Following their tremendous away win against Middlesex, West Midlands then played hosts to neighbouring Black Country in what was a rearranged game one fixture and going into the game West Midlands were fourth in the division with 107 points and Black Country next to bottom of the table with eighty-seven points.
Home advantage showed as the weekend got underway with West Midlands ladies ‘B’ opening up a 3-0 lead with wins from Sarah Maybury, Kat McLean and Kelly Doleman, Maybury winning 3-1 against McKenzie Raine Thomas and McLean, not only winning 3-0 against Sarah-Jane Parker but also picking up the match award for her 20.04 average. Kelly Doleman won 3-0 against Stella Sims. Game number four saw Black Country gain their first winner in the shape of Paige Robbins who 3-1 success against Hannah Davies earned her the matchaward for her 19.88 average, then with a further 3-1 win for the away team from Kirsty Shaughnessy over Tara Simmons-Fullwood the result all hinged on the final game between Shellbie Simons and Amy-Leigh Tolley. The result, a 3-1 win for Shellbie Simmons to give the hosts a 4-2 victory.
The West Midlands men’s ‘B’ emulated the ladies ‘B’ game by winning the opening three games as Ryan O’Connor and Kieran O’Mahoney in turn won 4-3 against Rich Bowen and Wayne Hobday and Dean Simmons-Fullwood beat Andy Garratt 4-1. Sam Bissell reduced the arrears for the visitors when he won 4-0 against Alex Simmons and with a further 4-3 win for Al Smith over Ryan Locker, Black Country were back in the game. At the midway point of the match the home side had stretched their lead to 4-2 with Jack Aldridge ending the half with a 4-2 win over Kieron Bridgwater.
The second half did not begin as well as the first for the home team as their opponents won the opening four games to go from 4-2 down to lead 6-4. Jake Shipley began the quartet of wins when he won 4-2 against Dan Nicholls, Rob Smith levelling the game at 4-4 with his straight 4-0 win over Adam Teasdale and with a man of the match win for Tom Bissell in which he beat Karl Hughes 4-1 and averaged 30.68, Black Country were in the lead for the first time in the match. Extending their lead to 6-4 was Ian Townsend who added his 4-2 success over Mark Curley to the away team’s account. Callum Parkes kept the home side in with a chance of a draw when he beat Mark Rollinson 4-1 and with a 4-2 win for last on Daniel Hands against Mark Jones, the result was a 6-6 draw. Daniel Hands taking the West Midlands match award for his 27.97 average.
In the ladies ‘A’ match it was the turn of the Black Country team to win the first three games as opener Chez Allcock beat Jodie Rowlands 3-0, Maxine Prosser won 3-1 against Jacqueline Trott and the visitor’s lady of the match Tammy Chance won 3-0 against Kat McLean with a 16.70 average. The home team then fought back wining the last three games to finish all-square at three each. Beginning the string of wins was award winner Gemma Barrett who had a 3-0 win against Heather Wright and averaged 18.33. A 3-1 success for Evonne Taylor over Abbey Hunt took the result to the very last game in which Jacqueline Maiden (West Midlands) won 3-2 against Doreen Hunt to earn her team a share of the spoils.
West Midlands men’s ‘A’ began their game with an overall 13-11 lead but that was shortened in the very first game as Steve Jones (Black Country) won 4-1 against Will Beaden. An award winning performance from Gavin Baker restored West Midlands two games lead, Baker winning 4-2 against Aaron Colley with a 28.24 average before Ryan O’Connor increased the hosts lead to 15-12 with his 4-0 defeat of Alex Howells. It all then went a little pear-shaped for the home side as Black Country chalked up 4-1 wins from Jamie Barrowman and Harry Williams, who in turn defeated Rob Thompson and Shaun Carroll to reduce the arrears and by the halfway stage with a further 4-2 win for man of the match Trev Brannan over Richard Platt, Black Country were leading the game 4-2 and the overall score was level at fifteen each. Trev Brennan’s win saw him chalk-up a superb 33.54 average.
From an all-square point of 15-15 Black Country, who had trailed for most of the weeken, stormed to an overall victory as they swept through the second half’s six games. Liam Kelly and Jamie Rollinson in turn won 4-3 against Martin Price and Ash Khayat then, with 4-1 wins for Michael Powell, George Willetts and Dan Homer against respective opponents Darren Williams, Mark Craddock and Shane Price, Black Country had won the fixture before playing the final game. To emphasise their win Paul Wells completed the rout with a 4-2 success against Jack Aldridge giving the Black Country men’s ‘A’ a convincing 10-2 win and an overall 21-15 victory for the weekend.
Despite their defeat West Midlands moved up from fourth to the top of the promotional table, level on the same 122 points as Clwyd. Winners Black Country moved from next to bottom of the table to fifth with 111 points, just eleven short of the leading duo.
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