A big welcome back to the Four Oaks and District League who are back up and running for the first time since their enforced break part way through their 2019/2020 season.
The league have kicked off their new season with the preliminary round of their Coronation Cup with the biggest winners of the round being The Old Horns Lions who accounted for Plough and Arrows with a 12-3 scoreline. Not far behind were another set of lions Golden Hind Lions who won 11-4 at Sutton Sports and Social. Erdington Arrows and Oscott Social Club both won 10-5 against respective opponents Sutton Sharks and Rosey Mac’s. The powerful performances from Bishop Vesey and The Old Horns Lions marked them as teams to watch in the first division, Vesey winning 9-6 at Deer’s Leap. Other teams to win through to the next round were Charley’s Flights, Erdington Arrows, The Nomads, Old Oscott Arrows, Pint Pot Flights, Heartlands and Walmley CSC Flights.
Erdington Arrows, Pint Pot Flights and Oscott Social Club were the only second division sides to make the next round.
The first maximum of the season came from Jim Frost (Heartlands) and the second from D.Parsons (Old Oscott Arrows). J.Meredith and K.Green rightly shared man of the match for Walmley CSC Flights both recording 160 breaks.
———————————
Coppice continued their fine form in the Kings Norton League when in the League Cup they won 4-3 at Grant Arms. There was a shock for league leaders Copper Fox as they went down 4-3 playing away against Thurlestone who are third in the league. Second placed Bournebrook won their home game against E57 5-2 the result by which Rubery Social Club beat Longbridge and Bourneville won at Kings Heath.
———————————
With a 110 game shot from Paul Wallace and a ten darts game by Nigel Davies for leaders of the premier division in the Sheldon and District Winter League Sheldon Marlborough Arrows the team won their home game against Raven Arrows 7-2 to keep them top of the table with a perfect eight points from their four games. A 5-4 win at home for Dunky’s Boys has seen them replace their opponents Langley Arrows in second place and they too have won all four games and trail Sheldon by seven legs of average, Langley after suffering their first defeat of the campaign drop to third on six points. Sheldon Dukes moved off the foot of the table recording their first win of the season when they beat Kingshurst Labour Club who are two places off the bottom of the table 5-4. Hollywood Social had a bye this week and they take over the bottom place without a win from their four games.
Despite having a bye this week Shirley Misfits hold on to pole position in division one with six points from their four games. Yardley Ex Colts lose their number two spot after surprisingly going down 6-3 at home to The Dingle who as a result move up from next to bottom to fourth in the division, Shay Darby hit a maximum for Yardley and John Smythe did the same for The Dingle. Langley Flights won 7-2 at home against Willclare Sports and Social and take over from Yardley in second place, both teams are on the same six points as Shirley Misfits with Langley having played one game more than the other two teams.
Hampton and Solihull Cricket Club lost for the first time in five games in division two when Lyndon Old Boys beat then 6-3 on their own board. Due to the defeat they have also lost pole position in the division slipping to second on eight points from five games, they have the same number of points as new leaders Brian’s Flights but have played one game more than them. Brian’s Flights moved up to the top spot without throwing a dart as they had a bye this week but have a superior average over both Hampton and Solihull and third placed Iron Horse Rebels who with a 180 from Robbie Earl won 5-4 against Sheldon Marlborough Ridge.
———————————
Just the three results from the Harborne and District League this week including leaders Bugle Horn’s impressive 8-1 home win over Northfield Town to take their undefeated run to eleven games and give them a two points lead over second in the table Northfield Conservative Club. Northfield Town lose their third place to Smethwick Cricket Club who added a 6-3 win at home over fifth in the table Copper Fox ‘R’.
The third fixture was between two lower placed teams Bourneville playing hosts to Quinton RBL which resulted in a 7-2 win for the hosts to lift them up one place over Cock Inn into seventh place while Quinton RBL drop down one place to two off the bottom.
———————————
The Netherton Thursday Night League staged the first leg of the semi-finals of their League Cup with both matches resulting in a 6-3 scoreline. Current league leaders Netherton Sports and Social Club ‘A’ won at home against Bulls Head while former table toppers and reigning league champions Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ played away and won at Spring Meadow.
———————————
The Cross (Oldswinford) had a 7-0 win away to The Princess in the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League to make it eight straight wins and keep them top of the table with a two points lead over former leaders Quarry Bank Labour Club who after six straight 7-0 wins actually dropped a leg in their away game at Glasscutters and only won 6-1, however they have only played seven games and with a game in hand and a superior average could once again take over at the top of the table.
There were big wins all round this week as in addition to the 7-0 by Cross and 6-1 from the Labour Club there were five other 6-1 results with Bell beating Raven, Netherton Conservative Club winning against Gate Hangs Well, Seven Stars accounting for Fox Inn (Lye), Bird in Hand winning their home game against Britannia and Rose and Crown ‘A’ winning at Cat Inn. The other two games saw Crestwood win 4-3 at Mount Pleasant and Ten Arches get the better of their hosts with a 5-2 result.
———————————
Although Waggon and Horses have already won the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League title and only have one more fixture to play they haven’t taken their foot off the gas as they chalked up another win this week to make it 27 wins from 29 games as they beat their hosts bottom of the table Tamebridge 5-2. Runners-up Dewdrop ‘A’ handed out a 7-0 whitewash to their guests Sow and Pigs.
———————————
At the halfway point of the season Old Bulls Head have been knocked off their top of the table perch in the Sedgley and Gornal Tuesday Night League after losing their home game with fifth in the table Five Ways 5-4. The former leaders drop to second behind Gornal Labour Club who made it ten wins in eleven games with an impressive 9-0 win at home against Seven Stars who lose their third place and drop to fourth two points short of third in the table New Inn who also had a 9-0 win at home against Griffin.
At the other end of the table The Cabin, who are two places off the bottom of the table travelled to take on Red Cow who were four places above them but are now only two places above them after The Cabin returned with a 7-2 win, only their second win in eleven games, bottom team Meadow Lark remain the only team in the league without a win so far.
———————————
The Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League had the quarter-finals of their League Cup on the agenda which produced a couple of shock results, the first of which was the 4-3 defeat for league leaders Quarry Bank Labour Club who have won seventeen of their eighteen league fixtures but lost in the cup playing away against sixth in the league Bell ‘A’. Another surprising result was that of second in the table Ten Arches losing 4-3 at Stourbridge FC who are seventh. Third and fourth teams Bird in Hand ‘E’ and Hollybush squared up to each other on the former’s board with the hosts getting the 5-2 verdict, in the last of the four games Ashwood, who are eighth beat Dudley Sports, who are two places off the foot of the table, 4-3.
———————————
Congratulations to the Bell on winning their fourth Rowley Monday Night League title in five year. In their penultimate fixture of the season Bell added an 8-1 win at the Wonder to their tally to take their total points to 52. Although the number one spot has been decided the runners-up place is still there to be won as Clock (Whiteheath), who are currently second won 6-3 at home against Plough and Harrow who are third and on the same 46 points as them, however Plough and Harrow have two more games to play whereas Clock only have one.
The Shadow League is almost won as leaders Windmills End need just one leg from their final game to clinch the title as breathing down their necks are Loyal Lodge, but it would require a major upset for Windmills End now to lose the title as they would have to lose 9-0 and Loyal Lodge win 9-0.
———————————
Only three results from the Black Country Men’s Super League this week, the three results bringing the majority of teams up to twenty games with just one outstanding game between The Ashwood and Rowley Bar and Grill.
Second in the league Railway Tavern reduced the arrears on leaders Allens Bar ‘A’ to fourteen points as they won their home game with Whiteheath Tavern 4-1. The game between Allens Bar ‘B’ and Rowley Bar and Grill also finished with a 4-1 scoreline with the result going to Allens Bar ‘B’. Bell, Kingswinford ‘A’ were the biggest winners in the three games as they won 5-0 at home against bottom of the league Horse and Jockey ‘B’.
———————————
Railway are the champions of the singles division in the Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League, they rounded off their programme with a 4-3 home win over Woodfield who finished the season in third place on 32 points, six short of their opponents. Railway won the title by four clear points over runners-up ECC who ended their season with a 4-3 win at Hurst Hill who had to settle for fourth place with 30 points, but it was close for them as fifth in the league Gilbert’s Bar won their final game against Dog and Partridge 5-2 to end on the same 30 points as Hurst Hill and only five legs of average behind them.
It was a battle to the end in the doubles division as prior to the final fixtures Hurst Hill topped the table with thirty-six points and their nearest rivals ECC were on the same number of points and had to play them in the last game. The result was an emphatic 3-0 to ECC to give them the title with 38 points and their hosts Hurst Hill finish as runners-up. After the top two there was a massive ten point’s gap to third placed Gilbert’s Bar who wound down their campaign with a 3-0 success over Dog and Partridge.
———————————