaky Blinder and second placed Cotterills Lane EBAHA Club beat Moseley Arms to keep within two points of Aston. Third in the league Tyseley Bears were the week’s biggest winners as they handed their visitors bottom of the table Sedgemere Devils a 7-0 whitewash to put them level on eight points with Cotterills and just two legs of average behind them.
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A 5-2 home defeat by Rubery Social Club has cost Bourneville the leadership of the Kings Norton League and seen them drop to third place. Copper Fox are the new leaders following their 5-2 home win over Cock Inn, they have a slender one leg of average lead over second in the league Northfield who were the week’s biggest winners beating Longbridge 6-1, due to them having a bye this week, E57 drop one place in the table to fourth.
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It may well have been a close 5-4 win away to next to bottom of the league Pint Pot Flights but nevertheless it was a win for Bishop Vesey and enough to keep them top of division one of the Sutton and District Summer League. Highcroft Social lost 6-3 at Walmley CSC Flights and are replaced in second place by their hosts, Highcroft dropping to fourth behind Nomads who won 5-4 at Old Horns Lions. Vesey and Walmley are both on 8 points with Nomads and Highcroft both have 6.
In division two, leaders Golden Hind Lions continue to be the only team in the league not to have lost after five games as they added a 7-2 win at Erdington Arrows to their tally, Erdington, as a result of their loss drop three places to fifth.
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It was cup week for the Shirley and District Monday Night League and in the Main Cup the only real surprise was that of the 7-2 win by Lodge at Lions as Lodge are sixth in division one and Lions second in the same division.
Other teams to win through to the next round were Saracens Swords and Dunky’s Boys, the tie between Wythall Legion and Tippetts Bar was a late result.
In the Consolation Cup Leo’s Vikings, who are fifth in division two pulled off a shock 5-4 win over their division one opponents Wharf. Joining Vikings in the hat for the next round are Solihull Municipal, Yardley Wood Social and Cider House.
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The second leg of the semi-finals of the League Cup was on the agenda for the Netherton Thursday Night League in which league champions Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club were unable to come back from a 6-3 deficit in the first leg against league runners-up Townsend Social Club and lost out with an overall 11-7 result. Townsend’s final opponents will be The Clock who despite losing the second leg 5-4 to Old Hill Cricket Club, their first leg lead of 6-3 was enough to carry them through to the final.
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Just one rearranged fixture played in the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League which saw Rose and Crown lose 6-1 at home against Bell ‘A’, the result has no effect on the current league table.
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Waggon and Horses are three games into the second half of their season in the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League and a 4-3 home win over third in the league Miners Arms ‘B’ made it thirteen straight wins and leaves them not only with a game in hand on their two nearest rivals Dewdrop ‘A’ and Miners Arms ‘B’ but also with a four and six points respective advantage over them. Dewdrop ‘A’ had a close 4-3 home win over middle of the table Horseley Tavern while fourth in the table Vine ‘A’ had a bye and despite having played the same thirteen games a s the leaders are ten points adrift of them.
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A Top Quality Darts Night with free admission is on the calendar for the 12th July at the Red Cow, 84 Grosvenor Road, Lower Gornal, Dudley, DY3 2PR which will include Jamie Caven and Derbyshire’s up and coming young star Henry Coates. The players are giving their time for free to support the charity supportfutures.org.uk
For any further details ring 07802-479276
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The Ashwood Premier League is up to week thirteen and it began unluckily for leader Nick Fullwell as he lost 4-3 to Neil Murphy. Murphy is some seven places below Fullwell and 31 points short of him. However Fullwell was quick to recover from his slow start as he added 6-1 wins over Craig Lowin and Jon Underhill to take his total points to 152 with a 15 points lead over Geoff Marson who has moved up into second place from fourth after he won 5-2 against Rob Pierce and then lost 4-3 to Chris Fox who moved up from seventh to third with 128 points, he had previously beaten Jon Underhill 6-1.
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Scott Baker is enjoying his time in the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League adding a 7-1 win over Phil Clarke and 8-0 success against Mal Pugh to his account to keep him top of the table with 144 points from 16 games. Simon Pritchard despite losing 6-2 to Martin East holds on to second place in the league with 129 points from 17 games, he has a slight one point lead over third in the table Jon Blakemore who also lost is one game on the night going down 5-3 and again it was Martin East who got the win. East is currently thirteenth in the league on 96 points from 14 games after claiming two vital scalps.
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It was top versus bottom in the Rowley Monday Night League as leaders Bell travelled to take on bottom of the table Roost. The result was a 7-2 win for Bell to keep them top of the table with 28 points, two more than a trio of teams White Swan Clock (Whiteheath) and Plough and Harrow. White Swan had a more than comfortable 8-1 home win over Three Diamonds while Clock and Plough and Harrow were both 7-2 winners in turn against Wonder and Loyal Lodge.
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Graham Hall continues to impress in the Black Country Thursday Night Singles League beating Nick Whitehouse in week thirteen 8-0 to make it 24 unbeaten games and giving him a total of 214 points from 24 games. Second in the league Nick Fullwell has played the same number of games as Hall but is 18 points behind him after he won 8-0 against James Davies.
There is actually no change in the top six places in the league as third placed Rich Bowen has played 26 and has 192 points and then comes Shane Price on 175 points from 24 games. Former league leader Gareth Johnston is fifth, he has played 23 and amassed 165 points and making up the top six is Benjamin Hollowood who has 158 points from 24 games.
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Woodfield kept their four points lead intact at the top of the singles division of the Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League with a 4-3 win at Dog and Partridge. Second placed Railway who have played one game fewer than Woodfield, had a 5-3 home win over Cleveland Arms to put them one leg of average ahead of third placed Gilbert’s Bar whose 4-3 win over Hurst Hill ousted their opponents from the number two position and saw them drop to sixth but they do have a game in hand on both fourth and fifth placed ECC and Moreton Arms who are on the same eight points as them.
In the doubles division ECC with twelve points from seven games top the table after they won 2-1 at Wednesfield Legion, second placed Hurst Hill, who have played one game less than ECC are on the same 12 points after they beat Gilbert’s Bar by the same 2-1 margin.
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The Black Country Men’s Super League has got its new season underway and it is encouraging to see its numbers swell from an inaugural twelve teams to sixteen. The early leaders are Allens Bar ‘A’ who followed up their opening 5-0 win over newcomers Maverick with a similar 5-0 success over Yeltz Bar. Gilbert’s Bar and Whiteheath Tavern are joint second level on average and 12 points which is one less than the leaders. Gilbert’s had a 5-0 opening win over Horse and Jockey ‘A’ and followed that with a close 3-2 success against another newcomer to the league Bell, Kingswinford ‘A’. Whiteheath won both of their first two games against Bell, Kingswinford ‘A’ and Halesowen Cricket Club 4-1.
After only the first two weeks games there is already a four points gap between third place and the rest of the field.
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