It was cup semi-finals week in the Kings Norton League and in the League Cup two of the top teams played against each other as joint-second Thurlestone and Bournebrook who are on the same thirty-two points, have both played twenty-one games and are also level on average. The result was a close 4-3 win for Bournbrook. The other last four game saw Norhtfield, who are fourth in the league win 5-2 against Cock Inn, who are three places below them in the league table and have eight points fewer.
League leaders Copper Fox played in the semi-finals of the Consolation Cup and recorded a convincing 6-1 win over Longbridge who are just three places off the foot of the table. The second semi produced a close 4-3 win for fifth in the league Bourneville against Stirchley who are eighth.
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With four more fixtures to play Northfield Conservative Club have a four points lead at the top of the Harborne and District League they made it eighteen straight victories when they won their home game with Weoley Castle WMC 8-1. Second in the league Copper Fox ‘R’ went one better beating their hosts, bottom of the table Windsor 9-0, leaving Windsor without a win in their eighteen games. After the top two there is a gap of six points to third placed Northfield who were unable to add to their points tally of twenty-six as they went down 5-4 away to Smethwick Cricket Club who are fourth in the table and now only two points behind their opponents. Fifth in the league Copper Fox ‘M’ are on the same twenty-four points as Smethwick Cricket Club trailing them only on average after winning 7-2 at home against Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club.
There were no fewer than eight maximums scored this week two of them coming from Northfield Town’s L.Allen while his team mate L.Fowler scored 180,4×100,104,109 and 140. The other five top scores came from K.Bedder (Copper Fox ‘M’), N.Porter (Copper Fox ‘R’), A.Poolton (Cock Inn), M.Lloyd (Northfield Conservative Club) and M.Bolton (Weoley Castle WMC).
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Week five in the Sheldon and District Summer League brought about no change in the group one table placings as Langley Arrows held on to pole position with a 7-1 home win over RAFA to open up a three points lead over second and third Raven Arrows and Highwood, Raven Arrows with a 180 from Jason Prince holding their hosts Highwood to a 4-4 draw as John Buckingham also notched a maximum for the home side.
Being as Trident Spears had their game at Kingshurst Labour Club postponed they had to forfeit their number one spot to the Banbury Club whose 5-3 win at EBAHA gives them a one point lead over Trident in second place who now have a game in hand. Third in the group Yardley Ex Colts won their home tie with Hornet 5-3 to leave them two points off the top of the table.
With maximums from both Jon Bown and Steve Wells Shirley Misfits held their hosts Old Salts Darts to a 4-4 draw, the result seeing Misfits move off the foot of the table while their opponents lost pole position and dropped to second place behind new leaders Sheldon Marlborough Ridge who won 5-3 at home against Langley Flights to take their points to eight, one more than the former leaders.
Due to Moseley Rugby Club having their fixture with Sheldon Marlborough Flights postponed they drop to second place in group four on the same six points as the new leaders Raven whose 6-2 win over Langley Stems gives them a slender three legs of average lead over the Rugby Club.
Other players to find the three treble twenties this week were C.Millward (Mackadown Sports and Social Club), Rob Wilson (Hornet) and Kian Poyner (Smithswood Social Club).
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Northfield Conservative Club ‘B’, division one leaders of the South West Birmingham Clubs League opened up a 3-0 lead over Bournbrook in their second fixture of the season but had to wait until the final leg of the match to secure a close 4-3 victory to keep them top of the division with four points and a very slight one leg of average lead over their nearest rivals Stirchley United who took their points to the same four as the leaders with a 5-2 win away to Perfection who are bottom of the division. Another division one fixture that went to the wire was the game between Quarry Club and Northfield Darts with Northfield opening up a 3-0 lead and once again having to wait until the final encounter before securing their narrow 4-3 win, L.Fox having a 160 break for Quarry.
The top spot in division two is shared by Northfield Conservative Club ‘A’ and Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club who in turn had respective 5-2 wins over E57 and Moseley All Services Club.
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Just one rearranged fixture played in the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League this week which saw Bird in Hand win 4-3 at Crestwood, the win sees Bird in Hand move up one place in the table to sixth while Crestwood remain in tenth place.
The league staged the quarter-finals of their League Cup with league leaders Old Liberal Club making their way into the last four with a 6-1 win over Netherton Conservative Club ‘A’. Princess and Five Ways handed out 7-0 defeats to their opponents Raven ‘A’ and Raven ‘B’ while Netherton Conservative Club ‘B’ moved into the semi-finals with a narrow 4-3 victory over Gate Hangs Well ‘A’.
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Vine ‘A’ kept their title hopes on course and also maintained their six points lead at the top of the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League with a 6-1 win away to Waggon and Horses. Second in the league Allen’s Bar were 5-2 winners at Cottage Spring to keep them just ahead of third placed Tamebridge on average despite Tamebridge winning their home game with Horse and Jockey 7-0.
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Maximums from Shane Passey and Dave Edwards helped leaders of the Netherton Thursday Night League Old Liberal Club to an 8-1 home win over Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘B’ and at the same time keeps intact their six points lead plus a game in hand on second placed Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ who with a 180 from Phil Tonks won 6-3 at home against fourth placed Townsend Social Club. Third in the table Bulls Head had a close 5-4 win at Old Glasshouse who are six places below them in the table, however the win keeps them within three points (one win) of Ex Serviceman’s ‘A’ and they have two games in hand.
Two other players hit a maximum this week Carl Wakeman (Spring Meadow Social) and Rob Thompson (Townsend Social Club).
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On the agenda for the Silver End Sunday Morning League were cup fixtures, only one of the semi-finals for the Main Cup was played which saw Tenth Lock beat Rose and Crown 6-2. In the Shadow League semis both fixtures went to the very last game as both Old Star versus High Acres ‘B’ and High Acres ‘A’ versus Pensnett Liberal Club after eight games were level at 4-4. The 5-4 results went to Old Star and High Acres ‘A who will now meet in the final.
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The Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League are up to game eleven and only one of the starting line-up of seventeen teams, Five Ways ‘A’, is able to boast a 100% win record having won all ten of their fixtures so far. The latest round of fixtures saw Five Ways ‘A’ hand out a 7-0 whitewash to their visitors, bottom of the table and without a win in eleven games Netherton Conservative Club. The win keeps the leader’s two points ahead of Old Liberal Club ‘A’ who in their local derby with their ‘B’ side also won 7-0. After the top two come four teams all on fourteen points, six off the top, and they are Bird in Hand ‘E’, Plough, Fox Inn (Lye) and Hollybush, Plough and Fox Inn have both played eleven games whereas the other teams in the top six have only played ten. Bird in Hand ‘E’ won 7-0 against Five Ways ‘B’, Plough won 5-2 against Brickmakers Arms, there was a 6-1 success for Fox Inn (Lye) at home to Garibaldi and Hollybush, who also had a home game beat Mount Pleasant 5-2.
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Week twenty brought together the top two teams in the Rowley Monday Night League with leaders Bell travelling to take on Plough and Harrow. The result was a 7-2 win for Bell to open up a four points lead over their hosts who hang on to the number two spot with thirty-four points, two more than third in the league Hawthorms who won their home fixture with Gate Hangs Well 5-4.
On the individual scene there were maximums for G.Edwards (Romsley Cricket Club) and G.Locke from Tividale FC, Locke’s team mate H.Kainthal not only hit a 180 but also had a 160 break.
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The Brierley Hill Monday Night League are up to week eleven and leading the field with a perfect twenty-two points from their eleven games is Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ whose most recent fixture saw them win 8-1 away against Starving Rascal. Second in the league Maverick are four points behind the leaders but won the latest fixture at the Bridge 5-4 to keep them two points to the good over third and fourth placed Roebuck ‘B’ and Mount Pleasant who in turn had 7-2 and 5-4 wins over Pensnett Liberal Club ‘A’ and Old Bush.
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With Dan Nicholls not playing in week thirty of the Amblecote Premier League Nick Fullwell took the opportunity to play and win two fixtures in which he won 5-2 against Jake Robinson and then 6-1 against Matt Davies to see him move up into pole position with 261 points from fifty games. Nicholls with 251 from forty-six games drops from the number one position to third place behind Gavin Smith who added 7-0 wins over Andy Vellender and Josh Wheeler to his account to give him a total of 252 points from forty-eight games.
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A 3-0 win over Crysta Davies-Wilcox keeps Gemma Barrett top of the West Midlands Ladies Super League with fifty-two points from twenty games. Jackie Trott moved up one place to second following her 3-1 win over Shellbie Simmons and 3-0 win against Jacqui Simmons giving her forty-six points from sixteen games. Third placed Shellbie Simmons lost even more ground in the title race when she lost he second game of the night 3-2 to Claire Hobbs, her forty-one points from nineteen games now only one more than Jacqueline Maiden in fourth place who has only played fifteen games.
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In the West Midlands Men’s Super League leaders Kings Head ‘A’ lost for only the second time in eighteen games when they returned from Dog and Partridge on the wrong side of the 3-2 result. The win sees second in the league Dog and Partridge draw level on sixty-seven points with Kings Head ‘A’, the two top teams two points ahead of third in the league Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’ who had a convincing 5-0 home win over Three Crowns keeping intact their one point lead on fourth placed Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club who also had a 5-0 win at home against Gilbert’s Bar ‘A’.
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With the leaders of the Black Country Men’s Super League Allen’s Bar having a bye, second placed Townsend ‘A’ missed the opportunity to replace them at the top of the table when they lost 3-2 playing away against Quarry Bank Liberal Club, however despite the defeat Townsend ‘A’ have drawn level on twenty-six points with Allen’s Bar but they have now played one game more than the leaders who with six wins from six games are the only team in the league that is undefeated.
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Hotshots continue to lead the singles division of the Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League making it eleven wins in as many games when they won 4-3 at home against Woodfield. Keeping in touch with the leaders are Junction ‘B’ and Gilbert’s Bar ‘A’ who are both just two points behind the top side after Junction ‘B’ won 5-2 at Corpus Christi ‘A’ and Gilbert’s Bar ‘A’ won 6-1 at home against Dog and Partridge.
In the doubles division Junction ‘B’ top the table with a perfect twenty-two points from their eleven games the latest of which saw them win 3-0 at Corpus Christi ‘A’ to keep them two points ahead of second placed Hotshots who had a similar 3-0 win over Woodfield. The top two teams are opening a gap between them and rest of the field as third and fourth placed Gilbert’s Bar ‘A’ and New Gate Inn ‘A’ are both on sixteen points and already six short of the leaders Junction ‘B’.
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