Warwickshire County Darts Organisation went into their penultimate fixture in the Cosmo Darts Premier Division of the UKDA National League lying sixth in the table on 183 points, while their opponents at the Hen Lane Club, Beacon Road, Coventry, CV6 4DS local rivals Staffordshire were ninth with 150 points.
Saturday was a good day for the hosts as the ladies ‘B’ ran out 4-2 winners with wins from Marian Conway, Chloe McKivett, Hannah Meek and Nina Bolt. Lady of the match was Hannah Meek who won her game against Maria Pickering 3-0, all three legs in twenty darts giving her a 19.52 average. The men’s ‘B’ won 9-3, like their ladies ‘B’ team they lost the opener but then went on to win thanks to Jenson Walker, Mark Carter, Dave Hill, Pete Hughes, Martin Tonks, Will Naylor, Sam Price, Mark Martin and Karl Reynolds. The match award went to Martin Tonks whose 4-2 win over Steve Kirkham and winning legs of 18,19,14 and 17 darts gave him a 26.43 average.
Sunday was not such a good day as the ladies ‘A’ were held to a 3-3 draw and the men lost. After Sue Gulliver gave the ladies an early lead with her straight 3-0 win over Danielle Pearce in the opener they had to wait until the penultimate tie between Tammy Montgomery (Warwickshire) and Michelle Colclough to seal a draw, Tammy winning the match award for her 19.50 average. The only other winner was Caroline Pike who won 3-2 against Susan Sherratt. The men’s ‘A’ lost for the third consecutive fixture emulating the 8-4 defeat away to Hampshire in their previous game, and it all began so promisingly as with wins from Tom Martin, Kevin Dowling and Carl Green they opened up an early 3-1 lead. Unfortunately their only other winner came in the eighth game, Jamie Atkins beating Gareth Pass 4-3 with winning legs of 17,18,15 and 17 darts which included a 112 game shot in the third. Atkins collected the man of the match award for his tremendous 31.28 average.
The overall result for the weekend was 20-16 to Warwickshire which consolidated their sixth position with 206 points with just one more fixture to play.
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It was finals week in the Sheldon and District Winter League, first the Punchbowl which consisted of four Premier League teams and saw all three games finish with a 5-2 scoreline. In the semi-finals there were wins for the league’s top two teams Sheldon Marlborough Arrows and Langley Arrows who in turn defeated Raven Arrows and Hollywood Social. Sheldon Marlborough Arrows were unable to add a further trophy to their already won divisional title as the division’s runners-up Langley Arrows won 5-2.
The three final games of the Sheldon Shield all had a close 4-3 result when in the semis division two’s Brian’s Flights beat Shirley Misfits from division one and division one side Willclare Sports and Social won against their premier league opponents Highwood Gerry’s Boys. With a maximum from Matthew Holt Willclare then went on to win the title 4-3 with Brian’s Flights finishing as runners-up.
There was just one rearranged division two fixture played which saw Iron Horse Rebels win 7-2 at Castle Bromwich WMC to see them replace Brian’s Flights at the top of the table with a two points lead on their rivals but trailing on average, the title will be decided in the final game when the two teams square up to each other.
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The Kings Norton League have reached week five of their new campaign and the top two teams Northfield and Copper Fox extended their unbeaten run to five games. Northfield top the table on average after adding their 4-3 home win over Cock Inn to their account while Copper Fox have reduced the average deficit to just three legs after winning 6-1 at Coppice. Thurlestone and Bourneville are just two points behind the leading duo, Thurlestone had a 5-2 home win over Grant Arms while Bourneville had a much closer 4-3 home success over Rubery Social Club.
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A 7-2 home win over Sutton Sharks helped Minworth Flights to hold on to their two points lead at the top of the Four Oaks and District League, their nearest rivals Oscott Social Club chalking up a 6-3 win away to Pint Pot Flights. Scott Armers lost their third place to Erdington Arrows after they lost 5-4 at St Thomas Arrows and Erdington won 6-3 at home against Rosey Mac’s to leave them on the same twenty-six points as Scott Armers but with a superior average, both teams are some ten points off the top.
One outstanding division one fixture was played off which saw Walmley CSC Flights win 5-4 at home against Golden Hind Lions, the win seeing Walmley overtake their opponents and move up one place to seventh, Lions finished the season eighth.
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Perfection lived up to their name in the South West Birmingham Clubs League when in game number three they handed out a 7-0 whitewash to their hosts Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club, this being Perfection’s first win in three and seeing them move up three places in the table to seventh. Leaders Longbridge United had a narrow 4-3 home win over Stirchley United to keep them top of the table but only by one leg of average as West Heath CEM took over the number two spot from Avenue Social after they won 5-2 against Avenue who drop two places to fourth. Third in the league Quarry Club, like the two teams above them have won all three games the latest of which was a 4-3 win at Stirchley Flights.
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Twenty-five wins from twenty-five games that’s the record so far for Cross (Oldswinford) in the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League after their most recent 6-1 win at Rose and Crown ‘B’. With a maximum fifty points Cross have a four points lead over second placed Old Liberal Club who now have a game in hand after having a bye this week. Despite winning 5-2 at Netherton Conservative Club third placed Ten Arches are a huge ten points adrift of the leaders. It was a good week for bottom of the table Glasscutters as they recorded their first win of the season, their first in twenty-five games when they won their home tie with next to bottom of the table Britannia 7-0 to put them within two points of both Britannia and Old Cat Inn.
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Leaders of the Netherton Thursday Night League Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ had their fixture with Spring Meadow Club cancelled this week and second placed Netherton Sports and Social Club ‘A’ accepted the opportunity to reduce the arrears to two points with a convincing 8-1 win at Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘B’ but they have now played one game more than the leaders. Third placed Bulls Head won their home game against fifth in the league Townsend Social Club 5-4 while fourth placed Hill and Cakemore had the biggest win of the week a 9-0 success at Netherton Sports and Social Club ‘B’.
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Shock of the week in the Sedgley and Gornal Tuesday Night League was the 6-3 home defeat of leaders Gornal Labour Club by sixth in the league and still ten points behind them, Jolly Crispin. With just one more fixture to play the title has been thrown wide open to one of the top two teams, reigning champions Old Bulls Head being the other contenders to the title. Old Bulls Head won their home game with Chainyard 5-4 to put them on the same thirty-six points as Gornal Labour Club but trailing by some four legs of average. Should be quite a lot of nerves showing in the final week’s fixtures, but what an end to a season!!
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Prior to this week’s fixtures in the Rowley Monday Night League the Rowley Bar and Grill had only won three of their thirteen games but in game fourteen they produced the upset of the week when they won 5-4 at home against Gate Hangs Well who were top of the table with just the one reversal in their thirteen games. The defeat has cost Gate Hangs Well the leadership as they have been replaced in the number one spot by White Swan whose 6-3 win at Tividale FC has taken their points tally to twenty-six, two more than now third placed Gate Hangs Well. Bell have moved up from third to second in the league, their 8-1 win at Windmills End leaving them, like Gate Hangs Well two points short of the leaders.
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Only three of the starting line-up of sixteen teams in the Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League are able to boast a 100% win record after the opening three games, a conclusive 7-0 win at Wheatsheaf maintains Bird in Hand ‘E’s’ top position, they have a three legs of average lead over second placed Old Liberal Club ‘A’ who won 6-1 at Fox Inn (Lye), they in turn are just one leg of average better off than third placed Shovel after their 6-1 home win over Ashwood. Ashwood, Hollybush, Kings Head, Stourbridge FC and Dudley Sports are all two points behind the top three teams.
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The only movement in the top seven placing’s in the Ashwood Premier League is that of Josh Pickett who because he didn’t play in week sixteen drops one place to third on 174 points from thirty-two games, exactly the same points and games as second in the league John Green who has two more wins than Pickett after he added this week’s 7-0 win over Tony Bennett and 4-3 win against Kevin Harris. Green is fourteen points short of leader Nick Fullwell and has played one more game than he has. Fullwell kicked off his night with a 4-3 win against Dave Simpson and ended the evening with a similar 4-3 win over Mitch Pickett.
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The Black Country Men’ Super League is growing in strength, after finishing their first campaign with fifteen teams they have got their new season underway with a total of eighteen teams and the early pacesetters are Railway Tavern and Allen’s Bar ‘C’ who both won 4-1 in turn against Vine (Blackheath) and Old Bulls Head to put them on four points, one more than Whiteheath Tavern, Coseley Tavern, White Swan, Townsend ‘A’, Soccer Zone and Bell (Kingswinford).
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Rich Bowen, leader of the Black Country Thursday Night Singles League could not have wished for a better couple of games than he had in his last outing as he began with an 8-0 win over James Davies and finished with a 7-1 success against Alex Mason, the two wins taking his points to 181 from 23 games and giving him a lead of four over second placed Nick Fullwell who has a game in hand after adding a 7-1 win over Alex Howells and a 6-2 win against Gareth Johnston.
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In the latest round of fixtures in the West Midlands Men’s Super League there were 4-1 wins for Dog and Partridge, Bridgtown Social and Kings Head ‘A’ who in turn accounted for Gilbert’s Bar ‘C’, Gilbert’s Bar ‘D’ and Corpus Christi.
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The Camp Hill League staged the finals of the Singles Knockouts at the Clumsy Swan and in the last four of the main event Antony Daly beat Simon Edwards and Leigh Dells beat Dave Heighway. The final saw leigh Dells lift the winners silverware with a 3-1 success over Antony Daly.
The ladies title went to Kaz Clarke who defeated Sheila Carter in the final.
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A 7-1 win over Rushpal Bhogal has seen Scott Baker open up a twenty-one points lead over second placed Ben Johnson in division one of the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League, Johnson who didn’t play this week now has three games in hand on Baker.
Clark Cook held on to pole position in division two with a 6-2 win against Max Law, his 100 points seven more than second place Baljinder Gill who also won 6-2 in his tie with Allan Davies.
Alan Melling handed out an 8-0 defeat to Eddie Gripton in division three to put him fifteen points ahead of his nearest rival Jamie Aplin who won 5-3 against third placed Michele Pritchard.
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It’s as you were for the top six teams in the Singles League of the Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League with leaders Woodfield winning 6-1 at Gilbert’s Bar ‘B and second placed Gilbert’s Bar ‘A’ winning 5-2 at Ring of Bells to keep them level on points with Woodfield and only three legs of average behind them.
In the Doubles League ECC made it six wins in as many games with a 2-1 home win over Three Crowns. Once again Gilbert’s Bar ‘A’ are in second place following their 2-1 win at Ring of Bells.
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