2025 RESULTS & REPORTS

LEAGUE ROUND 11 - 10th JULY

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 0 Dolls - 

Section One: 0 Dolls - 

Section Two: 0 Dolls - 

Section Three: 0 Dolls - 

SIXERS

Dave Gardiner - Oxford Yeoman B

Mark Poulter - Yarnton BL

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

Coming soon

Section Two & Section Three:

Coming soon

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LEAGUE ROUND 10 - 3rd JULY

SUPPLEMENTARY CUP PRELIMINARY FIXTURE

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 21 Dolls - Neil Lyon - New Inn & Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B 

Section One: 20 Dolls - Charlie Buckingham - Masons Arms A 

Section Two: 16 Dolls - Mike Benson - Chadlington SSC, John Ayres - Eynsham SSC & Mark Bennett - Masons Arms B 

Section Three: 16 Dolls - Michael Franklin - Stonesfield SSC A 

SIXERS

Roger Goodall - New Inn

Charlie Buckingham - Masons Arms A

Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B

Mark Bennett - Masons Arms B

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Thanks for all the early cards this week teams. Just the one side who didn't manage to get the card to me by Sunday as requested....

Premier & Section One:

It was possibly perfect throwing conditions this week, which showed as there were some big team performances. Following last week's first 10-0 scoreline of the season, would you believe it that there were two more this week! For a change, I'll start things off by saying some positive things about the White House B. They produced a very impressive performance to win their home match against the White Hart 10-0. They came flying out of the blocks, hitting 24 dolls in the opening leg and then easing to wins in the next two legs to go 6-0 up. Leg four was looking a little dodgy and would have been their weekly bad leg, but a 5 from Steve Enock got them back on track and helped them set a high enough score to take the leg. They then completed to clean sweep by easily winning the final leg. It was the White House's best performance of the season so far as they racked up 101 dolls on the night, with all the team hitting good numbers, and this result keeps them in touch at the top of the Premier table. It was a very enjoyable match, played in great spirits. The White Hart did manage to win the beer leg, so all was good with them in the end. The match also featured the extremely rare event of the White House captain Phil Austin putting the opposition into bat... twice!!! He did look a very funny colour after doing that and had to have a little sit down! The other top section clean sweep this week involved Eynsham SSC A, who were the side which were on the receiving end of the hammering last week. Unfortunately for them it was a case of deja vu this week as they were again defeated 10-0, which again was at home. This week it was the Mason's Arms A who inflicted this hammering and they came up with an excellent team performance. Charlie Buckingham led the way, coming in with 20 dolls which included his first maximum of the season (which came as a shock to me considering what great form Charlie has been in this year). If the Mason's can keep up this kind of form then they will certainly be in the mix for the Section One title this year and they are more than capable of beating anyone. As for Eynsham, well, I'm not sure what to say. To suffer consecutive 10-0 home defeats is very strange, but I'm sure if they roll their sleeves up and show a bit more determination they will bounce back from these recent defeats. The New Inn picked up what was only their second victory of the season after they won 8-2 in their home fixture against the Oxford Yeoman B. It wasn't as straight forwards as the scoreline suggests, with the New Inn's tail responsible for some great throwing between them to get the leg scores to winning totals. Leg two was a prime example of this, in which they had only managed 6 dolls from their first three players in their chase of 18 dolls. However, a first maximum of the season for Champ Goodall and then a 5 from Mark Finch left anchorman Wayne Townsend to tidy things up by hitting a 3 to win the leg. The Yeoman battled on right to the end and prevented the clean sweep by winning the final leg to at least come away with a couple of points. Apart from Roger's forst 6 of the season, Neil Lyon managed to claim only his second 20+ score after coming in with 21 dolls on the night. Finally, Premier leaders Enstone SSC B ended Yarnton BL's recent run of good results as they secured a fine 8-2 home victory. Based on Yarnton's recent form, on paper this looked like it would be a close match. However, Yarnton were unable to match their recent high scoring, which allowed Enstone to secure the big win. Enstone were as solid and consistant as ever, and they rarely have an off night. That man Steve Arthurs had yet another good night after coming in with 21 dolls, which included his fifth maximum of the season in the final leg, with Rob Bradford backing him up with his second 20+ score of the season. This score by Steve gave him the honour of being the first player to go past the 200 dolls for the season mark. This really is throwing of the highest quality. I wonder how many more players will reach that total?  

Section Two & Section Three:

There was a very boring set of results in the Lower Sections this week, with zero last leg deciders required! You know that these last leg shootouts are my favourite things, but there were nothing but bigs wins this week and some impressive individual performances. Stonesfield SSC B produced a solid performance to pick up an 8-2 away win over the Masons Arms B. Although the winning margin was large, it was quite a close contest with the Mason's falling just short in their chase attempts in the opening three legs. The highlight of the match was in the opening leg, where the Mason's captain & lead off man Mark Bennett recorded his first ever league maximum. He must have missed his final stick multiple times before, so it's great to see that he finally achieved it this week. That maximum help Mark come in with a season's best total of 16 dolls. There were two more individual score totals of 16 dolls in the match between Chadlington SSC & Eynsham SSC B, which were hit by Chadlington's Mike Benson & Eynsham's John Ayres. It was a very good overall performance by the Eynsham side, as winning away at Chad is never an easy thing to do. They started the match strongly and quickly moved into an unassailable 6-0 lead, before Chad hit back in the final two legs to claim three points on the night. It should have actually been four points, but for the Chad anchorman failing to trouble the scorer in the fourth leg when he needed just a single doll to win the leg (I won't name him this time!). This result moved Eynsham up to second in the Section Two table, which already looks like it will go down to the wire to see who claims the title. The current Section Two leaders Enstone SSC A suffered a narrow 6-4 away defeat at Middle Barton SSC. It was the home side who started brightly, claiming the opening two legs, before Enstone hit back by taking leg three. However, the Barton side managed to pick the win in the fourth leg to secure the match win, with Enstone taking the final leg to limit the margain of the defeat. Nick Pickup had a good night for the home side with 14 dolls, although this could have been more had he not blobbed in the final leg! Still a good nights work Nick, well played. The Red Lion picked up an impressive 9-1 home victory over the White House A to remain in contention at the top of Section Three. They began with three great legs to get the match result secured nice and early. They probably should have claimed leg four but had to settle for a draw after their anchorman Marus Copelin could only manage a 1 when needing 2 to win. However, Marcus redeemed himself in the final leg by hitting a 3 to secure the big win for his side. Finally, Stonesfield SSC A retained their position at the top of Section Three as they picked up a regulation 10-0 home win over the Three Horseshoes. It was yet another good team effort by the Stoney side, who have now won seven matches in a row. Can they keep this level of performance up with the chasing pack breathing down their necks?? Michael Franklin was the match top scorer as he continued his good form with a season's best score of 16 dolls for the home side. 

Thanks all

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LEAGUE ROUND 9 - 26th JUNE

REARRANGED FIXTURES

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 22 Dolls - Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B 

Section One: 21 Dolls - Charlie Buckingham - Masons Arms A 

Section Two: 16 Dolls - Pat Grealis - White House A 

Section Three: 13 Dolls - Steve Evins - Stonesfield SSC B 

SIXERS

Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B

Alan Stevens - Charlbury SSC

Steve England - Charlbury SSC

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

It was a full week of action this week as we reached the halfway point in the league schedule. We've had to wait for nine weeks for the top sections to produce a clean sweep 10-0 scoreline, but finally it arrived after a stunning performance by Yarnton BL in their away match at Eynsham SSC A. Yarnton have been on a fine run of form and made it five wins on the bounce after putting in their best performance of the year so far to rack up maximum points and move clear at the top of Section One. They dominated each leg in the match, hitting 90 dolls in total, with Gary Smith top scoring with his best night of the season so far with a great 19 dolls. As for the Eynsham side, it was a very underwhelming performance which fell well short of the standard that they should be performing at and the level that we know they can reach. Let's see if they can bounce back this coming week and hit a few more dolls. There was a close finish in the match between the New Inn & the Masons Arms A, which went right down the final thrower in the final leg. With the scores tied at 4-4, a last leg shootout was required to decide the match outcome. The Masons, who were the away side, posted a score of 15 dolls in this final leg. With the firepower in the New Inn side, you would have expected them to go past this total with ease. However, a stuttering reply left anchorman Wayne Townsend needing four to win. He fell just short in his effort to do this, hitting a three to tie the leg which resulted in the match also being tied at 5-5. Charlie Buckingham claimed the match top scorer honours with an impressive 21 dolls. The Oxford Yeoman A were also involved in a 5-5 draw as they hosted the White House B. They picked up from where they left off last week and won the opening two legs to move 4-0 ahead, before The White House hit back to win leg three. Leg four proved to be the turning point in the match. The Yeoman side set a score of 16, which the White House looked certain to fall short in their reply, which would have ended their hopes of a postive match scoreline. However, their anchorman Mick Phipps stepped up and got 'um when he needed them after hitting his first five sticks to tie the leg. His last stick sailed over the top (no, he didn't drop it low before you ask!). Boosted by this, the White House went on to easily win the final leg, which tied things up at 5-5. Overall, it's a result that both teams would have probably taken. Although perhaps the Yeoman would have won the fixture if the in form Kieran McCall hadn't ruled himself out of action following a nose bleed at the weekend! Or perhaps if they had arrived and had the throw set up earlier........... hint hint, nudge nudge. With none of the chasing teams able to  close the gap at the top of the Premier Section, Enstone SSC B's narrow 6-4 home win over Charlbury SSC proved to be a better result than they possibly first thought. However, the winning margain should have been larger than it was following a rare slip up by them in the second leg of the match. Chasing Charlbury's modest set of 14 dolls, Enstone were in prime position to take the leg as they needed just 5 dolls from their final two throwers. However, they failed in their efforts to do this, managing only a leg total of 12 dolls. It seemed like it was a good match if you were a Steve - STEVE Arthurs hit 22 dolls for Enstone, whilst for Charlbury STEVE England hit 19 dolls & Alan STEVEns hit 20 dolls. The Yeoman B hit back from being 1-3 down in their away match at the White Hart to pick up a much needed 7-3 victory in the battle of the bottom two sides in Section One. It was another match which had a thrilling finish, with the White Hart's anchorman Gordon Kitchen falling just a single doll short in his attempts the tie the final leg. This last leg disappointment continued into the White Hart's rearranged fixture away at the Masons. It was the Mason's who quickly moved into a 4-0 lead, before the White Hart hit back to level the match at 4-4 to send it into a last leg shootout. Unfortunately for the White Hart, they could only set 13 dolls in this final leg, which the Masons went past with ease. Despite the result, the highlight of the match belonged to a White Hart player, which happened in the fourth leg. With the White Hart struggling in their set attempt, young Nathaniel McCreadie whipped off a four to help get his side back on track and was a huge reason why they eventually won the leg. Well done young man! 

Section Two & Section Three:

Following on from the 10-0 clean sweep in the top sections, there was also one of those this week in the lower sections. Interestingly, like the other result, it was also a 10-0 win for the away side. It was recorded by Stonesfield SSC B in their match away at Chadlington SSC. It's well known that some side struggle to perform at Chad, but that certainly wasn't the case here as Stoney B produced their best performance of the season so far to comfortably win each of the legs and keep in touch with the leaders in the race for the Section Three title. It was a solid team effort, with Steve Evins following up his baker's dozen last week with the same again this week. There was an extremely close fixture between the Masons Arms B & the Red Lion. Following a win each in the opening two legs, the next three legs all finished in draws (I think this is the first time this season there has been three tied legs in a row). It was the Lion, who were the away side, who had the honour of setting in every leg, which means that the Mason's anchorman Steve Mott had a very busy and probably a little stressful evening. In legs three & four Steve hit the 2 dolls required to tie, and he went one better in the last leg shootout by hitting the 3 dolls required to make sure that the match ended in a 5-5 draw. It would have been good to know if any of these scores were achieved by hitting the final stick - don't forget to let me know of any match highlights so that I can get them into the report. Mason's captain Mark Bennett also had a good night for his side after coming in with a season's best score of 14 dolls to be the match top scorer. Section Two leaders Enstone SSC A made the short journey to play Section Three leaders Stonesfield SSC A in what was yet another very close match which swung one way and then the other. Enstone made a strong start to the match and held a narrow 4-2 lead after three legs. With Stoney A only setting a modest total of 12 dolls in the fourth leg, Enstone had a chance to claim the match win. However, they fell short in their reply, meaning that the match score was levelled up at 4-4 and a last leg shootout was required. Stoney set again in this final leg and produced their best leg of the match to set a great 16 dolls, which proved to be just enough to win the leg and take the match 6-4. Eynsham SSC B are keeping pace in Section Two after they picked up an impressive 7-3 away win over Middle Barton SSC. After a tied opening leg, the Eynsham side produced some solid throwing to take the next three legs to move into an unassailable 7-1 lead. However, they might be a little disappointed after a poor set in the final leg allowed the Barton team to take that leg and limit the final scoreline to 7-3. Finally, there was yet another last leg shootout in the match between the White House A & the Three Horseshoes. With the scores level at 4-4 after four legs, the Horseshoes might have been thinking that this would be the week in which they finally secure their first victory of the season. However, this wasn't to be as they put a low score on the board in this final leg, which the White House side chased & passed with ease to win the match 6-4. The turning point in the match was probably the third leg, in which the White House's anchorman Pat Grealis whipped off the four required  to win the leg and turn the tide in favour of the home side. It was a good overall night for Pat as he hit a seasons best score of 16 dolls playing from his relatively new position as anchorman. 

That's the lot for this week - thanks for all the early cards. I've got a bit of a hectic week ahead next week so if this week's cards could be delivered before Sunday that would be massively helpful. Maybe check to see if anyone playing in the match goes through Woodstock and get them to drop it in instead of posting it? 

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LEAGUE ROUND 8 - 19th JUNE

KNOCKOUT CUP PRELIMINARY FIXTURE

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 21 Dolls - Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B 

Section One: 19 Dolls - Doug Mingham - Oxford Yeoman A 

Section Two: 15 Dolls - Drew Duncan - Chadlington SSC 

Section Three: 15 Dolls - Aaron Atkin - Stonesfield SSC A

SIXERS

Steve England - Charlbury SSC x 2 (Both in the cup fixture)

Mark Revill - Eynsham SSC A

Rob Bradford - Enstone SSC B

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

In what was perhaps the biggest shock of the season so far, The Oxford Yeoman A claimed a 9-1 home victory over Premier leaders Enstone SSC B. It was a mighty performance by the Yeoman side as they racked up 87 dolls on the night, which was two more than the away side could manage. The Yeoman's previous best nightly score was 69 dolls, which shows impressive they were this week. Doug Mingham top scored with 19 dolls, with Ethan Simlett & Kieran McCall both chipping in with 15 dolls each. Considering Kieran had only scored 14 dolls from the 10 legs he had played in so far this season, I think a drugs test is now in order! Seriously, great throwing team. As for Enstone, I doubt there is any reason to panic as they actually played quite well, so look out for them bouncing back next week. Steve Arthurs racked up another 20+ score, this week hitting 21 dolls, whilst Rob Bradford notched another maximum. Charlbury SSC hosted Eynsham SSC A in what was an entertaining fixture. Eynsham opened things up by taking the first leg with ease, although their set of 19 dolls was certainly helped by anchorman Mark Revill hitting a maximum. Charlbury then hit back to win the next three legs to move into an unassailbale 6-2 lead, which included a big score of 24 dolls in the fourth leg. Eynsham did manage to win the final leg to limit the damage to a 6-4 defeat, but it wasn't the result they would have been looking for if they want to close the gap at the top of the table. Charlbury's George Williams was the match top scorer with 19 dolls. 

Apart from the week's league action, there was also a Knockout Cup preliminary match played in which Charlbury SSC hosted the Oxford Yeoman B. It was a high quality match which went the distance, with the Yeoman winning the last leg decider. Charlbury were 4-2 ahead after three legs, but the Yeoman side showed great resiliance in successfully chasing down and passing Charlbury's sets of 18 & 20 in the final two legs to win the match and advance into the next round. Even though he ended up on the losing side, Charlbury's Steve England had a great match after hitting 22 dolls, which included two maximums. 

Section Two & Section Three:

Enstone SSC A  maintained their spot at the top of Section Two despite being held to a 5-5 draw at home against the White House A. It looked like a big home win was on the cards after Enstone moved into a 5-1 lead after three legs, but the away side kept plugging away to win the final two legs to level the match up. This was only possible due to a bit of magic by the White House's anchorman Pat Grealis, who hit the four required to win the fourth leg to keep his side in the match. The top three sides in Section Three all picked up big wins in what is shaping up to be a very interesting battle. Stonesfield SSC A hold the advantage at the moment and they continued their mighty recent form to pick a very impressive 9-1 away win over Eynsham SSC B. It was another good night of throwing by the Stoney side, with Aaron Atkins top scoring with 15 dolls. The Red Lion hold second spot in the table, and they kept within striking distance at the top after winning 8-2 in their home match against the Three Horseshoes. Although they didn't hit massive numbers in the match, the Lion proved strong enough to claim the big win. Stonesfield SSC B picked up a 7-3 home win over Middle Barton SSC, but will be disappointed that the margain of victory wasn't even bigger. They came flying out the blocks and quickly moved into a 6-0 lead, which included hitting 18 dolls in the first leg. However, their performance dipped, which allowed the Barton side to get some points on the board as they won the fourth leg and tied the final leg. 

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LEAGUE ROUND 7 - 12th JUNE

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 25 Dolls - Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B 

Section One: 19 Dolls - Jamie Flood - Oxford Yeoman A 

Section Two: 18 Dolls - Drew Duncan - Chadlington SSC 

Section Three: 15 Dolls - Michael Franklin - Stonesfield SSC A

SIXERS

Spencer Buckingham - Masons Arms A

Rob Bradford - Enstone SSC B

Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

Finally, the sun decided to join us for League Round 7 and the good weather helped to throw up some very interesting results. The top two sides in the Premier faced off against each other as leaders Enstone SSC B hosted second placed the White House B. It was the home side who found their form straight away as they eased into a 6-0 lead. This was in part due to some good throwing by the home side and some poor efforts by the away sides bottom half. A 10-0 was certainly on the cards, and with Enstone posting 22 dolls in the fourth leg it looked like they would extend their lead in the match even further. However, the White House side finally managed to click all at the same time in their chase, with anchorman Mick Phipps hitting a four which tied the leg and prevented the clean sweep. The White House continued their recovery by taking the final leg, meaning that the match ended 7-3 which I think both teams would be happy with. The whole Enstone side played well throughout the match as they managed to keep thier card blob free. One player who didn't need to worry about a blob was Steve Arthurs, who produced a masterful display in racking up 25 dolls (5,6,4,5,5). This was the highest individual score of the season so far and it was a pleasure to watch him at work. Another big result of the week saw the New Inn pick up their first victory of the season as after they won their home match against Charlbury SSC 6-4. It was a very tight match, with the first & third legs ending in draws and then the New Inn managing to win leg four after a low set of 14 dolls, so the match result could have been very different. Charlbury's Steve England was the match top scorer with 21 dolls, with honourable mentions to the New Inn's Neil Lyon (19 dolls) & Anthony Algar (18 dolls). I'm sure the New Inn side will be relieved to finally get the monkey of their back to claim this first win of the season, and they managed to do it without one of their star players - I wonder if he will get back in the team this week! There was a very entertaining 5-5 draw in the match between Eynsham SSC A and the Oxford Yeoman A. It was great to see that both sides named eight players, and everyone played a good part in the match. It was also very pleasing to hear how much all players enjoyed taking part in the match and that it was played in the correct spirit, so well done to both sides for this. As for the actual match, it swung one way and then the other. The Yeoman took the opening leg, before Eynsham hit back to take legs two & three. Eynsham were then favourites to take leg four, but the Yeoman's anchorman Jamie Flood hit the four dolls required to tie the leg, meaning that the match score was poised at 5-3 to Eynsham going into the final leg. A set of 15 dolls by Eynsham kept them in the hunt, but the Yeoman finished of their excellent throwing by going past this score to tie the match up a 5-5. The match top scorer, coming in with a personal best score was the Yeoman's Jamie Flood, who hit 19 dolls on the night. From what I was told, players from both sides were willing him to hit the one further doll required to make it onto the Big Hitters table, but it wasn't meant to be. It was still a fantastic effort, so well done Jamie. Yarnton BL moved clear at the top of Section One following an impressive 8-2 away win over the White Hart. The first two legs were shared before Yarnton took control of the match to win the remaining three legs and claim the big win. You never quite know what your going to get from this White Hart side. They are always dangerous, but this just wasn't the week for them. As for Yarnton, they are quitely going about their business and are putting themselves into a good position to maintain a title challenge. Final, the Masons Arms A would have been delighted as they managed to pick up a 6-4 away win over the Oxford Yeoman B, which is a venue that they never get many points from. But it could have been so very different! With the Masons 4-2 behind in the match and setting in the fourth leg, they only had 12 dolls on the board with one player remaining. However, anchorman Spencer Buckingham stepped up and whipped off a maximum to get their total up to 18 dolls, which proved to be a winning score. So, a last leg was required. The Masons managed to post a great set of 19 dolls in this final leg (which even included a blob), and this total proved to be a winning score as the Yeoman failed in their attempts to chase it down. 

It certainly seemed to be a good week in the top sections, and with more good weather ahead lets see if we can get a few more names on the Six Hitter table.

Section Two & Section Three:

A couple of cards that have missed the cut in making this weeks report, which makes my job a bit easier. The standout team performance came in the Stonesfield derby, where the A side 'hosted' the B side. It was the A side who came away with the bragging rights after a fantastic team effort saw them pick up n 8-2 victory.  This included scores of 20 & 17 in the opening two legs, which really is impressive considering that we are talking about a side in Section Three. They are the form side out of all the sections at the moment, having put just under 3.5 dolls per leg on their average from last year. It's great to see the improvement in some of their players, and I will take this opportunity to single out one of their team. This player is Ben Wagerfield. Last season, Ben took part in 16 matches and scored double figures on just one occasion. This season, Ben has already scored double figures in three different matches, including the 13 dolls which he hit his week. Well done indeed Ben. It just shows as a reminder to us all that the aim of the game is to hit the doll! The more times you do that, the more chance you have of winning!! Michael Franklin is also worthy of a mention and has also had an excellent start to the season. This week he hit a season's best score of 15 dolls to be the match top scorer. Eynsham SSC B managed to pick up an important 8-2 away win over rivals the White House A. This was another match which was closer than the scoreline suggests, with Eynsham scoring just 3 more dolls than the White House over the five legs played. Two of the legs were tied, with each of the other three legs being won by just a single doll. Although both sides would like to have a few more points in the bag, there is no reason why either of them can't go on a run of victories to move up the table. Finally, Enstone SSC A managed to win a last leg decider away at the Three Horseshoes to ruin the home sides chances of picking up their first match win. The Shoes were actually 4-2 ahead with two legs to play, but the Enstone boys managed to improve their scores to win those final two legs to claim the match 6-4. Jason Eley continued his good form for Enstone with 15 dolls on the night.

Thats all chaps. Remember, if you want to make the report then the cards need to be with me asap. Captains, if you are away and unavailable to play for whatever reason make sure you inform your vice captain that they need to send the card! Cheers all

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COMPETITION WEEK - 5th JUNE - SINGLES

Please see below the full results from this week's Singles competition.

Scores underlined indicate the player setting in each leg

The slightly smaller numbers in some of the 3rd legs indicate the 3 three or one stick playoffs

Players or scores in PURPLE are the winners, scores in BLACK are a tied or losing score

It makes sense, honestly!

SUPPLEMENTARY CUP PRELIMINARY FIXTURE

SIXERS

Steve England - Charlbury SSC

George Williams - Charlbury SSC

REPORT

It would obviously be impossible for me to do a full report on the Singles action from this week, so I shall take this opportunity to have a little breather from things. However, I would like to say congratulations to venue winners. They will now play in the Semi-finals (and perhaps the final?), which will be played at Finals Night. These matches will be:

Winner of Venue 1 (Steve Arthurs) versus Winner of Venue 2 (Steve England)

Winner of Venue 3 (Ashley Keenan) versus Winner of Venue 4 (Steve Ducker)

From what the various Officers in Charge have told me, all the venues ran smoothly and I think there was only one no show (without informing me) which is very pleasing. Thank you to the four venues who hosted the event and to the various players who volunteered to do an extra bit of calling & sticking up.

LEAGUE ROUND 6 - 29th MAY

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 20 Dolls - Steve England - Charlbury SSC 

Section One: 21 Dolls - Charlie Buckingham - Masons Arms A 

Section Two: 14 Dolls - Pat Grealis - White House A 

Section Three: 13 Dolls - Aaron Atkin - Stonesfield SSC A 

SIXER

Rob Bradford - Enstone SSC B

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

The blustery conditions certainly played a part in this week's matches, with some teams dealing with the wind better than others. However, these tricky conditions did produce some interesting results and there were some big winning margains. Starting things off, here was a top of the table clash in which Enstone SSC B hosted rivals Eynsham SSC A. I can only imagine that the wind would have been howling across the fields at Enstone, which would explain the scoring in the match. The tone was set in the opening leg of the match, when Eynsham could only put a score of 12 dolls on the board. However, Enstone made hard work of chasing this down and were in debt to anchorman Steve Arthurs who hit the four required to take the leg. Enstone then took the second leg before a tied third leg had the score at 5-1 after three legs. It was then Enstone who ended the match strongly by winning the final two legs to secure a big 9-1 win, which included the week's only maximum by Rob Bradford in the fourth leg. There was another big 9-1 home win this week, which was recorded by Yarnton BL in their match against the Oxford Yeoman B. Following a tied first leg, Yarnton took control of the match by winning the remaining four legs. The last leg was close, with Yarnton's anchorman Mark Poulter hitting the four required to take the leg. It was a solid team effort by the Yarnton side as they kept their card blob free, and it included a season's best score of 12 dolls from four legs by Pete 'Macca' McClosky. That wind must have helped you out Macca! The White House B lost ground at the top of the Premier Section after managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in their home match against the Masons Arms A. In what was a very even match, the score was poised at 4-4 going into the final leg. The Masons set in this last leg and put a decent score of 16 on the board. It looked like the White House would cruise past this score as they needed just 4 dolls from their final two players. However, a blob and 2 were all they could muster, meaning that the Masons claimed a 6-4 match win. Charlie Buckingham continued his good start to the season and joined the list of 'Big Hitters' after hitting a fine 21 dolls, which was the week's highest individual score. Well done Charlie, nice work. Another side who somehow managed to 'claim' a defeat was the New Inn in thier away match at the Oxford Yeoman A. The Yeoman took the lead by taking the opening leg, before the New Inn hit back to take the next two legs to move 4-2 ahead. However, the Yeoman successfully chased down the New Inn's set of 18 dolls in the fourth leg to level up the scores and send the match into a last leg decider. It was the Yeoman who set in this final leg, but they could only post a lowly score of 11 dolls. However, the New Inn were only able to tie this score, meaning that the match ended 5-5 and the New Inn's wait for a match victory goes on. Finally, Charlbury SSC produced some strong, consistant throwing to record an 8-2 home victory over the White Hart. Although the scoreline might suggest differently, it was actually a close match, with the White Hart certainly being in with a chance in every leg. However, the Charlbury side just had the edge and hit big dolls at important times to claim the win. Charlbury's Mark Fitzgerald continued his good recent form with 17 dolls whilst Steve England added another week to the 'Big Hitter' list with a good 20 dolls. As for the White Hart, it was the performances of their first & last man which stood out on the card. Lee Thompson came in with 19 dolls from his lead off position whilst Gordon Kitchen hit 14 dolls from four legs from anchorman. 

Section Two & Section Three:

The two top sides in Section Three both recorded surprise 10-0 victories this week over Section Two sides. With the previously mentioned wind clearly making conditions difficult, the Red Lion managed to win their match in a low scoring game at home against Enstone SSC A. I can tell by the scores on the card how tricky things must have been, with Enstone failing to hit double figures in any of the five legs played. However, the Lion side did just about enough to post good enough scores to claim the clean sweep victory. The other 10-0 win was recorded by Stonesfield SSC A, who won away at the Masons Arms B. This one was perhaps not so much of a surprise as the Masons played with only five players, meaning that they were up against it before a stick had been thrown. I can only commend the Mason's side for making sure that the fixture was completed and they are a perfect example of what should happen. As for the Stoney side, it was another good performance and it's nice to see them doing well after struggling for the last couple of seasons. Lets see if they can keep it up and keep up a challenge for the title. The Three Horseshoes managed to put an end to their run of five consecutive defeats after staging a great comeback in their match away at Eynsham SSC B. The writing was on the wall for the Shoes side as they went 4-0 down after losing the opening two legs. However, as Eynsham's performance slightly dipped the Shoes side managed to improve on their efforts to reduce the scoreline to 5-3 going into the final leg. It was Eynsham who set in this last leg shootout, but they only managed a low score to which the Shoes team went past with ease. Hopefully this result will give the Shoes some confidence and I'm sure they will be trying hard to pick up their first match win of the season in the coming weeks. There was a last leg shootout between Stonesfield SSC B and visitors the White House A. Stoney started strongly by easily winning the opening two legs, before the White House hit back to take the next two legs to level up the scores at 4-4. It was the White House who set in the final leg, but they could only post 8 dolls, which the Stoney side went past with ease meaning that the home side claimed a 6-4 win. It was a good effort by the White House, who played the match with just 5 players and perhaps would have claimed the victory if they had a full team.

Thats the lot for this week, cheers all

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LEAGUE ROUND 5 - 22nd MAY

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 22 Dolls - Roger Goodall - New Inn 

Section One: 23 Dolls - Mark Poulter - Yarnton BL 

Section Two: 16 Dolls - Steve Ducker - Enstone SSC A 

Section Three: 0 Dolls - Wayne Hawtin - Middle Barton SSC

SIXERS

George Williams - Charlbury SSC x 2

Mark Fitzgerald - Charlbury SSC

Steve Ridgers - Yarnton BL

Dan Reading - Eynsham SSC

Terry Downes - White House B

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

It was a thrilling night of action in the Top Sections, with close matches, good scoring and four out of the five matches needing a last leg decider. I'll start things off in the report in Freeland, where the Oxford Yeoman B hosted Charlbury SSC. This match really did swing one way and then the other. And if I said that the Charlbury side notched up three sixes between them, I would guess that you would be wondering how many of those maximums did Steve England hit? The answer would be none! It was in fact Charlbury's anchorman George Williams who was on fine form, hitting maximums in both legs three & four, whilst Mark Fitzgerald also hit what I think was his first league maximum. As for the match, the scores were poised at 3-3 after three legs. The fourth leg saw Charlbury chase down the Yeoman's set of 17 dolls to go 5-3 ahead, which set things up perfectly for a last leg decider. However, the Yeoman's set of 15 dolls in this last leg proved to be a winning score to level the match up at 5-5. In Witney, there was an extremely close match between the New Inn & Enstone SSC B. The New Inn started strongly by winning the opening two legs, both times after some great throwing to successfully chase down Enstone's sets of 19 dolls. However, things then changed in the third leg after Enstone's anchorman Steve Arthurs knocked off the four required to take the leg. Enstone then set in the final two legs and posted good totals which proved just enough to win the legs and complete an impressive comeback to claim a 6-4 victory. It was great throwing by all the players, with both sides hitting 93 dolls in the match and keeping the card blob free. There were also three 'big hitters' in the match, being Roger Goodall (22 dolls), Rob Bradford (21 dolls) & Steve Arthurs (20 dolls) all having fantastic nights. The next match was between the Masons Arms A and Yarnton BL, and this was also extremely close. Yarnton took the opening leg with ease before the Mason's hit back to take legs two & three to move 4-2 ahead. It was then Yarnton's turn to hit back as they took leg four to level things up at 4-4 and send the match into a last leg shootout. Yarnton had the honour of setting in this final leg and they held their nerve to put 20 dolls on the board. The Mason's had a good go at chasing this down but eventually fell a couple of dolls short, meaning that they took the match 6-4. Yarnton's Steve Rodgers hit his first maximum of the season in the fourth leg, whilst it was an excellent match for Yarnton's Mark Poulter, who was the weekly top scorer with 23 dolls (5,5,5,4,4) in an excellent display of throwing. The White Hart inflicted a first defeat of the season to the Oxford Yeoman A aftering picking up a good 7-3 home win. The Yeoman took the opening leg after their anchorman Harry Irwin produced a bit of magic to hit the four required to take the leg, which was then followed by a shared leg two. The White Hart then took control of the match and won the remaining three legs, including what was the last leg decider to secure a fine victory. The White Hart's Morgan Sykes had an excellent night after hitting 16 dolls (and I was told he was unlucky not to add a few more dolls to this score). The final Top Section match also saw a first defeat of the season, with the White House B's unbeaten start ended at the hands of Eynsham SSC A. The home side took the opening leg after successfully chasing down the White House's set of 18 dolls, but then the White House returned the favour by chasing down Eynsham's set of 18 dolls in leg two. This was following a fantastic bit of throwing by the White House's anchorman Dick Walsh, who hit the five required to take the leg. Eynsham then took control of the match by easily winning leg three, and they then followed this up by just about winning leg four after anchorman Mark Revill hit his last stick to take the leg and put his side into an unassailable 6-2 lead. The final leg was a tied leg, but only after some more good chucking by Rev as he hit a four to level the scores at 20 dolls each. Dan Reading had another good week for Eynsham with 21 dolls (6,2,4,4,5), whilst Mark Revill also hit another big score with 20 dolls.

Section Two & Section Three:

There were no last leg deciders in the Lower Sections, but that doesn't mean that the matches were not close and competitive. There was a fine display by Enstone SSC A, who claimed an 8-2 home win over Eynsham SSC B. This was the only home win in the Lower Section matches, and it included an excellent score of 20 dolls by Enstone in the fourth leg. The score was poised at 2-2 after the opening two legs before Enstone took control of the match and won the remaining three legs to secure the big home win. It was a great night for Enstone's captain & anchorman Steve Ducker who hit 16 dolls to help his side claim the victory. The Masons Arms B picked up an impressive 7-3 away win over the White House A in a closely fought match. There were just two dolls separating the overall scores by the two sides, but it was the away side who hit the important dolls at crucial times. This was evident in leg four, where the Mason's Alan Wood hit a three & Harry Dodd whipped off a five to help their side win the leg and secure the match win. The Red Lion got back to winning ways after picking up a 6-4 away win over Middle Barton SSC. If you remove the handicap, both sides scored the same amount of dolls in what was a very close match. The Barton side won the opening leg before the Red Lion hit back to win the next three legs and move into an unassailable 6-2 lead. I guess they then relaxed a little too much as in the final leg they could only muster 2 dolls between them which allowed the Barton side to take the leg and make the scoreline more respectable. It was a great night for Barton's Wayne Hawtin, who came in with an excellent 16 dolls, which as the higgest weekly score in the section this week. Finally, Stonesfield SSC B secured a strong 9-1 away win over the Three Horseshoes. It didn't look as easy at it sounds and the match win was only safe after a blob free leg by Stoney in the fourth leg. 

That's the lot for this week. Cheers all. 

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LEAGUE ROUND 4 - 15th MAY

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 21 Dolls - Barry Townsend - White House B 

Section One: 18 Dolls - Mark Poulter - Yarnton BL 

Section Two: 14 Dolls - Drew Duncan - Chadlington SSC & Steve Mott - Masons Arms B 

Section Three: 15 Dolls - Nick Pickup - Middle Barton SSC & Aaron Atkin - Stonesfield SSC A 

SIXER

Barry Townsend - White House B

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

It was another week where home advantage made the difference as all five of the Top Section matches went the way of the home side. The closest of these matches and the only one which needed a last leg decider saw Charlbury SSC host the Masons Arms A. The info which came through to me was that it was a relatively low scoring match, but that was due to the wind. I think that wind caused a few issues in most of the evening's matches. Anyway, Charlbury took the lead after winning the opening leg before two tied legs followed. The Mason's then claimed the fourth leg to level the match up at 4-4. The Mason's then set in the deciding leg and posted a score of 16 dolls, which was the highest score of the match so far. It looked like it might be enough as Charlbury still needed 6 to tie with just two players remaining, but a 5 from Steve England left anchorman George Williams needing just two for the win, which he managed to do to secure a 6-4 win for his side. Even in those tricky conditions, Steve England managed to hit 19 dolls to easily be the match top scorer. The Oxford Yeoman A continued their excellent start to the season after winning the Yeoman derby against the B side 6-4. It was the B side who took the opening leg, before three consecutively good legs from the A side saw them move into a unassailable 6-2 lead. They should have actually increased their points total in the final leg, but anchorman Harry Irwin failed to trouble the scoreboard when needing just a single doll to tie. I bet his teammates were very supportive of him! The other thing which I noticed of the card which deserves a mention is a blob from 'star' man Joe Langford. Maybe it's due to the good performances by his teammates this year and he's feeling the pressure! Another side who are on a good run of form is Eynsham SSC A, and this week they picked up an 8-2 home win over the New Inn. The match was actually closer than the scoreline suggests as there were two tied legs, but ultimately it was Eynsham's consistency which made the difference as they had four players hitting a total of 14 dolls, plus 17 dolls by Graham Reading. As for the New Inn, there were some positive signs which included a season's best score of 19 dolls by Roger Goodall, so a match must be just arounf the corner. The White House B are the only Top Section side to win all four of their matches this season after recording a 6-4 home win over Yarnton BL. They secured the match win after winning the first three legs, before Yarnton hit back to put some points on the board by winning the final two legs. This was in part due to some great throwing by Yarnton's anchorman Mark Poulter, who hit 3 to win the fourth leg and 4 to win the final leg. As for the White House, this was the second time this season that they have been 6-0 ahead only to end up with a 6-4 result, which goes to show how important every leg is. Barry Townsend had a great night for the home side, hitting 21 dolls which was the weekly top score and included the only maximum of the week. In the final match, Enstone SSC B secured a 8-2 win over the White Hart. It was a very one sided match, with Enstone easily winning the first four legs. However, out of nowhere the White Hart hit some form in the final leg to set 18 dolls, which proved to be good enough to take the leg. It certainly shows how dangerous a side they are as they continue to pick up leg wins every week. The match top scorer was Enstone's Steve Arthurs, who hit 19 dolls this week. Steve did actually show that he is human after all by hitting a 1 in the third leg, but normal service was resumed after that as he bounced back to hit 5's in the next two legs!

Section Two & Section Three:

A full set of cards delivered to me nice and early this week means a full report on the Lower Section matches. Well done, keep this up please! The standout match was between Section Three sides Middle Barton SSC and Stonesfield SSC A. This was a match full of dolls, with the sides sharing 117 dolls between them which is the highest match total in the lower sections so far this season. There were only 4 blobs on the card, which was the equal lowest amount in the lower sections so far, which really does highlight the overall depth of our league. The score was evenly poised at 3-3 after three legs, but it was Stonesfield who then went up another gear by hitting a massive 19 dolls in the fourth leg (16 dolls +3 doll h/cap) to move 5-3 ahead. With the match outcome still undecided Stonesfield set a good 14 dolls in the final leg. This proved just enough as the Barton anchorman John Stockford was left needing 4 to tie, which he fell just short after hitting a 3. It really did look like a good match and it's great to see such good scoring in what is supposed to be the 'weakest' section, so well done to all the players involved. The match top scorer award, and the weekly top score in the section was shared between Barton's Nick Pickup & Stoney's Aron Atkin, who both his 15 dolls. There was a great 6-4 win for the White House A away at Chadlington SSC, which was even more impressive as they had to make do without their top player Wayne Gray. The first four legs were all very close, with both sides having a leg win, a leg loss & two tied legs, meaning that a last leg decoder was required. It was the home side that set in this final leg, but they could only put a score of 7 dolls on the board, to which the White House side eased past to secure the match victory. There was another last leg decider in the match between Stonesfield SSC B and Enstone SSC A. The score was poised at 4-4 going into this final leg, but it was the home side that managed to hold firm as their set of 12 dolls proved to be a score that Enstone couldn't chase down, meaning that they took the match 6-4. The Masons Arms A were a little under strength this week but still mannaged to record a solid 7-3 home win over the Three Horseshoes. Steve Mott had a good night for the Mason's with 14 dolls, with all the other Mason's players chipping in with dolls at different times, including Alan Wood, who notched up 5 dolls on the night. It was good to see the Shoes side stick at it as it would have been easy to throw in the towel after being 6-0 down, so hopefully finishing the match with a won leg and a tied leg will give them some confidence in their efforts to pick up a match win. Finally, the previously undefeated Red Lion were brought back down to earth as they suffered a 6-4 home defeat at the hands of Eynsham SSC B. On paper this looked like a tricky fixture for the Eynsham side, especially with the +4 handicap start which the Lion had. However, Eynsham came flying out of the blocks to move into a 6-0 lead, before the Lion hit back to take the final two legs and make the match score more respectable. It was a good team effort by the Eynsham side, with Barry Stratford, Lee Parsons & Andy Stratford all scoring 13 dolls. Sean Osgathorp was the Lion's top scorer with 12 dolls. 

And that's the lot. All the various tables are up to date, the Stats of Fun page is up and running and now this report is finished, all by Wednesday morning. This is only due to you guys getting the cards to me nice and early, so thank you and please keep it up. Cheers all 

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LEAGUE ROUND 3 - 8th MAY

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 21 Dolls - Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B 

Section One: 18 Dolls - Dave Gardiner - Oxford Yeoman B

Section Two: 17 Dolls - Jason Eley - Enstone SSC A 

Section Three: 11 Dolls - Matt Holdaway - Middle Barton SSC, Gary Smith - Stonesfield SSC B & Aaron Atkin - Stonesfield SSC A 

SIXER

Dan Reading - Eynsham SSC A

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

Last years Premier champions Enstone SSC B tasted defeat for the first time this season after an inspired performance by the Oxford Yeoman B. The Yeoman made home advantage count as they came flying out of the blocks to move into a 6-0 lead after three legs, throwing really well to hit some big numbers. They could have also won the final two legs, but Enstone just about managed to set big enough scores to limit the damage to a 6-4 defeat. There were some very good individual performances by some of the Yeoman side, with Dave Gardiner hitting 18 dolls and Rob Hanley hitting 13 dolls. As for the Enstone side, Steve Arthurs stood out again, this week coming in with 21 dolls. It turned out to be a great week for the Yeoman as the A side also claimed a win, with their result coming away at the Masons Arms A. The Masons started well and easily won the opening leg, but the Yeoman chaps hit back to win the remaining four legs to claim the big away win. It was a strangely under-par performance by the Masons, but that shouldn't take anything away from the Yeoman, with all their players hitting important dolls at key times. Yarnton BL produced a fantastic performance at home against Charlbury SSC, hitting 82 dolls to secure a big 9-1 home win. The whole Yarnton side played very well, hitting good dolls on their way to some good leg totals. The tied leg came in leg three, which included some good work by one team's anchorman, but I don't know who as the Who Set section wasn't filled in on the card. Shame, as it would have been good to give out some praise to the successful thrower. Eynsham SSC A won the Eynsham derby after picking up a 6-4 away win at the White Hart. It was a good performance by Eynsham, in particular for their lead off man Dan Reading. Dan hit his maiden 20+ score after hitting a maximum in the final leg to reach 20 dolls on the night (thanks to the Eynsham skipper for the info - this is exactly what I need from people). The final top section match saw the New Inn's early season struggles continue as they were defeated 8-2 at home by the White House B. They New Inn started well and took the opening leg, but after that the White House took control of the match and easily won the next three legs. The final leg was closer, with the White House successfully chasing down the New Inn's set of 19 dolls. It was probably a good time to face the New Inn as they are still adjusting to their new throw, so I would expect them to get back to top form soon. As for the White House, it was a solid team performance, with Dick Walsh & Phil Austin both having good nights with 17 dolls each. 

Section Two & Section Three:

The Red Lion continued their unbeaten start to the season as they picked up a very impressive 8-2 away win at Stonesfield SSC A. They started the match superbly well, winning the opening three legs to go 6-0 ahead, which included a fine set of 16 dolls in the third leg. Stoney hit back in leg four as it was their turn to set 16 dolls, but the Lion then rallied to take the last leg and secure the big away win. There was a fantastic comeback by Enstone SSC A in their home match against the Masons Arms B, where they came back from 0-4 behind to win 6-4. One of the main factors in this comeback was the performance by Enstone's Jason Eley, who hit 17 dolls. This was the highest Section Two score of the week and was probably the reason why Enstone managed to turn the match around to claim the win. Well played Jason. The White House A claimed their first win of the season after winning 7-3 at home against Middle Barton SSC. Following a tactical tweak to their throwing order, the home managed to improve their scores from the first few matches to claim the win. It wasn't plain sailing though! With the score being 5-1 after three legs, Barton's anchorman John Stockford hit the three required to win leg four meaning that a last leg decider was required. After Barton set 11 dolls in this final leg, it was left to the White House's anchorman Pat Grealis to hit the one required to take the leg a secure the match win. Finally, Chadlington SSC continued their excellent start to the season with a perfect 10-0 away win the Three Horseshoes. It wasn't as straight forward as the scoreline suggests, with two of the legs being won by just a single doll. But it's another case of the Who Set section not being filled in on the card so I can't report on if there was an anchorman deserving of a mention. 

That's the lot for this week. Remember, if you want to make the report then I need the hard copy of the card! And PLEASE circle the WHO SET section on the card!

Cheers all

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LEAGUE ROUND 2 - 1st MAY

KNOCKOUT CUP PRELIMINARY FIXTURE

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 24 Dolls - Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B 

Section One: 18 Dolls - Mark Poulter - Yarnton BL 

Section Two: 14 Dolls - Steve Ducker - Enstone SSC A 

Section Three: 13 Dolls - Dave Holloway - Stonesfield SSC B 

SIXER

Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

I'm still waiting on four cards from last week but I can't hold off from writing the report any longer - I do have other things to do!!

Premier & Section One:

From the cards received, it was an evening where home advantage counted as all three matches ended with home victories. The most evenly contested of these matches was between Eynsham SSC A and the Oxford Yeoman B. This match went down to a last leg decider before the outcome was decided. After four legs, the score was poised at 5-3 in favour of Eynsham. They had the honour of setting in the final leg, and posted a good set of 20 dolls. The Yeoman chased hard, but left anchorman Dave Trim four to tie. Despite his best efforts he fell just short, meaning that Eynsham took the match 7-3. There were some good individual performances within the match, the highlight being Mark Revill's 22 dolls. Special mention should also been given to the Yeoman's Ray Barson, who came in with 17 dolls. Probably the most standout performance of the week came from Enstone SSC B, who defeated the Masons Arms 8-2. It was a powerful performance by the Enstone side, with all of their team scoring very well. As a side they managed to rack up 104 dolls, which is really very impressive and will take some beating. It wasn't all easy for them as the Mason's certainly played their part in a high scoring match and from looking at the card I would suggest that they brought the best out of the Enstone side. There were two standout performances by Enstone players, with two people adding their name to the 'Big Hitter' table. Firstly, Steve McAteer came in with 20 dolls, which from his position as lead-off man can make a massive difference to his team's performance. The other big hitter was Steve Arthurs, who hit an excellent 24 dolls (5,6,5,4,4) which even at this early stage in the season will take some beating. Great chucking chaps. That result also counted as their Prelim fixture in the Knockout Cup, so it means that Enstone have advanced through to the Quarter Final stages. The final top section fixture saw the White House B record a good 6-4 home win over Charlbury SSC. Although the White House team didn't hit as many dolls as they would have liked to, they did enough to win the opening three legs before Charlbury hit back to take the final two legs and picked up four points. Although there wasn't any huge individual scoring, everyone who played scored well and the match was played in great spirits.

Section Two & Section Three:

It was also home advantage that played part in the lower section results, with two wins and a draw from the three cards to report on. The score draw, which went down to the final stick of the match, saw Chadlington SSC host old rivals Enstone SSC A. The match swung one way and another and it was fitting that it ended 5-5. Enstone took the opening leg after setting an impressive 16 dolls, before Chad hit back to win legs two & three to move 4-2 ahead. Enstone then picked up leg four to level the match and send it into a last leg decider. Enstone set 12 dolls in this last leg, which Chad managed to match to tie the leg and leave to match score level at 5-5. This is a great example of who you guys can help me out with my reports - I don't know if Chad's anchorman hit or missed his last stick to level things, so please let me know with a quick text in future. Chad's lead off man Tommy Burden had a good night with 13 dolls, but it was Enstone's anchorman & captain Steve Ducker who was the match top scorer with 14 dolls. The Red Lion made it two wins out of two by defeating Stonesfield SSC B 6-4. Stoney did win the opening leg of the match, but the Lion hit back to win the next three legs and secured the match win by going 6-2 ahead. Stoney did manage to rally themselves to take the last leg, meaning both sides picked up useful points. It was a very close match, with both teams scoring the same amount of dolls on the night, but sometimes it's all about hitting them at the key time. Finally, Middle Barton SSC secured a strong 8-2 home win over the Three Horseshoes. The match began closely, with the first two legs being won by either side by just a single doll. However, the match turned in the third leg when the Barton side hit a mighty 16 dolls to move 4-2 ahead. They then managed to do just enough in the final two legs to pick up the big win.

That's the lot for this week. Bit disappointed that I'm still waiting on four cards, but perhaps the Bank Holiday has delayed the post. But maybe the cards didn't get posted on Friday?? As I mentioned above, please let me know if anything report worthy happens in your matches, and make sure that the 'CIRCLE WHO SET' section is correctly filled in. If your not sure what a perfect card looks like, please visit the Scorecard Guidance page and take a quick look. Having this marked correctly on the card is required and not optional!

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LEAGUE ROUND 1 - 24th APRIL

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 23 Dolls - Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B 

Section One: 18 Dolls - Nick Hall - Yarnton BL 

Section Two: 18 Dolls - Jason Eley - Enstone SSC A 

Section Three: 16 Dolls - Marcus Copelin - Red Lion 

SIXERS

Neil Lyon - New Inn

Steve McAteer - Enstone SSC B

Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B

Wayne Gray - White House A

REPORT

Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

It was a tough start for the sides competing in the top sections, with all five matches being closely fought out in the desire to start the season with a win. The largest margain of victory was a home 8-2 victory secured by the Masons Arms A, who defeated Eynsham SSC A. The opening two legs were shared, with the winning margain being just a single doll. However, the Mason's then found their form to easily win the remaining three legs to secure an impressive win. Charlie Buckingham (17 dolls) & Spencer Buckingham (16 dolls) both had good nights for the Masons, however the match top scorer was Eynsham's Mark Revill, who scored a strong 19 dolls. The White House B picked up a good 7-3 away win at the White Hart. After a difficult season last year, the White House side will be looking for a strong start to the season this year and this result will do their confidence some good. They won the match early, winning each of the first three legs, before the White Hart hit back to take the fourth leg after an impressive set of 20 dolls. The final leg was then tied after the White House's anchorman Mick Phipps somehow failed to hit the two required to take the leg. The White Hart side played the match in great spirits, with all eight players taking part in three or more legs, which was good to see. The White House's Terry Downes (18 dolls) & Darren Grant (16 dolls) both made solid starts to their season. The Yeoman B staged a fantastic comeback to pick up a surprise 6-4 home win over the fancied New Inn side. The New Inn have returned to the league this year (they were formally the Three Pigeons) and they started well by winning the opening two legs, which included a first maximum of the season for Neil Lyon. However, the Yeoman side then found some great form to hit back and win the remaining three legs with impressive setting scores of 19, 22 & 22. These scores proved enough to claim the good home victory. All of the players involved scored decent totals of dolls but it was the New Inn's Neil Lyon who was the match top scorer after hitting 22 dolls. The 2024 Premier winners Enstone SSC B recorded a good 6-4 away win at Yarnton BL. The legs were all close, but it was Enstone's better start to the match that was the difference as they raced into a 6-0 lead. However, Yarnton hit back and some good chucking in the final two legs meant that they won the final two legs and kept the match score to something that was probably correct. Nick Hall, throwing in a new lead off role, was Yarnton's top scorer with 18 dolls, whilst Steve McAteer (17 dolls) also had a good night. However, Enstone's Steve Arthurs started the season where he left off last year, hitting a maximum in the opening leg on his way to the weekly top performance with 23 dolls. The final top sections match was between Charlbury SSC & the Oxford Yeoman B and it was extremely close, with three out of the five legs tied. With the scored tied at 3-3 after the first three legs, the Yeoman chased and tied Charlbury's sets in legs four and five meaning that the match ended as a 5-5 draw. It could, and probably should have been a Yeoman win, however their anchorman Harry Irwin failed to trouble the scoring in the fourth leg when needing just a single doll to take the leg. Steve England kicked off his season with 21 dolls for Charlbury, whilst the Yeoman's Kieran McCall was the only player to contribute towards their blob pot fund. I wonder if the Yeoman boys are pleased that their performances have improved or are they secretly upset due to less money going into that blob pot!

Section Two & Section Three:

The lower sections produced some good throwing and big match results, which showed how competitive these sections are going to be this year. There were two 10-0 victories recorded, plus a 9-1. In my view, the most impressive performance was by the Red Lion, who won 10-0 away from home at the White House A. The Lion lost their star player in a big money winter transfer, played at an excellent standard with all their players hitting important dolls at crucial times. In particular, the Lion anchorman Marcus Copelin had a fantastic night by hitting 16 dolls, which was the weekly top score by a section three player. As for the White House, it was only Wayne Gray who could say that he played well. Although, after hitting a maximum in the opening leg he would probably be a little disappointed to finish with 14 dolls. The other 10-0 scoreline was recorded by Enstone SSC A, who claimed their clean sweep at home against Middle Barton SSC. It was a strong home performance by Enstone, who will be hoping to defend the section two title this year. Two Enstone players stood out in the scoring, with Pete Cox having a great start to his season by hitting 15 dolls, but the match & section two weekly top scorer was Jason Eley, who hit an impressive 18 dolls. The 9-1 result was secured by Stonesfield SSC A, who picked up this win away at the returning Three Horseshoes. Having struggled last season, Stoney will be hoping that this result is a sign of things to come as all their players scored good dolls to help their team to victory. It was also good to hear that the Shoes team enjoyed their return to the league, with pleasing news reaching me that they had a 'good crack'. That's exactly what we like to hear! Stonesfield SSC B made it a winning start for both the Stoney sides after they won 7-3 at home over the Masons Arms B. Like the Stoney A side, all the B side players hit dolls throughout the match to help their side claim the match win. Having said that, the Stoney captain & anchorman Dave Holloway did manage to put a blob on the card in the last leg when needing just a doll to tie the leg. He probably had one eye on the beer leg! The final match was between Eynsham SSC B and Chadlington SSC, which couldn't have been much closer. What was very pleasing is that both teams named nine players, so it was a full house of players taking part. This was great to see, well done to both sides. The match seemed to be going the way of Eynsham as they held a 5-3 lead going into the final leg. They then posted a score of 12 in this final leg, which looked like it would be enough to claim the match win. However, Chadlington's anchorman Drew Duncan had other ideas as he knocked off the four required to claim the leg win and level up the match score to 5-5. Eynsham's John Ayres and Chad's Mike Benson both scored good totals of 14 dolls on the night in what looked like an excellent match.

That's all for now. I'll be getting my brain as focused as possible to get back into the habit of report writing. But don't forget to help me out. If there is a highlight in a match, please make sure you message me about it. I want to praise every good performance (and maybe mention any unexpected failures!). And PLEASE make sure you circle the Who Set section on the card as it makes my reports easier to write if I know which team sets or chases.

Thanks all

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LEAGUE ROUND-

TOP SCORERS

Premier: 0 Dolls - 

Section One: 0 Dolls - 

Section Two: 0 Dolls - 

Section Three: 0 Dolls - 

SIXERS

Player

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Please note, if your result is not mentioned in the report then it means the hard copy of the card was late getting to me. No point moaning at me over this, speak to whoever took the card away!

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

Coming soon

Section Two & Section Three:

Coming soon

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