It was cup quarter-finals week in the Sheldon and District Winter League this week, as the divisional cups were played down to the last four teams. In the Premier League games the top two divisional leaders squared up to each other with current leaders Sheldon Marlborough Arrows losing 5-4 to second placed Langley Arrows. Third in the division RAFA, despite a 120 finish and 9 darts game from John Smyth lost 7-2 away to next to bottom of the division Banbury Club whose, Kristian Green had an eight darts game and his team mate Adam Cooksey checked out on 118. Bottom of the Premier League and without a win in six games EBAHA had a narrow 5-4 defeat against Raven Arrows who are fourth in the league table. Completing the Premier League games were Mackadown Social and Highwood, the latter winning 6-3 with a 117 finish from their Simon Edwards plus a ten darts game for John Buckingham, Anthony Savage had a 121 game-shot and 9 darts game for Mackadown.
In the division one fixtures leaders Smithswood Social Club had a somewhat surprisingly close 5-4 win against Sheldon Marlborough Ridge who are just two places off the foot of the table, while second placed Yardley Ex Colts had a 6-3 success against bottom of the division Hunters Moon. Fourth in the division Langley Flights won 5-4 against Iron Horse Rebels and joining them in the semi-finals will be Kingshurst Labour Club who had a 6-3 win over Hollywood Social Club, Stephen Shepherd having a 104 finish for Kingshurst.
The biggest winners in the division two games were second from bottom Shirley Misfits who won 7-2 against bottom of the table Langley Pints whose, Ryan Jackson score a maximum. There were 6-3 wins for Moseley Rugby Club and Castle Bromwich WMC who in turn accounted for Lyndon Old Boys and Maggies. Divisional leaders Sheldon Marlborough Flights had a narrow 5-4 win against Digby.
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Copper Fox and Northfield took their unbeaten run in the Kings Norton League to five games this week when the former won their home tie with Bournebrook 5-2 to keep them top of the table on average while their opponents dropped one place to fourth. Northfield had a closer 4-3 win at Stirchley to leave them trailing Copper Fox by two legs of average while their opponents dropped one place to fifth. A 4-3 home win over Dingle has seen Bourneville move up two places to third with eight points, two fewer than the two teams above them but two to the good on Bournebrook, Stirchley and Cock Inn, Cock Inn having a 5-2 home win over bottom of the league E57.
There were four players finding the three treble twenties this week, and they were L.Little (Stirchley), J.Evitts (Northfield) plus P.Taylor and Kyle Astbury (Perfection).
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After the opening five weeks in the Harborne and District League no fewer than five of the league’s fifteen teams have a 100% win record. Copper Fox ‘R’ with a 9-0 win at Windsor Complex top the table on average but only by a slender one leg of average over second placed Northfield Conservative Club who had a 7-2 home win over Cock Inn. Third placed Smethwick Cricket Club were 8-1 winners at Weoley Castle WMC to leave them five legs of average behind the leaders but four ahead of fourth placed Northfield Darts Club who also won 8-1 in their home game with Lion Bar. Fifth in the league Copper Fox ‘M’ have only played and won four games, they had a bye this week and sees them trail the four teams above them by two points but with a game in hand.
A top score of 180 was achieved by four players this week, J.Hykin (Copper Fox ‘R’), L.Allen (Northfield Darts Club), D.Windsor (Lion Bar) and S.Jones (Northfield Conservative Club).
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It was the preliminary round of the Percy Hinton Trophy that was on the fixture card for the South West Birmingham Clubs League which brought together the top two teams in division one. Northfield Conservative Club ‘B’ have a two legs of average lead on second placed Longbridge United, both teams having won their opening two fixtures, but the first round of the Percy Hinton Trophy produced a defeat for one of those teams and it turned out to be divisional leaders Northfield Conservative Club ‘B’, who despite home advantage finished on the wrong side of the 5-4 result. Division one’s bottom team Bournbrook had 7-2 win away to second division opponents E57, while another division one side West Heath CEM lost 5-4 at home to Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club who are from the second division. In the all-division two encounter leaders Quarry Club won 8-1 against next to bottom of that division Moseley All Services Club. Stirchley United (division one) went through to the next round with a 6-3 win over Bartley Green FC (division two), All other teams had a bye.
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For the first time in seven games Wakefield Warriors lost in the Camp Hill League. Wakefield Warriors went through last season’s fourteen games and remained undefeated but in their home tie with second placed Erdington Nomads they lost 4-3. Despite the defeat the Warriors hold on to pole position with twelve points, their victors remain second with ten points but with game in hand. Third in the league Roost Bosh added a 6-1 win over bottom of the table Sedgemere Devils to their account to put them also on ten points but from seven games. Biggest win of the week went to Clumsy Swan whoi handed out a 7-0 whitewash totheir visitors Roost Rebels.
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A 6-3 home win over Rise Club sees Highcroft Hotdogs hold on to the number one spot in division one of the Four Oaks and District League with sixteen points from the first ten games. Second placed Nomads @ Hollyfields won by a similar 6-3 margin in their home fixture with Old Horns Lions to give them fourteen points from ten games. Third in the division is Walmley CSC Flights who again were 6-3 winners as they won at home against Red Lion. Walmley are on the same fourteen points as Nomads but have played one game fewer than them. Bishop Vesey moved up two places in the division to fourth with a 5-4 home win over Heartlands giving them twelve points from ten games, fifth placed Red Lion are also on twelve points but from nine games.
The top two teams in division two Drakes Drum and Erdington Arrows are both on sixteen points with Erdington Arrows having a game in hand on Drakes Drum. In their latest fixtures Drakes Drum won 6-3 at home against fourth in the division Pint Pot Flights while Erdington Arrows had a closer 5-4 home win over sixth placed Beggars Bush, Third in the table Rosey Mac’s won 8-1 at St Thomas Misfits to put them on twelve points, the same number that Pint Pot Flights are on but with two legs of average fewer. Fifth and sixth St Thomas Arrows and Beggars Bush have both only played nine games, St Thomas Arrows winning 5-4 at Sutton Sports to give them twelve points while after their defeat Beggars Bush are on ten points.
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As a result of both Bulls Head and British Oak both losing and Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ winning, the Ex Serviceman’s Club have opened up a three points lead at the top of the Netherton Thursday Night 501 League table. Bulls Head lost 6-3 to leaders Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ while British Oak lost by the same margin to Plough and Harrow. With both the losing teams dropping down one place in the table an 8-1 win for Old Liberal Club at Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘B’ has seen them move up two places to second with eighteen points, the same amount of points as Bulls Head but with a superior average.
The league’s fixtures produced four maximums this week and they were supplied by H.Davenport (Spring Meadow Pub), C.Moreton (British Oak), L.Eaves (Spring Meadow Social) and S.Whatmore (Old Liberal Club).
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With three more fixtures to play in the Silver End Sunday Morning League, leaders Dudley Sports ‘A’ have a four points lead over the rest of the field. In their most recent fixture Dudley Sports ‘A’ won 7-1 at home against New Talbot ‘B’ while second placed Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club had a bye. Third in the table Old Star are a further two points adrift on seventy-seven points after they won 5-3 at home against Brickmakers Arms.
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Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club had a 7-2 win at Dudley Sports ‘A’ in the Brierley Hill Monday Night League to keep their title hopes on course as their win takes their points tally to fifty-two and gives them an eight points lead on second placed Maverick who were held to a close 5-4 win at Rose and Crown. Old Bush are third in the table, their 6-3 home win over Dudley Sports ‘B’ taking their number of points to forty, the same number as fourth placed Roebuck ‘B’ after their 6-3 home success over High Acre4s ‘B’ which leaves them just two legs of average behind Old Bush.
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A 6-1 win at Plough keeps Old Liberal Club ‘A’ top of the Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League on average and in addition they have a game in hand on their nearest rivals Swan who won 5-2 at Red House. Third p[laced Bird in Hand ‘’E’ suffered a setback to their title hopes as they lost 5-2 at home to fourth in the league Hollybush who now, with thirty-four points are still four behind their opponents but with a game in hand.
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Although leaders of the Black Country Men’s Super League, Allen’s Bar didn’t play this week they remain in pole position with seventy-four points from nineteen games and have a lead of seven points plus a game in hand on second in the league Townsend ‘A’ who had a narrow 3-2 home win over Quarry Bank Liberal Club. Third in the league Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club had a major upset as they lost 3-2 at Quarry Bank Liberal Club ‘B’ who are placed fourth in the table, now on the same sixty-three points as their opponents and with a game in hand.
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Over the weekend Weoley Castle WMC was the setting for the Birmingham Darts Festival which consisted of four top events, one ladies and one men’s on both Saturday and Sunday with a total prize money of £9,000, the weekend proving yet again to be a massive success.
Saturday’s Ladies Classic competition saw Rose Mort and Vicky Pruim make the final when in turn they won 5-4 against Steph Clarke and Sara Walton. In the best of eleven legs final Rose Mort got the 6-2 win to beat Vicky Pruim and claim the top prize of 530 with Pruim collecting £240.
In the men’s Classic Warwickshire’s Jamie Hughes was defeated in the last four games as he went down 6-3 to Jack Tweddell. The second semi-final was won by Graham Hall as he beat Dan Astbury 6-2.The final went to the penultimate leg with Tweddell just getting the 6-4 edge on Hall to lift the winners prize money of £1100 with Hall receiving £500.
Sunday’s Opens saw Vicky Pruin once again reach the last four and book her place in the final with a 5-3 win over Paula Jacklin and meeting her in the final was Angela Kirkwood after she won her last four game against Warwickshire’s Marian Conway 5-2. For the second day running Vicky Pruim had to content herself with finishing as runner-up as she lost 6-4 to Angela Kirkwood, the winner collecting £530 and Vicky Pruim picking up her second £240, not a bad weekend’s work!!
For the second consecutive day Graham Hall made it through to the semi-finals after in the quarter-finals he beat the man he lost to the previous day in the final Jack Tweddell, on this occasion it was Hall who won the last eight game 5-2. Unfortunately after beating Tweddell, Hall then made his exit in the semis when he finished on the wrong side of the 6-2 result against Jamai Van De Herik. From the other half of the draw Chris Dobey made his way through to the semis where he won 6-4 against Luke Woodhouse but he then suffered a narrow 6-5 defeat in the final to Jamai Van De Herik who received £1100 as winner with Dobey picking up £500.
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Very little change in the Wolverhampton Tuesday Night League after completing game twenty-six, in the singles league Junction ‘B’ continue to dominate with a commanding 7-0 home win over Junction ‘D’ to keep them top of the table with fifty points and a lead of four over second placed Hotshots who also won 7-0 at Junction ‘A’.
Junction ‘B’ also top the doubles league with forty-eight points but only on average as once again Hotshots are second level on points but trailing by six legs of average after Junction ‘B’ won 2-1 against Junction ‘B’ and Hotshots beat Junction ‘A’ 3-0.
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Just a note to everyone who supplies me with their weekly darts results and information, there will be a two weeks break for the darts column in the Birmingham Mail over the festive period but please continue to send me all of your results as they will all be included in my next round-up which will be on the 8th January 2025.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all contributors and readers of my various columns for their support over the last year and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year.
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