Wychwood Aunt Sally League Sponsored by Top Tackle & Metal Salvage LTD

2018 RESULTS, WEEKLY REPORTS & UPDATES

WEEK 26 - 20th OCTOBER - FINALS NIGHT!

SUPPLEMENTARY CUP FINAL

KINGS HEAD				THREE HORSESHOES
SET?		*	*	SET?	*
HANDICAP	2	2	2	HANDICAP	0	0	0
M HOLLY	2	2	2	M GREENWAY	4	2	3
K GARDINER	---	3	1	A RICHMOND	1	---	---
A BOUTIER	2	1	X	J WAGERFIELD	---	---	4
T COSGROVE	2	X	1	G LAMBERT	---	3	1
P GREALIS	1	---	X	N BALDWIN	3	2	1
T GREALIS	2	2	2	S BAREFIELD	3	3	/
C BALDWIN	1	X	---	A CHAMBERLAIN	2	6	---
				S WILSON	2	/	/
TOTAL	12	10	8	TOTAL	15	16	9
POINTS	0	0	0	POINTS	2	2	2

WINNERS: THREE HORSESHOES

FOUR-A-SIDE FINAL

BLACK PRINCE A(A)			BLACK PRINCE A(B)
SET?		*	SET?	*
D GRANT	2	2	D WALSH	2	4
P AUSTIN	3	5	J TOWNSEND	5	3
I GRANT	X	3	M PHIPPS	1	5
R BRADFORD	3	2	K POWELL	4	1
TOTAL	8	12	TOTAL	12	13

WINNERS: BLACK PRINCE A(B)

TRIPLES FINAL

QUEENS HEAD A			MASONS ARMS A
SET?	*		SET?		*
L THOMPSON	1	4	R GRANT	1	3
J GLENISTER	2	2	N PRATLEY	2	4
G KITCHEN	2	/	C BUCKINGHAM	3	4
TOTAL	5	6	TOTAL	6	11

WINNERS: MASONS ARMS A

SIXERS CUP FINAL

						TOTAL
C BUCKINGHAM	3	1	6	3	4	17
R BRADFORD	3	5	5	3	3	19
D WALSH	2	4	4	2	/	12
L THOMPSON	4	3	3	4	4	18
P AUSTIN	3	4	3	3	4	17
M FOREMAN	5	4	1	5	1	16

WINNER: ROB BRADFORD

SINGLES COMPETITION SEMI FINALS

SET?	*			SET?		*	*
J TOWNSEND	5	4	3	D GRANT	/	4	3
POINTS	2	1	1	POINTS	0	1	1

WINNER: JON TOWNSEND

SET?		*	*	SET?	*
M FOREMAN	/	5	1	P AUSTIN	4	/	2
POINTS	0	2	0	POINTS	2	0	2

WINNER: PHIL AUSTIN

KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL

MASONS ARMS A						BLACK PRINCE A
SET?			*		*	SET?	*	*		*
HANDICAP	1	1	1	1	1	HANDICAP	0	0	0	0	0
S BUCKINGHAM	3	2	1	---	1	R BRADFORD	3	5	3	4	5
T NEWBOLD	4	3	4	1	---	P AUSTIN	4	3	3	4	4
R GRANT	3	3	3	4	3	D GRANT	2	3	2	3	4
D HARRIS	3	1	---	2	2	M PHIPPS	3	4	4	4	3
K JOHNSON	2	/	6	4	2	J TOWNSEND	4	4	6	5	1
N PRATLEY	---	/	4	5	4	D WALSH	3	5	/	2	/
C BUCKINGHAM	4	/	5	1	3
TOTAL	20	10	24	18	16	TOTAL	19	24	18	22	17
POINTS	2	0	2	0	0	POINTS	0	2	0	2	2

WINNERS: BLACK PRINCE A

PAIRS COMPETITION FINAL

SET?	*		SET?		*
N PRATLEY	4	1	M GREENWAY	2	X
C BUCKINGHAM	3	/	N BALDWIN	2	X
POINTS	2	2	POINTS	0	0

WINNERS: NEIL PRATLEY & CHARLIE BUCKINGHAM

SINGLES COMPETITION FINAL

SET?	*			SET?		*	*
J TOWNSEND	4	3	6	P AUSTIN	3	4	5
POINTS	2	0	2	POINTS	0	2	0

WINNER: JON TOWNSEND

SIXERS

JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A) x 2

CHARLIE BUCKINGHAM

KEVIN JOHNSON

ALEX CHAMBERLAIN

WEEKLY REPORT:

So, the curtain came down on the 2018 season with a thrilling finals night at Eynsham Sports & Social Club.

The action kicked off with the SUPPLEMENTARY CUP FINAL, which was between the THREE HORSESHOES and the KINGS HEAD. It was the THREE HORSESHOES that showed their class to retain the trophy which they the won last year by winning the first three legs to record a 6-0 victory. Well done to the HORSESHOES, who capped off a great season to secure the league & cup double. And well done to the KINGS HEAD side, who made it through to perform at finals night on their debut season.

The second match of the night was the FOUR-A-SIDE FINAL, which was a battle for bragging rights between two fours from the BLACK PRINCE A. As it happened, the match was a straight forward affair, with the four made up of DICK WALSH, JON TOWNSEND, MICK PHIPPS & KIETH POWELL winning the first two legs to take the victory and apply the smug grins that came with the trophy.

The next match was the TRIPLES FINAL, which was between the three of LEE THOMPSON, JEFF GLENISTER & GORDON KITCHEN from the QUEENS HEAD A and the three of RAY GRANT, NEIL PRATLEY & CHARLIE BUCKINGHAM from the MASONS ARMS A. Like the fours final, it was a fairly simple victory, with the MASONS triple taking the first two legs to claim the trophy.

Next up was the SIXERS CUP FINAL, which is always a greatly sought after trophy to win. It was played between the six players that made it through from the SIXERS PLAYOFF NIGHT held a couple of weeks ago. As expected, this went down to the fifth and final leg, with five out of the six players still in with a chance of winning. It was ROB BRADFORD who set the winning score of 19 dolls, which proved just enough to defeat the 18 dolls of runner up LEE THOMPSON. It was a great final to watch as always, with CHARLIE BUCKINGHAM nailing a maximum in the third leg, and only 2 dolls between the top four players. Well done to all six players on such a great event.

The next action was the two SINGLES COMPETITION SEMI FINALS. The first semi was between favourite JON TOWNSEND and underdog DARREN GRANT. JON eased infront after setting a 5 in the opening leg, which DARREN couldn't get near. DARREN then set 4 in the second leg, which was matched by JON, meaning a deciding leg was required. DARREN set a 3 in this last leg, and with JON needing just a draw to advance, he hit his last stick to tie the 3 and go through to the final. The second semi final also went the distance, with a third leg required to separate PHIL AUSTIN and MICK FOREMAN. The opening two legs were both won by the player who set, with PHIL winning the first after a set of 4 and then MICK hitting back in the second by setting 5. It looked like the coin toss would be vital, but after winning the toss, MICK could only set a 1, which PHIL hit the 2 required to move onto play JON in the final later on in the evening. It should be noted that it has been a fantastic season by MICK, and he is now estabished as not only one of the leagues nicest guys, but also one of the leagues top players.

The next match was the KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL, which saw the old rivals the MASONS ARMS A face off against the BLACK PRINCE A. On paper, there looked to be nothing between the two sides, and thats exactly how the match played out. The MASONS took to first leg after anchor man CHARLIE BUCKINGHAM knocked off the required 4 dolls to edge infront, before the PRINCE hit back with a big set of 24 in the second leg to level the match 2-2. It was then the turn of the MASONS to set big as they posted 24 in the third leg, which included a 6 from KEVIN JOHNSON. The PRINCE tried to chase this down, helped by a maximum by JON TOWNSEND, but they fell short as the MASONS took a 4-2 lead. The PRINCE were then scrapping to stay in the match, and posted a set of 22 in the fourth leg, which just about proved enough to tie the match 4-4. So a last leg shootout was required, which was fitting considering how good the action was. It was the MASONS that won the toss and decided to set, and put up a score of 16 dolls, which is in that 'unknown' category of 'it shouldn't be enough but you never know'. As it proved, it wasn't enough, as the PRINCE top half hit 13 dolls between them, leaving MICK PHIPPS & JON TOWNSEND to mop up the required 4 dolls to take the match. I hope it as good a match to watch as it was to play in, with some great throwing from all of the players on show from both sides.

The penultimate game of the evening was the PAIRS FINAL, between NEIL PRATLEY & CHARLIE BUCKINGHAM from the MASONS ARMS and the surprise pair of MIKE GREENWAY & NICK BALDWIN from the THREE HORSESHOES. This was a one sided affair, with the MASONS pair easing to win both legs to take the trophy. Amazingly, this is the first time that either NEIL or CHARLIE have won the PAIRS trophy, and they can now add this to the long list of awards that they have picked up over the years in the Wychwood league. It was a really good effort from the boys at the HORESHOES just to make it through to the final, so even though they will be disappointed with how the final went they should still be very proud of making it to finals night.

So, the last action of the evening was the main event, being the SINGLES FINAL, between the BLACK PRINCE teammates JON TOWNSEND & PHIL AUSTIN. I think I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that this was the best singles final that I've ever had the pleasure to watch. It was JON that won the toss, and he set a winning score of 4 in the opening leg, with PHIL falling just short with a 3. The tables were turned in the second leg as PHIL set a winning score of 4, with it being JON'S turn to come up short with a 3. So, a last leg shootout was required, and you had the feeling that whoever won the toss, if they set a decent score, that would be enough. But what the hell do we know!! PHIL won the toss and put up a fantastic 5 to put one hand plus a couple of fingers on the crown. JON'S response was, how do I say it, just incredible. He hit his first stick, then his second, then the third and then the fourth. The crowd were all thinking 'he can't can he?'. Off came the fifth stick to tie the score as a hush went around the room. Bang...... JON'S last stick smacks the doll to hit a perfect 6 to win the match and win the SINGLES trophy for the very first time, and he can now join the very small list of players that have won both the OXFORD SINGLES and the WYCHWOOD SINGLES. It was a wonderful final that really didn't deserve to have only one winner, and in my eyes both players have been superb all season.

The only outstanding trophy to be decided was the PLAYER OF THE NIGHT AWARD. After PHIL set his 5 in the last leg of the singles it was heading in his direction. But, with the magical 6 that JON hit to win that, along with the other 6 that he hit in the KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL, the decision was made to award it to JON.

And that, my lovely lot, is that. I have lots of delightful photos of those of you that picked up an award, so check back here next week to see yourself in lights.

My final piece of business to report on in this section is actually the most important part...... the thank you's! In no particular order, myself and the committee would like to thank the following:

LEE THOMPSON (For being as fantastic as ever)

DICK WALSH (Raffle pest)

SPENCER BUCKINGHAM, TIM NEWBOLD, ALEX CHAMBERLAIN, STUART WILSON, MICK BERRY, JON TOWNSEND, KIETH POWELL, MICK PHIPPS, ROB BRADFORD, RON HINCHCLIFFE, DREW DUNCAN. (Calling & Sticking up) (If I have forgotton to mention your name on this list then I'm an idiot!)

THE STAFF AT EYNSHAM SPORT CLUB

JOHN & RACHEL at WITNEY TROPHY CENTRE

IAN, GLENDA & SUE (Keeping up with the scores)

CHRIS from LODDON BREWERY

EVERYONE THAT DONATED A RAFFLE PRIZE

EVERY SINGLE PUB/CLUB THAT PROVIDES A THROW FOR US TO PERFORM ON

EVERY SINGLE PLAYER THAT HAS THROWN A STICK IN ANGER THIS SEASON

EVERY SINGLE WIFE/GIRLFRIEND/PARTNER THAT HAS PUT UP WITH US SEASON

I'm certain that I'm forgetting someone, so please don't take offence if I haven't mentioned you. Without each and every single one of you the league would be no more. I hope you have enjoyed my reports this season. Look out for the finals night pictures, there are some crackers, although the prat in the Hawaiian shirt drags the standard down a bit.

Thanks all

WEEK 25 - 12th OCT - SIXERS CUP PLAYOFF

The last action before this season's finals night was our annual Sixers Cup Playoff, held indoors at the Masons Arms. There were 14 players who arrived to battle it out over the 5 legs, with the top six scorers progressing to the final. Congratulations to the following players who made it through the playoff and will now compete for the trophy on finals night:

Charlie Buckingham - 21 dolls

Rob Bradford - 19 dolls

Dick Walsh - 18 dolls

Lee Thompson - 18 dolls

Phil Austin - 16 dolls

Mick Foreman - 15 dolls (Qualified after a playoff)

Good luck next week chaps

WEEK 24 - 4th OCT - CUP MATCHES

KNOCKOUT CUP SEMI FINALS

CHADLINGTON SSC						BLACK PRINCE A
SET?		*	*			SET?	*
HANDICAP	2	2	2	2	2	HANDICAP	0	0	0	0	0
R JOHNSON	2	5	3	---	---	R BRADFORD	5	4	3	---	---
D DUNCAN	2	1	2	---	---	P AUSTIN	4	3	3	---	---
K MORLEY	1	2	1	---	---	D GRANT	3	3	2	---	---
K DRINKWATER	X	4	X	---	---	M PHIPPS	2	3	3	---	---
F MORETON	X	2	1	---	---	J TOWNSEND	X	3	2	---	---
R HINCHCLIFFE	4	2	3	---	---	D WALSH	1	3	/	---	---
TOTAL	11	18	12			TOTAL	15	19	13
POINTS	0	0	0			POINTS	2	2	2

WINNERS: BLACK PRINCE A

ENSTONE SSC						MASONS ARMS A
SET?		*				SET?	*		*
HANDICAP	2	2	2	2	2	HANDICAP	1	1	1	1	1
M BLAKE	2	4	1	---	---	S BUCKINGHAM	2	3	X	---	---
A BEACHAMP	X	2	X	---	---	T NEWBOLD	2	X	2	---	---
P COX	1	1	X	---	---	R GRANT	3	4	2	---	---
J BLAKE	2	1	1	---	---	D HARRIS	1	4	4	---	---
G WILLIAMS	2	2	/	---	---	K JOHNSON	4	2	3	---	---
S DUCKER	3	2	/	---	---	C BUCKINGHAM	4	2	4	---	---
TOTAL	12	14	4			TOTAL	17	16	16
POINTS	0	0	0			POINTS	2	2	2

WINNERS: MASONS ARMS A

SUPPLEMENTARY CUP SEMI FINALS

RED LION						THREE HORSESHOES
SET?		*		*		SET?	*		*
HANDICAP	2	2	2	2	2	HANDICAP	0	0	0	0	0
M FINCH	1	1	1	---	---	M GREENWAY	2	3	5	1	---
N MORETON	1	1	1	1	---	A RICHMOND	X	---	---	---	---
A EDWARDS	---	---	---	2	---	G LAMBERT	3	1	X	2	---
R D'COSTA	---	2	1	---	---	N BALDWIN	---	5	1	4	---
G MILLS	3	1	1	2	---	S BAREFIELD	4	3	2	5	---
S OSGATHORP	1	---	---	1	---	A CHAMBERLAIN	1	6	2	3	---
W TOWNSEND	4	2	1	1	---	S WILSON	4	1	X	3	---
M COPELIN	2	X	2	X	---
TOTAL	14	9	9	9		TOTAL	14	19	10	18
POINTS	1	0	0	0		POINTS	1	2	2	2

WINNERS: THREE HORSESHOES

GEORGE & DRAGON						KINGS HEAD
SET?	*			*		SET?		*	*
HANDICAP	2	2	2	2	2	HANDICAP	2	2	2	2	2
R HUNT	1	2	2	3	---	M HOLLY	3	1	4	1	---
M KILCOYNE	3	X	X	1	---	K GARDINER	1	3	3	5	---
J FLETCHER	X	1	2	2	---	A BOUTIER	2	1	1	2	---
M JORDON	2	1	1	1	---	E EDWARDS	2	X	1	1	---
M BOWERMAN	1	2	1	5	---	T GREALIS	1	1	1	1	---
M PHIPPS	2	1	X	2	---	C BALDWIN	X	3	2	5	---
TOTAL	11	9	8	16		TOTAL	11	11	14	17
POINTS	1	0	0	0		POINTS	1	2	2	2

WINNERS: KINGS HEAD

WEEK 23 - 27th SEPT - FOURS COMPETITION

VENUE ONE - THE BLACK PRINCE

QUARTER FINALS

SET?
				BLACK PRINCE A
BYE				D GRANT
				P AUSTIN
				I GRANT
				R BRADFORD
TOTAL				TOTAL
SET?
				QUEENS HEAD
BYE				L THOMPSON
				M BERRY
				J GLENISTER
				G KITCHEN
TOTAL				TOTAL
SET?	*	*
THREE HORSESHOES				COCK INN
M GREENWAY	3	3		S GRANT	3	1
A RICHMOND	1	1		D GARDINER	2	2
N BALDWIN	2	1		D EVANS	3	1
A CHAMBERLAIN	4	1		E LACEY	3	3
TOTAL	10	6		TOTAL	11	7
SET?	*	*	*
CHADLINGTON SSC				ENSTONE SSC
R JOHNSON	3	1	2	M BLAKE	2	2	4
D DUNCAN	2	1	X	P ALLEN	1	1	3
F MORETON	2	3	3	G WILLIAMS	X	4	1
R HINCHCLIFFE	1	2	2	S DUCKER	1	1	/
TOTAL	8	7	7	TOTAL	4	8	8

SEMI FINALS

SET?	*					*
BLACK PRINCE				QUEENS HEAD
D GRANT	3	2		L THOMPSON	1	3
P AUSTIN	5	5		M BERRY	4	4
I GRANT	1	3		J GLENISTER	3	2
R BRADFORD	5	/		G KITCHEN	2	X
TOTAL	14	10		TOTAL	10	9
SET?		*	*		*
COCK INN				ENSTONE SSC
S GRANT	1	2	3	M BLAKE	1	3	3
D GARDINER	3	1	3	P ALLEN	1	4	2
D EVANS	1	2	3	G WILLIAMS	1	2	5
E LACEY	/	2	2	S DUCKER	1	/	2
TOTAL	5	7	11	TOTAL	4	9	12

VENUE FINAL

SET?	*				*
BLACK PRINCE			ENSTONE SSC
D GRANT	3	3	M BLAKE	3	3
P AUSTIN	2	4	P ALLEN	3	2
I GRANT	4	1	G WILLIAMS	X	1
R BRADFORD	1	/	S DUCKER	3	1
TOTAL	10	8	TOTAL	9	7

VENUE TWO - GEORGE & DRAGON

QUARTER FINALS

SET?
				BLACK PRINCE A
BYE				B TOWNSEND
				J TOWNSEND
				M PHIPPS
				D WALSH
TOTAL				TOTAL
SET?
				GEORGE & DRAGON
BYE				M JORDON
				J FLETCHER
				M KILCOYNE
				M PHIPPS
TOTAL				TOTAL
SET?
				MASONS ARMS A
BYE				P TOWNSEND
				S BUCKINGHAM
				D HARRIS
				K JOHNSON
TOTAL				TOTAL
SET?			*		*	*
MASONS ARMS A				BLACK PRINCE B
R GRANT	5	1	5	N KING	3	2	3
T NEWBOLD	4	X	3	H JOHNSON	3	4	4
A KEENAN	1	2	3	M FOREMAN	4	4	3
P KING	4	/	3	C PRICE	2	3	/
TOTAL	14	/	14	TOTAL	12	13	/

SEMI FINALS

SET?		*	*		*
MASONS ARMS A				MASONS ARMS A
P TOWNSEND	3	3	1	R GRANT	4	5	5
S BUCKINGHAM	3	3	3	T NEWBOLD	3	4	1
D HARRIS	4	2	4	P KING	3	2	4
K JOHNSON	2	2	3	A KEENAN	2	/	2
TOTAL	12	10	11	TOTAL	12	11	12
SET?					*	*
BLACK PRINCE A				GEORGE & DRAGON
B TOWNSEND	4	3		M JORDON	1	X
J TOWNSEND	6	3		J FLETCHER	1	2
M PHIPPS	3	/		M KILCOYNE	1	X
D WALSH	2	/		M PHIPPS	3	2
TOTAL	15	6		TOTAL	6	4

VENUE FINAL

SET?	*					*	*
MASONS ARMS A				BLACK PRINCE A
R GRANT	1	4	2	B TOWNSEND	1	3	3
T NEWBOLD	1	5	4	J TOWNSEND	5	5	6
P KING	3	1	/	M PHIPPS	3	2	2
A KEENAN	3	4	/	D WALSH	/	3	4
TOTAL	8	14	/	TOTAL	9	13	15

SIXER

JON TOWNSEND x 2 (BLACK PRINCE A)

WEEK 22 - 20th SEPT - TRIPLES COMPETITION

VENUE ONE - COCK INN

PRELIM ROUND

SET?	*					*	*
COCK INN				BLACK PRINCE A
M LACEY	2	3	3	P AUSTIN	3	4	4
D GARDINER	3	3	2	D GRANT	1	3	2
E LACEY	4	3	/	R BRADFORD	2	2	5
TOTAL	9	9	/	TOTAL	6	9	11
THREE STICKER			1				3

QUARTER FINALS

SET?	*	*	*
MASONS ARMS A				THREE HORSESHOES
T NEWBOLD	2	1	X	J WAGERFIELD	X	3	2
P TOWNSEND	4	4	3	S BAREFIELD	4	2	2
S BUCKINGHAM	2	3	3	A CHAMBERLAIN	4	5	6
TOTAL	8	8	6	TOTAL	8	10	10
SET?	*	*
RED LION				QUEENS HEAD
N MORETON	3	1		L THOMPSON	3	5
W TOWNSEND	X	3		J GLENISTER	3	2
M COPELIN	2	2		G KITCHEN	X	/
TOTAL	5	6		TOTAL	6	7
SET?					*	*
QUEENS HEAD				BLACK PRINCE B
P JONES	1	3		N KING	3	2
M BERRY	1	2		P GRANT	3	3
R BROWN	3	/		M POULTER	2	4
TOTAL	5	/		TOTAL	8	9
SET?	*					*	*
BLACK PRINCE B				BLACK PRINCE A
H JOHNSON	1	1	4	P AUSTIN	3	3	3
M FOREMAN	5	3	2	D GRANT	1	2	X
C PRICE	5	3	/	R BRADFORD	/	3	2
TOTAL	11	7	6	TOTAL	/	8	5

SEMI FINALS

SET?	*					*	*
THREE HORSESHOES				QUEENS HEAD
J WAGERFIELD	2	X	X	L THOMPSON	X	3	6
S BAREFIELD	X	3	/	J GLENISTER	3	2	2
A CHAMBERLAIN	3	3	/	G KITCHEN	2	1	3
TOTAL	5	6	/	TOTAL	5	6	11
SET?		*	*		*
BLACK PRINCE B				BLACK PRINCE B
N KING	3	1	2	H JOHNSON	2	1	4
P GRANT	4	2	1	M FOREMAN	2	1	2
M POULTER	/	2	2	C PRICE	1	4	/
TOTAL	7	5	5	TOTAL	5	6	6

VENUE FINAL

SET?				*	*
QUEENS HEAD			BLACK PRINCE B
L THOMPSON	3	4	H JOHNSON	2	2
J GLENISTER	3	5	M FOREMAN	3	4
G KITCHEN	2	/	C PRICE	2	/
TOTAL	8	9	TOTAL	7	/

VENUE TWO - ENSTONES SSC

QUARTER FINALS

SET?	*					*
MASONS ARMS				GEORGE & DRAGON
A KEENAN	1	X		R HUNT	2	3
D HARRIS	2	3		M BOWERMAN	3	2
K JOHNSON	2	2		M PHIPPS	1	1
TOTAL	5	5		TOTAL	6	6
SET?	*					*
ENSTONE SSC				MASONS ARMS A
M BLAKE	1	X		R GRANT	2	1
G WILLIAMS	2	3		N PRATLEY	X	5
S DUCKER	X	/		C BUCKINGHAM	2	3
TOTAL	3	/		TOTAL	4	9
SET?		*			*
BLACK PRINCE A				RED LION
J TOWNSEND	1	4		A EDWARDS	2	1
M PHIPPS	3	3		R McDONALD	1	/
D WALSH	/	3		R D'COSTA	X	/
TOTAL	4	10		TOTAL	3	/
SET?		*			*		*
ENSTONE SSC				BLACK PRINCE A
P ALLEN	2	3	2	A HOLT	2	2	2
M ALLEN	1	2	X	I GRANT	2	/	4
P COX	X	2	/
TOTAL	3	7	/	TOTAL	4	/	6

SEMI FINALS

SET?		*		*
GEORGE & DRAGON			MASONS ARMS A
R HUNT	3	1	R GRANT	1	1
M BOWERMAN	X	X	N PRATLEY	1	3
M PHIPPS	1	3	C BUCKINGHAM	4	1
TOTAL	4	4	TOTAL	6	5
SET?				*	*
BLACK PRINCE A			BLACK PRINCE A
J TOWNSEND	2	2	A HOLT	2	4
M PHIPPS	2	1	I GRANT	2	1
D WALSH	1	3
TOTAL	5	6	TOTAL	4	5

VENUE FINAL

SET?	*		*			*
MASONS ARMS A				BLACK PRINCE A
R GRANT	1	2	2	J TOWNSEND	1	2	2
N PRATLEY	3	1	4	M PHIPPS	3	3	3
C BUCKINGHAM	5	/	2	D WALSH	/	4	2
TOTAL	9	/	8	TOTAL	/	9	7

Rearranged Fixture from Week 17

CHADLINGTON SSC 5 - HANBOROUGH SSC 5

SIXERS

ALEX CHAMBERLAIN (THREE HORSESHOES)

LEE THOMPSON (QUEENS HEAD A)

WEEK 21 - 13th SEPT - PAIRS COMPETITION

VENUE ONE - THREE HORSESHOES

ROUND ONE

SET?
BYE				T NEWBOLD
				R GRANT
TOTAL				TOTAL
SET?
BYE				D HARRIS
				K JOHNSON
TOTAL				TOTAL
SET?
BYE				M BERRY
				G KITCHEN
TOTAL				TOTAL
SET?	*		*			*
D GARDINER	3	2	2	N PRATLEY	1	2	5
D EVANS	3	3	2	C BUCKINGHAM	/	4	/
TOTAL	6	5	4	TOTAL	/	6	5
SET?		*			*
R HUNT	X	2		J BROOKS	1	2
M PHIPPS Jnr	X	X		M JORDAN	1	1
TOTAL	X	2		TOTAL	2	3
SET?	*		*			*
P ALLEN	4	3	1	D GRANT	2	1	2
M ALLEN	3	/	4	R BRADFORD	/	5	3
TOTAL	7	/	5	TOTAL	/	6	5
THREE STICKER			1				2
SET?	*	*
J TOWNSEND	1	5		G LAMBERT	2	2
D WALSH	2	1		S BAREFIELD	X	2
TOTAL	3	6		TOTAL	2	4
SET?		*			*
P TOWNSEND	1	5		G MILLS	X	X
S BUCKINGHAM	/	3		N MORETON	X	/
TOTAL	1	8		TOTAL	X	/

QUARTER FINALS

SET?					*	*	*
T NEWBOLD	4	4	3	D HARRIS	2	4	2
R GRANT	3	2	2	K JOHNSON	4	2	4
TOTAL	7	6	5	TOTAL	6	6	6
THREE STICKER			4				3
SET?		*	*		*
M BERRY	3	3	3	N PRATLEY	1	3	4
G KITCHEN	2	2	X	C BUCKINGHAM	2	3	/
TOTAL	5	5	3	TOTAL	3	6	4
SET?		*			*
J BROOKS	X	1		D GRANT	2	4
M JORDON	/	3		R BRADFORD	4	1
TOTAL	/	4		TOTAL	6	5
SET?	*					*
J TOWNSEND	5	6		P TOWNSEND	2	2
D WALSH	3	/		S BUCKINGHAM	/	2
TOTAL	8	6		TOTAL	/	4

SEMI FINALS

SET?	*	*					*
T NEWBOLD	2	3	3	N PRATLEY	5	2	4
R GRANT	3	4	/	C BUCKINGHAM	1	/	4
TOTAL	5	7	/	TOTAL	6	/	8
SET?	*		*			*
D GRANT	3	4	3	J TOWNSEND	4	4	6
R BRADFORD	4	4	5	D WALSH	4	4	2
TOTAL	7	8	8	TOTAL	8	8	8

VENUE FINAL

SET?	*		*			*
N PRATLEY	1	4	2	J TOWNSEND	2	2	4
C BUCKINGHAM	3	2	5	D WALSH	/	4	/
TOTAL	4	6	7	TOTAL	/	6	/

VENUE TWO - GEORGE & DRAGON

ROUND ONE

SET?	*					*	*
P AUSTIN	1	3	2	B HALL	3	1	3
M PHIPPS Snr	6	2	3	M FOREMAN	2	4	4
TOTAL	7	5	5	TOTAL	5	5	7
THREE STICKER			3				2
SET?	*	*
A COOPER	1	1		N CURTIS	2	2
R CORNBOROUGH	X	1		R BROWN	/	1
TOTAL	1	2		TOTAL	2	3
SET?
BYE				M LACEY
				E LACEY
TOTAL				TOTAL
SET?	*					*	*
R JOHNSON	4	2	2	H JOHNSON	3	5	3
R HINCHCLIFFE	2	5	4	C PRICE	1	3	3
TOTAL	6	7	6	TOTAL	4	8	6
THREE STICKER			3				2
SET?
D DUNCAN				BYE
M BENSON
TOTAL				TOTAL
SET?		*			*
M BLAKE	X	2		P KING	4	1
G WILLIAMS	1	1		A KEENAN	3	3
TOTAL	1	3		TOTAL	7	4
SET?		*			*		*
I GRANT	2	3	2	W TOWNSEND	2	2	3
K POWELL	2	2	3	M COPELIN	2	3	2
TOTAL	4	5	5	TOTAL	4	5	5
THREE STICKER			1				2
SET?	*					*	*
M GREENWAY	4	3	4	N KING	1	1	2
N BALDWIN	2	1	1	M POULTER	3	3	3
TOTAL	6	4	5	TOTAL	4	4	5

QUARTER FINALS

SET?	*	*	*
P AUSTIN	3	4	5	N CURTIS	1	1	3
M PHIPPS	2	X	3	R BROWN	4	4	/
TOTAL	5	4	8	TOTAL	5	5	/
THREE STICKER			4				4
ONE STICKER			2				/
SET?		*	*		*
M LACEY	3	1	4	R JOHNSON	2	3	/
E LACEY	3	1	4	R HINCHCLIFFE	3	3	2
TOTAL	6	2	8	TOTAL	5	6	/
SET?		*	*		*
D DUNCAN	1	2	X	P KING	2	1	2
M BENSON	1	2	4	A KEENAN	1	3	3
TOTAL	2	4	4	TOTAL	3	4	5
SET?					*	*	*
W TOWNSEND	2	2	2	M GREENWAY	3	3	2
M COPELIN	3	/	3	N BALDWIN	1	4	3
TOTAL	5	/	5	TOTAL	4	7	5
THREE STICKER			/				4

SEMI FINALS

SET?	*	*					*
P AUSTIN	2	2	4	M LACEY	4	2	4
M PHIPPS	4	4	3	E LACEY	3	3	2
TOTAL	6	6	7	TOTAL	7	5	6
SET?	*		*			*
P KING	1	2	3	M GREENWAY	2	1	4
A KEENAN	3	2	2	N BALDWIN	3	2	2
TOTAL	4	4	5	TOTAL	5	3	6

VENUE FINAL

SET?		*			*		*
P AUSTIN	4	4	3	M GREENWAY	4	3	4
M PHIPPS	3	3	3	N BALDWIN	4	2	3
TOTAL	7	7	6	TOTAL	8	5	7

Rearranged Fixture from Week 16

BLACK PRINCE B 8 - COCK INN 2

SIXERS

JON TOWNSEND x 2 (BLACK PRINCE A)

MICK PHIPPS Snr (BLACK PRINCE A)

NIGEL KING (BLACK PRINCE B)

WEEKLY REPORT:

WEEK 20 - 6th SEPT


KNOCKOUT CUP QUARTER FINAL
CHADLINGTON SSC	6	HANBOROUGH SSC	0	Match awarded
COCK INN	0	BLACK PRINCE A	6
QUEENS HEAD A	-	ENSTONE SSC	-
OXFORD YEOMAN B	0	MASONS ARMS A	6

SUPPLEMENTARY CUP QUARTER FINALS
RED LION	6	CINNAMON STICK	0	Match awarded
ELM TREE	0	THREE HORSESHOES	6
GEORGE & DRAGON	7	OXFORD YEOMAN A	3
KINGS HEAD	7	KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	3

WEEK 19 - 30th AUGUST


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
HANBOROUGH SSC	P	COCK INN	P
OXFORD YEOMAN B	2	QUEENS HEAD A	8
BLACK PRINCE B	10	MASONS ARMS A	0
MASONS ARMS B	2	BLACK PRINCE A	8
ENSTONE SSC	0	CHADLINGTON SSC	10
DIVISION TWO & THREE
QUEENS HEAD B	2	KINGS HEAD	8
STONESFIELD SSC	8	GEORGE & DRAGON	2
RED LION	8	ELM TREE	2 (Awarded)
CINNAMON STICK	8	KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	2
THREE HORSESHOES	9	OXFORD YEOMAN A	1

Rearranged Fixture from Week 6

OXFORD YEOMAN B 7 - COCK INN 3

Rearranged Fixture from Week 10

THREE HORSESHOES 10 - STONESFIELD SSC 0

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 18 DOLLS - NIGEL KING (BLACK PRINCE B) & JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 20 DOLLS - LEE THOMPSON (QUEENS HEAD A)

DIVISION TWO - 18 DOLLS - ALEX CHAMBERLAIN (THREE HORSESHOES)

DIVISION THREE - 16 DOLLS - STEVE ROGERS (CINNAMON STICK)

SIXERS

NIGEL KING (BLACK PRINCE B)

WEEKLY REPORT:

Well, that's the lot then! The league format pretty much came to an end this week, apart from a couple of outstanding fixtures that are yet to be played, with all but one of the Sections now decided.

Starting off in the Lower Sections, and it was the Red Lion that secured the Section Three title, without actually having to throw a stick in anger as all the other sides in with a shout failed to pick up enough points to overtake the Lion side. With the Lion's fixture against the Elm Tree being played next week, they kept a watchful eye (Or sent out a load of text messages) on the results coming in, and are now safe in the knowledge that the trophy will be heading to Cassington. It is the Cinnamon Stick that currently hold second spot after they picked up a 8-2 home win over the Killingworth Castle. It's been a fine debut season for the boys from Middle Barton and we hope to see them return again next year. Steve Rogers was again the top scorer for the Cinnamon Stick with 16 dolls, whilst Jon Raynor saved his best to last as he hit a season's best 15 dolls for the Killy. It's been an excellent year for Steve, and he has runaway with the Section Three Top Doll Scorer Trophy, hitting 247 dolls (2.91 average), so we hope to see him at Finals Night to collect his award. The George & Dragon are now the only team that can match the Cinnamon's points total, but they will need to record a maximum victory in their outstanding fixture to do this. This week saw the George's faint title hopes extinguished after they suffered a heavy 8-2 away defeat at Stonesfield Sports. It's been a solid season for both teams, and I'm sure they will both be back to challenge again next year. Stonesfield's Aaron Aitkin was the match top scorer with 14 dolls in what was a very tight match, with the first three legs being won by just a single doll before Stonesfield made home advantage count to take the win. Stonesfield also played their outstanding fixture against the Three Horseshoes this week, and it was in this match that Stoney's title chances ended after suffering a 10-0 defeat. Alex Chamberlain capped of a great year with 18 dolls, whilst Matt Bolter had his best night of the season with 15 dolls. The Three Horseshoes other match of the week saw them claim a 9-1 home win over the Oxford Yeoman A, which means they finished up averaging just over 7 points per match. Very good boys! I would say it's been a yo-yo season for the Yeoman, as one week they will be great, and the next week not so good! I'm sure they will come out all guns blazing next year. The final match from the Lower Sections saw the Kings Head pick up a 8-2 away win over the Queens Head, although as the card was late coming in that's all I will write on the match!

Moving up to the Top Sections, and the race for the Section One title is still ongoing! It is the Queens Head A that hold top spot at the moment, but with Chadlington Sports & the Cock Inn both with an extra game to play, it's not out of the hands of the Queens side. They have done their best to set down a marker, and secured a fine 8-2 away win in their final game against the Oxford Yeoman B. Lee Thompson top scored with 20 dolls, and was well assisted by Rob Brown, who hit his season's best score of 19 dolls. Everyones favourite landlord Trevor Johnson managed to get a full five legs this week and top scored for the Yeoman with 13 dolls. The Yeoman also managed to fit in their outstanding match against the Cock Inn this week, and they picked up a 7-3 home win in what was a very close match, with there being only a single doll between the two sides. Dave Behan was the top man on the night with a full card of 3's. This result could prove costly to the Cock side, and they now need to pick up two big wins in their outstanding matches (They have Hanborough Sports & the Black Prince B yet to play). They are more than capable of this, and on their day the Cock can be a fantastic side, so this isn't over yet! As for Chadlington Sports, they have given themselves a great chance in winning the Section after securing a 10-0 away win over Enstone Sports. It's been another good season for the boys from Chadlington, with Richie Johnson playing superbly well in his new role as lead off man, and he has been well assisted by all of his team throughout the whole season. One team that don't want the season to end is the Black Prince B, who continued their fantastic recent form to collect another big victory, this time a 10-0 home win over the Masons Arms A. It was a fine team display by the Prince, with the whole side hitting good totals, which included the week's only maximum by Nigel King. The final match of the week saw the Black Prince A secure a 8-2 away win over the Masons Arms B, in what was a test of concentration for the Prince! The hilarious mind games of Mr Dodd nearly worked, and the mobile disco will be on full volume next season when he pops over to see us! It was a great night, with laughs aplenty, and we look forward to seeing both the Mason's teams again next season.

So' it's now time to move into the competition phase of the season, so I will end by wishing all players taking part good luck. Lets get some new names on these trophies!!

WEEK 18 - 23rd AUGUST


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
COCK INN	8	MASONS ARMS B	2
CHADLINGTON SSC	P	HANBOROUGH SSC	P
MASONS ARMS A	7	OXFORD YEOMAN B	3
BLACK PRINCE A	4	BLACK PRINCE B	6
QUEENS HEAD A	7	ENSTONE SSC	3
DIVISION TWO & THREE
KINGS HEAD	4	CINNAMON STICK	6
OXFORD YEOMAN A	10	QUEENS HEAD B	0
ELM TREE	0	STONESFIELD SSC	10
KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	2	RED LION	8
GEORGE & DRAGON	1	THREE HORSESHOES	9

Rearranged Fixture from Week 6

BLACK PRINCE B 10 - CHADLINGTON SSC 0

Rearranged Fixture from Week 14

RED LION 10 - QUEENS HEAD B 0

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 22 DOLLS - CHARLIE BUCKINGHAM (MASONS ARMS A)

DIVISION ONE - 21 DOLLS - LEE THOMPSON (QUEENS HEAD A)

DIVISION TWO - 15 DOLLS - RAY BARSON (ELM TREE)

DIVISION THREE - 16 DOLLS - STEVE ROGERS (CINNAMON STICK)

SIXERS

MICK FOREMAN x 2 (BLACK PRINCE B)

NIGEL KING (BLACK PRINCE B)

CHRIS PRICE (BLACK PRINCE B)

JEFF GLENISTER (QUEENS HEAD A)

PETE KING (MASONS ARMS B)

TOM LAY (OXFORD YEOMAN A)

RICHARD JOHNSON (CHADLINGTON SSC)

WEEKLY REPORT:

So the league format of the 2018 season is almost over, and week 17 proved to be yet another thrilling week of matches.

It was a fantastic week for the Black Prince B as they inflicted the first defeat of the season over their big brothers the Prince A. It was the B team that started strongly, winning the opening two legs, before the A team moved up a gear to level the match and take it to a decider. The A side chose to set in this final leg, but could only post a lowly score of 14 dolls, which the B team went past easily to pick up the bragging rights and secure the 6-4 victory. The Black Prince B were back in action the following evening, playing their outstanding fixture against Chadlington Sports. It proved to be another profitable night for the Prince as they picked up a full house after a 10-0 home win to put a big dent in Chad's hopes of picking up the Section One title. Chadlington more than played their part in what was a high scoring match, but they couldn't quite live with the in form Prince side. There was the tiny matter of FOUR maximums hit in this Friday night match, with Mick Foreman claiming two sixes on the way to scoring 20 dolls. Richard Johnson (Chad) & Chris Price (Prince B) also recorded maximums, along with Nigel King the night before. Well played on both nights Prince B players. With Chadlington failing to score any points, the Queens Head A have now moved to the top of the table after picking up a 7-3 home win over Enstone Sports. After easing to a 6-0 lead, it was Enstone that continued to battle hard and managed to secure 3 points in the final couple of legs. With things being so tight at the top of the table, could losing those three points prove costly to the Queens? Jeff Glenister banged in his third maximum of the season, but it was Lee Thompson (Queens) & George Williams (Enstone) that were the joint match top scorers with excellent scores of 21 dolls each. The Cock Inn have also kept up the pressure at the top of the table, especially as they have a game in hand, after picking up an 8-2 home win over the Masons Arms B. It was a solid team effort by the Cock team, but they were denied a clean sweep after Pete King recorded his first maximum of the season for the Masons in the fourth leg, which help his team set a winning score of 17 dolls. The final match of the top sections saw the Masons Arms A defeat the Oxford Yeoman B at home 7-3. It was an excellent night for the Mason's anchor man Charlie Buckingham, who hit a season's best score of 22 dolls, which included a 5 to draw the second leg and also a 4 to win the third leg. Great chucking Charlie.

Moving into the Lower Sections, and the Red Lion have taken a huge step towards picking up the Section Three title after securing two important victories. Firstly, the Lion picked up a 8-2 away win over the Killingworth Castle, although it must be mentioned that the Killy only fielded a team of four players for this match. The Lion seemed to be crusing to a clean sweep victory before they failed to chase down a set of 8 dolls in the final leg. Could this 2 points cost them? I'm not so sure but you never know. As for the Killingworth, fair play to the players that kept plugging away in this match and you deserved the 2 points for effort if nothing else. Well done chaps. The Lion also played their outstanding fixture against the Queens Head B, and they secured the expected 10-0 home win, which has now put them in pole position to take the title. It looks like the only sides that can stop the Lion are now the George & Dragon and also Stonesfield Sports, who both have games in hand. It was a bad night for the George as they suffered a crushing 9-1 home defeat against local rivals the Three Horseshoes. The match started tightly, with a tied opening leg, and then the Horseshoes anchor man Alex Chamberlain hitting the required 4 to win the second leg. But the final three legs were straight forward, as the George slipped below their normal standards, which now means they really need two 10-0 wins to stand a chance of topping the table. It may have been a bad night for the George, but it was a great night for Stonesfield, who have just about given themselves a chance after picking up a 10-0 away win over the Elm Tree. It was a fairly simple win for Stoney, with every player hitting important dolls at different times. Ray Barson was the match top scorer with 15 dolls for the Elm Tree, which actually included a blob!. The Oxford Yeoman A put their planning for the upcoming trip to Munich to one side to claim a 10-0 home win over the Queens Head B. Tom Lay managed to get himself on the Sixers list after picking up his first maximum of the season, whilst Ade Marks hit his best score of the season with 15 dolls. I look forward to seeing some 'Yeoman Aunt Sally on Tour' pictures, as long as it's only the PG rated ones! The final match to report on saw the Cinnamon Stick record a 6-4 away win over the Kings Head, in what was a very close match. The scores were tied 4-4 with one leg to go, before the Cinnamon side posted a set of 14 in this deciding leg, which proved to be a winning score. It was a good night for the returning Steve Rogers, who top scored with 16 dolls.

That's my lot for this week guys. Good luck to all in the last round of fixtures. All the Competition details will be updated this week, so keep an eye out for which venue you will be playing at.

INTERLEAGUE FIXTURE - ADINGDON v WYCHWOOD

Sunday saw the annual Interleague fixture played between the Wychwood League and the Abingdon League, with the match this year being an away fixture for our Wychwood players. So we were invited over to the Plum Pudding in Milton to see if we could get our hands on the trophy following last years drawn match. With a few of our regular players being unavailable, we made the trip over with seven players, but were helped out by Ken Fish making a guest appearance for us. The Abingdon team looked strong, with well known players Dave Dix & Phil Adams making it look like it would be a tough night for the Wychwood side. We started things off with the 8-a-side match, and captain Walsh won the toss and decided to set. We posted 23, which was comfortably chased down by Abingdon. It was then the Abingdon side's turn to set, and they could onlu muster up a score of 20, which we just managed to squeeze past. In the deciding leg, it was again our turn to set, and we were in big trouble with only 11 dolls from five men on the board, before the tail wagged hard, including a maximum from Jon Townsend to get us up to a set of 25 dolls. This proved to be a winning total as the Abingdon side fell short with 22 dolls, which gave us a early lead in the match.

RUNNING SCORE:

ABINGDON 1

WYCHWOOD 2

We then moved onto the 4-a-side match, and with it being such a lovely evening we decided to play two of these! To keep things easy we just split the teams up into the top half and the bottom half. The first match started with the Wychwood team having a bit of good fortune, with their low set of 8 actually proving to be enough after the Abingdon four fell short with 7 dolls. The second leg saw us extended our lead after chasing down the Abingdon's set of 12, with our anchor man hitting his last two sticks to take the leg.The final leg of this fours match saw us put a score of 12 on board, which proved not to be enough as Abingdon hit 14 dolls to take a point.

ABINGDON 2

WYCHWOOD 4

The other 4-a-side match was a battle of the big hitters. Abingdon started strongly, hitting 15 dolls including a maximum in the opening leg to go ahead. They also managed to pick up the second leg, narrowly winning it 11 dolls to 10 dolls. In the final leg, we were faced with another big chase of 15 dolls, which our four managed to match, with Dick just falling short in his effort to win the win the leg. Still, it was a much needed half a point.

ABINGDON 4.5

WYCHWOOD 4.5

We then moved onto the Pairs, with a strong Abingdon Pair of Dave & Leigh facing off against the Wychwood Pairs holders Darren & Rob. It was the Abingdon who set first, and posted an impressive 9 dolls between them, including a maximum from Dave. However, our pair managed to claimed a draw after matching that total. A below par set from us allowed the Abingdon pair to take the lead after the second leg, before a couple of 3's allowed us to level the score after winning the deciding leg.

ABINGDON 6

WYCHWOOD 6

So the match went down to the Singles, with our current Singles champion Charlie Buckingham facing off against the mighty Phil Adams. And what a match it was. Charlie set a 4 in the opening leg, which Phil managed to edge past with a 5. Charlie then set again in the second leg, and this time went one better and set 5, which proved just enough as Phil could only come back with a 4. So the whole match went down to the final leg. Phil won the toss and decided to set this time, but could only post a score of 3. Charlie, playing to entertain the crowd, secure victory by hitting his last stick to hit the 4 required to win. An excellent performance Charlie, well done!

FINAL SCORE

ABINGDON 7

WYCHWOOD 8

So, our Wychwood league regained the Interleague Shield, after a great night of Aunt Sally. Many thanks to the Abingdon players, to the Plum Pudding for hosting the event (and for the lovely BBQ!) and to the Wychwood players for making the trip over to play. Moving forwards, we would love to see some more players from our Wychwood league taking part in these events. It's certainly open to anyone, so if you are interested in taking part in future matches then let us know and we will get you involved. The more the merrier! Thanks

WEEK 17 - 16th AUGUST


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
BLACK PRINCE B	P	COCK INN	P
MASONS ARMS B	8	CHADLINGTON SSC	2
QUEENS HEAD A	4	MASONS ARMS A	6
OXFORD YEOMAN B	3	BLACK PRINCE A	7
ENSTONE SSC	1	HANBOROUGH SSC	9
DIVISION TWO & THREE
RED LION	3	KINGS HEAD	7
CINNAMON STICK	2	OXFORD YEOMAN A	8
GEORGE & DRAGON	6	ELM TREE	4
STONESFIELD SSC	9	KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	1
THREE HORSESHOES	9	QUEENS HEAD B	1

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 18 DOLLS - SPENCER BUCKINGHAM (MASONS ARMS A) & DARREN GRANT (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 20 DOLLS - JEFF GLENISTER (QUEENS HEAD A)

DIVISION TWO - 15 DOLLS - GEOFF JONES (ELM TREE)

DIVISION THREE - 17 DOLLS - ROB TUDGE (STONESFIELD SSC)

SIXER

NICK BALDWIN (THREE HORSESHOES)

WEEKLY REPORT:

Week 16 of the league format can only be described as 'unbelievable Jeff'. Although we have two Sections already decided, the other two Sections couldn't be closer, and there were plenty of amazing results this week as we enter a full scale 'squeaky bum' time!

It's again time to focus on Section Three, and there is now the small matter of just three points separating four teams. Forget this going down to the final round of fixtures, this could very easily go down to the final leg of the season. The George & Dragon have now taken over at the top of the Section after picking up a narrow 6-4 home win over the Elm Tree. The match went one way and then the other, with the score tied on 4-4 with one leg to play. It was the George that set in this deciding leg, and they managed to hold their nerve to post a great score of 16 dolls, which the Elm Tree couldn't chase down. It looked like it was a very entertaining match, with Ben Holloway (George & Dragon) & Geoff Jones (Elm Tree) top scoring with 15 dolls each. Previous leaders the Cinnamon Stick were shocked at home by the Oxford Yeoman A, who have now put themselves right back in the chase for the title. It was the Cinnamon Stick that set in every leg, but apart from the fourth leg when they hit 16 dolls, they were well below their usual standards and seemed to suffer with top man Steve Rogers not playing. As for the Yeoman, it was a really strong team effort, with four players reaching double figures, led by Harry Irwin with 13 dolls as they claimed the 8-2 away victory. It seems like a long time ago that the Red Lion looked like they were going to run away with the league, but they suffered another defeat as their recent poor run continued, this time going down 7-3 at home against the Kings Head. It could of been worse for the Lion as they found themselves 6-0 down after three legs, but they dug in and picked up a crucial three points out of the final two legs. Stonesfield Sports are also still within touching distance of the top of the table after a great performance to beat the Killingworth Castle 9-1. It was a great night for Stonesfield's Rob Tudge, who equalled his seasons best score of 17 dolls as his team posted some big scores, twice hitting 19 dolls. The final match in the Lower Sections saw the Three Horseshoes complete the winning of Section Two after a comforable 9-1 home win over the Queens Head B. It was a good night for Nick Baldwin, who hit the week's only maximum in the last leg as the Horseshoes picked up the big win. The Horseshoes have been the most consistant side in the Lower Sections all season and will hope to keep their side together in order to make an impact in the Top Sections next season. Congratulations to the Horseshoes team, a well deserved title is heading your way.

Moving into the Top Sections, where Section One is also looking like it will go down to the wire, with all six teams still in with a chance of picking up the title. Chadlington Sports hold a narrow four point lead, but they suffered a big 8-2 defeat away at the Masons Arms B. It was a fantastic performance by the Masons team, with captain Mark Bennett top scoring with 16 dolls from just four legs. The Queens Head A moved up into second place despite suffering a 6-4 home defeat at the hands of the Masons Arms A. It was a very close match which could of gone either way, with three of the legs being won by just a single doll. In the deciding leg, the Masons set a score of 15 dolls, to which the Queens fell just short of chasing after hitting 14 dolls. Spencer Buckingham hit his best score of the season so far with 18 dolls, whilst Jeff Glenister also had a seasons best with a great score of 20 dolls. The Oxford Yeoman B are now up to third after picking up three points against the Black Prince A. The Prince eased into a 6-0 lead before the Yeoman hit back in the fourth leg to post the nights highest score of 19 dolls, which the Prince fell just short in chasing with 18 dolls. The final leg looked to be going the way of the Prince as they needed just 3 dolls to win from their last two players, but they could only manage a single doll each, meaning that the leg ended in a draw. Darren Grant remembered how to throw a stick after a run of poor form to top score with 18 dolls, with Alan Major top scoring for the Yeoman with 14 dolls. It was a mixed night for Jon Townsend, who although will be disappointed with his night's work, should be congratulated on becoming the first player to go past the 300 doll mark for the season. Well done Jon, great chucking this year. The final match of the week saw Hanborough Sports move back into the title picture after a very impressive 9-1 away win over Enstone Sports. It was the best display of the season so far by the Hanborough team as they racked up 77 dolls, including a huge score of 23 dolls in the final leg. Kevin Burnham & Jamie Berry were the top scorers with 16 dolls each for Hanborough, and if they can play like this in their remaining games, plus their games in hand, they could yet pull off a shock title push.

So thats everything for this week. With Sections One & Three being so tight, please keep the cards coming in straight away so that I can share the news with all the interested parties. The final thing to mention this week is the desperate need for dates to be arranged for any outstanding fixtures. The cut of date is THURSDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER, which has been made clear for a long time. This will NOT be extended under any circumstances. You have had plenty of notice over this, so please make an extra effort to get these games played as soon as possible. Cheers

WEEK 16 - 9th AUGUST


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
COCK INN	5	OXFORD YEOMAN B	5
CHADLINGTON SSC	10	BLACK PRINCE B	0
HANBOROUGH SSC	7	MASONS ARMS B	3
BLACK PRINCE A	10	QUEENS HEAD A	0
MASONS ARMS A	8	ENSTONE SSC	2
DIVISION TWO & THREE
KINGS HEAD	8	STONESFIELD SSC	2
OXFORD YEOMAN A	8	RED LION	2
QUEENS HEAD B	0	CINNAMON STICK	10
KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	1	GEORGE & DRAGON	9
ELM TREE	6	THREE HORSESHOES	4

Rearranged Fixtures from Week 6

QUEENS HEAD A 0 - BLACK PRINCE A 10

STONESFIELD SSC 8 - KINGS HEAD 2

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 25 DOLLS - BARRY TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 19 DOLLS - RICHARD JOHNSON (CHADLINGTON SSC)

DIVISION TWO - 14 DOLLS - RAY BARSON (ELM TREE)

DIVISION THREE - 17 DOLLS - KEITH LAIRD (STONESFIELD SSC)

SIXERS

JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

WEEKLY REPORT:

Week 15 saw the return of every Aunt Sally players favourite item, the hand warmer! Although the temperature was certainly cloder than recent times, the action was still hot as the season reaches boiling point!

This week saw the first Section title decided, as the Black Prince A played a double header against the Queens Head A and recorded back to back 10-0 wins, which was enough to reclaim the Premier Section crown. During the first match, Jon Townsend racked up his seventh maximum of the season on his way to 22 dolls, but the best scoring was saved for the second match, as Barry Townsend produced a perfect set of 5's to hit a magnificent 25 dolls. It goes to show that having a 'Thursday Townsend' in your team makes all the difference! It was a tough night for the Queens, who battled hard but came away pointless, which puts a dent in their chances of picking up the Section One title. Speaking of the Section One title, Chadlington Sports enhanced thier chances of retaining the trophy after picking up an impressive 10-0 home win over a weakened Black Prince B side. It was a straight forward victory, which was made easier by Fred Moreton (16 dolls) & Kevin Drinkwater (15 dolls) hitting season best scores. The Cock Inn & the Oxford Yeoman B also remain in the hunt to catch Chadlington, and they battled out a rare drawn match in Combe. The Yeoman looked like they were going to pick up a big victory at the halfway point as they were leading 5-1, but the Cock raised their game to take the final two legs to secure the draw. Dave Trim had another good night for the Yeoman with 15 dolls, but it was Dave Gardiner from the Cock that was the match top scorer with 17 dolls. In the battle to avoid the wooden spoon, Hanborough Sports picked up a 7-3 home win over the Masons Arms B to increase thier chances of moving off the bottom of the table. The match was tied at 3-3 at the halfway point before Hanborough kicked on to take the final two legs to pick up the victory. John Busby was the match top scorer with 15 dolls, and if he can maintain his good form and if Hanborough can find some dates to play their outstanding games it should lead to a tight end to the season. In the final match from the Top Sections, the Masons Arms A picked up a 8-2 home win over Enstone Sports. Enstone actually won the opening leg after easing past the strangly low set of 9 dolls by the Masons, but the Masons then hit big to hit some big scores to comfortably take the rest of the legs. George Williams continued his good form with 15 dolls Enstone, but it was Spencer Buckingham who was the top man on the night with 17 dolls.

It was another crucial night in the Lower Sections, in particular the chase for the Section Three title, as the Cinnamon Stick took over at the top of the table with just three games to go. Previous leaders the Red Lion suffered a 'sweaky bum' night after being defeated 8-2 away from home against the Oxford Yeoman A. It was a strange off night for the Lion, who fell below thier usual high standards apart from the third leg in which they hit 17 dolls. It was a solid team performance by the Yeoman, with Jorge French, Joe Langford & Ade Marks all hitting 10 dolls, although the match top scorer was the Lion's Wayne Townsend with 13 dolls. A slap on the wrist is due to the Yeoman team for not marking who 'Set' on the card...again! This defeat allowed the Cinnamon Stick to move to the top of the league after they picked up the expected 10-0 away win over the Queens Head B. It was a straight forward win, and for a change Steve Rogers wasn't the top scorer, with Carl Davis taking the honour this week with 13 dolls. The George & Dragon are also poised to strike after recording a 9-1 away win over the Killingworth Castle and are right in the mix, especially as they still have a game in hand. It wasn't the greatest night of scoring, with only 2 dolls separating the two sides, but the George did just enough to record the big win, helped by Ben Holloway again top scoring with 12 dolls. The Kings Head & Stonesfield Sports played each other twice to get their outstanding fixture out of the way, and both matches finished 8-2 to the home side. Stonesfield were particularly impressive at home, racking up 66 dolls, with Keith Laird making his debut and hitting 17 dolls. In the second match, played at the Kings, it was Tom Grealis who was in top form as he hit a season's best score of 14 dolls. The week's final match saw the Elm Tree pick up 6-4 home win over the Three Horseshoes. It was another good team effort by the Elm Tree, with all but one player hitting double figures.

That's the lot for this week. Everything is now back up to date. Don't forget to let me know the dates of when any outstanding fixtures are going to be played please.

WEEK 15 - 2nd AUGUST


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
QUEENS HEAD A	8	COCK INN	2
OXFORD YEOMAN B	8	CHADLINGTON SSC	2
BLACK PRINCE B	P	HANBOROUGH SSC	P
MASONS ARMS A	0	BLACK PRINCE A	10
ENSTONE SSC	8	MASONS ARMS B	2
DIVISION TWO & THREE
GEORGE & DRAGON	7	KINGS HEAD	3
STONESFIELD SSC	6	OXFORD YEOMAN A	4
RED LION	10	QUEENS HEAD B	0
ELM TREE	5	KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	5
THREE HORSESHOES	0	CINNAMON STICK	10

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 20 DOLLS - BARRY TOWNSEND & PHIL AUSTIN (BOTH BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 18 DOLLS - 'CHUCK' BERRY & JEFF GLENISTER (BOTH QUEENS HEAD A)

DIVISION TWO - 12 DOLLS - RAY BARSON (ELM TREE), NICK BALDWIN & SEAN BAREFIELD (BOTH THREE HORSESHOES)

DIVISION THREE - 17 DOLLS - STEVE ROGERS (CINNAMON STICK)

SIXERS

NONE, AGAIN!!! SUNSHINE IN YOUR EYES? SORT IT OUT GUYS!

WEEKLY REPORT:

The 2018 season entered the final straight after week 14's action, with the destination of two of our Sections still very much up for grabs.

This week's report begins in Section Three, and with leaders the Red Lion having no game due to the Queens Head B being short of players, it gave the chasing pack the chance to close the gap. It was the George & Dragon that made the biggest move after claiming a hard earned victory over the Kings Head to move into second place in the table. After a tied opening leg, the George comfortably won the second leg 16-13, before the Kings Head hit back to level the match by winning leg three 17-13. It was George that stayed the distance by winning the final couple of legs to secure an important 7-3 home win, and with a game in hand, they are right in the mix.. It was a solid team effort by the George, with Ryan Hunt, Jamie Fletcher, Marc Jordan & Mike Phipps all scoring 11 dolls. Stonesfield Sports kept themselves in the hunt after a 6-4 home win over the Oxford Yeoman A. Stonesfield raced into a 6-0 lead and may have started to think about a clean sweep, but it wasn't to be as the Yeoman battled back to win the final two legs to limit to margin of defeat. Andy Reynolds was in fine form for Stonesfield with 15 dolls, whilst none of the Yeoman team managing to reach double figures. The Cinnamon Stick also gave themselves hope of catching the Red Lion after picking up a surprise 10-0 away win over Section Two leaders the Three Horseshoes, with star man Steve Rogers yet again top scoring for the Cinnamon side with 17 dolls. The final match of the Lower Sections saw Section One sides the Elm Tree and the Killingworth Castle take part in a very tight match. The match went one way and then the other, with the Killingworth winning the final leg to secure a 5-5 draw.

In the Top Sections, it was the Oxford Yeoman A that produced a fantastic home performance to defeat Section One leaders Chadlington Sports 8-2 to move right into the title chase. After easily winning the first leg, it was left to the Yeoman anchor man Trevor Johnson to claim the glory in leg two after he hit the required 4 dolls to take the leg. Unfortunately, Trevor was unable to repeat this feat in the third leg as Chadlington got onto the scoreboard, but the Yeoman hit back with two solid sets in the final two legs to secure an important victory. Dave Trim was on fire for the Yeoman after hitting a seasons best total of 16 dolls. The Queens Head A took advantage of a Cock Inn team weakened by holidays to pick up a 8-2 home win. Each team picked up a win in the opening two legs before the Queens went up a gear to win the remaining legs and secure a big win. Mick Berry & Jeff Glenister were in fine form for the Queens with 18 dolls each, but the match top scorer was the Cock Inn's Mark Lacey, who hit a superb 19 dolls. Enstone Sports put their recent tough few weeks behind them to pick up a well deserved 8-2 home win over the Masons Arms B. Enstone were ahead all the way and nearly completed a full house, but the Masons anchor man Pete King found some form in the final leg to help his side pick up an important two points. In the week's final match, old rivals the Masons Arms A and the Black Prince A played out a one sided match in North Leigh, which the Prince claimed 10-0. The Masons failed to hit the form that they usually do, and with the opening two players from the Prince (Barry Townsend & Phil Austin) both coming in with 20 dolls each, the result was never really in question.

Finally, that was the second successive week with not a single 6 being hit! Seems like people aren't trying hard enough!

WEEK 14 - 26th JULY


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
COCK INN	2	MASONS ARMS A	8
CHADLINGTON SSC	8	QUEENS HEAD A	2
HANBOROUGH SSC	4	OXFORD YEOMAN B	6
MASONS ARMS B	4	BLACK PRINCE B	6
BLACK PRINCE A	10	ENSTONE SSC	0
DIVISION TWO & THREE
KINGS HEAD	8	ELM TREE	2
OXFORD YEOMAN A	2	GEORGE & DRAGON	8
QUEENS HEAD B	2	STONESFIELD SSC	8
CINNAMON STICK	4	RED LION	6
KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	2	THREE HORSESHOES	8

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 21 DOLLS - CHARLIE BUCKINGHAM (MASONS ARMS A)

DIVISION ONE - 19 DOLLS - RICHARD JOHNSON (CHADLINGTON SSC)

DIVISION TWO - 15 DOLLS - ALEX CHAMBERLAIN (THREE HORSESHOES)

DIVISION THREE - 14 DOLLS - MARK BOWERMAN (GEORGE & DRAGON) & STEVE ROGERS (CINNAMON STICK)

SIXERS

NONE!!!!!

WEEKLY REPORT:

Trying my hardest to keep things up to date at the moment teams! Please keep sending the cards in nice and early (all cards were in by Sunday morning this week, which is excellent). Could I also remind all captains to circle which team 'sets' in each leg please. None of the cards from the Lower Sections this week showed who set, which is a shame as my report is based on the info you send me.

I'll start things off this week by having a look at Section One, which is proving to be a haymaker of a battle in the quest for the title. Realistically, all six teams could still win this section, with just twelve points seperating the top side and the bottom side before this weeks action. Current leaders the Queens Head A made the trip to Chadlington in a match where a betting man would of been wise to keep his money firmly in his pocket. It was the home team that picked up what could be a massively important 8-2 win to take over at the top of the section. It could of easily been a clean sweep, however Chadlington could only muster up a set of 10 dolls in the final leg, allowing the Queens to pick up a crucial two points. Richard Johnson (19 dolls) was again the top scorer for Chadlington, however it was the performance of Mike Benson (13 dolls) & Keith Morley (12 dolls) that made all the difference in the middle order. Jeff Glenister (17 dolls) had a good night for the Queens, but it was great to see 'Super' Gordon Kitchen in the dolls again with 15. Well done to both set of players in what looked like a great game to be involved in. The Cock Inn had a second successive defeat, this time against an inspired Masons Arms A, after suffering a 8-2 home defeat. I have to say, the Cock Inn have had no luck at all in their last two matches, as they have played really well and have just been so unlucky not to pick up more points than they actually have. The Masons were in fine form this week, setting totals of 21 & 23 in legs two & three, which would win most legs against any side. The Cock did manage to pick up a win in the final leg, which was the least that they deserved after chasing down the Mason's set of 16 dolls by hitting 19 dolls. Charlie Buckingham was the stand out performer on the night for the Masons after recording his first 20+ score of the season after hitting 21 dolls, whilst Steve Grant & Dave Gardiner were the top boys for the Cock with 16 dolls each. They may have suffered a couple of heavy defeats over the last couple of weeks, but if the Cock keep up their recent form then they will have a massive say on where the Section One title ends up. The other side that seems to be having no luck at all is the Masons Arms B, who lost yet another last leg decider, this time against the Black Prince B. After losing the first two legs, the Masons hit back to take legs three & four to level the match at 4-4. The Masons set a decent total of 16 dolls in the decider, which the Prince just squeezed past with 17 dolls to claim a 6-4 away win. This was one of the closest matches of the whole season, with every leg apart from the first one being won by just a single doll. Both anchor men, Ashley Keenan for the Masons and Mick Foreman for the Prince, won legs for their teams and earned their paychecks in what was a fantastic match. Ashley, Pete King & Henry Johnson were the match top scorers with 15 dolls each, whilst Harry Dodd deserves a special mention for the Masons after coming in with a season's best 12 dolls over just four legs. The other match involving Section One teams saw the Oxford Yeoman B secure a 6-4 away win over Hanborough Sports. It was yet another close match which could of gone either way, with Geoff Simpson being the difference maker for the Yeoman after hitting a season's best 17 dolls. The final match in the top sections saw leaders the Black Prince A secure a 10-0 home win against the five men of Enstone Sports. It was harsh on Enstone as they battled hard, and should be praised for doing so well despite being a man short. George Williams was particually impressive after hitting 18 dolls, whilst Barry Townsend hit his second successive 20 doll total.

Moving into the race for Section Three, and it was the Red Lion that took a big step towards the title after picking up a 6-4 away win over rivals the Cinnamon Stick. It was the Cinnamon Stick that started the best as they won the opening two legs, before the Lion hit back to take the remaining three legs and pick up the win, with the final two legs being won by just a single doll (No circling of who set so I'm afraid I can say which anchor man made the big difference). It was an unlucky result for the Cinnamon team, as they actually hit 3 more dolls than the Lion on the night, but it's all about hitting the doll at the right time. The George & Dragon put themselves in the mix, especially as they still have a game in hand, after picking up an impressive 8-2 away win over the Oxford Yeoman A. It was the George's best display of the season so far as they hit back from losing the opening leg to win all the remaining legs to pick up the important victory. Mark Bowerman was the top scorer for the George with 14 dolls, but every man in the George team hit dolls in what was a great team effort. Stonesfield Sports picked up another win after defeating basement team the Queens Head B 8-2 away from home. The Queens battled hard, and will be pleased to have taken the final leg to register another victorious leg in what is proving to be a tough season.The Kings Head also picked up an 8-2 win, this time at home against the Elm Tree, in a low scoring match. Ray Barson (Elm Tree) was the only player to hit double figures as he came in with 12 dolls, but it wasn't enough to help guide his team to more than two points. The final match of the evening saw the Three Horsehoes take a firm grip on the Section Two title after securing an 8-2 away win over the Killingworth Castle. Both captains tried to lead the way, with James Bateman (Killingworth) top scoring for his side with 13 dolls, whilst Alex Chamberlain (Horseshoes) was the match top scorer with 15 dolls. It certainly looks like there will need to be a major change in form within Section Two to stop the Horseshoes from claiming the title now, but you never know what shocks are just around the corner.

That's the lot for this week. As I mentioned earlier, try and remember to circle who sets on the scorecard please. Catch you next week

WEEK 13 - 19th JULY


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
BLACK PRINCE A	9	COCK INN	1
MASONS ARMS A	5	CHADLINGTON SSC	5
QUEENS HEAD A	4	HANBOROUGH SSC	6
OXFORD YEOMAN B	6	MASONS ARMS B	4
ENSTONE SSC	2	BLACK PRINCE B	8
DIVISION TWO & THREE
KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	3	KINGS HEAD	7
ELM TREE	1	OXFORD YEOMAN A	9
GEORGE & DRAGON	10	QUEENS HEAD B	0
STONESFIELD SSC	3	CINNAMON STICK	7
THREE HORSESHOES	2	RED LION	8

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 24 DOLLS - JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 20 DOLLS - RICHARD JOHNSON (CHADLINGTON SSC)

DIVISION TWO - 17 DOLLS - RAY BARSON (ELM TREE)

DIVISION THREE - 16 DOLLS - WAYNE TOWNSEND (RED LION)

SIXERS

BARRY TOWNSEND & JON TOWNSEND (BOTH BLACK PRINCE A)

MARK LACEY (COCK INN)

RAY BARSON (ELM TREE)

WEEKLY REPORT:

Busy old time for me at the moment, but all stats are now updated! Sorry about the delay!

Week 13 action did prove unlucky for some, whilst others laughed at the superstition. Starting things off this week in the Lower Sections, and there was a massive victory for the Red Lion, who secured a big away win over Section Two leaders the Three Horseshoes. The Horseshoes went first in the opening two legs, but could only post totals of 10 dolls both times, which the Lion beat with ease. It was then the Lion's turn to set in the third leg, and put a huge total of 19 dolls on the board, which proved to be more than enough. However, the Horseshoes battled hard in the remaining couple of legs and managed to secure two tied legs, meaning that the result ended 2-8. The final leg in particular looked like a fantastic leg, with the Horseshoes setting a fine 19, which was tied due to a 5 from the Lion anchor man Marcus Copelin. The match top scorer award was shared between the Horseshoes' Mick Greenaway and the Lion's Wayne Townsend, who both came in with 16 dolls. A great match guys, well played. The Oxford Yeoman A moved to the top of the chasing pack in Section Three after picking up a 9-1 away win over the Elm Tree. It was a fairly straight forward win, although the Elm Tree would of expected to hit a few more dolls than they did. Having said that, Ray Barson was in fine form for the Elm Tree, hitting a maximum in the third leg on route to hitting an excellent 17 dolls. Jorge French was the Yeoman's top scorer with 11 dolls. The Cinnamon Stick also kept in touch towards the top of Section Three after a 7-3 away win over Stonesfield Sports. It was a tight start to the match, with the Cinnamon pinching two of the first three legs by just a single doll, before the final two legs were shared between the sides. Steve Rogers (15 dolls) continued his good season and was well assisted by John Stockford (13 dolls). The final match of the Lower Sections saw a maximum 10-0 home victory for the George & Dragon over the Queens Head B, with Ben Holloway keeping up his recent good form to top score with 13 dolls.

Moving into the Top Sections where three of the five matches all needed a last leg decider. The first of these was between the Queens Head A and Hanborough Sports. With recent form suggesting that the Queens would come out on top, but it was Hanborough who threw the formbook out of the window. Hanborough were leading 4-2 after three legs, before being set a total of 17 in leg four. They managed to match this total after also hitting 17, although it could of been more as Hanborough anchor man John Busby only required 2 dolls for the win. The final leg decider was also a tied leg, meaning that Hanborough picked up an impressive 6-4 away win, and they also had Jamie Berry as the match top scorer with 14 dolls. The next close match was between the Oxford Yeoman B & the Masons Arms B. It was the Yeoman that started well, taking the first two legs, before the Masons hit back to win the next two legs and level up the match 4-4. The Yeoman then set 15 dolls in the deciding leg, which proved to be a winning total as the Masons could only finish with 9 dolls, meaning the match was won 6-4 by the Yeoman. Lead off man Alan Major put his recent dip in form behind him to come good with a great 18 dolls for the Yeoman, whilst Pete King was the Masons top scorer with a solid 15 dolls. Chadlington Sports put their recent drop in form behind them to pick up a very impressive 5-5 draw away at the Masons Arms A. Chadlington were ahead 5-3 going into the final leg before a set of 18 dolls from the Masons proved enough to take the leg and secure the draw. Richard Johnson came good again for Chadlington with a fantastic 20 dolls to be crowned the match top scorer. The Black Prince B picked up a 8-2 away win over Enstone Sports to move up into second in the Premier, although it was a much closer match than the score suggests as two of the legs which the Prince won were only won by a single doll. It was another good night's work by Enstone's Martin Blake, who top scored with 16 dolls. The weeks final match saw the Black Prince A claim a 9-1 home win of the Cock Inn, which was very harsh on the Cock as they battled superbly and pushed the Prince all the way. The week's only maximums were hit in this match, with Mark Lacey, Barry Townsend & Jon Townsend all hitting the perfect 6. Jon also continued his superb Thursday night form with another huge total, this time being 24 dolls.

WEEK 12 - 12th JULY


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
COCK INN	10	ENSTONE SSC	0
CHADLINGTON SSC	2	BLACK PRINCE A	8
HANBOROUGH SSC	P	MASONS ARMS A	P
MASONS ARMS B	4	QUEENS HEAD A	6
BLACK PRINCE B	10	OXFORD YEOMAN B	0
DIVISION TWO & THREE
KINGS HEAD	5	THREE HORSESHOES	5
OXFORD YEOMAN A	9	KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	1
QUEENS HEAD B	0	ELM TREE	10
CINNAMON STICK	4	GEORGE & DRAGON	6
RED LION	2	STONESFIELD SSC	8

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 22 DOLLS - MARK POULTER (BLACK PRINCE B)

DIVISION ONE - 23 DOLLS - EDDIE LACEY (COCK INN)

DIVISION TWO - 20 DOLLS - RAY BARSON (ELM TREE)

DIVISION THREE - 17 DOLLS - JOE LANGFORD (OXFORD YEOMAN A)

SIXERS

EDDIE LACEY (COCK INN)

DICK WALSH (BLACK PRINCE A)

WEEKLY REPORT:

It was back to league action for week 11 as the race for the league titles hotted up.

In the Top Sections, there was a last leg shootout between the Masons Arms B and the Queens Head A. The Queens started well, taking the first two legs, before the Masons came roaring back to take the third & fourth legs, setting up a last leg shootout. It was the Masons who set in this final leg and they posted 14, which the Queens managed to chase down easily as they hit 20 to take the match 6-4. The Queens were helped out in the final leg by a 5 from the ever youthful Mick 'Chuck' Berry, who was also the match top scorer with 18 dolls. The Black Prince B returned to form after picking up a 10-0 home win over the Yeoman B. After a tight opening leg in which the Prince anchor man Chris Price successfully hit the 4 dolls required for the win, the remaining legs were straightforward as the Prince racked up 84 dolls, which was their best night for a number of weeks. Mark Poulter was the match top scorer with an excellent 22 dolls. There was also a 10-0 victory for the Cock Inn over Enstone Sports, which saw Eddie Lacey return to form with a fantastic 23 doll haul. It was nice to see Eddie put his recent struggles behind him as his scores of 4-3-6-5-5 showed that class is permanent. It should be noted that Enstone played the match with only five players, so fair play for giving it a good go team. The final match in the Top Sections saw leaders the Black Prince A pick up a 8-2 away win over Chadlington Sports in strangely warm & calm conditions. Freddie Moreton continued his good form to top score for Chad with 16 dolls, but it was Dick Walsh who was the match top scorer with 20, which included a maximum in the final leg.

In the Lower Sections, there were a couple of shocks as form teams the Red Lion and the Three Horseshoes both failed to win. The Lion hosted an inspired Stonesfield Sports team, who have started to hit some good form in recent weeks. Stoney managed to take the first four legs before the Lion managed to pinch the final leg to pick up what could be a very important two points. Nathan Dore (16 dolls) & Rob Tudge (15 dolls) were in fine form for Stoney and the 8-2 win moves them further up the table. There was a very tight match between the Kings Head & the Three Horseshoes, which went the distance. With the match being tied 4-4, the Shoes set in the deciding leg and posted 16 dolls, which was the highest total of the match. The Kings looked set to go past this with ease after sitting on 14 dolls with two players still to throw, however the final two players could only muster 1 doll each, meaning the leg was a tie and the match was also tied at 5-5. The George & Dragon kept up the pressure towards the top of Section Three after picking up a 6-4 away win over the Cinnamon Stick. The Cinnamon Stick were actually leading the match 4-2 after three legs, but the George finished strongly to take the final two legs to secure a vital win. The Oxford Yeoman A also kept up the pressure on the top sides after a dominant display by defeating the Killingworth Castle 9-1 at home. Joe Langford was again on fine form as he hit 17 dolls. Finally, Ray Barson was in top form for the Elm Tree after hitting 20 dolls, which is his highest score of the season, as the Elm Tree picked up a 10-0 away win over the Queens Head B.

WEEK 11 - 5th JULY - SINGLES COMPETITION

VENUE ONE - RED LION - SET? *
PRELIMINARY ROUND
A COOPER	*1	*2		I GRANT	3	3
C BUCKINGHAM	2	*3		G KITCHEN	*1	1
M PHIPPS Snr	*4	2	*3	H JOHNSON	2	*2	2

VENUE FIRST ROUND
M BERRY	3	*3	*4	C BUCKINGHAM	*4	1	5
L DAVIES	*X	*1		M FOREMAN	1	2
W TOWNSEND	3	1		I GRANT	*2	*X
E LACEY	1	3	2	M PHIPPS Snr	*X	*3	*3	M PHIPPS wins after a 3 Sticker

VENUE SEMI FINAL
C BUCKINGHAM	3	*4	*3	W TOWNSEND	*3	2	1
M PHIPPS Snr	*3	*3		M FOREMAN	4	4

VENUE FINAL
C BUCKINGHAM	*4	*3	*2	M FOREMAN	4	3	3

VENUE TWO - MASONS ARMS - SET? *
PRELIMINARY ROUND
N KING	*3	2	1	R HUNT	2	*2	*1

VENUE FIRST ROUND
R JOHNSON	1	*5	2	B TOWNSEND	*5	3	*3
M BOWERMAN	1	*2		P AUSTIN	*4	3
K JOHNSON	3	*3	1	D WALSH	*3	/	*2	D WALSH wins after a 3 Sticker
N KING	5	*3	*3	S BUCKINGHAM	*2	4	3	N KING wins after a 3 Sticker

VENUE SEMI FINAL
D WALSH	*2	1		P AUSTIN	3	*3
N KING	2	*3	*2	B TOWNSEND	*4	2	3

VENUE FINAL
P AUSTIN	*6	2	4	B TOWNSEND	/	*6	*3

VENUE THREE - BLACK PRINCE - SET? *
PRELIMINARY ROUND
P TOWNSEND	2	3	3	A CHAMBERLAIN	*2	*5	*3
N BALDWIN	4	*1	1	R HINCHCLIFFE	*3	4	*X
G WILLIAMS	2	2		R GRANT	*3	*3

VENUE FIRST ROUND
N PRATLEY	*4	3	*3	M PHIPPS Jnr	1	*3	/
A CHAMBERLAIN	*4	*3		R GRANT	/	2
C PRICE	3	*4		M LACEY	*1	/
D GRANT	2	*2	*4	N BALDWIN	*2	/	/

VENUE SEMI FINAL
N PRATLEY	3	*5	3	A CHAMBERLAIN	*3	4	*4	N PRATLEY wins after a 1 sticker
C PRICE	3	*2	4	D GRANT	*3	3	*4

VENUE FINAL
N PRATLEY	3	2	*3	D GRANT	*2	*4	4

VENUE FOUR - ENSTONE SSC - SET? *
PRELIMINARY ROUND
L THOMPSON	2	*4		D GARDINER	*1	2
B HALL	/	*X		F MORETON	*4	1

VENUE FIRST ROUND
F MORETON	3	*3	5	J GLENISTER	*3	4	*4	J GLENISTER wins after a 3 sticker
J TOWNSEND	2	3	*3	S DUCKER	*1	*3	4	J TOWNSEND wins after a 2nd 3 sticker
D HARRIS	*1	/		T NEWBOLD	2	*3
L THOMPSON	2	*3		J WAGERFIELD	*1	/

VENUE SEMI FINAL
J GLENISTER	4	*4		J TOWNSEND	*5	5
T NEWBOLD	*3	*1		L THOMPSON	4	2

VENUE FINAL
J TOWNSEND	*5	3		L THOMPSON	4	*2

Rearranged Fixture from Week 10

OXFORD YEOMAN A 8 - KINGS HEAD 2

Rearranged Fixture from Week 1

KILLINGWORTH CASTLE 6 - QUEENS HEAD 4

SIXERS

P AUSTIN (BLACK PRINCE A)

B TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

J LANGFORD (OXFORD YEOMAN A)

WEEKLY REPORT:

There was a break in the league format for week 11 as the Singles Competition took centre stage. Judging by the feedback I have had, the shorter format spread over four venues was well received, so we will certainly look to continue this in the future. There were only 2 players on the night that didn't manage to make it, so there were 41 players in total battling it out for a place a Finals Night. The reports from each venue are as follows:

Venue One - Red Lion

There were the expected three Prelim matches at the Lion, which saw comfortable wins for Ian Grant over Adie Cooper and also Charlie Buckingham over 'Super' Gordon Kitchen. The final Prelim was a tighter affair, with Mick Phipps scrapping past Henry Johnson in a last leg decider. The next round kicked off in style with a very close match between Charlie & Mick Berry. Both players hit 10 dolls over the three legs, but it was Charlie who hit them a the crucial times to advance into the venue Semi Final. The next two matches were straight forward 2-0 wins, with Mick Foreman beating Lucy Davies and then home favourite Wayne Townsend dispatching Ian Grant. The final match of the venue First Round, between Eddie Lacey & Mick Phipps, required a three stick playoff. The match was tied at 1.5 points each after three legs, but it was Mick that held his nerve in the three sticker, setting a 3 which Eddie couldn't chase down. The opening venue Semi Final saw Charlie get past Wayne over three legs. After drawing the first leg 3-3. Charlie then set 4 and then 3, which proved too many for Wayne to chase. The other Semi saw Mick Foreman get past Mick Phipps 2-0, with Mick Foreman twice chasing down sets of 3 by hitting a 4 to go through. So, the venue Final was between the reigning Singles Champion Charlie Buckingham & Mick Foreman. Charlie had the honour in all three legs, setting scores of 4-3-2, to which Mick just about managed to get past with scores of 4-3-3 to advance to play in the Semi Finals at Finals Night.

Venue Two - Masons Arms

There were some big hitters drawn out to play in North Leigh, which was proved correct after a fine night of throwing. There was only the one Prelim required which saw Nigel King advance to the main draw after a narrow 2-1 win over Ryan Hunt, who was one of the few players from the Lower Sections to enter this year's Singles. The venue First Round kicked off with a mouth watering tie between Richard Johnson & Barry Townsend. Unsurprisingly, the match went to a third and deciding leg, which Barry narrowly won 3-2. The next match saw the other Lower Section player Mark Bowerman go out to Phil Austin, and then Dick Walsh just edged out Kevin Johnson in a match that was decided by a three sticker. It was Dick that set in this three sticker, and he posted a maximum, which only just proved enough after Kevin missed his last stick to tie. The final match of the round was a mighty battle between Nigel King & Spencer Buckingham, in which I believethe final leg went to three sticks, then one stick and then back to six sticks! It was Nigel that finally won this battle in what must of been a great match to watch. The first of the venue Semi Finals was between Dick Walsh & Phil Austin, in a match for bragging rights over a cuppa the following morning. It was Phil's brew that would taste the sweetest after picking up a surprisingly simple 2-0 win. The second Semi Final, Barry Townsend won the final leg against Nigel King after chasing down Nigel's set of 2 to advance into the final to play Phil. And what a great final it was. Phil opened up with a 6 in the first leg to take the lead, before Barry returned the favour by setting a 6 in the second leg! The deciding leg saw Barry set a total of 3, which Phil successfully managed to chase down to take his place in the last four.

Venue Three - Black Prince

There was a full turn out for the Woodstock venue, with all 11 scheduled players arriving to try a win through in what looked like a very open draw. The opening Prelim saw Alex Chamberlain narrowly get past Paul Townsend 2-1 in a very tight match. The first & third legs both ended in draws, which ment that Alex's win in the second leg after a set of 5 proved to be the winning leg. The second Prelim was another close match, this time between Nick Baldwin & Ron Hinchcliffe. Ron set a solid 3 in the first leg, to which Nick successfully chased down with a 4. Ron then hit back to take the second leg 4-1, meaning another last leg decider was required. Unfortunately for Ron, his good form with his new sticks ran out and he came back without scoring, allowing Nick to hit the 1 required. The last Prelim saw Ray Grant advance into the next round 2-0 after he set a pair of 3's, which proved to be enough to defeat George Williams. The opening match of the next round saw Neil Pratley win the third leg against Mike Phipps to go through 2-1, and then Alex continued his good throwing to defeat Ray 2-0. Chris Price was next on and he eased past birthday boy Mark Lacey 2-0, with Mark obviously distracted by the ridiculosly expensive gift that Lucy gave him in the morning. The final match of the round saw Darren Grant taken to three legs before edging past Nick Baldwin. The opening venue Semi Final was a fantastic match between Neil Pratley & Alex Chamberlain, which turned out to be the match of the night. The opening leg was tied after both players scored 3, before Neil moved ahead by winning the second leg after setting a 5, which Alex fell just short with a 4. Alex then set in the deciding leg, and posted a 4, which Neil just failed to tie with a 3. So a three sticker was required, which was again tied after both players scored 2. It was left to Neil to secure the win after he nailed is one stick to after Alex had just missed his. A great game to watch gents. The other Semi Final Chris Price face off against the other home player Darren Grant. The opening leg was tied 3 each, before Darren edged ahead after the second by chasing down Chris's set of 2. Darren then set in the last leg and posted a solid 4, which although Chris matched, it was Darren who went through to the final due to his second leg win. It was Neil that took the early advantage in the venue Final after easing past Darren's poor set of 2, before Darren hit back to set 4 in the second leg, which Neil failed to match, meaning a last leg decider was required. It was Neil's turn to set in this, and he posted a 3, to which Darren managed to get past after hitting the required 4 with his last stick to take his place in the final four

Venue Four - Enstone SSC

The final venue was another tight looking draw, with a number of players being hopeful of making it through. The two Prelims were straight forward, with Lee Thompson beating Dave Gardiner 2-0 and then Fred Moreton also defeating Bob Hall 2-0, both of which had no dramas. The first game of the next round saw an excellent match between Fred & Jeff Glenister. Both players hit 11 dolls over the three legs and both players produced a great chase. The first leg was tied 3 each before Fred set another 3, which Jeff chased down by hitting a 4. The last leg saw Jeff set a good 4, but it wasn't good enough as Fred produced some magic to hit a 5 to take the game to a three sticker. It was Jeff's turn to produce the magic in this as he hit a maximum 3 out of 3, which Fred couldn't match. The next match was even more tense as leading doll scorer Jon Townsend came up against Steve Ducker in a match that was as tight as a duck's bum! Both players recorded a win, a draw and a loss over the standard three legs, but it is only then that the real drama started. Jon set 2 in the three sticker, which Steve matched. Jon then set 1 in the one sticker, which Steve matched. Back to six sticks and Jon set 3, which Steve matched yet again! The second set of three sticks finally produced a winner, with Jon setting a 2 and Steve narrowly missing his last stick to lose by a single doll. What a fantastic match it must of been to watch. Thankfully, the next two matches of the round were much quicker, with Tim Newbold knocking out teammate Dean Harris 2-0 and then Lee Thompson eased past Jim Wagerfield by the same score. There was more good throwing in the first of the venue Semi Finals between Jon & Jeff. Jon set a 5 in the first leg, which Jeff just failed to match with a 4. Jeff then set in the second leg and put up a 4, which again proved just short after Jon came back with a 5. The other Semi final saw Tim face off against Lee. Tim set a 3 in the first leg, which Lee edged past with his last stick to hit a 4. Tim could then only set a 1 in the second leg, which Lee eased past to join Jon in the final. So it was Wednesday night teammates Jon & Lee to played eachother in the final. Jon continued his excellent night's throwing by setting a 5 in the first leg, which Lee narrowly fell short of chasing with a 4. Lee then set a 2 in the second leg, which never looked enough due to Jon's good form, and that proved to be true as Jon scored the 3 needed to get through to Finals Night.

So, there will be a new name added to the Wychwood Singles trophy this year as Mick Foreman, Phil Austin, Darren Grant and Jon Townsend will all do battle at Finals Night to be crowned the Singles Champion for the first time. Thank you to all the players that took part, and as I mentioned at the begining it sounds like all venues were enjoyable.

Special thanks go out to:

All four venues for hosting duties

All the volunteers who helped out by calling & sticking up

Venue One helpers Ian Grant & Lucy Davies

Venue Two helpers Dick Walsh & Phil Austin

Venue Three helpers Pat Grant & Mike Phipps

Venue Four helpers Lee Thompson & Sue Townsend

And if I've missed your name out from above, thank you too!

There were also a couple of rearranged league matches played this week. Firstly, the Oxford Yeoman A picked up an important 8-2 home win over the Kings Head to keep in touch with the Section Three title chase. It was a closer match than the score reflects, with legs two & four both ending in draws. The Yeoman boys were helped to victory by Joe Langford, who finally managed to pull his finger out this season and actually hit some dolls, including a 6 in the third leg (his captains words, not mine!). Is this the start of good things Joe? The other match was doubled up as a league fixture and also the Supplementary Cup prelim, and it saw the Killingworth Castle record a 6-4 home win. The match was again a tight affair, but the Killy just about stayed strong to take the win.

WEEK 10 - 28th JUNE


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
CHADLINGTON SSC	6	COCK INN	4
BLACK PRINCE B	2	QUEENS HEAD A	8
MASONS ARMS B	2	MASONS ARMS A	8
HANBOROUGH SSC	4	BLACK PRINCE A	6
ENSTONE SSC	4	OXFORD YEOMAN B	6
DIVISION TWO & THREE
OXFORD YEOMAN A	8	KINGS HEAD	2
RED LION	3	GEORGE & DRAGON	7
CINNAMON STICK	7	ELM TREE	3
QUEENS HEAD B	P	KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	P
THREE HORSESHOES	P	STONESFIELD SSC	P

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 19 DOLLS - BARRY TOWNSEND & JON TOWNSEND (BOTH BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 18 DOLLS - JOHN BUSBY (HANBOROUGH SSC), LEE THOMPSON & JEFF GLENISTER (BOTH QUEENS HEAD A)

DIVISION TWO - N/A

DIVISION THREE - 15 DOLLS - RYAN HUNT (GEORGE & DRAGON)

SIXER

GEORGE WILLIAMS (ENSTONE SSC)

WEEKLY REPORT:

So the second half of the season kicked off with a small distraction, with England Res v Belguim Res resulting in some games not getting played.

From the ones that did survive, Section Three leaders the Red Lion suffered their first home defeat of the season after the George & Dragon produced an excellent performance to clinch a 7-3 away win. The match was tied at 3-3 at the halfway stage, but the George finished the match superbly, hitting 17 & 19 dolls in the final two legs to secure the victory. It was the highest total of dolls that the George have hit so far this season, knocking off 60, with Ben Holloway hitting a personal best 14 dolls & captain Ryan Hunt returning to form as the match top scorer with 15. The only other fixture in the lower Sections saw the Cinnamon Stick scrape home 7-3 against the the Elm Tree. It was the poorest week that the Cinnamon have had since they joined our league, only hitting 36 dolls all night, which is well below their usual high standards. However, the Elm Tree just couldn't get the extra few dolls required, even though they managed to hit 6 more dolls in total than the Cinnamon Stick. Keep plugging away Elm Tree, I'm sure your luck will change soon!

In the Top Sections, the Queens Head A produced a fantastic effort to secure a 8-2 away win over the Black Prince B to continue their climb up the table. After the Prince took the opening leg, the Queens turned on the style to hit some big totals, having their best night of the season so far by a long way in hitting 86 dolls. Lee Thompson & Jeff Glenister were the Queens top scorers with 18 dolls each, but it was Neil Curtis who deserves a special mention after hitting a mighty 16 dolls. Great shooting Neil. There was a very strange match between Chadlington Sports and the Cock Inn, with both teams being below par. Must of been the stress of that footy! The Cock took the opening couple of legs before Chadlington hit back the win the remaining three legs to secure a 6-4 home win. Mark Lacey (Cock Inn) was the match top scorer with 14 dolls. Home advantage counted for nothing in North Leigh where the Masons Arms B 'hosted' the Masons Arms A. It was the A side that claimed the bragging rights after securing an 8-2 victory, thanks to a very good team performance. Dean Harris continued his run of good form to top score with 18 dolls, whilst Pete King & Ashley Keenan both top scored for the B side with a solid 15 dolls each. The Oxford Yeoman B managed to pick up their first victory since back at the end of May after winning 6-4 away at Enstone Sports. It was a cagey affair which could of gone either way, but it was the Yeoman who hit the important dolls at crucial times to gain the much needed win. Martin Few was the top scorer for the Yeoman with 11 dolls, but it was George Williams who was the match top scorer with 15, which included the week's only maximum. Finally, the Black Prince A managed to hold their nerve despite the lubricated crowd at Hanborough Sports to come away with a 6-4 win. Hanborough were unlucky not to claim a surprise win after having their best night of the season so far in hitting 75 dolls, helped by John Busby, who had a good night's work with 18 dolls. Barry & Jon Townsend top scored for the Prince with 19 dolls each.

That's it for this week guys. Sorry it's late, busy, busy busy!

WEEK 9 - 21st JUNE


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
COCK INN	8	HANBOROUGH SSC	2
QUEENS HEAD A	8	OXFORD YEOMAN B	2
MASONS ARMS A	6	BLACK PRINCE B	4
BLACK PRINCE A	10	MASONS ARMS B	0
CHADLINGTON SSC	4	ENSTONE SSC	6
DIVISION TWO & THREE
KINGS HEAD	6	QUEENS HEAD B	4
GEORGE & DRAGON	6	STONESFIELD SSC	4
ELM TREE	0	RED LION	10
KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	1	CINNAMON STICK	9
OXFORD YEOMAN A	0	THREE HORSESHOES	10

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 22 DOLLS - JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 19 DOLLS - RICHARD JOHNSON (CHADLINGTON SSC)

DIVISION TWO - 16 DOLLS - CHRIS STEWART (KILLINGWORTH CASTLE) & ALEX CHAMBERLAIN (THREE HORSESHOES)

DIVISION THREE - 17 DOLLS - WAYNE TOWNSEND (RED LION)

SIXERS

TIM NEWBOLD (MASONS ARMS A)

BARRY TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

ROB BRADFORD (BLACK PRINCE A)

JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

WEEKLY REPORT:

Week 9 arrived with more fine weather as we reach the halfway stage of this year's league format. I'll be writing this with the England v Panama game in the background, so watch out for a mistake or two if it's close!

The big match of the week was between the second & third placed teams in the Premier Section, being the Masons Arms A and the Black Prince B, with both teams hoping for a big win to close the gap at the top of the table. As predicted, it was a hard fought affair. The Masons started well, taking the first three legs with ease to move into a 6-0 lead, before the Prince B hit back to claim the final two legs depite only setting modest targets of 16 & 17, meaning the match result ended 6-4. Nigel King top scored for the Prince, going through the card with a full set of 3's, but it was a night to remember for the Mason's Tim Newbold, who top scored with 19 dolls and also hit his first 6 of the season. Good throwing Tim. There was another tight match between Chadlington Sports & Enstone Sports. It was Enstone that produced an inspired performance towards the end of the match, winning the final two legs to take the match 6-4. The deciding leg was nip & tuck, and it was left for Enstone anchor man George Williams needing 2 to draw, 3 to win. George held his nerve, coming back with a 4 to help his side take the win, whilst also top scoring for Enstone with 15 dolls. Richard Johnson was again top scorer for Chadlington, coming in with third total of 19 of the season. It seems that Panama are using some physical tatics when defending corners! Nothing wrong with that! The Cock Inn moved to the top of Section One after recording a comfortable 8-2 home win over Hanborough Sports. Squad rotation was in full flow for the Cock, with underperforming players feeling the wrath of captain Lucy Davies by being axed for legs, but it seemed to work wonders as the team produced a solid effort. Dave Gardiner was in good form again for the Cock with 16 dolls, whilst Jamie Berry was the top scorer for Hanborough with 12. The Queens Head A picked up their first win of the season after defeating the Oxford Yeoman B 8-2. This win means that all 20 teams in our league have recorded at least one win, so well done to all players. It was nearly a clean sweep victory for the Queens, but the Yeoman managed to hold on to win the second leg after the Queens anchor man Rob Brown was unable to knock off the required 2 dolls to tie the leg. Lee Thompson was the match top scorer with 18 dolls, whilst Andy Warren was the top man for the Yeoman with a season's best score of 12 dolls. Why didn't I put John Stones in my fantasy league team! The final game in the Top Sections saw the Black Prince A rack up another big doll haul, this week hitting a total of 112 dolls, on their way to a 10-0 home win over the Masons Arms B. Jon Townsend continued his impressive form with 22 dolls, including his fifth maximum of the season, whilst Barry Townsend & Rob 'The Count' Bradford hit their first maximums of the season. Steve 'I Hit Dolls' Mott was on form for the Masons, coming in with double figures, whilst Tom O'Neill had his best week of the season so far with a good 14 dolls in what was an enjoyable match played in great spirits (although the Landlord might be looking for a transfer after not getting a leg all night!). The goals have dried up, England are rubbish! Ha!

Moving into the Lower Sections, and it was the Three Horseshoes who have taken a firm grip on Section Two after recording their third consecutive maximum 10-0 victory, this time away at the Oxford Yeoman A. The first two legs were won by just a single doll, with the Shoes taking them 14-13 and then 13-12. But after these tight legs, the Shoes comfortably won the remaining legs to claim the clean sweep. Alex Chamberlain was the match top scorer with 16 dolls, whilst it was a forgetable night for the boys at the Yeoman, with none of their team reaching double figures. If we get another penalty I'd let Pickford take it! The George & Dragon returned to winning ways by picking up a 6-4 home win over Stonesfield Sports, although that is only half the story. After the George easily won the first three legs to go 6-0 ahead, Stoney, who only had 5 players, battled back to chase and win the final two legs to limit the margin of defeat. Really well done to the Stoney boys, as it would of been easy to throw the towel in, but they kept on going and showed just what can be done when you try that bit harder. Nathan Dore was the Stoney top scorer with 14 dolls, but it was a great night 'Mr Fitness' Matt Kilcoyne for the George, who hit a magnificent 16 dolls, and also for Jamie Fletcher, who came in with his first double figure tally of the season. Well thrown chaps. The Red Lion moved further ahead of the chasing pack in Section Three after a solid 10-0 away win over the luckless Elm Tree. You have to feel for the Elm Tree boys at the moment, who just seem to be performing below their usual standards whilst coming up against some sides that are in top form. John Hicks was the top scorer for the Elm Tree with 12 dolls, even though he was only selected for four legs, but it was Wayne Townsend (17 dolls) who was the match & Section top scorer after finally remembering the idea of the game is to hit the white thing and not the base of the pole! Good shooting matey. The final match to report on (No card received from the match between the Kings Head & Queens Head B) saw the Cinnamon Stick pick up an impressive 9-1 away win over the Killingworth Castle. Fair play to the Killingworth for battling hard, in particular Chris Stewart, who was the match top scorer with a fine 16 dolls. I suspect that it's not far away before the Killy boys all click at the same time and hand out a beating to someone! Are the bookies paying out on England to win it now or not? It's in the bag!!!!!

Half Term Report

Premier Section

With the Black Prince A somehow maintaining their superb form, averaging just over a stunning 106 dolls per match, it looks like the league is theirs to lose. However, they surely can't keep this scoring going, so don't be surprised if they have a few slip ups in the second half of the season. The Masons A and the Prince B are both dangerous sides and are more than capable of closing the gap, so nothing has been decided yet.

Section One

The feeling I have is that Section One will come down to the final couple of games of the season. The Cock Inn & Chadlington are just in front at the moment, but the Queens Head A have a game in hand, which with a big win could put them right in the mix. I'm not sure I could pick a winner, and every point could prove vital. Don't rule out either of the Masons B or the Yeoman B, who could quite easily step in if any of the above three teams slip up. All six teams in this section are very evenly matched, with bottom placed Hanborough Sports due a good run of results which could move them up the table into a position to be dangerous.

Section Two

Like the Premier, this looks like it's a one sided affair, with the Three Horseshoes sitting on a massive lead at the moment. Howver, complacency could set in, so it will be interesting to keep an eye on their results. I really hope that the Killingworth Castle & the Elm Tree enjoy some good fortune in the second half of the season. They seem to be struggling, but both are more than capable of increasing the amount of dolls that they hit, which in turn should see their points tally go up. Keep going chaps, I'm sure your luck will change soon.

Section Three

This Section again looks like it could go down to the wire, even though the Red Lion are ahead at the moment. Realistically, there could be a five way battle for the title, with the chasing pack of the Cinnamon Stick, Oxford Yeoman A, Stonesfield Sports and the George & Dragon all more than capable of putting a run of wins together to put the pressure on the Lion. Points mean prizes, so every leg between now and the end of the season could prove vital.

That's the lot for this week

Good luck to all those players making the trip over to Charlbury next week for the World Championships. I expect the winner to come from the Wychwood league!! Spencer, don't forget your wallet fella!!

WEEK 8 - 14th JUNE


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
MASONS ARMS B	6	COCK INN	4
HANBOROUGH SSC	4	CHADLINGTON SSC	6
OXFORD YEOMAN B	0	MASONS ARMS A	10
BLACK PRINCE B	5	BLACK PRINCE A	5
ENSTONE SSC	7	QUEENS HEAD A	3
DIVISION TWO & THREE
CINNAMON STICK	6	KINGS HEAD	4
QUEENS HEAD B	0	OXFORD YEOMAN A	10
STONESFIELD SSC	9	ELM TREE	1
RED LION	10	KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	0
THREE HORSESHOES	10	GEORGE & DRAGON	0

Rearranged Fixture from Week 6

ENSTONE SSC 0 - MASONS ARMS A 10

COMPETITION ENTRY FORMS!!!!

The closing date for the entry forms to arrive is this weekend!!

This is your last chance teams!

Come on guys, get those forms in please!

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 24 DOLLS - JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 20 DOLLS - PETE KING (MASONS ARMS B)

DIVISION TWO - 14 DOLLS - JAMES BATEMAN (KILLINGWORTH CASTLE) & GEOFF LEE (THREE HORSESHOES)

DIVISION THREE - 19 DOLLS - STEVE ROGERS (CINNAMON STICK)

SIXERS

EDDIE LACEY (COCK INN)

RAY GRANT (MASONS ARMS A)

MARK POULTER (BLACK PRINCE B)

JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

STEVE ROGERS (CINNAMON STICK)

WEEKLY REPORT:

Week 8 brought along another fine evening of sticks, surprises & sixes as the season approaches the halfway point.

There were some big results in the Lower Sections, with some big points being picked up by some teams. The closest match was between the Cinnamon Stick and the Kings Head, which went the distance and needed a last leg decider. It was the Cinnamon Stick who started well, winning the opening two legs, before the Kings Head hit back to win legs three & four. Thanks to a little bit of magic from star man Steve Rogers, who hit the Lower Section's first 6 of the season, the Cinnamon took the decider 16-11 to make sure the match ended in a 6-4 home win. It was a good night for the reliable Steve Rogers, who was the match top scorer with 19 dolls. A good week's work Steve! The other four results in the Lower Sections were one sided affairs. There was a 10-0 home win for the Red Lion over a weakend Killingworth Castle, who should actually be praised for completing the fixture as they only had 5 players. Well done for not cancelling guys. Wayne Townsend for the Lion (14 dolls) and James Bateman for the Killy (14 dolls) shared the match top scorer award. There was also a 10-0 home win for the Three Horseshoes in the battle of Hanborough over the George & Dragon. The Shoes took the opening two legs by just a single doll, and then had the final two players being Alex Chamberlain & Sean Barefield to thank for doing the business to secure the remaining three legs. Geoff Lee was the top scorer for the Shoes with a solid 14 dolls, whilst Ryan Hunt was top scorer for the George with 10 dolls. There was yet another 10-0 win, this time away from home by the Oxford Yeoman A over the Queens Head B. It was the Yeoman's best performance of the season so far, hitting 60 dolls in total on route to picking up maximum points. Ethan Simlett was in good form for the Yeoman, hitting 14 dolls. The final match of the Lower Sections saw Stonesfield Sports pick up a big 9-1 home win over the Elm Tree. Stoney set in every leg of the match, and strangely the leg that ended in a draw was easily the best leg of the match, which was a 18-18 tie. Rob Tudge had his best night of the season so far with 17 dolls for Stoney, whilst Goff Jones was the top scorer for the Elm Tree with 13. Moving into the Top Sections, and it was a good week for the Masons Arms A, who picked up two 10-0 wins. Firstly they played their outstanding fixture away at Enstone Sports, narrowly taking the final leg 17-16 to secure maximum points. Then on Thursday they recorded another 10-0 away win, this time at the Oxford Yeoman B. It was a good night of throwing by the Masons team, with Ray Grant hitting his first 6 of the season and Charlie Buckingham returning to form with 18 dolls. Alan Major was again the top scorer for the Yeoman with 14 dolls. It was first against second in the Black Prince derby in Woodstock, with the B team hosting the A team. It was a great night of throwing, with 191 dolls being hit between the two sides. The B team set in the first three legs and put up some impressive scores of 22, 20 & 20, but the A team chased hard to score 22 in each of those legs to move 5-1 ahead. However, when asked to set, the A team's good throwing dropped off slightly, allowing the B team to take the final two legs 19-16 and then 20-18, making it a great fightback to secure a 5-5 draw. Mark Poulter for the B team and Jon Townsend of the A team both recorded a maximum, with Jon coming in with another excellent week of 24 dolls. Mark was the top scorer for the B team with a great 21 dolls. There was an excellent 6-4 home win for the Masons Arms B, who defeated the Cock Inn. The match went to a last leg shootout, in which the Cock could only manage a set of 13, which the Masons went past with ease to secure the win. Pete King was in fine form for the Masons, top scoring with 20 dolls, whilst for the Cock Inn, Steve Grant was the top scorer with 14 dolls and Eddie Lacey hit his first maximum of the season. There was another last leg decider in the match between Hanborough Sports and Chadlington Sports. It looked like it was a really close, hard fought match, with just a single doll separating the sides in the whole match. With the match tied at 4-4, it was Chadlington that took the important final leg 20-18 to secure a 6-4 away win. 18 dolls was the highest score hit by a Chadlington player, with both Richard Johnson & Ron Hinchcliffe reaching that mark, while John Busby was the Hanborough top scorer with 16 dolls. Finally, Enstone Sports picked up their second win of the season, this time over the 5 men of the Queens Head. Enstone eased to the opening three legs before the weakened Queens team battled hard to pick up 3 points to keep the margin of defeat down to 7-3. George Williams was the match top scorer with 18 dolls, whilst Lee Thompson was top scorer for the Queens with 17 dolls.

Thats the lot for this week. Well done to the Killingworth Castle & the Queens Head A for turning up and playing despite being a player short and not calling off the matches.

WEEK 7 - 7th JUNE


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
COCK INN	1	BLACK PRINCE B	9
CHADLINGTON SSC	6	MASONS ARMS B	4
MASONS ARMS A	5	QUEENS HEAD A	5
BLACK PRINCE A	10	OXFORD YEOMAN B	0
HANBOROUGH SSC	7	ENSTONE SSC	3
DIVISION TWO & THREE
KINGS HEAD	4	RED LION	6
OXFORD YEOMAN A	8	CINNAMON STICK	2
ELM TREE	0	GEORGE & DRAGON	10
KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	5	STONESFIELD SSC	5
QUEENS HEAD B	0	THREE HORSESHOES	10

COMPETITION ENTRY FORMS!!!!

The closing date for the entry forms to arrive is MONDAY!!

We will extend this date to next weekend, giving you next week's matches to have a chat within your teams

Come on guys, get those forms in please!

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 25 DOLLS - JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 20 DOLLS - LEE THOMPSON (QUEENS HEAD A)

DIVISION TWO - 18 DOLLS - ALEX CHAMBERLAIN (THREE HORSESHOES)

DIVISION THREE - 16 DOLLS - NEIL MORTON (RED LION)

SIXERS

JON TOWNSEND X 2 (BLACK PRINCE A)

DAVE GARDINER (COCK INN)

WEEKLY REPORT:

After the shocking weather of last week, the sun came out in week 7, and it brought with it plenty of drama and dolls!

Starting things off in the Top Sections, there was a thrilling match between Chadlington Sports and the Masons Arms B, which was played as not only the league fixture but also their Knockout Cup Preliminary match.The Masons started brightly despite being the away team, with anchor man Ashley Keenan hitting the winning dolls to take the first two legs and give the Masons an early lead. However, Chadlington hit back by setting impressive scores of 17 & 18 in legs three & four, which the Masons were unable to chase down. The last leg decider saw the chaps from Chadlington set a mighty 22 dolls, with Kevin Drinkwater (5), Fred Moreton (4) & Ron Hinchcliffe (4) giving true meaning to the term 'wagging tail'. The Masons battled hard to chase this down but in the end they came up just short, meaning Chadlington took the league match 6-4 and also advanced into the first round of the cup. Ron Hinchcliffe top scored for Chadlington with 16 dolls, but it was Pete King who was the match top scorer with a great 17 doll haul. There was also late drama for the other Mason's team, with the Masons A hosting the Queens Head A. At the halfway point of the match, both teams had recorded a win, a loss and a drawn leg. The Queens then posted a lowly 14 dolls in leg four, to which the Masons cruised past by hitting 23, giving them the advantage going into the final leg. They looked good to take the leg and the match, but the Queens final man Jeff Glenister had his own script, knocking off the required 5 to pip the Masons and secure a 5-5 draw. Good shooting Jeff! Charlie Buckingham was the top scorer for the Masons with 18 dolls, but it was Lee Thompson from the Queens who was the star performer, coming in with a fantastic 20 dolls. There was a first win of the season for Hanborough Sports, who picked up a much needed 7-3 home win over Enstone Sports. It was very nearly a bigger margin of victory, but Pete Cox (4) & George Williams (5) produced some magic for Enstone in the final leg to limit the damage. John Busby had another good night for Hanborough, coming in with 17 dolls, whilst the Enstone top scorer was Paul Allen (14 dolls). The other two matches in the top sections saw big wins for both the Black Prince sides. The Black Prince B were particularly impressive by picking up a 9-1 away win over the Cock Inn. After the opening leg ended in a 17 each draw, the Prince B then produced a great team effort to take all of the remaining legs. The stand out performers for the Prince were Henry Johnson & Mick Foreman, who both hit the magical 20 doll target, whilst Eddie Lacey was the top man for the Cock Inn with a solid 17 dolls. It was a mixed night for Dave Gardiner, who hit his first maximum in the fourth leg, but then followed it up with a blob in the final leg. Did the Prince captain Bobby Hall do something to your sticks Dave? The Black Prince A picked up another clean sweep, this time over the Oxford Yeoman B. The Prince maintained their excellent form, this week hitting 109 dolls between them. Alan Major was again top scorer for the Yeoman with 18 dolls, but it was Jon Townsend who made a spectacle of himself, top scoring with a massive 25 dolls, which included two maximums in the first & last legs of the match.

There was also plenty of drama in the Lower Sections. The Killingworth Castle and Stonesfield Sports battled it out for a 5-5 draw after Stonesfield took the final leg to share the spoils. The match really could of gone either way, with both sides having moments of greatness followed by moments of frustration. Chris Stewart (Killingworth), Rob Tudge & Nathan Dore (Both Stonesfield) shared out the top scorer duties with 13 dolls each. The George & Dragon produced a fantastic performance, winning 10-0 away at the Elm Tree to move into second place in Section Three. It was a really good team effort by the George, with James Brooks & Matt Kilcoyne hitting important dolls, whilst Mike Phipps top scored with 13 dolls. Ray Barson top scored for the Elm Tree with 14 dolls. The Oxford Yeoman B hit back after their disappointing recent results to record a fine 8-2 home win over the Cinnamon Stick. The Yeoman didn't actually lose a leg in the match, with the only points they dropped being draws in legs three & four. Harry Irwin was the top man for the Yeoman, hitting 12 dolls, with Section Three leading doll scorer Steve Rogers the Cinnamon top scorer with 11. The Three Horseshoes opened up a big gap at the top of Section Two after picking up a routine 10-0 away win over the Queens Head B. The victory was never in doubt, especially with the Horseshoes captain Alex Chamberlain being in fine form with 18 dolls. In the week's final match, there was a close fought game between the Kings Head and the Red Lion. With the match finally balanced at 5-3 in favour of the Lion, the Kings Head set 12 in the final leg, to which the Lion just managed to tie thanks to anchor man Marcus Copelin to take the match 6-4. Neil Moreton was the star man for the Lion after hitting a seasons best score of 16 dolls.

Week 7 also saw the first set of players go past the 100 doll mark. Can any of these early pacesetters kick on and get near the 300 doll mark this season? It would be amazing if they do. The list of players going into three figures are:

Jon Townsend (121 - Black Prince A)

Dick Walsh (113 - Black Prince A)

Richard Johnson (105 - Chadlington SSC)

Darren Grant (102 - Black Prince A)

Steve Rogers (102 - Cinnamon Stick)

Charlie Buckingham (101 - Masons Arms A)

Ashley Keenan (101 - Masons Arms B)

So that's the lot for this week. Sorry it's a bit late! Good luck to everyone playing in the Oxford Pairs on Wednesday, and lets see if the good scoring continues on Thursday!

WEEK 6 - 31st MAY


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
OXFORD YEOMAN B	P	COCK INN	P
BLACK PRINCE B	10	CHADLINGTON SSC	0
MASONS ARMS B	8	HANBOROUGH SSC	2
QUEENS HEAD A	0	BLACK PRINCE A	10
ENSTONE SSC	0	MASONS ARMS A	10
DIVISION TWO & THREE
STONESFIELD SSC	8	KINGS HEAD	2
RED LION	10	OXFORD YEOMAN A	0
CINNAMON STICK	10	QUEENS HEAD B	0
GEORGE & DRAGON	P	KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	P
THREE HORSESHOES	9	ELM TREE	1

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - N/A

DIVISION ONE - 17 DOLLS - PETE KING (MASONS ARMS B)

DIVISION TWO - N/A

DIVISION THREE - 13 DOLLS - GRAHAM MILLS & WAYNE TOWNSEND (BOTH RED LION)

SIXERS

NONE

WEEKLY REPORT:

Well, what can I say! I can't believe so many matches were called off due to some light drizzle!!!!

There were, amazingly, some matches that were played, which can only mean certain places avoided the rain, or that we have some seriously hard core players in this league!

There was only one match that survived in the top sections, with the Masons Arms B taking advantage of the indoor throw to stay dry and pick up a big 8-2 home win over Hanborough Sports. Home advantage certainly helped the Masons as they hit their higgest total dolls of the season so far, with Pete King top scoring with 17. It was actually a closer match than the scoreline shows and Hanborough will feel unlucky not to have picked up a few more points. Jamie Berry had another good night for Hanborough, top scoring with 16 dolls.

In the lower sections, the two matches played both ended in 10-0 home wins. The Cinnamon Stick recorded a clean sweep over the Queens Head B, and judging by the scores, I would suggest that there was some rain in the air in Middle Barton! Even the impessive Steve Rogers seemed to find it hard work after only hitting 12 dolls, but he was still well clear of the totals by the rest of the players on the night. The other full house was recorded by the Red Lion, who defeated the Oxford Yeoman A. It was a simple enough victory for the Lion, who had Graham Mills & Wayne Townsend as joint top scorers with 13 dolls each.

One of the postponed matches was replayed on Tuesday night, which is fantastic to see teams being so organised. This match was between the Three Horseshoes and the Elm Tree, which ended in a 9-1 home win for the Shoes. Alex Chamberlain was on top form for the Shoes, top scoring with 17 dolls to move closer to the top of the 'Division Two Top Doll Scorer' table. Well done chaps for sorting this game out so quickly.

So, lets hope that's the last wet night of the season! Obviously I understand how difficult it is to rearrange matches, but if I could urge all teams to try and get them played sooner rather than later that would be great. If you leave it until the end of the season then there could be a back log, which is always tricky to fix.

Cheers

WEEK 5 - 24th MAY


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
COCK INN	8	QUEENS HEAD A	2
CHADLINGTON SSC	4	OXFORD YEOMAN B	6
HANBOROUGH SSC	2	BLACK PRINCE B	8
BLACK PRINCE A	10	MASONS ARMS A	0
MASONS ARMS B	1	ENSTONE SSC	9
DIVISION TWO & THREE
KINGS HEAD	5	GEORGE & DRAGON	5
OXFORD YEOMAN A	4	STONESFIELD SSC	6
QUEENS HEAD B	6	RED LION	4
KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	9	ELM TREE	1
CINNAMON STICK	7	THREE HORSESHOES	3

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 21 DOLLS - PHIL AUSTIN (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 20 DOLLS - RICHARD JOHNSON (CHADLINGTON SSC)

DIVISION TWO - 14 DOLLS - ALEX CHAMBERLAIN (THREE HORSESHOES) & DEREK RICHARDS (KILLINGWORTH CASTLE)

DIVISION THREE - 19 DOLLS - STEVE ROGERS (CINNAMON STICK)

SIXERS

EDDIE LACEY (COCK INN)

JEFF GLENISTER (QUEENS HEAD A)

WEEKLY REPORT:

Another week of early cards! Cheers all

There were some big point gains for some of the teams in the Top Sections, but I will start my week 5 report with the one game that could of gone either way. This was between Chadlington Sports and the Oxford Yeoman B, with both teams looking for a victory to take them to the top of Division One. The Yeoman started brightly, setting 19 in the opening leg to go ahead, before Chadlington hit back to level things up after taking leg two 16-13. Chadlington set 16 again in leg three, which the Yeoman chased down thanks to anchor man David Trim hitting the required two dolls. The fourth leg was again close, with the Yeoman setting 17, to which Chadlington anchor man Ron Hinchcliffe fell just a single doll short of drawing. With the match victory now confirmed, the Yeoman could only muster a set of 13 in the final leg, which Chadlington eased past with 18. The 6-4 defeat was unfortunate for Chadlington as they actually hit 3 more dolls than the Yeoman. Richard Johnson continued his good form in his new position at the top of the batting order with 20 dolls, with Dave Behan (15 dolls) being the Yeoman top scorer. The Black Prince B picked up another win, this time 8-2 away at Hanborough Sports. It was a strong team performance by the Prince, with Mick Foreman top scoring with a seasons best 20 dolls, assisted well by Nigel King (16 dolls) & Bob Hall (15 dolls). John Busby was the Hanborough top scorer with 13 dolls. Enstone Sports picked up their first win of the season with a convincing 9-1 away win over the Masons Arms B. The Masons will count themselves unlucky yet again, with three of the legs being separated by just a couple of dolls. George Williams was on top form for Enstone, top scoring with 19 dolls, with Ashley Keenan top man for the Masons with a solid 15 dolls. The Cock Inn continued thier recent good form with a 8-2 home win over the Queens Head A. The Cock hit their higgest match total of the season so far, notching up 78 dolls, which could of been even better had they not set a lowly 13 in the final leg. Things could of been different if it wasn't for the Cock's anchor man Eddie Lacey, who was in fine form, hitting a 5 in the opening leg when needing 3 to win, and then hitting a maximum in leg two when needing 5 to win. Very impressive Eddie! Even though Eddie was in such good form, it was actually Dave Gardiner who top scored for the Cock with 18 dolls, but the match top scorer was Jeff Glenister (19 dolls) for the Queens, who hit his second maximum of the season (It was actually his second maximum of the week after he hit one on Wednesday night). Good chucking Jeff. The final match in the top sections saw leaders the Black Prince A host second placed the Masons Arms A, in what has historically always been a close match. However, this time it was a one sided affair, with the Prince team again being in fine form, notching up 111 dolls on their way to a 10-0 victory. Phil Austin had the honour of being the match and leagues weekly top scorer with a mighty 21 dolls, while Charlie Buckingham top scored for the Masons with 17 dolls.

Moving into the Lower Sections, and there were two teams that broke their ducks and recorded their first wins of the season. The first of these teams was the Queens Head B, who picked up a fantastic 6-4 home win over Division Three leaders the Red Lion. The Queens won the opening two legs, both times by just a single doll, and after winning leg three 14-12 they were safe in the knowledge that the match was theirs. It looked like they started celebrating a little early, as leg four saw the team hit only a single doll, but that wouldn't spoil the party. Doug Hickton was top scorer for the Queens with 11 dolls, whilst Marcus Copelin was the best of the Red Lion team with 12 dolls. Although it was a great win for the Queens, the Red Lion will be dissapointed with the result, especially as they hit 8 more dolls than their opponents. The other team winning for the first time this season was the Killingworth Castle, who impressed with a 9-1 home win over the Elm Tree. The opening leg ended in a 9-9 draw, but after that the Killy took control to pick up a much needed victory. All of the Killy players chipped in with dolls throughout the match, with Derek Richards leading the way with 14 dolls. It was a strange off night for the Elm Tree, who failed to hit double figures in any of the five legs. There was a first defeat of the season for Division Two pacesetters the Three Horseshoes after going down 7-3 away at the Cinnamon Stick. The match was tied at 3 points each at the halfway stage, but it was the Cinnamon Stick that finished the match strongly, taking the final two legs to complete the win. Steve Rogers again showed his class for the Cinnamon Stick, top scoring with a seasons best score of 19 dolls, whilst Alex Chamberlain (14 dolls) was top scorer for the Horseshoes. There was a great comeback by the Kings Head against the George & Dragon, who came from 5-1 behind to win the final two legs to snatch a 5-5 draw. The George racked up 10 more dolls on the night, but these extra dolls didn't make points as the Kings held on to avoid defeat. Mike Phipps was the match top scorer with 15 dolls, with Pat Grealis top man for the Kings with 12 dolls. The final match of the week required a last leg shootout between the Oxford Yeoman A and Stonesfield Sports. Stonesfield were 4-2 down after three legs, but hit back to win leg four and then eased to victory by taking the last leg decider. 12 dolls was the highest individual score, with Jorge French (Yeoman) & Nathan Dore (Stonesfield) hitting a dozen each.

So, that's another week sorted. Thanks for the early cards. If possible, don't forget to circle who 'Sets' in each leg, as that information certainly helps me when writing my report. Finally, don't forget the competition entry forms! Cheers

Just one last thing, I caught the George & Dragon having their pre match 'briefing' this week. Which started at 4pm!! Good effort boys! Feel free to send me some team photos and I'll get them put up. Ta

WEEK 4 - 17th MAY


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
MASONS ARMS A	8	COCK INN	2
QUEENS HEAD A	5	CHADLINGTON SSC	5
OXFORD YEOMAN B	6	HANBOROUGH SSC	4
BLACK PRINCE B	9	MASONS ARMS B	1
ENSTONE SSC	0	BLACK PRINCE A	10
DIVISION TWO & THREE
ELM TREE	2	KINGS HEAD	8
GEORGE & DRAGON	6	OXFORD YEOMAN A	4
STONESFIELD SSC	8	QUEENS HEAD B	2
RED LION	7	CINNAMON STICK	3
THREE HORSESHOES	10	KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	0

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 20 DOLLS - JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 18 DOLLS - ASHLEY KEENAN (MASONS ARMS B)

DIVISION TWO - 14 DOLLS - GARY LAMBERT (THREE HORSESHOES)

DIVISION THREE - 16 DOLLS - MARK BOWERMAN (GEORGE & DRAGON)

SIXERS

JON TOWNSEND (BLACK PRINCE A)

DEAN HARRIS & SPENCER BUCKINGHAM (BOTH MASONS ARMS A)

WEEKLY REPORT:

All cards in and received by Saturday afternoon! Fantastic effort teams, please keep this up!

It was another fine night to spend the twilight hours chucking a stick, and there certainly was some good chucking in week 4.

I'll start things off this week in Long Hanborough, where the George & Dragon hosted the Oxford Yeoman A in what on paper looked like it would be a very competitive fixture. It didn't disappoint, with both teams sharing 114 dolls on the night, which is very good for Division Three. It was the George that shot out of the blocks, and with captain Ryan Hunt's inspired teamtalk still ringing in their ears, the George racked up a mighty set of 19 in the opening leg, which was even more impressive considering that it contained a blob! This proved too hot for the Yeoman to chase down, and after they failed to chase down a set of 12 in the second leg, they were facing an uphill battle. However, they hit back in leg three to get some points on the board, which seemed to irritate the George as they then produced their second big set of the match in leg four, this time racking up 17, which the Yeoman fell just short in chasing down. The George must of started their celebrations early as they seemed to go awol in the last leg and only set 9, which the Yeoman eased past to limit the result to a 6-4 home win. Mark Bowerman (16 dolls) and Mike Phipps (15 dolls) were both in fine form for the George, with Joe Langford top scoring for the Yeoman with 12 dolls. There was a close fought match between the Red Lion and the Cinnamon Stick, which saw the Lion come out 7-3 winners. It was the Cinnamon Stick that took the opening leg before the Lion upped thier game to take control of the match and pick up a good win. You can tell how close the match was as there was only 3 dolls separating both the teams all night, with anchor men Marcus Copelin (Red Lion) and Steve Rogers (Cinnamon Stick) both heavily involved in the action after narrowly winning or coming up just short in all but one of the legs. Sean Osgathorp was top scorer for the Lion with 10 dolls, whilst Steve Rogers was again top scorer for the Cinnamon Stick with 15 dolls. The other three matches in the Lower Sections saw some big wins, or heavy defeats, depending on your point of view! The most surprising of these was for the Kings Head, who went to the Elm Tree and came away with a 8-2 victory. The new boys from Woodstock seem to have settled in well, and posted an impressive 18 dolls in the opening leg on their way to hitting 56 dolls on the night, and with only one blob on the card they should not be underestimated. Tom Cosgrove was their top scorer with 12 dolls, with Ray Barson coming in with 13 dolls for the Elm Tree. Stonesfield Sports secured a nice 8-2 home win over the Queens Head B, which was nearly a clean sweep, but they fell just short of their chase in the fourth leg. All the Stoney players chipped in with good dolls at various points, but it was Doug Hickton for the Queens that was the match top scorer with 10 dolls. The final match in the Lower Sections saw the Three Horseshoes pick up a 10-0 home win over Division Two rivals the Killingworth Castle. With captain James Bateman being unavailable, the Killy seemed to struggle and their totals fell short of what we would expect them to hit, so it became a simple victory for the Shoes. Gary Lambert continued his steady throwing to be the match top scorer with 14 dolls. Moving into the Top Sections, and there was a very interesting match between the Oxford Yeoman B and Long Hanborough Sports in Freeland. The Yeoman started the match well and won the opening two legs, before seeming to fall asleep in legs three and four before waking back up to take the last leg decider and secure a 6-4 home win. The interesting fact regarding the match is that Long Hanborough actually hit 9 more dolls than the Yeoman, yet came away with a defeat! It just goes to show how silly this game can be! Alan Major was solid again at the top of the Yeoman order with 15 dolls, with Kevin Burnham & Jamie Berry both hitting a dozen for Hanborough. The Queens Head welcomed back 'Super' Gordon Kitchen into their team as they hosted Chadlington Sports in a match that is always close between these two sides. It was the Queens that were in pole position to pick up the win going into the final leg with a 5-3 lead, but the boys from Chadlington would not be denied a share of the spoils and hit their highest leg total of the match of 20 dolls to earn a 5-5 draw. Anchor man proved to be the best throwing position of the night, with Rob Brown (15 dolls) for the Queens and Ron Hinchcliffe for Chadlington (17 dolls) coming out as top scorers. The Masons Arms A looked like they clicked into top gear in their match at home against the Cock Inn, racking up 95 dolls on their way to a 8-2 win. They had two different six hitters in their side, with Dean Harris hitting a maximum in leg one and then Spencer Buckingham matching it in leg two, yet it was Tim Newbold that was top scorer with a mighty 19 dolls. It was a night for good scoring, as Spencer Buckingham, Dean Harris, Charlie Buckingham (All Masons), Mark Lacey & Dave Gardiner (Cock Inn) all hit 17 dolls, which is always worth a mention. The Black Prince B maintained their unbeaten start to the season after picking up a 9-1 home win over the Masons Arms B. The Masons battled hard as they always do, and were unlucky not to come away with a few more points than the one they got. Henry Johnson was the top scorer for the Prince, speeding his way to 19 dolls, whilst Ashley Keenan was top scorer for the Masons and also the Division One weekly top scorer with 18 dolls. The final match of the week saw the Black Prince A pick up all the points in a 10-0 away win over Enstone Sports. Jon Townsend had his Thursday night shoes on, hitting his first six of the season on route to 20 dolls, which is his 3rd 20+ score already this season. There were also some great performances in the Enstone side, with Steve Ducker (17 dolls) and George Williams (16 dolls) playing really well and can count themselves unlucky to be on the losing side.

Thanks again for getting the cards in so quick this week, it really does help.

Finally, the competition entry forms are now due in. Our comps are always great nights, so please enter as many of them as possible. If you would like to be a host venue for any of these competitions then you need to enter them first! Unlike certain leagues, we always like to reward venues with hosting duties when they support our league, and I'm certain all the landlords out their will appreciate the extra nights revenue.

Thanks all

WEEK 3 - 10th May


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
COCK INN	4	BLACK PRINCE A	6
CHADLINGTON SSC	3	MASONS ARMS A	7
HANBOROUGH SSC	5	QUEENS HEAD A	5
MASONS ARMS B	4	OXFORD YEOMAN B	6
BLACK PRINCE B	6	ENSTONE SSC	4
DIVISION TWO & THREE
KINGS HEAD	8	KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	2
OXFORD YEOMAN A	5	ELM TREE	5
QUEENS HEAD B	2	GEORGE & DRAGON	8
CINNAMON STICK	4	STONESFIELD SSC	6
RED LION	5	THREE HORSESHOES	5

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 23 DOLLS - DICK WALSH (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 17 DOLLS - RICHARD JOHNSON (CHADLINGTON SSC)

DIVISION TWO - 15 DOLLS - GOFF JONES (ELM TREE)

DIVISION THREE - 13 DOLLS - WAYNE TOWNSEND (RED LION)

SIXERS

DICK WALSH (BLACK PRINCE A)

CHARLIE BUCKINGHAM (MASONS ARMS A)

WEEKLY REPORT:

Late/Missing Cards:

KINGS HEAD v KILLINGWORTH CASTLE

CINNAMON STICK v STONESFIELD SPORTS

With the season now starting to get into the swing of things, week 3 gave us another set of interesting results. Starting things of in the top sections, it was the Masons Arms A who recorded the week's biggest win after picking up a 7-3 away win at Chadlington Sports. A slight change in the batting order seem to work wonders for Ray Grant, who top scored for the Masons with 19 dolls. Charlie Buckingham got his six total off and running in the opening leg on his was to 17 dolls, which saw the Masons set a mighty 29 dolls, which is the highest leg total of the season so far. Chadlington battled hard all match and had anchor man Ron Hinchcliffe to thank for winning the fourth leg after he hit the required 4 dolls, whilst Richard Johnson continued his good early season form with 17 dolls. The Black Prince B made it three wins out of three after defeating Enstone Sports 6-4, with Nigel King hitting an impressive 19 dolls. Enstone stared the match well and took the opening leg, but some solid play from the Prince saw them take the next three legs before Enstone snapped up the final leg to pick up some much needed points. Martin Blake again showed his worth for Enstone with 17 dolls. The Oxford Yeoman B moved to the top of Division One after making the short trip down the road to play the Masons Arms B and pick up a 6-4 win. The Yeoman shot out of the traps and won the first three legs, before the Masons hit back to take the remaining two legs, with anchor man Ashley Keenan hitting the winning dolls in both legs. Alan Major was his usual consistant self at the top of the Yeoman order with 16 dolls. In the final match in the top sections, there was a very close match between the Cock Inn and the Black Prince A. The Cock comfortably took the first leg, before the Prince stepped up a gear to take the next three legs, and after setting 19 in the final leg looked odds to secure a big win, but the Cock produced a fantastic chase to hit 21 and limit the Prince to a 6-4 win. Steve Grant was on top form for the Cock with 16 dolls, closely followed by Eddie Lacey (15 dolls). But it was Dick Walsh who was the outstanding player of the night after hitting a mighty 23 dolls, which included his second six in as many weeks.

Moving into the lower sections, and there were a couple of rare drawn matches. The first one was between the Oxford Yeoman A and the Elm Tree. It was the Elm Tree that held the advantage after three legs, being 5-1 ahead, but a spirited comeback from the Yeoman lads saw them hit back to take the last two legs to secure a 5-5 draw. Jamie Flood got into double figures with 10 dolls for the Yeoman, whilst Goff Jones was top scorer for the Elm Tree with a solid 15 dolls. The second drawn match was between the Red Lion and the Three Horseshoes. It was the Red Lion that took the all important last leg, hitting an impressive 19 dolls to grab a 5-5 draw. There was actually only a single doll between both the teams, so a pat on the back to the committee for that handicap grading! 13 dolls was the top individual score of the match, hit by Wayne Townsend for the Lion and also by Alex Chamberlain for the Horseshoes.In the final match that I'm able to report on, there was a big 8-2 away win for the George & Dragon at the Queens Head B. It was a low scoring match, which is not surprising as many teams struggle to score well on a tricky throw, but the George did what they are supposed to do and beat what was put in front of them. It was nice to see the Queens pick up their first leg of the season, so well done team.

The website is as up to date as it can be, but I'm afraid late cards are already starting to be a problem. Stop messing about and send them in!!

WEEK 2 - 3rd MAY


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
ENSTONE SSC	2	COCK INN	8
BLACK PRINCE A	10	CHADLINGTON SSC	0
MASONS ARMS A	6	HANBOROUGH SSC	4
QUEENS HEAD A	3	MASONS ARMS B	7
OXFORD YEOMAN B	4	BLACK PRINCE B	6
DIVISION TWO & THREE
THREE HORSESHOES	10	KINGS HEAD	0
KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	4	OXFORD YEOMAN A	6
ELM TREE	10	QUEENS HEAD B	0
GEORGE & DRAGON	6	CINNAMON STICK	4
STONESFIELD SSC	1	RED LION	9

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 22 DOLLS - DICK WALSH (BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 19 DOLLS - RICHARD JOHNSON (CHADLINGTON SSC)

DIVISION TWO - 18 DOLLS - RAY BARSON (ELM TREE)

DIVISION THREE - 16 DOLLS - RYAN HUNT (GEORGE & DRAGON)

SIXERS

DICK WALSH (BLACK PRINCE A)

KEVIN JOHNSON (MASONS ARMS A)

JAMIE BERRY (HANBOROUGH SSC)

JEFF GLENISTER (QUEENS HEAD A)

WEEKLY REPORT:

With the temperature warming up, it seems that the scoring this week also became a little hotter! I'll start things off in the lower sections, where there were some big victories and a last leg nail biter. In Division Two, there were a couple of clean sweeps, with the Three Horseshoes winning 10-0 at home against the Kings Head, and also the Elm Tree claiming all 10 points at home against the Queens Head B. The Horseshoes produced a solid team effort, with anchor man Sean Barefield (10 dolls) hitting the winning doll in each of the first four legs. For the Elm Tree, Ray Barson rolled back the years to clang off a great 18 dolls. The Red Lion claimed a fine 9-1 away win over Stonesfield Sports, helped by Roland D'Costa, Neil Morton & Wayne Townsend all hitting 12 dolls. There was also a good away win by the Oxford Yeoman A, who won a last leg decider to win 6-4 at the Killingworth Castle. The Killy started well, taking the first 2 legs, but the Yeoman hit back to take the remaining 3 legs to pick up the win. Joe Langford top scored for the Yeoman with a solid 14 dolls. The final match in the lower sections was a close fought battle between the George & Dragon & the Cinnamon Stick (Previously the Fox Inn - See the home page). The match was tied at 4 points each going into the last leg, which the George went first and set 13. Cinnamon Stick anchor man Steve Rogers was left a daunting 6 to draw, and came up just 1 doll short after hitting a five, meaning that the George took the match 6-4. Ryan Hunt excelled in his new role as captain/lead off man for the George, coming in with a personal best score of 16 dolls.

The top sections also produced some great performances and interesting set of results. The Masons Arms B picked up their first win of the season, winning away 7-3 at the Queens Head A. Jeff Glenister picked up his first six of the season for the Queens on route to 17 dolls, but it was the more consistant Masons team that held on for the win, with Ashley Keenan top scoring with a perfect set of 3's to hit 15 dolls. There was a last leg decider between the Oxford Yeoman B and the Black Prince B in Freeland, which the Prince managed to take after setting a fine 20 dolls, which the Yeoman fell short in chasing down, meaning the Prince took the match 6-4. There was a very close match in North Leigh between the Masons Arms A and Hanborough Sports, which eneded in a 6-4 home win for the Masons. It was an interesting night for Hanborough anchor man Jamie Berry, who hix a six in the second leg to help Hanborough set 17, which was enough for a drawn leg, but then Jamie managed a dreaded blob in the fourth when only needing one to win the leg. The highs & lows of throwing a stick mate! Kevin Johnson was in form for the Masons, coming in with 17 dolls, which included a six in the final leg. Enstone Sports had a tough night, going down 8-2 at home against the Cock Inn. There were some strangely low scores by Enstone, but I'm certain they will soon starting finding some form, whilst the Cock Inn came up with a solid team effort to do enough to take the win. The final match of the week saw the Black Prince A go crazy at home against Chadlington Sports, hitting an impressive 121 dolls on way to winning 10-0. I believe this equals the higgest team score since we changed to the 6-a-side format, but if anyone knows different to this then please let me know (The Black Prince A hit 121 dolls in a match on 9th June 2016). The Prince had four players make the magical number of 20 dolls or more, with Dick Walsh (22 dolls, including a six), Jon Townsend (21 dolls) and Darren Grant & Mick Phipps Snr (Both 20 dolls). Richard Johnson was again the star man for Chadlington, hitting a fine 19 dolls.

That's my lot for this week. Don't forget, get the cards in nice and early, and if you can circle the 'Who Set' section on the card in certainly helps me when I'm trying to write these reports. Please feel free to drop me a message if something of interest happens in your match and I'll certainly aim to include it in my report

WEEK 1 - 26th APRIL


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE
COCK INN	2	CHADLINGTON SSC	8
QUEENS HEAD A	4	BLACK PRINCE B	6
MASONS ARMS A	7	MASONS ARMS B	3
BLACK PRINCE A	9	HANBOROUGH SSC	1
OXFORD YEOMAN B	6	ENSTONE SSC	4
DIVISION TWO & THREE
KINGS HEAD	2	OXFORD YEOMAN A	8
GEORGE & DRAGON	2	RED LION	8
ELM TREE	4	CINNAMON STICK	6
KILLINGWORTH CASTLE	6	QUEENS HEAD B	4
STONESFIELD SSC	4	THREE HORSESHOES	6

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 20 DOLLS - DARREN GRANT & JON TOWNSEND (BOTH BLACK PRINCE A)

DIVISION ONE - 19 DOLLS - RICHARD JOHNSON (CHADLINGTON SSC)

DIVISION TWO - 15 DOLLS - NICK BALDWIN (THREE HORSESHOES)

DIVISION THREE - 13 DOLLS - RYAN HUNT (GEORGE & DRAGON

SIXER

RICHARD JOHNSON (CHADLINGTON SSC)

WEEKLY REPORT:

And we are off and running! Starting things off with the top sections, it was the Black Prince 'A' that set an early marker, racking up 104 dolls on thier way to a 9-1 home win over Hanborough Sports. Jon Townsend & Darren Grant both came in with a fine 20 dolls for the Prince, with John Busby hitting a pleasing 17 dolls for Hanborough. Home advantage counted for nothing in North Leigh, as last year's Premier winners the Masons Arms 'A' faced off against the Masons Arms 'B'. It was the Masons 'A' that started strongly by taking the first three legs, but the Masons 'B' hit back to secure a win & a draw from the final two legs to limit the result to 7-3. 16 dolls was the match top score, with Ray Grant & Charlie Buckingham hitting it for the 'A' team, and Ashley Keenan also hitting it for the 'B' team. The Black Prince 'B' notched up a fine 6-4 away win over the Queens Head 'A', with captain Bob Hall top scoring with 14 dolls, helped out with a solid 10 dolls from Ady Cooper, which included a '5' in the second leg. Jeff Glenister top scored for the Queens with 15 dolls. A much changed batting order seemed to work wonders for Chadlington Sports, who picked up a very impressive 8-2 away win at the Cock Inn. New lead off man Richard Johnson came in with a great 19 dolls, which included the first six of the season, and was finely assisted by Drew Duncan (16 dolls) and Mike Benson (15 dolls). Eddie Lacey was the Cock Inn's top scorer with 16 dolls. The final match of the top sections saw the Oxford Yeoman 'B' secure a solid 6-4 home win over Enstone Sports, with lead off men Alan Major (Yeoman) & Martin Blake (Enstone) both hitting 15 dolls.

Moving into the lower sections, there were three matches and three good away wins.The Oxford Yeoman 'A' produced a good performance to win 8-2 away at new boys the Kings Head, with the Kings taking the final leg of the match to win their first ever points in the league. Jorge French & Sam Walker both returned 10 dolls for the Yeoman. The Red Lion also picked up a 8-2 win, away at the George & Dragon. Neil Morton top scored for the Lion with 12 dolls, whilst Ryan Hunt was the match top scorer with 13 dolls for the George. The final match of the week saw the Three Horseshoes open up with a 6-4 win at Stonesfield Sports after taking a last leg decider 12-10. Nick Baldwin produced a solid performance in the middle of the Horseshoes order with 15 dolls, helped out by Alex Chamberlain (13 dolls) & Sean Barefield (13 dolls), with Tony Tompkin top scoring for Stonesfield with 11 dolls.

WEEK


PREMIER & DIVISION ONE





DIVISION TWO & THREE

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER -

DIVISION ONE -

DIVISION TWO -

DIVISION THREE -

SIXERS

WEEKLY REPORT:

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