2006-07-01

The Sheldon and District Winter League have been busy rounding off their season completing not only the day to day league fixtures but also various knockouts. On the league front it was congratulations to Saltley Amateur Gardeners who lifted the premier division title with a total of 36 points, just two more than runners up Highwood. Division one could not have been closer. Shard End Social and Raven finished with not only the same 32 points but more amazingly the exact difference in average to share the title, Pavilions were third a further two points behind. There was no such problem in the second division. Kingshurst Labour Club won the division with 38 points, eight more than their nearest rivals Harvester.
The shadow league winners were Sheldon Dukes (Premier Division), RAFA (Division One) and Farringdon Social (Division Two).
The singles knockout was staged at the league headquarters, Lea Hall Sports and Social Club and the eventual winner of the event was Sheldon Dukes man Paul Sunner, but it was not easy as he was made to fight all the way for the title.
In the quarter finals Paul faced up to Dean Young from Mackadown Sports and Social and went through to the final four with a close 2-1 verdict. Dean Grainger (Fordbridge Social) was Paul’s next hurdle. Again the result was a close 2-1 affair, which proved to be the case in the final in which the champion accounted for Highwood’s Mark Wall before he was able to lift the champion’s silverware.
The doubles knockout provided some top flight performances, none better than the form produced by the eventual winners J.Norris and M.Wall form the Highwood.
Playing down from the last sixteen the champions did not drop a single leg, beating P.Perryman / P.Quinn (Glebe Farm Community Association), M.Noonan / A.McCrave (Banbury Club), P.Randell / I.McLean (Saltley Amateur Gardeners) and in the final A.Grainger and D.Grainger who represented Fordbridge Social.
The event produced two maximums, the first from J.Prince (Fordbridge Social) in the last sixteen and J.Norris in the quarter finals.
Other end of season finals included the Punch Bowl and Sheldon Shield. The semi’s of the Punch Bowl saw premier division champions Saltley Amateur Gardeners take out division one rivals Vaughans with an emphatic 9-0 result, while in the other last four play off game Fordbridge Social just got the 5-4 edge on Brook Meadow. The final turned out to be a somewhat surprising 5-4 victory for Fordbridge.
The Sheldon Shield semi’s were both more than a little one sided as Shard End RBL Flights beat RAFA 8-1 and then to set up an all Shard End final, Shard End Social won 7-2 against Iron Horse. The title went to Flights as they beat their close rivals 5-4.
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Congratulations also go to Rob Snaith and Paul Barber, members of the Queens Head ’A’ in the Pip Club League, the duo having won the league’s doubles competition.
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Two former champions of the Brook Meadow Individual League are battling it out for the current title. Reigning champion Mark Birch at the time of going to print is on 114 points and lying in second position behind the man he took the title off Robbie Ear. Earl has 115 points but does have the added bonus of a game in hand, which could well be the deciding factor as to who the title will eventually go to.
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In division one of the Harborne and District 401 Summer League Midland Red are the team setting the pace for the rest of the field as they extended their unbeaten run with a 6-3 win at the Cock Inn. Three teams who have lost just one game and are two points behind the Red’s are, Old Mill, Bartley Green F.C. and the George.
In the second division three teams, Harborne Stores, Quinborne and Bartley Green Social Club are all still able to boast a 100%win record.
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