It was cup final week in the Kings Norton League, first the League Cup in which league runners-up Copper Fox lifted the winners silverware with a 5-2 victory over Rubery Social Club who finished the season in fourth place, ten points short of their opponents and league champions Northfield. For the winners E.Simpson, in addition to hitting four scores of a hundred also notches a maximum.
League champions Northfield made it a superb double by wining the Consolation Cup. A convincing final 6-1 win over Coppice who ended their season in the league in eighth position. Top scorer for Northfield was L.Allen who had scores of 2×100 and 140 together with a 103 checkout.
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With only two more fixtures to play in the Harborne and District League and a 9-0 win in game sixteen, Northfield Conservative Club have one hand already on the winner’s silverware. By handing their visitors, next to bottom of the table The Mill a 9-0 whitewash the Conservative Club now have a four points advantage over second placed Smethwick Cricket Club whose 8-1 win at bottom of the table Avenue Social also left them trailing the leaders by four legs of average. Third placed Copper Fox ‘R’ were also 9-0 winners as they swept aside the challenge of their hosts Quinton RBL to keep within two points of Smethwick Cricket Club.
It was a week of high scores as there were no less than eight 180 recorded. Chalking up the maximums were A.Williams (Avenue Social), V.Gould (Smethwick Cricket Club), R.Hosey, A.Sutton, D.Hill (Northfield Conservative Club), D.Davy (The Mill), D.Marsh (Copper Fox ‘R’) and M.Bolton (Weoley Castle WMC).
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With nine darts games from both Paul Nixon and Richard Nixon plus the 5-4 win in their local derby away to Langley Flights, Langley Arrows remain top of the premier league in the Sheldon and District Winter League taking their unbeaten run to five games and keeping intact their two points lead on second placed Sheldon Marlborough Arrows who won their home game with Sheldon Dukes 6-3. With Raven Arrows having a bye this week they surrendered their third placing to Banbury Club who won 7-2 at Yardley Ex Colts.
A 5-4 home win over Maggies for Brian’s Flights, which included a nine darts game from Daniel White, was not enough for the winners to hold on to pole position in division one as their nearest rivals Trident Spears won 7-2 at Iron Horse Rebels to put them level on eight points with Flights but with a slight one leg of average advantage. Third in the division Hollywood Social Club are also on eight points but from one more game than the two teams above them, their latest fixture seeing them win 6-3 at Kingshurst Labour Club with the help of a super 158 finish by their Tony Colley. Danny Chiswell (Bell Inn) hit the only maximum of the night in his team’s 5-4 win at home against Smithswood Social Club.
In division two leaders Hornet suffered their first defeat in five as they went down 5-4 at home to second in the division Sheldon Marlborough Ridge who are now level on eight points with Hornet and have a game in hand on them. Castle Bromwich WMC and Lyndon Old Boys are respectively third and fourth in the division and are both two points off the top with a game in hand the WMC won 6-3 at College Arms Flights while the Old Boys had a closer 5-4 win at Sheldon Marlborough Flights.
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Week two in the South West Birmingham Clubs Winter League and Longbridge United’s 7-1 win at Quarry Club sees them hold on to the number one spot in the singles division with a perfect four points from their opening two games while their opponents drop from third to eighth in the table. Northfield Town remain second despite being held to a 4-4 draw at home by Bartley Green FC, A.Chidley having to scores of 160 and 180 for Northfield who are on three points, the same number as their two nearest rivals Stirchley United and West Heath CEM who in turn had results of a 5-3 win over E57 and a 4-4 draw with Bournbrook. It was a good week for Moseley All Services Club as their 5-3 home win over Perfection saw them move off the bottom of the table and up three places with their opponents replacing them at the foot of the table.
Longbridge United may have held on to the singles division lead but have been knocked off the top of the pre-match doubles division by West Heath CEM who are on twenty-five points, one more than Longbridge who drop to second place.
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Despite a 160 break from their Sid Pritchett Highcroft Hotdogs suffered only their second defeat in fifteen games when in their latest fixture they lost 5-4 at home to Old Oscott Arrows who are four places below them in division one of the Sutton and District Summer League and have ten fewer points. Nevertheless the Hotdogs hold on to the top spot with twenty-six points but second placed Bishop Vesey have drawn within two points of them after winning 6-3 in their home game with Heartlands.
There was a similar occurrence in division two where leaders Scott Armers lost 6-3 at home to third in the division Plough and Arrows. The defeat could well cost the Armers the league title as second placed Charley’s Flights had a 5-4 win at Rosey Mac’s to put them level on twenty-two points with Armers and they also have a game in hand.
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Tyseley WMC made it ten wins in ten games when in their latest outing in the Camp Hill League they won 4-3 away to Cotterills Lane EBAHA Club who drop two places in the table to fifth. The WMC with an unbeaten twenty points have a six points lead on second placed Erdington Nomads who had a 5-2 home win over bottom of the table Sedgemere Devils, Erdington now having played only nine games to the WMC’s ten.
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The Netherton Thursday Night League staged the quarter-finals of their League Cup with all four results going to current league form. There were wins for Townsend Social Club (5-2), Bulls Head (6-3), Hill and Cakemore Ex Serviceman’s Club (6-3) and Old Liberal Club (5-4) who in turn accounted for Netherton Sports and Social Club, Spring Meadow Social, Spring Meadow Pub and Plough and Harrow. Abdul Galeb hit a maximum for Townsend Social Club.
The two legged semi-finals will be played off on the 21st March and 25th April.
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The Rowley Monday Night League have also been engaged in cup games playing off the finals of their Bill Bishop and Challenge Cups. In the Bill Bishop Cup second placed White Swan took on sixth in the table Plough and Harrow with the 7-2 result going in favour of White Swan. The Challenge Cup final brought together two Rowley teams, Rowley Bar and Grill and Rowley Labour Club placed twelfth and ninth respectively in the league. The result was a 5-3 win for Rowley Bar and Grill.
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With Allen’s Bar ‘A’ already acclaimed champions of the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League congratulations now go to the Cottage Spring whose 4-3 home win over Waggon and Horses has confirmed them as runners-up, Although third placed Horseley Tavern are on the same forty-two points as Cottage Spring they have completed their fixture list and will finish in third place.
Hill Top Friendly Tuesday Night League are now looking for new teams to join them for their 2024 season which will get underway around mid-January. Anyone wishing to enter a team in the forthcoming season should contact John Wright through the league’s Facebook page.
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There were 6-1 wins for the three top teams in the Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League this week, leaders Old Liberal Club ‘A’ added their latest 6-1 win over local rivals Old Liberal Club ‘B’ to take their undefeated run to twenty-four games giving them forty-eight points and a huge average lead over both second and third placed Bird in Hand ‘E’ and Cottage who in turn won against Ashwood and Wheatsheaf to keep them both level on points with forty each. However it now seems very unlikely that either of them will catch leaders Old Liberal Club ‘A’ who with four more games to play require just one more win to secure the title.
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Reigning runners-up in the Sedgley and Gornal Tuesday Night League Old Bulls Head have lost ground in the latest title race as they drop from third to fourth in the table after losing 5-4 at White Horse who replace them in the number three spot with the same fourteen points but with a slightly better average. Leaders and reigning champions Gornal Labour Club had a bye this week and second placed Netherton Sports and Social Club accepted the opportunity to draw level on sixteen points with them by winning 5-4 at home against New Inn, they now trail Gornal Labour Club by just two legs of average.
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The former Ashwood Premier League have now set up as the Amblecote RBL Premier League and after ending the last campaign with thirty-one players have got their new season underway with an increased number of forty players. After week one leading the field, where he left off last season, is Nick Fullwell who began his campaign with a 6-1 win over newcomer Ryan Green then made it two wins with a straight 7-0 success over another new face in the league Howard Pritchard to give him a total of thirteen points. Currently second in the league is Reece Colley, who like Fullwell had an opening 6-1 win as he accounted for Joe Poole and then by the same 6-1 margin beat Cayden Smith to leave him one point short of Fullwell.
Other players to kick-off with two wins on opening night were Chris Williams, Ben Watts, Jake Shipley, Jamie Barrowman, Carl Hipkiss, Ian Townsend, Andy Vellender and Dave Simpson.
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Although Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’ remain in pole position in the Black Country Men’s Super League they actually lost ground as they went down 4-1 away to Whiteheath Tavern who have moved up one place in the table to second, two points behind the leaders with seventy-six points. Also on seventy-six points is third placed Allen’s Bar ‘C’ who after their 3-2 win over Townsend Social dropped one place to third but they are only two off the top and have a game in hand.
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Dog and Partridge moved another step closer to the West Midlands Men’s Super League title when they handed out a 5-0 whitewash to their visitors Chase Social, the win taking their points tally to 170 and giving them a lead of six points over second placed Kings Head ‘A’ who after their similar 5-0 win over bottom of the league Three Crowns have played one game more than Dog and Partridge. Third placed Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’ are only two points behind Kings Head ‘A’ but with a game in hand.
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The Gilbert’s Bar staged their ‘Gilbert’s Bar Grand Slam Knockout’ which attracted a total of thirty-two players and saw notable names such as Ian Jones, Andy Jervis, Steve Blewitt and Ben Johnson make their exit in the quarter-finals. The first of the semi-finals produced a close 5-4 win for Reece Colley over Rob Thompson with Jon Platt having a slightly easier 5-2 success against Geoff Marson. The final was a close-run affair with Reece Colley just getting the 6-5 edge on Jon Platt to collect the winners £220 with Platt receiving £100. There was £50 each for Rob Thompson and Geoff Marson with Ian Jones, Andy Jervis, Steve Blewitt, Ben Johnson each collecting £20.
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