Black Country’s final fixture of the season in the UKDA National League’s L-Style Division One, an away game against Neighbouring Staffordshire, was brought forward one week, neither side really having anything to play for other than pride, as the hosts were ninth in the division and the away team seventh.
The weekend began with the ladies ‘B’ finishing all-square at 3-3 with Doreen Hunt taking the match award for her 3-0 win over Sammi Brown and 14.59 average, Demi Titley and Sarah Tromans were the other winners. The men’s ‘B’ chalked up a 9-3 win, their winners being Rich Bowen, Mark Rollinson, Luke Messer, Matthew Lloyd, Neil Steventon, Wayne Hobday, Matt Coleman, Sam Bissell and Mark Jones with Wayne Hobday taking the man of the match award after beating Danny Key 4-2 with a 26.93 average.
Like the ladies ‘B’, the ladies ‘A’ also finished with a 3-3 result, their top player being Chez Allcock who defeated Danielle Pearce 3-1 with a 22.59 average. Other winners were Stella Sims and Jodie Rowlands. The men’s ‘A’ suffered a 7-5 defeat, their winners being Trev Brennan, Liam Kelly, Tom Bissell, Steve Jones and Paul Wells with Liam Kelly the man of the match, beating Andy Beardmore 4-1 with a 28.90 average.
The overall result for the weekend was a 20-16 win for the Black Country, the win taking them up two places in the table to fifth while Staffordshire moved up one place to eighth.
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The Sheldon and District Summer League have got their new season underway and the league has increased from four groups to five with a total of twenty-nine teams.
After the opening games two teams share the number one spot in group one, Langley Arrows and Raven Arrows, who in turn defeated Highwood and Dog Inn Nomads 5-3. There were maximums in the group for Bobby Nixon (Langley Arrows), Chris King (Highwood), Danny Chiswell (Dog Inn Nomads) and Jason Prince Raven Arrows).
In group two, a 6-2 win by Kingshurst Labour Club over newcomers Family Tree puts them top of the table with a one leg of average lead on second placed RAFA Arrows who won their home tie with Smithswood Social Club 5-3.
Finding the three treble twenties in the group were Lewis Franklin (Smithswood Social Club) and Jamie Masefield (Family Tree).
Moseley Rugby Club had the best start to the season in the league when they won their group three game at against Hunters Moon 7-1, to put them top of the table with a two legs of average lead on their nearest rivals Lyndon Old Boys, who won 5-3 at home against Langley Flights.
There was just the one maximum in the group which came from Jordan Grainger (Raven).
Station Inn are in pole position in group four, a 6-2 success at Raven Flights putting them there with a single leg of average separating them from second placed CBMC-A, who won 5-3 at home over Shirley Misfits.
There is a similar situation in group five, with leaders Langley Bullets winning their home tie with Mackadown Sports and Social Club ‘B’ 6-2 and second placed Trident Flights having a 5-2 win at home over Weir Raven.
Harrison Nevvitt hit a maximum for Mackadown Sports and Social Club ‘B’.
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The Camp Hill League are almost at the end of their season and with a 7-0 win in the local derby with Wakefield Terriers, Wakefield Warriors are already champions with a perfect unbeaten twenty-six points and a lead of six over second placed Diggitys Bar who won 6-1 at Sedgemere Devils.
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The Sutton and District League played off the finals of their Jubilee Shield at Walmley Sports and Cricket Club, in the quarter-finals there were straight 3-0 wins for Nomads Newbies and The Arrows who in turn accounted for Great Barr ‘D’ and Oscott Social. Winning 2-1 were Blue Nomads and Old Oscott ‘A’, who accounted for their respective opponents Gall FC and Walmley ‘2’.
Both of the semi-gfinals had 2-1 results, Blue Nomads beating Nomads Newbies and The Arrows winning against Old Oscott ‘A’. The final also went the full three legs distance with The Arrows becoming champions and Blue Nomads runners-up.
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The South West Birmingham Clubs League had their Divisional Cups on the fixture card and in division one the biggest win of 16-5 went to Stirchley United who defeated Bournbrook. Both Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club and West Heath CEM progressed to the next round with 13-8 wins over their respective opponents Northfield Conservative Club ‘B’ and Quarry Lane Club, while Northfield Darts Club won 13-6 against Perfection. The was a maximum for Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s A.Fenton while his team-mate, K.Foxall had a 160 break as did Stirchley United’s K.Mason.
In the division two games, Cue Club had a resounding 18-3 win over Longbridge Arrows, Bartley Green FC not far behind with their 16-5 win over Longbridge Warriors. Kings Norton Arrows accounted for Stirchley Arrows with a 14-7 result, while E57, with a maximum from N.Smith, beat Northfield Conservative Club ‘A’ 13-8.
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Bridge continue to lead the Brierley Hill Monday Night League, their latest 6-3 win at Rose and Crown ‘A’ taking their points tally to fifty-eight from thirty-two games and giving them a slender two points advanatge over second placed Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ after their 7-2 home win over Starving Rascal. After the top two there is a four points gap to third placed Raven, who won their home game with fifth placed Wombourne Club 6-3.
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An 8-1 home win over Plough and Harrow has seen Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ extend their undefeated run to fourteen games in the Netherton Thursday Night 501 League. Although the Ex Serviceman’s have won all of their games they only have a three points (one win) lead on their nearest rivals Rose and Crown (Wordsley) who in the latest round of fixtures had a bye. Third placed Old Liberal Club are a further three points adrift, but kept the deficit down to six points with a 9-0 win at Furnace.
There 180’s this week for Mitch Jeffrey (Gate Hangs Well), Steve Tipper (Bulls Head), Carl Hadlington, who hit two, Phil Tonks and Mark Rollinson (Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’).
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Just the one rearranged fixture played in the Black Country Men’s Super League this week which saw Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club win 4-1 at home against Ten Arches to see them finish as runners-up in the league with 126 points, only three fewer than champions Allen’s Bar ‘A’.
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There is a change at the top of the West Midlands Ladies Super League this week with a new leader in the form of reigning champion Evonne Taylor. Evonne played just the one game and somewhat surprisingly lost 3-1 to Kat McLean to see her replace Jacqueline Maiden in pole position with 117 points, Maiden not playing this week and she is now placed second with 116 points with a game in hand. Kat McLean is playing catch-up and slowly moving up the table, she is currently seventh but has only played twenty-four games compared to the players above her who have played thirty-three and thirty-four games, except for fifth placed Jackie Trott who has played thirty-two games.
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There were a couple of top of the table clashes in the West Midlands Men’s Super League this week with leaders Staffordshire Knot taking on fifth placed Junction ‘A’ and winning 4-1 to take their number of points to eighty-five and in the process extending their lead slightly to three points over Kings Head who had a 3-2 home win over fourth in the league Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club, who are now some twenty points short of the leaders and nine behind third placed Dog and Partridge after they won their home tie with Carrington Club 5-0.
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The Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night league are up to week two of the new season and of the twenty-one starters to the new campaign only one of them are able to boast a 100% win record. Eight of the nine have played and won eight games and they are reigning champions Chop House, Beech Tree Miners, Raven, Swan, Bird in Hand, Hollybush, Old Liberal Club ‘A’ and Ashwood, newcomers Stourbridge FC Youth have only played one game which they won.
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Nick Fullwell had a bit of a nightmare week in the Amblecote RBL Premier League, he began the night on the wrong side of the 7-0 whitewash against fourth in the league Paul Wells and then lost 4-3 to Jon Underhill, who is in the lower half of the league table. The two defeats see Fullwell hold on to third place with 176 points but he is now, with two games in hand, fifty-five points behind leader Jason Lowe who on the night won 7-0 against Jayden Harper and 5-2 against Mark Hopkins to put him on 231 points. Second placed Ian Townsend has 187 points and like Fullwell has two games in hand on Lowe, his latest fixtures saw him win 6-1 against Tom Hanson 5-2 against Steve Gillam. Paul Wells, after beating Fullwell then won 4-3 against Caden Marsh to give him a total of 166 points, but he has three games in hand on both Fullwell and Townsend and five in hand on Lowe.
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For only the fourth time in eighteen games, Simon Pritchard lost in division one of the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League. Playing against the reigning champion Scott Baker, Pritchard went down 5-3, however he still remains top of the table as second placed Chris Manoila also lost to Scott Baker, going down 7-1.
Division two’s Matt Ford added a further 5-3 win over Dave Akers to his account but it was not enough to keep him top of the table as second placed Wayne Barratt beat Claire Hobbs 7-1 to replace Ford in pole position. The situation now is that second placed Ford has 131 points and Barratt has 132 points plus a game in hand on Ford. Third in the division Neville Quinton didn’t play this week and although now ten points behind new leader Barratt has two games in hand on him.
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The Wolverhampton Tuesday Night Darts League have only one more week of domestic fixtures and Junction ‘B’ have already won the singles league title, they took their points tall up to seventy-four with a 5-2 home win over their nearest rivals, second placed Dog and Partridge ‘B’ who after the defeat are twelve points behind the champions but are still not assured of the runners-up spot as third placed Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’ had a 7-0 home win over Golden Lion ‘B’ to put them on the same sixty-two points as Dog and partridge ‘B’. To clinch the second place Dog and Partridge ‘B’ have to equal or better Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’ result in the final game of the season.
Junction ‘B’ are on the verge of making it a fantastic double as they are also top of the doubles league, but missed the opportunity to seal the title in their latest outing as they went down 2-1 at home to Dog and Partridge ‘B’ to leave them on the same fifty-eight points as second placed Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’, after their 2-1 home win over Golden Lion ‘B’.
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