Week three of the Dave Duncan Double Top League saw just one change in the top six places as former second and third placed Simon Power and Jason Jennings drew level on both points and average after Jennings had a 4-1 win over Jack Sidwell and Power a closer 3-2 win against Pete Healy. With 22 points Jennings and Power are six short of Andy Hutchings who took his unbeaten run to seven games and his points to 28 with a 5-0 win over Mark Wall.
All of the top four players are unbeaten but have played different amount of games, Jennings and Power have played six and are one point ahead of fourth in the table Steve Sidwell whose latest game saw him win 4-1 against Alan Mayall.
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The top two teams in the Kings Norton League extended their undefeated run to three games when leaders Copper Fox handed out a 7-0 whitewash to their host’s Longbridge and second placed Northfield won 4-3 at Coppice to leave them just four legs of average short of Copper Fox.
Third in the table Bournebrook suffered their first defeat in three when they went down 4-3 at fourth in the table Rubery Social Club who are now level on four points with their opponents.
Cock Inn were the biggest movers of the week, their 7-0 home win over Grant Arms seeing them move up five places in the league to sixth.
Apart from the top two the only other unbeaten teams in the league are Rubery Social Club and Thurlestone, both have only played two games.
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A 7-1 win at Iron Horse Flights was not enough to keep Langley Arrows outright leaders of group one in the Sheldon and District Summer League as second placed Raven Arrows won their home game with Dingle 8-0 to draw level on points and average with Langley. The top two are two points to the good on Highwood Gerry’s Boys and Dingle, Highwood winning 6-2 against Mackadown Social.
There is a similar situation in group two with Willclare Sports and Social and Shirley Misfits level on points and average after both won 5-3 in turn against Yardley Ex Colts and Hornet. Langley Flights and Maggies are both one point behind the top two.
Group three is the only group with an outright leader, Sheldon Marlborough Ridge added a 5-4 home win over Irish Centre to their account to put them one point ahead at the top of the group over Lyndon Old Boys who had a 7-1 win at home against bottom of the group Raven.
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Walmley CSC Flights reduced the difference between themselves and Sutton and District League’s division one leaders Bishop Vesey to just two legs of average as they won 7-2 against Pint Pot Flights while Vesey won 6-3 against Red Lion. Both of the top two teams are on ten points, two more than third in the division Nomads who were 6-3 home winners over Plough and Arrows.
In division two, leaders Golden Hind Lions are the only team in the league to remain undefeated as they added a close 5-4 win over Bill’s Arrows to their tally, to keep them two points ahead of their nearest rivals Heartlands who had a convincing 8-1 win at Sutton Sharks, Sharks drop one place to fifth.
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A 6-3 win at Lodge has kept Dunky’s Boys 100% win record intact in division one of the Shirley and District Monday Night League and also their two points lead over second placed Tippetts Bar who had a 7-2 success at Solihull Municipal. Third in the division Lions had a bye this week they are level on ten points with Tippetts and just two legs of average behind them.
In division two Saracens Misfits lead the way, their 5-4 win over Sharmans Cross taking their unbeaten run to five games and giving them a two point’s lead over second in the division Highwood who won 6-3 at Yardley Wood Social, Yardley as a result of their loss drop one place to fourth with Leo’s Vikings moving up to third place after their 5-4 win at Legion Royals.
It was a good week for Saracens Slingers as they chalked up their first win of the campaign, a 5-4 victory at HSCC who were fourth in the table but now drop to fifth with Slingers now sharing the bottom spot as Sharmans Cross join them on the same points and average.
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The Stourbridge and District Monday Night League had the semi-finals of their League Cup on the fixture card and winning through to the final were Cross (Oldswinford) and Bell ‘A’. Cross had a somewhat surprising 4-1 win over league leaders White Horse while Bell ‘A’ beat Gate Hangs Well 4-3.
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The Silver End Sunday Morning League have reached the halfway point of their season and taking a three points lead into the second half is Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club who rounded off the first half in style by handing their visitors Kings Head ‘B’ an 8-0 whitewash.
Second in the table and former leaders Dudley Sports lost 6-2 at Bell ‘B’ and drop to third behind Old Star who move up one place following their 5-3 win over Bell ‘A’ who drop one place to fourth on 23 points, two short of Dudley Sports and seven off the top.
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The latest result in the Netherton Tuesday Night League saw leaders Church Tavern hand out a 7-0 thrashing to their host’s Plough to keep them three points to the good on their nearest rivals Netherton Sports and Social Club who had a 6-1 home win over Quarry Bank Social Club. There is a further gap of six points to third in the league Bulls Head who won 6-1 at home against Wheatsheaf.
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Waggon and Horses, leaders of the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League were in top form in their latest fixture at Vine ‘B’ as they handed out a 7-0 defeat to leave them four points clear of second placed Dewdrop ‘A’ with a game in hand. Dewdrop ‘A’ were also big winners as they won 6-1 at Albion to keep them two points ahead of third in the league Miners Arms ‘B’ after they also won 6-1 at home against bottom of the league Tamebridge who after their fourteen games played are the only team in the league without a single point.
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Two players, Geoff Marson and Chris Manoila have dropped out of the top five places in the Ashwood Premier League. Being has he didn’t play in week eighteen Marson drops from second to eleventh on 129 points from 25 games and Manoila who lost 4-3 to Kevin Harris and Dave Simpson rounded off a disappointing evening by going down 7-0 to Nick Fullwell to see him drop one place to sixth with 131 points from 26 games.
Nick Fullwell continues to lead the field as in addition to beating Manoila he also added a 6-1 win over Mark Glaze and had a 5-2 success over Mike Cullis to give him a total of 173 points from 27 games and a lead of 29 over Chris Fox who moves up one place to second after he won 7-0 against Mark Glaze and Craig Lowin.
Third in the league Connor Pickett has also moved up one place, he lost his first game against Sam Aitkens 4-3 but recovered to win by the same margin against Neil Murphy to give him 136 points, eight short of Fox but with two games in hand.
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White Swan were the only losers in the top four teams in the Rowley Monday Night League in game number seventeen but they were playing away to league leaders Bell who won the tie 7-2. Second placed Plough and Harrow also won 7-2 at Spring Meadow to keep them within two points of Bell and put them level on points and average with joint second placed Clock (Whiteheath) after their close 5-4 home win over Tividale FC.
White Swan’s defeat leaves them fourth in the league with 26 points with fifth placed Gate Hangs Well on the same number of points but with a lesser average after their 5-4 home win over Ex Serviceman’s.
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The Camp Hill League had last season’s presentation night sponsored by Westbourne Leisure at the Moseley Arms Hotel and Bar with presentations going to league winners Sheldon Marlborough Cricket Club and runners-up Aston Inn Nomads who were also League Cup winners.
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Despite not playing in the latest round of fixtures in the Black Country Thursday Night Singles League Graham Hall still holds on to pole position with a total of 204 points from 23 games and although he only has a slender three points advantage over second placed Nick Fullwell he does have two games in hand on him.
Fullwell had a 6-2 win over Kieron Ford which consolidates his second place as third in the league Rich Bowen who also didn’t play this week, is some 27 points short of Fullwell which could not be made up with his game in hand.
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Scott Baker has a huge 16 points lead at the top of the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League after he added a convincing 8-0 win over Tom Hollowood to his account. With 138 points Jon Blakemore is second in the league, he also had an 8-0 result in his game with Gemma Barrett Jenkins but hot on his heels is Simon Pritchard who after his 6-2 success against Ray Gutteridge is just one point short of Blakemore from the same number of games.
Ben Johnson is placed fourth in the table, Ben has played one game less than both Blakemore and Pritchard and with his 7-1 wins over Jon Williams and Neville Quinton is just one point behind the two players above him.
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After the opening three games a 4-1 defeat by league leaders Allens Bar ‘A’ has seen Yeltz Bar ‘A’ drop from fourth to tenth in the Black Country Men’s Super League. Topping the table with 19 points Allens ‘A’ are two points better off than second in the league Gilbert’s Bar who had a rather close 3-2 home win over Halesowen Cricket Club who are just three places off the foot of the table. Nevertheless the win keeps Gilbert’s two points ahead of Allens Bar ‘B’ in the table who beat bottom of the table Horse and Jockey ‘B’ 5-0.
Fourth placed Whiteheath Tavern lost ground in the title race as they returned from Railway Tavern on the wrong side of a 3-2 result leaving them on 17 points one short of Allens ‘B’ but five behind leaders Allens ‘A’.
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Woodfield continued their fine start to the new season in the singles division of the Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League with a 7-0 win over Red Lion (Wednesfield) to keep them top of the division with 16 point’s, they are four ahead of second placed Railway who after their 5-2 win at Hurst Hill still have a game in hand. Third and fourth placed ECC and Gilbert’s Bar are both on ten point’s Gilbert’s having a game in hand on ECC after ECC had beaten them 5-2.
In the doubles division ECC remain in pole position with 14 points their latest game seeing them win 2-1 against Gilbert’s Bar. Hurst Hill are second on the same 14 points as ECC but from one game fewer, they won 2-1 against Railway.
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Two weeks ago I reported the sad passing of John Jones, I can now inform one and all that his funeral will take place on Wednesday 29th June at St John’s Church, Tipton at 12-45pm and then at the Crematorium at 1.45pm.
A celebration of John’s life will then later be held at Tipton Sports and Social Club.
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