Game number three in the Four Oaks and District League bought together two of the teams in in the top four places in division one with leaders Highcroft Hotdogs travelling to take on fourth in the division Beehive. The outcome was a close 5-4 win for Beehive to see them move up one place to third in the table and join their opponents on the same four points after they dropped one place to second. Second in the division Bishop Vesey were also involved in a close 5-4 result which went in their favour as they beat their hosts Old Horns Lions to become the only team in the division with a 100% win record and see them replace Highcroft Hotdogs in pole position with a two points lead over them and third placed Beehive.
In division two Red Lion held on to the number one spot with a 7-2 home win over Plough and Arrows and being as they are the only team not to have lost in the division have a two points advantage over Drakes Drum, Heartlands and Walmley CSC Flights. Drakes Drum won 6-3 at Erdington Arrows and Heartlands won their home tie with The Rise Club 5-4 while Walmley CSC Flights had a 6-3 home win over Charley’s Flights.
As in the top two divisions only one team has a 100% win record in division three and that is Pint Pot Flights whose latest fixture saw them chalk up a 7-2 win away to Rosey Mac’s. Once again there are three team’s just two points short of the leaders and they are Sutton Sharks, Deer’s Leap and St Thomas Arrows. Sutton Sharks were former leaders but their 6-3 defeat at St Thomas Arrows saw them forfeit the top spot to Pint Pot Flights. Deer’s Leap won their home game with St Tom Cats 7-2.
Finding the three treble twenties this week was Rich Smith (Walmley CSC Flights) while Charley’s Flights player William Cadby recorded a tremendous 167 game shot.
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Langley Arrows have stretched their undefeated run in the premier league of the Sheldon and District Winter League to eleven games, their latest fixture seeing them win 6-3 against second in the division Sheldon Marlborough Arrows to extend their lead to four points, Richard Nixon notching a maximum for Langley. Sheldon Marlborough Arrows hang on to the second place and despite the defeat still have a six points advantage over third and fourth placed Raven Arrows and Sheldon Dukes who in turn won 8-1 against Langley Flights and 5-4 over Highwood. Highwood’s Darren Wright hit a maximum and had a nine darts game while Paul Connolly (The Banbury Club) also scored a 180 in his team’s 6-3 home win over The Dingle.
Game number three saw no change in league positions for either division one or division two. Brian’s Flights opened up a two points lead at the top of division one beating second placed Trident Spears 5-4. Third in the division Willclare Sports and Social are on the same eighteen points as Trident after they went down massively by 8-1 away to fifth in the division Smithswood Social despite their Matty Holt recording a maximum score.
Sheldon Marlborough Ridge kept their two points lead intact at the top of division two with a convincing 8-1 home win over bottom of the division The College Arms Flights while second placed Hornet had a closer 5-4 home win over Sheldon Marlborough Flights.
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The South West Birmingham Clubs League staged their singles knockout which attracted an encouraging sixty-four players and saw Jim Cutler (Northfield Town) beat John Fox (Quarry Club) in the first of the semi-finals. Joining Cutler in the final was Tom Garfield (Longbridge United) who took out Dave Collins (Bournbrook) in his last four encounter. The winner’s silverware eventually went to Jim Cutler with Tom Garfield runner-up.
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After the season’s opening five games in the Kings Norton League, Northfield Town remain undefeated, their latest fixture seeing them beat Rubery Social Club 5-2 to open up a two points lead at the top of the table as second placed Copper Fox lost their home tie with middle of the table Bournebrook 4-3. Rubery Social Club dropped from second to sixth leaving them four points off the top. Third and fourth placed Thurlestone and Cock Inn are both on the same eight points as Copper Fox, trailing on average after Thurlestone won 5-2 at bottom of the table Perfection and Cock Inn won by the same 5-2 margin against The Dingle. Kings Norton Flights moved off the foot of the table as they chalked up their first win in five, a 4-3 home win over Longbridge.
Highlights of the week were supplied by Rubery Social Club man R.Higgins who hit a maximum and Copper Fox player K.Bedder who had a 160 break.
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The Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League played off the final of their League Cup which saw league champions Old Liberal Club ‘A’ make it a superb double when they won 6-1 against Stourbridge FC.
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There are currently three teams on twenty points at the top of the Netherton Thursday Night League but all three have played a different amount of games. Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ are in pole position, they have the superior average after their latest 5-4 win at fourth in the league Townsend Social Club, this being the Ex Serviceman’s Club’s tenth win in ten games. Second placed Old Liberal Club won 8-1 away to Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘B’ and have now played eleven games whereas third placed Bulls Head, who had the biggest win of the night, a 9-0 victory over Old Glasshouse have now played twelve games.
On the individual scene there were maximums for three of Old Liberal Club’s team N.Fullwell, S.Gough and N.Cooper while G.Male (Plough and Harrow hit two maximums and there was one each for Townsend Social Club’s W.Cairns and Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club’s G.Peters.
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It’s become a very close start to the new season in the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League with Tamebridge and Vine ‘A’ sharing the number one spot level on points and average after the opening three games. Tamebridge had a 5-2 win playing away against this season’s newcomers King Arthur to see them share the top place for the very first time since they joined the league while Vine ‘A’ had a 4-3 home win over Horseley Tavern ‘A’ to put them level with Tamebridge. There was a first win for newly-formed team Horseley Tavern ‘B’ this week as they won 4-3 at home against Albion with Horseley’s teenager Craig Butler recording an eight darts game. Another teenager to join the league Jack Gibbs (Albion) went one better with a seven darts game, nice to see the youngsters prospering in the league and actually the fact that the league is attracting young players.
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No change in the top three places in the Rowley Monday Night League as leaders Romsley Cricket Club added a 7-2 home win over Loyal Lodge to their tally to keep them top of the table on average from second placed Gate Hangs Well, who like Romsley made it four straight wins when they beat Wonder 5-4. Third and fourth placed Hawthorns and Plough and Harrow are both on the same average as Gate Hangs Well but two points short of the top two teams after Hawthorns won 7-2 at home against Huntingtree and Plough and Harrow handed their visitors Hill and Cakemore Ex Serviceman’s Club a 9-0 whitewash.
Bell, Whiteheath Tavern and Rowley Bar and Grill are all on the same six points as Hawthorns and Plough and Harrow. Reigning champions Bell having a close 5-4 win at Rowley Labour Club, Whiteheath Tavern won by the same scoreline at White Swan and Rowley Bar and Grill had a 6-3 win at Spring Meadow.
There were two 160 breaks in the league this week supplied by S.Clewer (Loyal Lodge) and A.Lynch (Bell).
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Old Liberal Club are now the only undefeated team in the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League after they added a 6-1 win at Glasscutters to their account making it ten straight wins, and second placed Bird in Hand lost their home game with third placed Princess 4-3. Although two points behind Princess Five Ways, Netherton Conservative Club ‘B’ and Gate Hangs Well ‘B’ all have a game in hand on the third placed team and mathematically could overtake them.
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Week two in the Silver End Sunday Morning League and only two legs of average separate the top five teams. Old Star top the table, their 6-2 win at Dudley Sports ‘B’ giving them a slender one leg of average lead over Church Tavern, Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club and Dudley Sports ‘A’, Church Tavern were 6-2 winners at Brier Rose, Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club won by the same 6-2 margin at Raven and Dudley Sports ‘A’ were 5-3 winners at Old Liberal Club. Fifth placed Tenth Lock are a further one leg of average adrift after they won 6-2 at Old Cat Inn.
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Bulls Head (Netherton) and Old Liberal Club ‘B’ opened their accounts in the new season of the Cradley Tuesday Night League with perfect 7-0 wins, Bulls Head winning at home against Tenth Lock and Old Liberal Club ‘B’ accounting for their hosts Brickmakers Arms. Plough and Quarry Banks Social Club ‘A’ are respectively placed third and fourth in the league, the former with maximums from Mark Archer and Lee Beasley winning 6-1 at Quarry Bank Social Club ‘B’ while the latter had a 5-2 win at Liberal Club (Blackheath).
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Week twelve in the Amblecote Premier League produced no change in the league’s top seven places with leader Nick Fullwell adding a 5-2 win over Rob Pierce followed by a 7-0 success against Sam Page to give him a total of 122 points from 23 games. Fullwell’s nearest rival is Dan Nicholls who on the night opened up with a 7-0 win over Wozza Pritchard but then lost 5-2 to Andy Vellender to give him 119 points from 21 games. Third in the table Reece Colley is a further three points behind Nicholls after he began with a 7-0 win against Tony Bennett and continued as he started with another 7-0 win, this time over Jake Shipley and rounded off the evening with a 6-1 success against Jon Underhill.
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A 5-0 home win over Old Bulls Head has taken leaders Pensnett Liberal Club’s total points in the Black Country Men’ Super League to 110 from 31 games, they have a lead of four over second placed Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’ whose similar 5-0 win against Townsend Social leaves them with a game in hand on the leaders and two points to the good on third placed Townsend Social ‘A’ who have played two games more than them after their 3-2 home win over Ashwood.
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The Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League played off their 4-a-side knockout finals. Making their exits in the last four play-off were Reece Cook-Lucas, Paul Lucas, Richard Brown, Ryan O’Connor (Gilbert’s Bar ‘A’) and Michele Pritchard, Jamie Webb, Ben Wright, J.J.Rowley (Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’). The final went to a single 1001 sudden-death play-off which saw Dean Simmons-Fullwood, Ian Stanton, Paul Price, John Simms (ECC’A’) just get the verdict over runners-up Callum Parkes, Len Slade, Adam Slade, Richard Newey (Railway), Winners:- Dean Simmons-Fullwood, Ian Stanton, Paul Price, John Simms (ECC’A’).
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With Wayne Jones not playing in the latest round of fixtures in division one of the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League Ian Stanton took the opportunity to replace him at the top of the division with a 6-2 win over John Simms to put him on 76 points from ten games with Jones now second, four points behind with two games in hand.
A 5-3 defeat by Reece Cook Lucas has cost Alan Melling the number one spot in division two as he drops down to third place with Kurt Wright replacing him at the top of the table with 56 points after he beat Reece Cook Lucas 6-2. Allan Davies is second, he was held to a 4-4 draw by Kevin Bate but it was enough to give him a one point lead over Melling, both Davies and Melling have played one game more than Wright.
A 5-3 win over Lauren Kempson followed by a 4-4 draw with Alex Bryant has seen Michele Pritchard take over pole position in division three, Michele has 72 points from ten games and a slender lead of one over former leader and now second placed Dave Thackeray who has two games in hand on Michele.
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