Over the Christmas period Hen Lane District and Social Club, 6 Beacon Road, Coventry, CV6 4DS was the setting for the annual Coventry Christmas Open, which had a total pay-out of £1600 for both a singles and doubles knockout. In the semi-finals of the singles Warwickshire’s Chris Wickenden beat Lincolnshire’s Lloyd Pennell 5-0 and from the other side of the draw, another Warwickshire player, Nigel Heydon beat Worcestershire’s Graham Hall 5-4 to set up an all-Warwickshire final. The final saw Chris Wickenden storm to a 5-0 win over Nigel Heydon to see Wickenden retain the title for a second successive year.
Neil Pritchard with Winner Chris Wickenden.
Neil Pritchard with Runner-Up Nigel Heydon
After his win Wickenden said “Back to back Coventry Christmas Open champion. So happy to win this again and more importantly how solid I played throughout the day”.
Wickenden went on to say “Unfortunately we lost in the pairs final earlier on. Just need to keep my arm going now and carry this form into January, thanks to Neil Pritchard and Sarah West for running a great 97 man competition”. Chris paired up with Sam Whittaker in the doubles event and in the last four games they won 4-0 against Neil Pullen and Alex Young while another Warwickshire duo Zac Prince and Jason Prince made their exit losing 4-0 to Worcestershire’s Graham Hall and Thomas Garfield. The final went to the wire with Hall and Garfield just getting the 5-4 edge on Wickenden and Whittaker.
Winners Graham Hall and Thomas Garfield with Neil Pritchard (centre)
Runners-Up Chris Wickenden and Sam Whittaker with Neil Pritchard (centre)
———————————
In the last games of 2024 in the Sheldon and District Winter League Sheldon Marlborough Arrows and Langley Arrows managed hold on to their respective first and second places in the premier league as the former won 7-2 away to RAFA who were formerly third in the league but after their defeat drop to fourth while second placed Langley Arrows had their fixture with Banbury Club postponed and are now four points adrift of the leaders having played the same six games. Raven Arrows 6-3 home win over Mackadown Sports and Social Club has seen them take over the number three spot with the same eight points as Langley Arrows.
There was a similar situation in division one with the top two teams Smithswood Social and Yardley Ex Colts holding on to their first and second places after Smithswood won 6-3 at home against Hollywood Social Club and Yardley Ex Colts won 5-4 at Old Salts Darts to put both of the top two teams on twelve points with Yardley having played seven games, one more than Smithswood. Old Salts defeat saw them drop one place to fourth in the table two points behind Langley Flights who take over the number three spot after their 5-3 home win over Hunters Moon, giving them a total of ten points.
A 7-2 home win over Raven keeps Sheldon Marlborough Flights top of division two with a ten points, two more than second placed Digby who moved up two places in the division when they won 5-4 at home against Moseley Rugby Club. Maggies, who were previously second lost 6-3 at Castle Bromwich WMC and dropped three places to fifth with their victors taking over in third place with six points, the same number as fourth in the division Moseley Rugby Club and Maggies.
Just the two maximums scored and they came from Terry Webster (Sheldon Marlborough Arrows) and Steve Hall (Maggies).
———————————
The only change in the division one table in the South West Birmingham Clubs Winter League was that of Bournebrook moving off the foot of the table after their surprising 4-4 draw away to leaders of the division Northfield Conservative Club ‘B’. A 5-3 home defeat to Northfield Darts Club has seen West Heath CEM, who are still seeking their first point of the season replace Bournbrook at the foot of the table.
A convincing 7-1 home win over E57 keeps Quarry Club top of the division two table with a perfect six points from their opening three games. Perfection move up one place to second following their 6-2 home win over Northfield Conservative Club ‘A’ who are fourth with two points, one fewer than third in the division Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club who finished all-square at 4-4 away to Bartley Green FC.
———————————
Wakefield Warriors had a bye in game eight of the Camp Hill League but despite that they remain top of the table with twelve points. Second placed Erdington Nomads won 4-3 at third in the table Roost Bosh to put them on the same twelve points, but trailing the Warriors by some eight legs of average. Cotterills Lane EBAHA Club won their home tie with Wakefield Terriers 6-1 to put them fourth in the league with eight points the same number as fifth placed Moseley Arms who continued their winning ways handing out a 7-0 whitewash to their visitors Roost Rebels.
———————————
The Four Oaks and District League rounded off the old year with cup fixtures and in the first round of the Brian Goodman Cup, division one’s second placed team Highcroft Hotdogs had a close 5-4 win away to Sutton Sports who are just two places off the foot of the division two table. Fourth in division one Bishop Vesey had a more comfortable 7-2 win away to St Thomas Misfits who are bottom of division two and joining them in the next round will be Red Lion (division one) who won 5-4 at home against division two leaders Drakes Drum.
In the Ken Rust Cup, Old Horns Lions (division one), with a maximum from Tony O’Kereke won 8-1 at home against St Thomas Arrows (division two) while in the all-division two fixture Sutton Sharks won 5-4 against Rosey Mac’s Bar. Plough and Arrows were awarded a 9-0 win over Pint Pot Flights.
A couple of rearranged game five fixtures for division one were played in which Heartlands won 6-3 at home against Rise Club and Walmley CSC Flights won, also at home 8-1 against Old Oscott Arrows to see them replace Highcroft Hotdogs at the top of the table, both teams on sixteen points with Walmley having the narrowest of margins lead over their rivals, just one leg of average.
———————————
Of the fifteen starters in the new season for the Harborne and District League only four of them remain undefeated after the first six fixtures. An 8-1 home win over Bourneville keeps Copper Fox ‘R’ top of the table but they have now been joined by Northfield Conservative Club whose 9-0 win at Lion Bar puts them level on points and average with Copper Fox ‘R’. Northfield Darts Club are another team on an undefeated twelve points but they trail the top two teams by eight legs of average even after their latest 9-0 win at Windsor Complex. The only other team with a 100% record is fifth placed Copper Fox ‘M’, they have only played five games, the latest of which saw them hand out a 5-4 defeat to their hosts Smethwick Cricket Club, this being Smethwick’s first defeat.
There were two players who found the three treble twenties this week and they were N.Porter (Copper Fox ‘R’) and M.Lloyd (Northfield Conservative Club).
———————————
Leaders of the Kings Norton League, Copper Fox suffered an unexpected defeat in week six as they returned from Greenlands on the wrong side of the 4-3 result. Prior to the game Copper Fox were undefeated and their hosts were some six places below them in seventh place. Although Copper Fox lost they remain top of the table as second placed Northfield have played one game fewer than them, Northfield are on the same ten points as the leaders and are the only team in the league to have won all of their games so far. After the top two teams there are four teams all on eight points, Stirchley, Bournebrook, Cock Inn and Bourneville.
Tpo individual performances this week came from J.Hykin and K.Bedder (Copper Fox) who both scored a maximum.
———————————
Two maximums from H.Williams and one from A.Tonks helped Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ to a 6-3 home win over Spring Meadow Pub in the Netherton Thursday Night 501 League, the win keeping them in pole position with an unbeaten twenty-four points, the only team in the league to have won all of their games. Second placed Old Liberal Club had an important 8-1 home win over Bulls Head, the defeat seeing Bulls Head drop from third to fifth in the table with eighteen points, three fewer than their hosts. Also on eighteen points are third and fourth placed British Oak and Hill and Cakemore Ex Serviceman’s Club, the former winning 8-1 at Townsend Social Club while the latter had a 7-2 home win over Old Glasshouse.
There were three more maximums scored two coming from B.Ratcliffe (Bulls Head) and one from J.Brookes (Spring Meadow Social).
———————————
The results from game number twenty-one in the Black Country Men’s Super League had no effect whatsoever on the top eight places, Allens Bar remaining top of the table with seventy-eight points from twenty games, the latest of which saw them win 4-1 at home against Townsend Social to put them nine points to the good on second placed Townsend ‘A’ who lost 3-2 playing away against third placed Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club who now have sixty-six points just three less than their opponents. Townsend ‘A’ and Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club have both played twenty-one fixtures.
———————————
The Gilbert’s Bar Christmas Singles Knockout attracted a total of sixty-four players with the top prize of £400 going to Ryan O’Connor.
Making their exit in the quarter-finals were Anthony West, Wayne Jones, Adam Warner and Darren Williams. The last four games saw Dean Simmons-Fullwood win 4-3 against Dan Nicholls and Ryan O’Connor account for Wayne Hobday with a straight 4-0 result. The final went the full nine legs distance with O’Connor just getting the 5-4 verdict over Simmons-Fullwood who picked up £200 as runner-up.
Wayne Hobday and Dan Nicholls, as losing semi-finalists each received £75, and there was £25 for the players making their exit in the quarter-finals.
———————————