The first round of the League Cup was on the fixture card for the Sheldon and District Summer League and there was a surprisingly close 4-3 win for group one leaders Langley Arrows in their away game against RAFA who are fourth in group one and currently eight points behind their opponents. Second in group one Raven Arrows had a 5-2 home win over Langley Stems whose Luke Jackson scored a maximum. Highwood are third in group one and were one of the week’s biggest winners as they handed out a 7-0 whitewash to their visitors Langley Flights with John Buckingham hitting a 180 and also recording a fifteen darts game for the winners. Old Salts Darts are second in the group three table and like Highwood chalked up a straight 7-0 win in their home tie with Maggies who are bottom of group three. Mackadown Sports and Social Club are bottom of group one, they travelled to take on Sheldon Marlborough Flights from group four and returned with a 6-1 victory. With a 108 game-shot for Stephen Shepherd Kingshurst Labour Club won their home game against Moseley Rugby Club 6-1 and also winning their way into the next round were Banbury Club with their 5-2 win at Trident Spears. The game between Brian’s Flights and Sheldon Marlborough Ridge was a late result.
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It was also cup week in the South West Birmingham Clubs League as they played off the preliminary round of their Bob Price Cup. Both Northfield Conservative Club teams progressed into the next round as the ‘A’ side won 4-3 against Perfection and the ‘B’ team won 5-2 against Quarry Club. In the other game played Stirchley United beat E57 4-3.
Northfield Darts Club, Bournbrook, Bartley Green, Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club and Moseley All Services Club all had a bye.
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With just three more fixtures to play in the Harborne and District League, leaders Northfield Conservative Club took their undefeated run to nineteen games in style by handing their hosts Lion Bar a huge 9-0 defeat with A.Sutton notching a maximum for the league leaders. With a close 5-4 home win over fourth in the league Northfield Town, second in the league Copper Fox ‘R’ kept within four points of Northfield Conservative Club and have a gap of eight between them and the chasing three teams Smethwick Cricket Club, Northfield Town and Copper Fox ‘M’. Smethwick Cricket Club won their away game with Weoley Castle WMC 8-1 while Copper Fox ‘M’ went one better when they handed their hosts Avenue Social a 9-0 defeat. Bottom of the table Windsor have now just three games remaining to chalk up their first win of the campaign.
Two other players A.Beagrie (The Mill) and T.Hamilton (Copper Fox ‘R’) also found the three treble twenties this week.
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The Stourbridge and District Monday Night League have played twenty-six of their scheduled thirty-six fixtures and the big question is will any team be able to beat leaders Old Liberal Club? In their most recent fixture Old Liberal Club won 6-1 at home against Crestwood to make it nineteen straight wins which gives them a massive eight points lead over their nearest rivals second placed Princess who also had a 6-1 win playing at home against Fox Inn (Lye). Third in the league Gate Hangs Well ‘B’ have a game in hand and are just two points behind Princess despite suffering a 4-3 defeat playing away against Netherton Conservative Club ‘B’ who are fourth in the table and now have just two points fewer than their opponents with the two teams both having played twenty-five games. After the top four come three teams all on thirty-eight points, Five Ways, Bird in Hand and Netherton Conservative Club ‘A’ the latter two having played twenty-six games compared to Five Ways who have played twenty-five as they had a bye this week. Bird in Hand had a 6-1 win at Rose and Crown ‘A’ while Netherton Conservative Club ‘A’ had a close 4-3 win at Raven ‘A’.
At the other end of the table Glasscutters ‘B’ chalked up only their third win in twenty-five games as they won 4-3 against Queens Head who after the defeat are now four places above them. The win sees Glasscutters ‘B’ move off the foot of the table and be replaced by Rose and Crown ‘B’ who lost 4-3 at Seven Stars to leave them two points fewer than Glasscutters ‘B’ who are now next to bottom of the table.
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It was cup final week in the Netherton Thursday Night League, the League Cup final in which current league leaders Old Liberal Club squared up to Townsend Social Club who are fourth in the league and a massive eighteen points behind their opponents, plus they have played one game more than Old Liberal Club. It was therefore hardly surprising that the straight 5-0 result went to Old Liberal Club and Townsend Social had to be satisfied with the runners-up prize.
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Round two of the Memorial Cup was the order of the day for the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League and the biggest surprise of the round was the exit of current league leaders Vine ‘A’ who finished on the wrong side of a 4-3 result at home against second in the league Allen’s Bar who are six points behind their hosts in the league table. Sow and Pigs were the rounds biggest winners as they accounted for King Arthur with a 7-0 scoreline. Not far behind Sow and Pigs was Cottage Spring who won their game at Waggon and Horses 6-1 while Three Horseshoes had a 5-2 home win over Ivy Bush.
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The results from game twenty in the Silver End Sunday Morning League had little effect on the league table with Dudley Sports ‘A’ holding on to their five points lead at the top of the table with a 5-3 win in their local derby with Dudley Sports ‘B’. Second in the league Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club were 7-1 winners playing away against High Acres ‘B’, the win keeping them four points ahead of third placed Old Star who were held to a 4-4 draw at Mount Pleasant who are placed sixth in the league. Church Tavern had a 6-2 win at Raven to put them on thirty-eight points and maintain their fourth position in the table, they have a three points advantage over fifth in the league Tenth Lock after they were unexpectedly held to a 4-4 draw at Brier Rose who are just two places off the foot of the table.
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Five Ways ‘A’ took their unbeaten run in the Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League to eleven games when they won the local derby with their Five Ways ‘B’ side 6-1. With their undefeated record, Five Ways ‘A’ are the only team in the league to have won all of their fixtures, however despite their fine record they only have a slim two points lead over second in the table Old Liberal Club ‘A’ who were also 6-1 winners as they took on Garibaldi at home. After the top two teams there is a gap of four points to third and fourth placed Bird in Hand ‘E’ and Hollybush who are both on sixteen points from eleven games, Bird in Hand ‘E’ winning 5-2 at home against fifth placed Plough while Hollybush handing out a 7-0 whitewash to their visitors Fox Inn (Lye). The next three teams in the league table Plough, Fox Inn (Lye) and Wheatsheaf are all on fourteen points but they have have played twelve games, Wheatsheaf’s latest fixture seeing them win 5-2 at White Horse.
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The Brierley Hill Monday Night League has twenty-three teams but of those twenty-three teams only one Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ is able to boast a 100% win record after playing twelve fixtures the latest of which saw them win 7-2 at home against Old Bush. With a perfect twenty-four points Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ have a four point’s advantage over second in the league Maverick who also had a home fixture and also won 7-2 in their game with Brickmakers Arms. Third and fourth placed Roebuck ‘B’ and Mount Pleasant are both on eighteen points, Mount Pleasant having played one game more than Roebuck ‘B’. The most recent fixtures saw Roebuck ‘B’ win 6-3 at Dudley Sports ‘A’ while Mount Pleasant had an 8-1 home victory over Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘B’.
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Just the one fixture played in the West Midlands Men’s Super League which saw Dog and Partridge play hosts to Junction ‘A’. The result was a comprehensive victory for Dog and Partridge as they handed their visitors a 5-0 whitewash, a result that was vital to the home side as it saw them leapfrog Kings Head ‘A’ and take over at the top of the table with seventy-two points five more than the former leaders who drop down to second in the table and although they now trail by five points they do have a game in hand on the new leaders but they would need a similar 5-0 win to draw level on points with them.
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In the West Midlands Ladies Super League leader Gemma Barrett had a close 3-2 win over second in the league Jackie Trott to put her on fifty-five points from twenty-one games while Trott added a 3-0 win over Jodie Rowlands to her account to give her fifty-one points but from eighteen games leaving her with three games in hand on Gemma Barrett. Jacqueline Maiden beat Hannah Davies 3-1 and Sarah Barrett 3-0 to take her points tally to forty-six from seventeen games and sees her move up one place in the table to third with Shellbie Simmons dropping to fourth after she didn’t play this week. Shellbie Simmons is on forty-one points and has played nineteen games.
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The top three places in the Black Country Men’s Super League remain as they were after game eight fixtures were played with leaders Allen’s Bar adding a straight 5-0 home win over Townsend Social to their account to put them on thirty-one points from seven games. Second in the league Townsend ‘A’ lost ground in the title race as they finished on the wrong side of a 3-2 result playing away against their nearest rivals, third in the table Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club. The win for Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club has shortened the gap between them and Townsend ‘A’ to four points. Quarry Bank Liberal Club ‘B’ went down 3-2 at Northfield Darts Club and as a result drop one place to fifth on twenty-one points from eight games, replacing them in fourth place is local rivals Quarry Bank Liberal Club whose 5-0 home win over Halesowen Cricket Club has taken their points tally to twenty-two from seven games.
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Leader of division one in the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League Scott Baker had a 7-1 win over bottom of the division Jimmy Stackhouse to give him a total of 188 points from twenty-five games. Baker not only has a massive lead of thirty-three points over second in the division Dean Simmons-Fullwood but also three games in hand on him. Darren Williams had a fruitful night beating John Blakemore 5-3 and then Jamie Webb 7-1 to take him up into third place with 149 points from twenty-four games. Ian Stanton didn’t play this week and as a result drops to fifth in the table but with two games in hand on third placed Williams he is only seven points behind him and could overtake him.
In division two, leader Kurt Wright after beating Kevin Bate 7-1 and Jack Rollinson 8-0 then suffered his first defeat of the campaign as his twenty-third fixture surprisingly saw him lose by a huge 7-1 to Allan Davies who is third in the division and now ten points behind second placed Alan Melling who had an 8-0 win over Jack Rollinson and 5-3 success against Reece Cook Lucas to put him on 157 points. All of the top three players have played twenty-three games.
Dave Thackeray continues his winning run in division three taking his unbeaten record to twenty-three games with a 6-2 win over third in the division Joe Bartolo, Thackeray is now on 211 points from twenty-three games. Second placed Thomas Hollowood beat Keogh Bate 8-0 but having played twenty-five fixtures he has played two more than Thackeray and is twenty points behind him. Joe Bartolo’s defeat left him third in the table with 182 points from twenty-four games giving him a lead of three plus two games in hand on fourth in the division Dave Akers who beat Robert Bradley 7-1.
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Nick Fullwell added another couple of 5-2 wins to his account in the Amblecote RBL Premier League when he defeated Matt Halliday and Sam Page to give him 271 points. Former leader Dan Nicholls had mixed fortunes as he won 7-0 against Craig Lowin but then lost 6-1 to fifth in the league Jamie Barrowman to leave him twelve points adrift of Fullwell but with four games in hand. Gavin Smith moved up into second place on 261 points from fifty games beating Michael Harding 6-1 before losing 4-3 to John Green.
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Hotshots made it twelve wins in as many games in the singles division of the Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League when they won 5-2 at Dog and Partridge, Both Junction ‘B’ and Gilbert’s Bar ‘A’ kept within two points of the leaders when the former won 7-0 at home against New Gate Inn ‘B’ and the latter won 6-1 at Corpus Christi ‘B’.
In the doubles division Junction ‘B’ lead the way with a perfect twenty-four points from their twelve games the latest of which saw them win 3-0 against New Gate Inn ‘B’. Hotshots are second two points behind the leaders after they added a 2-1 win at Dog and Partridge to their tally.
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