A 6-2 win at The Dingle saw Highwood hold on to the top position in group one of the Sheldon and District Summer League but saw their hosts drop one place to fourth now two points short of their opponents and from one game more than them. Highwood have a slender one point advantage over second placed Langley Arrows who were 5-3 winners at third in the group Raven Arrows who are on the same nine points as Dingle and from the same eight games.
Group two leaders Sheldon Dukes were in fine scoring for with their Lee Molyneux and Jake Savage both recording a maximum in their team’s 5-3 home win over third placed Hornet whose Rob Wilson had a ten darts game, Hornet with four points are seven short of their opponents. This week’s results saw no change in the group two table, second placed Brian’s Flights had their fixture with bottom of the group Maggies postponed leaving them four points off the top with a game in hand.
Trident Spears had their group three game with Lyndon Old Boys postponed and as a result forfeited the number one spot and drop to second, one point behind and with a game in hand on new leaders Kingshurst Labour Club who with a 117 finish and an eleven darts game from Stephen Shepherd won 5-3 at home against The Bell Inn. Third in the group Langley Flights were also 5-3 winners playing at home against Sheldon Marlborough Ridge to put them on the same ten points as Trident Spears but from seven games, one more than Trident.
With two postponed fixtures and only the bottom two teams playing against each other in group four there was no change in the table after bottom placed Raven lost 6-2 away to next to bottom Sheldon Marlborough Flights.
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The local derby in the Harborne and District League between leaders Copper Fox ‘R’ and fifth placed Copper Fox ‘M’ was a truly high scoring affair with the former chalking up twenty-six scores of a ton or more plus a 180 and the latter recording twenty-four scores of a ton or more with two 180’s. However the all-important result was an 8-1 win for Copper Fox ‘R’ to keep them top of the table with sixteen points from their nine games and a lead of seven legs of average over second placed Northfield Conservative Club who went one better by handing their visiting team bottom of the table Avenue Social a 9-0 whitewash. Third in the league Smethwick Cricket Club had a 7-2 win at Cock Inn to leave them two points short of the top two teams with fourth in the league Northfield Town a further two points adrift after they won 8-1 at The Mill.
Players finding the three treble twenties this week were A.Hykine (Copper Fox ‘R’), N.Steventon and A.Harvey (Copper Fox ‘M’) and A.Vaughan (Cock Inn).
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The majority of teams in division one of the Sutton and District Summer League have completed five fixtures the latest of which brought about no changes whatsoever in the divisional table with Highcroft Hotdogs continuing to lead the field and extending their unbeaten run to five games with a 6-3 home win over Aston Manor CC Flights with their Kevin Shorthouse registering a 160 break in the process and for Aston Manor Martin Partridge scored a maximum. Highcroft Hotdogs have a perfect ten points which is two more than their nearest rivals Bishop Vesey who had a close 5-4 home win over Walmley CSC Flights whose Greg Gaughan was another player to hit a 180. With eight points Vesey are two to the good on a trio of teams, Old Horns Lions, Nomads and Red Lion, the first two in turn won 7-2 against Old Horns Arrows and Heartlands while Red Lion beat Old Oscott Arrows 6-3.
In division two Scott Armers suffered their first defeat of the new season losing 5-4 away to Rosey Mac’s who have joined the Armers at the top of the table on eight points. Rosey Mac’s are the only team in the second division to have won all of their four games and have one in hand on current table toppers Scott Armers. Third placed Erdington Arrows also lost this week going down 5-4 at home to fourth placed Charley’s Flights to put them on six points from five games. Fifth in the division Plough and Arrows won 7-2 at Sutton Sharks they and Charley’s Flights both have a game in hand on Erdington Arrows.
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Despite a maximum from D.Marsh Copper Fox lost not only their home tie with Bourneville 4-3 but also the leadership of the Kings Norton League. Copper Fox drop to second place behind new leaders Northfield whose 6-1 home win over Grant Arms takes their points tally to twenty-six from fifteen games, Copper Fox are on the same twenty-six points but from fourteen games. Rubery Social Club and Bourneville are third and fourth respectively, both have twenty-two points from fifteen games with Rubery having the superior average after adding their 7-0 success away to Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club to their account.
Top individual performances this week were supplied by A.Chidley (Coppice) and A.Busby (Northfield) who both hit a maximum.
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After completing fixtures for week fourteen in the South West Birmingham Clubs League it’s a case of as-you-were as the results did not change the singles league table at all. Leaders Longbridge United kept intact their two points lead when they won 4-3 at Stirchley United who are fourth in the division and now with eighteen points are eight short of their victors. Second placed West Heath CEM had a 5-2 win away to Avenue Social, the win keeping them two points ahead of third in the table Bournbrook who had a narrow 4-3 result at Northfield Town.
In the pre-match doubles division once again it’s Longbridge United who lead the field, their 186 points some twenty more than second in the division West Heath CEM.
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There are only three more fixtures to be played in the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League and the title is still far from being decided as the top two teams Old Liberal Club and Cross (Oldswinford) are locked together on sixty-four points, both teams having lost just one of their thirty-three games so far. Old Liberal Club are top on average, their latest fixture seeing them hand out a 7-0 whitewash to their hosts and sixth in the league Cottage while Cross kept the average difference at eleven legs by winning by the same 7-0 margin at Gate Hangs Well who are placed eighth in the league.
The battle is on for the Shadow League title with three teams Raven, Mount Pleasant and Church Tavern all on sixteen points, at the moment Church Tavern are slight favourites as they have a game in hand on the other two sides.
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The Rowley Monday Night League played their Shadow League Singles Knockout down to the last eight players and lining up in the quarter-finals on finals night will be B.Tolley, R.Lenton, M.Hadley, J.Tart, D.Locke, I.Vincent, D.Bunce, S.Thompson.
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All team secretaries in the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League should note that due to lack of players Allen’s Bar ‘B’ have dropped out of the league, no such problem for Allen’s Bar ‘A’ as they continue to top the table with thirty-eight points and a lead of six even after having a bye this week. Second in the league Vine ‘a’ were involved in a local derby with their ‘’ side and chalked up a huge 7-0 win keeping them two points better off than third placed Cottage Spring who were not too far behind with their 6-1 success at bottom of the table Albion who have just the one win from twenty-one games so far.
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The Camp Hill League have got their new season underway, unfortunately with two of the fixtures Moseley Arms v Tyseley WMC (reigning runners-up) and Erdington Nomads (reigning champions) v Cotterills Lane EBAHA Club having to be postponed. In the games that were played Clumsy Swan are the early pacesetters winning 6-1 at home against Sedgemere Devils with Tyseley Bears second after their 5-2 win against Peaky Blinder.
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With just one more fixture to be played to the halfway stage of the Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League’s season Old Liberal Club ‘A’ remain undefeated in fourteen games the most recent one seeing them win 5-2 at home against third in the league Bird in Hand ‘E’ who are now six points short of their opponents and four behind second plaed Hollybush who had a convincing 7-0 home win over bottom of the league Woodman. Cottage and Stourbridge FC squared up to each other on Cottage’s board with the 5-2 result going in favour of the home side, the result seeing the two teams swap places in the table Cottage moving up one place to fourth and Stourbridge FC dropping down one place to fifth.
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In week twenty-eight of the Ashwood Premier League Chris Williams played five games and won all five to take over in pole position from John Green. Williams opened up with a 7-0 win over Craig Lowin, he then won 6-1 against Jayden Harper and then added another 7-0 win when he played Wozza Pritchard. Game number four was a much closer 4-3 win against Rob Pierce before rounding off the night with a 5-2 success over Alan Bate. Chris Williams is now top of the table on 292 points from 60 games and has a fourteen points lead over former leader John Green who has a massive nine games in hand. On the night Green played two games beating Andy Vellender 5-2 before losing 4-3 to third in the league Nick Fullwell. Fullwell however had a somewhat surprising start to the night losing 5-2 to Gavin Smith but then recovering to win against Green before ending the night with a 5-2 win against Jack Pritchard to put him on 266 points from only 47 games.
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Just the two results from the Black Country Men’s Super League which saw Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’ win 5-0 against their ‘A’ team to see them move up two places in the table to second on forty-three points only two behind leaders Allen’s Bar ‘C’ but with a game in hand. The other fixture saw White Swan, who are three places off the foot of the table win 4-1 at home against bottom placed Vine, Blackheath to open up a two points gap beteen the two sides.
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Leaders of the West Midlands Men’s Super League Dog and Partridge added a 4-1 home win over Staffordshire Knot to their account while second in the league Kings Head ‘A’ took on their ‘B’ team and had a closer 3-2 win, the same scoreline by which Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’ won against Bridgtown Social.
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Leader of the Black Country Thursday Night Singles League Danny Nicholls had a good night in week four as he kicked off with aq 6-2 win over Neil Murphy, won 7-1 against Benjamin Hollowood and then went one better finishing the night beating Danny Knight 8-0 to keep him top of the table with seventy-eight points from nine games and a lead of fifteen over scond placed Mark Jones. On the night Jones played two game and won them both against Sarah Jane Parker and Alex Mason 8-0. Nicjk Fullwell has moved up into third place on fifty-eight points from seven games after adding 8-0 wins over Conor Dowling, Danny Knight and Sarah Jane Parker.
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Scott Baker didn’t play in week 23 of the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League but still held on to pole positio with 166 points from 21 games and has a lead of 17 over second in the division Ben Johnson who had 6-2 wins over Rushpal Bhogal and Reece Cook Lucas to put him on 149 points from 21 games. Third placed Martin Price won 5-3 against Jamie Webb and with two games in hand on Johnson is 19 points behind him.
Jason Hough played just the one game and was held to a 4-4 draw by Chris Hill but remains top of division two with 153 points. Clark Cook moved to within four points of Hough with his 7-1 win over Baljinder Gill, he takes over in second place from Tony Singh who didn’t play on the night, Singh is now third with 143 points from 20 games.
Alan Melling continues to impress in division three adding an 8-0 win over Jacqui Simmons to his account giving him a huge 191 points from 22 games and massive 32 points lead over second placed Robert Harris who on the night won 6-2 against Alex Bryant.
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