The Sheldon and District Winter League have got their new season underway with an encouraging twenty-eight teams playing in three divisions. All of the four games played in the premier league finished with a 5-4 result with the four winning teams Mackadown Sports and Social, RAFA, Highwood and Sheldon Marlborough Arrows sharing the number one spot after in turn defeating EBAHA, Brian’s Flights, Langley Arrows and Banbury Club.
In division one Yardley Ex Colts and Iron Horse Rebels had respective 6-3 wins over Kingshurst Labour Club and Hunters Moon to top the division, Smithswood Social Club, Sheldon Marlborough Ridge and Langley Flights not far behind with their 5-4 wins against Old Salts Darts, Hollywood Social Club and Trident Spears.
Division two was the only division to have an outright leader and heading the table is Maggies who kicked off their campaign with a 7-2 home win over Sheldon Marlborough Flights. Shirley Misfits, Digby and Lyndon Old Boys had respective 5-4 wins over Moseley Rugby Club, Langley Pints and Castle Bromwich WMC.
On the individual scene there were maximum’s for Paul Welch (Yardley Ex Colts) and Tom Franklin (Smithswood Social Club) while Tony Stansfield (Lyndon Old Boys) had a 154 finish plus a twelve darts game, Terry Webster (Sheldon Marlborough Arrows) also checking out in twelve darts while Shay Darby (Yardley Ex Colts) had a nine darts game. Trident Spears player Preston Cupkovic had a 126 finish.
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In the second week of the Camp Hill League’s new season reigning league and cup champions Wakefield Warriors had a 5-2 win at Moseley Arms to keep them joint top with Cotterills Lane EBAHA Club who were also 5-2 winners at Clumsy Swan with Neil Parsonage chalking up a nine darts game for the winners. There was a local derby between Roost Rebels and Roost Bosh with Bosh getting the better of the 5-2 result to put them third in the table trailing the top two by three legs of average. In the other game played Tyseley WMC team Wakefield Terriers won 6-1 against Sedgemere Devils.
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The South West Birmingham Clubs Summer League played off the semi-finals of their Bob Price Cup which produced a shock result as division one leaders Stirchley United lost 4-3 to second placed in division two, Northfield Conservative Club ‘A’. Joining Northfield Conservative Club ‘A’ in the final and making it a local derby contest is division one side Northfield Conservative Club ‘B’ who had a 5-2 win over the second division leaders Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club.
There were a couple of rearranged league fixtures also played in which division one’s bottom team Perfection lost 4-3 at home to the team just above them in the table Bournbrook, who are now six points to the good on their hosts who are without a win in their seven games played. The other game played was in division two and saw bottom side Moseley All Services Club win 4-3 at home against next to bottom Bartley Green FC, the two teams, together with E57 all on four points.
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The Four Oaks and District League played off the preliminary round of their Prestridge Shield and winning their way through to the next round were Bishop Vesey, Rise Club, Drakes Drum, Highcroft Hotdogs, Nomads @ Hollyfields, Old Horns Lions, Plough and Arrows, Old Oscott Arrows, Sutton Sharks, St Thomas Arrows and Walmley CSC Flights.
Top individual performances came from Heartlands Gerry McCormack who not only scored a 180 but also recorded the maximum possible finish of 170. D.Chisnell (Nomads @ Hollyfields) also found the three treble twenties.
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The Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League’s first charity knockout attracted an inspiring fifty-five entries and raised a superb £183 with the eventual winner being Alex Howells who beat Luke Messer in the final.
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A 6-2 home win over seventh in the league Tenth Lock keeps Dudley Sports ‘A’ top of the Silver End Sunday Morning League with a lead of six points over second placed Old Star who were 5-3 winners at home against High Acres ‘A’. Third placed Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club are a further one point adrift with sixty-four points after they won their home tie with New Talbot ‘A’ 6-2. Fourth and fifth placed Mount Pleasant and Church Tavern are both on fifty-two points, Mount Pleasant having a game in hand on the three tams above them, their latest fixture seeing them hand out an 8-0 whitewash to their visiting opponents Dudley Sports ‘B’ while Church Tavern suffered a setback as they lost 5-3 at home against High Acres ‘C’ who are just six places off the foot of the table with only five wins from their twenty-six fixtures.
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Netherton Conservative Club ‘B’ dropped one place in the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League table when they lost their home fixture with third in the league Princess. Leaders Old Liberal Club made it thirty-four straight wins when they added their most recent 7-0 home win over Bird in Hand to their account. With sixty-eight points the leaders have already been declared champions and although second in the league Gate Hangs Well ‘B’ have a game in hand and three more fixtures to play they are ten points short of Old Liberal Club. Princess, are two more points adrift with fifty-six points and have a four points advantage over both fourth and fifth placed Five Ways and Netherton Conservative Club ‘B’, Five Ways won 7-0 at Raven ‘B’.
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As the Brierley Hill Monday Night League nears the halfway mark of its season, leaders Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ had a 6-3 win playing away against Roebuck ‘A’ who as a result drop one place in the table to sixth with twenty-eight points, twelve points behind their opponents. Second in the league Maverick won 7-2 at Starving Rascal to keep within six points of the leaders with a game in hand. Roebuck ‘B’ moved up one place to third following their 6-3 win away to Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘B’ and although they are two points ahead of fourth in the league Mount Pleasant, Mount Pleasant have a game in hand on them after having a bye this week.
Just the one maximum recorded this week and that was achieved by I.Bradley (Netherton Conservative Club ‘B’).
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Five Ways ‘A’ have had a change of home venue in the Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League and also a change in fortunes as the inaugural game played under the Swan banner saw them, for the first time in nineteen games, lose as they returned from Ashwood on the wrong side of the 4-3 result. Despite the defeat Swan hold on to second place with thirty-six points, two short of leaders Old Liberal Club ‘A’ but two more than third placed Bird in Hand ‘E’. Old Liberal Club ‘A’ made it nineteen wins in twenty games when they won 6-1 at home against eighth in the league Stourbridge FC while Bird in Hand ‘E’ had a close 4-3 victory at home over White Horse who are eleventh in the table. With thirty-two points, fourth placed Hollybush won their home game with Beech Tree Miners 5-2.
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The Netherton Thursday Night 501 League have been engaged in the first round of their Andy Bastable Trophy which saw the current league leaders Bulls Head held to a close 5-4 win away to third placed Plough and Harrow with G.Jackson notching a maximum for the winners. Second in the league, Old Liberal Club with maximums from both N.Fullwell and J.Batham, who both also chalked up winning fifteen darts games, won 8-1 against British Oak. There were also 8-1 wins for Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘B’, Spring Meadow Pub and Hill and Cakemore Ex Serviceman’s Club who in turn defeated Hare and Hounds, Mount Pleasant and Cottage Spring with M.Arche hitting a 180 for Hill and Cakemore. Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ went one better and were the rounds biggest winners as they returned from Netherton Conservative Club on the back of their 9-0 victory. Townsend Social Club won 7-2 at home against Netherton Sports and Social Club while Old Glasshouse with a maximum from D.Hann had a narrow 5-4 win at Spring Meadow Social.
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New Inn 2 stretched their unbeaten record in the Sedgley and Gornal Tuesday Night League to six games when they won 6-3 at home against local rivals New Inn, the win keeping intact their two points lead over both Red Cow and Mount Pleasant. Red Cow had a convincing 8-1 home win over Triangle while Mount Pleasant were held to a close 5-4 win away to Baggeridge Club
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The Rowley Monday Night League played off the doubles knockouts for their Top Half and Shadow League. The top half title went to Bell’s S.Price and R.O’Connor with M.Hall and D.Homer from Gate Hangs Well runners-up, battling out the Shadow League final were M.Tedstone and R.Grigg (White Swan) and S.Cree and S.Cree (Tividale Sports) with Tedstone and Grigg the winners.
Top Half Doubles Winners Ryan O’Connor and Shane Price
Shadow League Doubles Winners Matthew Tedstone and Richard Grigg
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Jacqueline Maiden didn’t play in the latest round of fixtures in the West Midlands Ladies Super League but nevertheless held on to pole position with seventy-four points from twenty-six games. Second in the league Gemma Barrett had a 3-0 win over Crysta Davies-Wilcox to move to within two points of Maiden while Jacqui Trott added a 3-1 win over Debbie Davies to her tally to put her third in the league table on seventy-one points, one fewer than Barrett but she has a game in hand on both of the players above her. After the to three there is a gap of eight points to fourth placed Tara Simmons-Fullwood who is on sixty-three points from twenty-five games..
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Dog and Partridge kept their hopes of winning the West Midlands Men’s Super League title on course with a 5-0 home win over Corpus Christi, the win gives the leaders a seven points lead on both Kings Head ‘A’ and Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’ who in turn won 3-2 against Chase Social and 4-1 against Shepwell Green. Fourth placed Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club are a further three points adrift but with a game in hand on the teams above them after they added their latest 5-0 home win over Junction ‘B’. Although fifth placed Staffordshire Knot have a game in hand on the top three teams they are a huge twenty-one points off the top of the table.
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Tom Bissell was a late entry in the Amblecote RBL Premier League but he had steadily played catch-up and has now with his latest four games which saw him win 4-3 against Jamie Barrowman, 7-0 against Stephen Cartwright, 6-1 against Shane Sheridan and 7-0 against Michael Harding moved up into pole position with 380 points from sixty-eight games, a six points lead plus two games in hand on second placed Reece Colley with just four more games to play. Bissell looks all set to be crowned champion but the race is still on for the runners-up spot with Reece Colley on 374 points and third placed Dan Nicholls on 373 points with both having two games remaining. After the top three there is a gap of twenty-eight points to fourth placed and reigning champion Nick Fullwell who has three more games to play.
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With four more games to play Scott Baker has a twenty-four points lead at the top of division one in the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League, his latest fixture seeing him win 6-2 against fifth in the division Ian Stanton. Second placed Dean Simmons-Fullwood handed out an 8-0 defeat to Darren Williams to keep him thirteen points ahead of third placed Ben Johnson who has played two games more than Simmons-Fullwood.
The second division title has gone to Kurt Wright who after beating Robert Harris 7-1 has one more game to play, he is on 230 points with a 31 points lead on second placed Alan Melling who also has just one more game to play.
For some time now the third division title has looked sewn up with Dave Thackeray on 291 points, a lead of thirty-one on his nearest rival Joe Bartolo and three more still to play while Bartolo only has two. Third in the division Thomas Hollowood has three more fixtures to play but he is sixteen points short of Bartolo who looks to be finishing as runner-up.
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In their local derby with their ‘A’ team Junction ‘B’ handed out a 7-0 whitewash in the singles league of the Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League to keep them in pole position with thirty-six points and maintain their two points advantage on second placed Hotshots who won 6-1 at home against Ring of Bells. Third and fourth in the table are New Gate Inn ‘A’ and Gilbert’s Bar ‘A’ who are both on thirty points and both suffered defeats, New Gate Inn ‘A’ going down 5-2 at Golden Lion and Gilbert’s Bar ‘A’ losing 4-3 at home to Wednesfield Legion.
In the doubles league Junction ‘B’ once again lead the field with thirty-six points, their latest win being 3-0 against their ‘A’ side. Hotshots are again placeed second, their 2-1 win over Ring of Bells keeping them within two points of the leaders and two point s to the good on third placed New Gate Inn ‘A’ who won 2-1 at Golden Lion.
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