2024 RESULTS & REPORTS

LEAGUE ROUND 12 - 18th July

REARRANGED FIXTURE

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 16 Dolls - D Reading & M Revill (Eynsham SSC A) & R Bradford (Enstone SSC B) 

SECTION ONE - 21 Dolls - Steve England (Charlbury SSC) 

SECTION TWO - 14 Dolls - Wayne Gray (White House A)

SECTION THREE - 18 Dolls - Mark Finch (Red Lion)

SIXER

George Williams - Charlbury SSC

REPORT

There has been a return to some bad habits over the last few weeks peeps. Some cards are late coming in, and there have been quite a few where the 'Who Set?' hasn't been filled in. If you can all remember to get the correctly completed cards to me ASAP then it gives me a chance to keep this website up to date - cheers

Premier & Section One:

There were some very interesting results last week in the Top Sections, which proved to me that anyone can beat anyone. To start the week off, there was a rearranged match between the Oxford Yeoman A and the Masons Arms B. I was amazed that this was played as the weather was awful, so fair play to the teams for getting in played. It was the Yeoman who managed to handled the conditions the best as they ran out 9-1 winners. It was a closer match than the scoreline suggested, with the Yeoman's anchorman Harry Irwin hitting a three and a four in the final two legs to make sure it ended in the big home win. Onto the action on Thursday, and the biggest shock result of the week saw the Oxford Yeoman B win 8-2 away at Enstone SSC B. The home side were missing the reliable Steve Arthurs from their lineup, and this made a big difference as they were unble to post winning scores. However, things would have been different if it wasn't for the Yeoman's anchorman Dave Trim, who had an excellent night.He picked up the winning dolls when chasing in three of the legs on his way to a solid 16 dolls. There were also some important dolls hit by the Yeoman's Lee Gardiner & Trevor Johnson, who don't often grab the headlines - well done chaps. . This heavy defeat for Enstone gave Eynsham SSC A the opportunity to move clear at the top of the Premier Section, and they did just that by winning 7-3 in their local derby against the White Hart. It wasn't plain sailing, but it was good performance by the whole team. Interestingly, the White Hart set in all five legs, as this ploy looked to be working as Eynsham chased down the total posted in the opening two legs to move 4-0 ahead. However, the White Hart set 21 in leg three, which Eynsham fell well short of chasing. Leg four saw the White Hart set 20, which was tied following a 3 from Eynsham's anchorman Mark Revill, which set things up nicely for a last leg decider. However, a modest set in this last leg allowed the Eynsham side to successfully chase and pass it to claim the match win. There was another last leg decider in the match held in Yarnton between Yarnton BL and the Masons Arms A, which went to way of the home side. With the match poised at 4-4, a mighty leg of 23 dolls saw the home side come away with the win (I couldn't tell you if this was a set or chase score - hint, hint). I can tell you that it looked like a great match, which went one way and then the other, which is always good to see. Finally, Charlbury SSC managed to pick up their first win in over a month with a narrow 6-4 away win over the Oxford Yeoman A. It was back in Round 7 when Charlbury last won, so they will be relieved to have picked up this victory. Within this match we had the week's higest score, with Charlbury's Steve England hitting 21 dolls, and George Williams also hitting the week's only maximum. Just whilst I'm speaking about Steve, I want to give congratulations to him for becoming the first player to pass the 200 doll mark this season, and he recently moved onto double figures with the number of sixes he has hit. He might tell me off for putting the commentators curse on him, but he really has been impressive so far this season. Keep it going fella.

Section Two & Section Three:

There were a couple of excellent performances by a couple of sides in the Lower Sections this week, which resulted in some big wins. The biggest of these wins was by the Red Lion, who claimed a 9-1 home win over Middle Barton SSC A. This was the Lion's best performance of the season so far by a fair bit as they racked up 65 dolls over the five legs, which included a set of 19 dolls in leg four. There were good scores by all the Lion players, no more so than by lead off man Mark Finch, who had a season's best score of 18 dolls, which really is excellent throwing and shows how strong our league is. This result keeps the Lion in touch with the Section Three leaders, although they will need to keep up this good throwing if they want to close the gap at the top. It's worth sparing a thought for the unlucky Middle Barton side, who just can't seem to get things going at the moment and are finding the going tough. However, when on form, they remain a very strong side and hopefully their luck will change soon and the victories will arrive. The other big winners were also from Section Three, and they were Eynsham SSC B. They picked up an 8-2 away win over the Masons Arms B and continued their good recent form. It was a close match though as the opening two legs both ended up being draws, before Eynsham kicked on to win the other three legs to claim the big win. Leg four is certainly worth mentioning, which involved the Masons setting a score 11 dolls. This looked like it would be a winning score, but Eynsham's captain & anchorman John Ayres had other ideas. With three blobs being 'hit' by his teammates in the leg,  John was left needing a four to tie. Not only did he hit four, he went one better and whipped off five to claim the leg win. It was an excellent night's work by John, hitting 17 dolls in total, which in most week's would have been thee Sections highest score (I'll leave it with you to have words with Mark Finch over this!!). There was a good comeback win by the White House A in their match away at Stonesfield SSC A. It was Stoney who started brightly, and they moved into a 4-2 lead after three legs. However, something strange happened to Stoney after this point, as in leg four they could only set 4 dolls (3 of which was their handicap!). This was a score that they "successfully" managed hit twice before this season, and this time they were thankful to captain Ben Tomlin for hitting the one scoring doll of the leg. The White House went past this low set with ease, and then went on to win the final leg to secure a 6-4 win. Last of all, Middle Barton SSC B kept hold of their lead at the top of Section Three after winning 6-4 at home over Stonesfield SSC B. Like many of this week's matches, it looked a good match as both sides managed to hit 18 dolls in a leg. That's great throwing teams, well done.
That's the lot for this week (one card yet to arrive - another hint hint). If you get thee cards into me early, correctly filled in, it gives me chance to put a bit more detail in my report give praise when and where it is due. Cheers all

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LEAGUE ROUND 11 - 11th July

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 21 Dolls - Rob Bradford (Enstone SSC B) 

SECTION ONE - 22 Dolls - Steve England (Charlbury SSC)

SECTION TWO - 14 Dolls - Pat Grealis (White House A) & Drew Duncan (Chadlington SSC)

SECTION THREE - 15 Dolls - Andy Stratford (Eynsham SSC B)

SIXERS

Steve England - Charlbury SSC x 2

Roger Goodall - White House B

Pat Grealis - White House A

REPORT

Premier & Section One:

Following a recent run of close matches in the Top Sections, this week produced three wins by big margins, plus a rare drawn match. The most impressive of these wins was an away win for Enstone SSC B, who stuffed near neighbours Charlbury SSC 9-1. On paper this looked like it would be a close match, but after a drawn opening leg Enstone found some top form to claim all of the remaining legs. This big win moved them level at the top of the Premier table with Eynsham SSC A, who only came away with a draw in their match away at the Yeoman B. This was a very close match indeed, with the advantage swinging from one side then the other. The match was poised at 4-4 going into the deciding last leg. The Yeoman set a good total of 17 dolls, and Eynsham's chase looked in danger as they were left needing 11 dolls to draw from their final three throwers. However, the tail wagged 11 dolls was what they scored, meaning a tied leg and a drawn match. After a couple of recent below-par performances, the Masons Arms A made a return to form to hammer the White House B 9-1. It was a high scoring match, no more so than in the opening leg. The White House set 24 dolls, which is a total that would win most legs. However, the Mason's anchorman Spencer Buckingham hit the 3 required which meant that his side hit 25 dolls. Yarnton BL also returned to form this week, and they recorded an 8-2 home win over the Yeoman A. It was a good team performance by the Yarnton side, in particular captain Mark Poulter, who finally managed to hit the magical 20 doll total. This big win keeps Yarnton in the mix for the Section One title, which is shaping up to be an incredibly tight event. 

Section Two & Section Three:

The Section Two title race continues to have multiple twists & turns, with no side seeming able to break away from the pack. Enstone SSC A claimed a big 8-2 home win over fellow Section Two side the Masons Arms B. It was actually the Masons who won the opening leg, just by a single doll, although the scores were only 6-5 in a low start to the match. However, Enstone then took control of the remaining legs to come away with the big win. The White House A kept up the pressure at the top of the table after picking up a 6-4 home win over Middle Barton SSC A. This match went the distance, but after a low set by the Barton side in the final leg it allowed the White House to clinch the match win. The White House's lead off man Pat Grealis became the Lower Sections first six hitter of the season on his way to a seasons best score of 14 dolls. In Section Three, leaders the Middle Barton SSC B claimed an important 6-4 home win over chasers the Red Lion. The match was looking like it was going to be an away win, with the Red Lion leading 4-2 after three legs. However, Middle Barton finished strong to win the final two legs and secure the win. Eynsham SSC B continued their recent good form by recording an 8-2 home win over Stonesfield SSC A. Eynsham lost the opening leg, but they found some good throwing in the rest of the legs to claim the big win. Eynsham's Andy Stratford was the sections top scorer this week in this match with 15 dolls. The final match of the report was a thriller, which went down to the final stick. Stonesfield SSC B and Chadlington SSC were tied at 4-4 going into the final leg, and with Stoney only setting 9 dolls in this last leg Chadlingto looked to be favourites for the win. However, they struggled in their chase, and had anchorman Ron Hiinchcliffe to thank for hitting the 2 dolls needed to tie the leg and secure a drawn match.

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LEAGUE ROUND 10 - 4th July 

SUPPLEMENTARY CUP PRELIMINARY FIXTURE

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 21 Dolls - Roger Goodall (White House B) 

SECTION ONE - 22 Dolls - Jeff Glenister (White Hart) 

SECTION TWO - 16 Dolls - Barry Denvir (Chadlington SSC) 

SECTION THREE - 14 Dolls - John Stockford (Middle Barton SSC B) 

SIXERS

Jeff Glenister - White Hart

Roger Goodall - White House B

Dick Walsh - White House B

Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B

Steve England - Charlbury SSC

REPORT

Premier & Section One:

There were just the three Top Section matches played last week, and it was home wins all round. The big winners of the week were Enstone SSC B, who picked up a clean sweep 10-0 win in their home match against Yarnton BL. It was Enstone's best performance of the season so far, and has put them right in the mix for the Premier title. There are just 8 points between the three Premier sides, so as I've said before, every leg could prove crucial. Steve Arthurs continued his first season with Enstone with 20 dolls, which was a score also hit by Rob Bradford. Eynsham SSC A hold the league at the moment, and they picked up a good 7-3 win over Charlbury SSC. I'm still waiting for the Eynsham side to hit top form, but they keep doing just enough and picking up the wins, which is what the top sides do. Just look at England in the footy and how they do just enough to win the match. Eynsham's Gruff Reading did hit form this week, coming in with a season's best score of 17 dolls, which was a score matched by Charbury's Simon Bridgeman, which was also his season's best total so far. The losers in the Top Sections were the White House B, who suffered a 6-4 defeat away against the in form White Hart. After the opening two legs were shared, it was the White Hart who took the third & fourth legs to claim the win with a leg to spare. The White House did manage to salvage things by taking the last leg, but will certainly need to improve if they want to remain in the title race. This win moved the White Hart up to into second place in Section One, and if they continue their current form they are well placed to take advantage if leaders Charlbury slip up. Jeff Glenister made a welcome appearance for the White Hart and top scored with 22 dolls, whilst the newly crowned World Champion Roger Goodall came in with 21 dolls. Jeff, Roger & Dick Walsh all notched maximums in the match.    

Section Two & Section Three:

The race for the Section Two title continues to be a bun fight, with just 10 points separating the five sides involved. It is the Masons Arms B who hold a narrow lead at the moment, and they picked up a 7-3 home win over Stonesfield SSC B. The match was a tight one, with the scores tied at 3-3 after three legs. However, the Masons took the fourth leg after anchorman Andy Mott hit the three required to win that leg, and then Stonesfield failed to chase down the Mason's set in the final leg, resulting in the strong home victory. After this week's round of matches, Stoney B sit bottom of Section Three. However, things are tight, so a run of good results could still see them challenge for the title yet. There was only one away victory out of all the matches played this week, and that win was had by Middle Barton SSC B. They played at Chadlington SSC this week in a very close match. Chad took the opening leg, but then Middle Barton hit back to win the next three legs, all by only a single doll (I can't tell you which anchorman did the business as the 'Who Set' wasn't filled in - grrrrrrr). A more comfortable win in the last leg saw them pick up an 8-2 win which keeps them top of Section Three. The shinning light for Chadlington was the performance of Barry Denvir. He came in with 16 dolls, which was his highest score of the season so far by a long way. There was another big win for the Red Lion, who claimed an 8-2 home win over the White House A. The Red Lion raced into a 6-0 lead, before the White House got on the scoreboard by winning leg four. However, the Lion came back to take the last leg to pick up the big home victory. Mike Thomas had his best score of the season so far for the Lion, hitting 13 dolls. In the final match of the report, there was the week's only drawn match, which was between Stonesfield SSC A and Enstone SSC A. Although it was a low scoring match, it must have been tense. The low scoring started in the opening leg, in which Enstone could only set a total of 5 dolls. However, even with a 3 doll handicap start, Stoney managed to hit only 4 dolls, with lead off man Jim Wagerfield being the only player to score! Funny old game isn't it! Stoney did come back strong after this opening leg, and were actually leading 5-3 going into the last leg. However, Enstone managed to take this last leg to mean that the match ended in a 5-5 draw.  

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LEAGUE ROUND 9 - 27th June 

REARRANGED FIXTURE

KNOCKOUT CUP PRELIMINARY FIXTURE

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 19 Dolls - Barry Townsend (White House B) 

SECTION ONE - 20 Dolls - Lee Thompson (White Hart) 

SECTION TWO - 15 Dolls - Chris Stewart (Middle Barton SSC A) & Jason Eley (Enstone SSC A)

SECTION THREE - 15 Dolls - John Ayres (Eynsham SSC B) & Mark Finch (Red Lion) 

SIXER

Spencer Buckingham - Masons Arms A

REPORT

Sorry for the delay in this report - busy,busy busy! I told you the sun would come out didn't I. Finally a week of good weather to play in. I'll keep this brief just to catch up on things

Premier & Section One:

The race for the Premier & Section One titles continue to hot up, with there being some narrow victories this week. In fact, things were so tight this week take all four top flight matches all went to last leg deciders. Eynsham SSC A hold a slim lead at the top of the Premier Section at this point following on from a 6-4 home win over Yarnton BL. It was a game of modest totals, with neither side able to take a hold on the match. The scores were tied 4-4 going into the final leg, and when Eynsham could only set 12 dolls it looked like Yarnton would pick up an away win. However, they fell a single doll short in their chase, meaning that Eynsham took the match. The White House B kept up the pressure at the top after a 7-3 away win at the Oxford Yeoman A, whilst Enstone SSC B continued to close the gap after winning their match 7-3 at home against the Masons Arms A. This fixture contained the week's only maximum, which I was a little surprised about. Maybe everyone was in shock of the nice weather? Anyway, well done Spencer Buckingham for hitting the maximum. The other match saw the White Hart record another win, this time being a 6-4 win at home over the Oxford Yeoman B. It was a tight match, and needed a bit of magic from the White Hart's anchorman Lee Thompson in the final leg to secure the victory for his team. It was a good week for the White Hart, as they also played their Knockout Cup preliminary match against holders Eynsham SSC B. And this produced a surprise result as the White Hart came away with a 6-2 away win. Eynsham won the opening leg but the White Hart won the following three legs to advance to the quarter finals. 

Section Two & Section Three:

The Lower Sections continue to be a battle royal, as all the sides continue to take points off each other. Section Two in particular continues to be very close, with all sides well placed to make a push for the title as we move into the second half of the season. There were again some very close matches, with a couple of last leg deciders required. One of these was in the Stoney derby, which saw the A side win the final two legs in their match against the B side to claim a 6-4 win. The White House A also won the final two matches in their match against Eynsham SSC B to claim a 7-3 home win. There were some good performances in this match, which was the highest scoring fixture in the Lower Sections. In the other matches, there was only one winning home side, which was Chadlington SSC, who claimed a 8-2 win over the Red Lion. The other matches were all away wins, with good wins for Enstone SSC A, Middle Barton B & Eynsham SSC B(in their rearranged fixture against Chadlington).

All in all, things are looking like it's going to be a very interesting second half to the season...  

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LEAGUE ROUND 8 - 20th June 

REARRANGED FIXTURES

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 20 Dolls - Steve Arthurs (Enstone SSC B)

SECTION ONE - 21 Dolls - Alan Stevens (Charlbury SSC) 

SECTION TWO - 18 Dolls - Wayne Gray (White House A)

SECTION THREE - 14 Dolls - Neil Morton (Red Lion) & Andy Stratford (Eynsham SSC B)

SIXERS

Alan Stevens - Charlbury SSC

Steve England - Charlbury SSC x 2 (One in each match)

George Williams - Charlbury SSC

Jeff Glenister - White Hart

Steve McAteer - Enstone SSC B

Aldolfo Kerpache - Masons Arms A

REPORT

I told you the sun was going to shine this week! If anyone starts moaning that it's too hot for throwing sticks I might start deducting dolls!! What a week of tight matches. Out of the eight scheduled Round 8 fixtures, six of them went to last leg shootouts. Lovely jubbly....

Premier & Section One:

I'll start things off this week my standout result of the week, which saw the White Hart travel to Charlbury SSC and come away with an impressive 6-4 away win. It was certainly a match for setting, as all five legs were won by the side going first. The hightlight of the match had to be the second leg, which contained three sixes - Alan Stevens & Steve England for Charlbury & Jeff Glenister for the White Hart. These three players were the match top scorers, with Alan hitting 21 dolls (3,6,4,3,5), Steve 20 dolls (2,6,3,5,2) and Jeff 19 dolls (3,6,3,5,2). This was the second match of the week for Charlbury as they played their rearranged match away at the Oxford Yeoman B on the Tuesday. This match went much better for them as they ran out 8-2 winners. To be honest, it should have been a clean sweep but a random low set by Charlbury in the final leg saw the Yeoman claim a couple of points. Steve England & George Williams both had maximums in ths match. There was a very close match between the Masons Arms A & Eynsham SSC A, with just three dolls separating the two sides. Eynsham made a very sluggish start, posting two low scores meaning that the Masons easily took the legs. The Masons should have also taken the third leg, however with just three dolls needed to win it and two throwers remaining, they could only hit two between them to tie the leg. This appeared to be the wake up call which Eynsham needed as they then returned to hitting the dolls which are expected of them to take the final two legs and secure a 5-5 draw. The White House B & the Oxford Yeoman B were also involved in a 5-5 draw, which went down to the final stick of the match. The Yeoman were in a strong position halfway through the match, leading 5-1 after three legs. However, the White House kept plugging away and managed to take the final two legs to secure the match draw. White House anchorman Mick Phipps managed to hit the three required in the final leg to take the last leg. In the final top flight match to report on, Enstone SSC B took advantage of their Premier rivals dropping points by picking up an 8-2 away win over the Oxford Yeoman A. It was the Yeoman who took the opening leg, but Enstone then found some form and ran away with the remaining legs. These results have tightened things up in the Premier table, whilst in Section One Charlbury hold the advantage at the moment, but they have played a game more than their rivals, so it's a big week ahead for the sides chasing them.

Section Two & Section Three:

The only Lower Section fixture that didn't go to a last leg shootout was actually the rearranged match held between Eynsham SSC B and Enstone SSC A. Eynsham produced their best performance of the season so far to rack up this big win as they try to force themselves back into contention in Section Three. Two of the other three fixtures which I can report on had a similar theme, where the home side won the opening two legs before the away side hit back to take the next three legs and complete a great comeback 6-4 victory. Chadlington SSC suffered their collapse against the Masons Arms B, who had Andy Mott in fine form after he hit 17 dolls. The other side who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory was Middle Barton SSC B, who went down 6-4 against Stonesfield SSC A. The final three legs of this match saw Stoney set in all of them, and their scores proved too much for the Barton side to chase down. The final match of the report was a proper battle between Enstone SSC A and the White House A. Enstone took the first two legs before the White House hit back to level the score at 4-4 with one leg to play. Enstone set 15 in this last leg, which proved just enough as the White House fell just one doll short with 14 dolls. There was good scoring throughout this match, with only three blobs recorded. The White Houses' Wayne Gray had his best night of the season so far with 18 dolls.
And that's your lot for this week. Good luck to those of you who are making the trip to Charlbury for the World Championship this weekend. Will we get another Wychwood winner??? I hope so.....

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 LEAGUE ROUND 7 - 13th June

REARRANGED FIXTURE

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 22 Dolls - Neil Lyon (White House B) 

SECTION ONE - 18 Dolls - Darren Holmes (Yarnton BL) 

SECTION TWO - 11 Dolls - S Rogers (Middle Barton SSC A) & R Hinchcliffe (Chadlington SSC) 

SECTION THREE - 10 Dolls - Nick Pickup (Middle Barton SSC B)

SIXERS

Neil Lyon - White House B x 2

Roger Goodall - White House B

REPORT

What is going on with this weather??? Have we actually had a warm Thursday night yet? I've hardly seen Mick Phipps get his legs out this year, although maybe that's not a bad thing.......

Premier & Section One:

With their rearranged game being played this week, it was a chance for the White House B to put themselves back in the race for the Premier title. However, they certainly didn't get things all their own way. They started off at home on Monday against the White Hart and had to settle for a 7-3 win. This was despite some great throwing by Neil Lyon (1,6,5,4,6) and Roger Goodall (3,5,3,6,4). The White Hart battled hard and were in the mix in every leg, with the White House having to throw well to cope with their new handicap. In their second match of the week, the White House travelled to play Premier rivals Enstone SSC B. This was a very close match, which went leg on leg, meaning that a last leg decider was required. It was Enstone that took this last leg after they chased down the White House's modest set of 16 dolls, hitting 19 dolls to claim the match win. Considering the awful conditions, both sets of players performed very well and managed to score quite well, so well done teams. Staying in the Premier, and Eynsham SSC A picked up a big 9-1 home win over the Yeoman A. Judging by the nice dry card I received, I presume this match was played inside at the club, so you lucky lot managed to avoid the rain. I really don't blame you at all for playing inside, I think everyone else would have done the same. It wasn't an easy win for Eynsham, with anchorman Mark Revill hitting the four required to take the opening leg, and then the Yoeman lads only managing to tie leg two when they needed just three dolls from their last two players to win the leg. However, Eynsham pushed on in the remaining legs to maitain their position at the top of the table. The final match saw the White Hart in action again, this time at home against Yarnton BL. This match really did swing one way and then the other. Yarnton started quickest to move 4-0 ahead, before the White Hart hit back to level the scores at 4-4 to send the match into a last leg shootout. The home side posted 15 in this last leg, which Yarnton only managed to tie, meaning that the match finished 5-5. Yarnton's Darren Holmes had his best night of the season so far for Yarnton after hitting 18 dolls - he must be one of the few players that like the rain!

Section Two & Section Three:

The standout result to me in the Lower Sections has to be the 10-0 home win for Stonesfield SSC A obver Chadlington SSC. In clearly difficult conditions, Stonesfield managed to hold things together to claim only their second victory of the season. It goes to show yet again that anyone can beat anyone! Good work Stoney, well done. The Middle Barton derby between the A side and the B side was won by the B side 6-4. Considering the weather, it was great to see so many players listed to play in the match. The B side started the best and quickly moved 6-0 ahead, before the A side hit back to take the final two legs and pick up what could prove to be some very important points. Nick Pickup for the B side was the Section Three to doll scorer for the week with 10 dolls. Finally, there was a great comback by Stonesfield SSC B in their match away at the White House A. After three legs, the White House had moved into a 5-1 lead to were already thinking about how big their winning margin would be. However, Stoney stuck at it and won the final two legs to leave the match tied at 5-5. I'd love to be able to give a bit more detail about these last legs but the 'Circle Who Set?' wasn't filled in - tut tut! Either way, it looked like a great game.
Thats the lot for this week. Say it quietly, but there is a chance that the sun might be out this week.....

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6th JUNE - SINGLES COMPETITION

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 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!

REARRANGED FIXTURE

KNOCKOUT CUP PRELIMINARY FIXTURE

SIXERS

Steve McAteer - Enstone SSC B

Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B

Dave Gardiner - Oxford Yeoman B

REPORT

There's no way I could do a full report on all the activities of last week, but I can still put on some mentions. The winners of the four singles competition were:

Roger Goodall

Steve Arthurs

Charlie Buckingham

Keith Powell

After speaking to the various people who were running the evenings, it sounds like there was some good throwing everywhere. Well done to the four players who made it through to finals night to compete for the Singles title. Just as a side note, if anyone was wondering why the evenings were over so quickly, this was due to a number of players not turning up. If this continues then we will need to review if we start charging for entry again. Just a thought with the Pairs competition planned for next month.

There were a couple of standard matches which also took place last week. The Masons Arms B picked up an important 8-2 home win over the White House A. It was a good team effort by the Masons side, with everyone chipping in with important dolls at crucial times. This result moved the Masons to the top of the Section Two table, but there are just 5 points between all the five sides in the section, which means every doll & point could be vital come the end of the season.

Finally, there was a Knockout Cup preliminary round fixture, which saw the Oxford Yeoman B upset the form book to defeat Charlbury SSC. It was an extremely tight match, which went down to the final thrower in the final leg. The scores were tied 4-4 going into this last leg after each side had won a leg, with the other two legs both tied. Charlbury set 18 in this last leg, which was the highest leg score of the evening so far. However, the Yeoman lads managed to chase this down, with lead off thrower Tom Lay starting things off with a 4, then big game Kieran McCall also hitting a 4 in the middle order which left anchorman Harry Irwin to claim the glory by hitting the single doll required to win the match. Well done lads.

That's me all done

I've managed to get everything all up to date now, but if anyone spots an error just give me a shout

Cheers all

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LEAGUE ROUND 6 - 30th May

REARRANGED FIXTURE

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 18 Dolls - Alan Major (Eynsham SSC A) & Dick Walsh (White House B) 

SECTION ONE - 19 Dolls - Steve England (Charlbury SSC) 

SECTION TWO - 18 Dolls - Mark Bennett (Masons Arms B) 

SECTION THREE - 13 Dolls - Mark Finch (Red Lion) 

SIXERS

George Williams - Charlbury SSC

Ray Grant - Masons Arms A

REPORT

Thanks for all the quick cards again everyone. Keep it up!

Premier & Section One:

After last week's drop off in form, reigning champions Eynsham SSC A hit back to record a very impressive 9-1 away win over fellow Premier side Enstone SSC B. The match was closer than the scoreline suggests, with Eynsham's anchorman Mark Revill hitting the winning dolls in three out of the five legs, including a four to take the opener. But it was Eynsham's Alan Major who took the spoils as the matches top scorer after hitting a season's best score of 18 dolls. The White House B managed to hold of a fightback from Charlbury SSC to take the last leg decider and in turn secure a 6-4 home win. The White House had moved 4-0 infront after two legs, before Charlbury hit back to take the next two legs to level the score. However, after a low set in the final leg by Charlbury, the White House took advantage to win the match. I did say last week that the Masons Arms A would gve someone a hiding soon, and they did that this week after winning 8-2 away at the White Hart. The Masons were maybe not quite at the high standard which they normally hit, but they all chipped in with important dolls to secure a straight forward victory. In the other top flight fixture, Yarnton BL produced a solid performance at home to win 7-3 against the Oxford Yeoman B. It was a close match, which went to a last leg decider, in which Yarnton produced their best leg of the match to make sure that they claimed the match win. 

Section Two & Section Three:

Strangley, all the matches in the Lower sections were decided before the last legs this week (Apart from the rearranged fixture). Which is a shame as you know how much I love a last leg shootout. Eynsham SSC B picked up an important 7-3 away win over Stonesfield SSC B, which was helped by some good throwing from Lee Parsons, whilst the Red Lion continued their recent good form to claim a 6-4 home win over Enstone SSC A. This was a close match for four legs before a very impressive leg of 18 dolls in the last leg from Enstone saw them gain two more points. It was a mixed week for Middle Barton SSC A, who played their scheduled Round 6 match plus their outstanding Round 1 match. The first of these matches was away at Chadlington SSC, which went the way of the home side 9-1. However, in Barton's rearranged fixture, they managed to claim a 5-5 draw away at Eynsham SSC B. In both of these matches Barton played with just the five players, so special mention goes to them for getting these matches played. Mark Lacey enjoyed himself at Eynsham for Barton, hitting his season's best score of 17 dolls. However, Section Two's weekly top scorer was Mark Bennett, who led his Masons Arms B side to a 8-2 home win over Stonesfield SSC A. Mark came in with 18 dolls, which is the highest score by a Section Two player so far this season. Pete King was also impressive in this match, playing in the unfamilier anchorman role for the Masons. Pete managed to knock off the winning dolls in four out of the five legs, which is very good shooting. Well done Pete. The final match to report on saw the White House A rip up the form guide to claim a 9-1 away win over Middle Barton SSC B. After struggling in recent weeks, the White House returned to form, so far in fact that they were a blob free team. 

Thanks all

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LEAGUE ROUND 5 - 23rd May

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 25 Dolls - Neil Lyon (White House B)

SECTION ONE - 23 Dolls - Steve England (Charlbury SSC) 

SECTION TWO - 13 Dolls - Mike Benson & Ron Hinchcliffe (Both Chadlington SSC) 

SECTION THREE - 16 Dolls - John Ayres (Eynsham SSC B) 

SIXERS

Neil Lyon - White House B x 2

Steve England - Charlbury SSC

Dave Trim - Oxford Yeoman B

REPORT

All cards received in good time, even though it was a bank holiday! You see, it can be done! I do hope this is a sign of things to come.

Premier & Section One:

After last week's 10-0 defeat, the Oxford Yeoman B hit back this week to pick up a very impressive 10-0 home win over the Masons Arms A. It was a great team performance by the Yeoman, with everyone hitting dolls at important times. This included anchorman Dave Trim hitting his second maximum of the season in the opening leg on his way to scoring 16 dolls, which was a total also scored by Ray Barson. It was a strangely under-par performance by the Masons, so I expect to be writing about them giving someone a good hiding very soon as they are bound to bounce back from this defeat. There was another top flight 10-0 scoreline this week after Charlbury SSC completed a clean sweep over an under strength Yarnton BL. Both sides were without regular players, so much so that Yarnton played with just five players. Credit goes to both sides & captains for making sure the rules were adhered to and getting the match played - this is a perfect example of what is required. Even with a player less, Yarnton did come close to picking up a couple of points and didn't give up, which was pleasing to see. Steve England for Charlbury continued his excellent start to the season with 23 dolls (3,5,5,6,4). In every match played so far this season, Steve has hit a 20+ score, which I think makes him the only player in the league that still has a chance of the magical 20+ in every match. Steve, keep it going!! The White Hart made it back to back wins for the first time in a long time after winning 6-4 at home against the Oxford Yeoman A. This was a close match, with three out of the five legs being won by just a single doll, meaning that the result could have gone the other way. Still, a good performance by both sides. I was recently asked who I thought the favourites to win Section One are, and I can honestly say I haven't got a clue! Everyone seems capable to beat each other, so I think this is going to be a very tight section. In the other top flight match, the newly strengthend White House B side defeated Eynsham SSC A 8-2. Apart from a huge score of 28 in the fourth leg, this was actually a tight match. It was Eynsham's lowest amount of dolls scored so far this season, so if they had kept to their previous level of performance the result would certainly have been much closer. It was played indoors due to there being two matches at home, and this certainly worked in the White House's favour as new signing Neil Lyon, who has a particular liking to the Eynsham indoor throw, came in with an impressive 25 dolls (4,4,5,6,6). I was told he also had a 6 in the beer leg, so some great throwing. The test will be can he repeat this good scoring on his new home throw? We will soon find out...   

Section Two & Section Three:

In the lower sections, Chadlington SSC picked up their first win of the season after a fine performance to win 9-1 away at the White House A. It has been a tricky start to the season for the Chad boys, but they all chipped in to score important dolls to help claim this big win. Mike Benson & Ron Hinchcliffe, both from Chad, had their best nights of the season so far with 13 dolls each. The Red Lion continued their current good form after picking up a 7-3 away win over Stonesfield SSC A, although Stoney did play the match with only five players. The scores were close, so with a full side Stoney might have reversed the scoreline. It was good to see that the Lion had a squad of eight players to pick from as they have struggled before for players, so lets hope for their captains sake that this continues. The other three matches all went to last leg deciders, with all possible outcomes achieved. There was a 7-3 home win for Middle Barton SSC A over an under strength Masons Arms B, an 6-4 away win for Middle Barton SSC B over Eynsham SSC B and finally a 5-5 draw between Enstone SSC A and Stonesfield SSC B. Included within these three matches was a good night for Eynsham SSC B's captain John Ayres, who hit a seasons best score of 16 dolls, whilst there was a personal best of 12 dolls for Enstone SSC A's Tom Huttunen, who has only started playing the game this season.

After this round of fixtures, it now means that every side in all of the sections has been able to either  celebrate a victory or taste the bitterness of defeat. So basically, things are pretty tight, which is good to hear. Keep it up, and well done all for getting those pesky cards to me nice and early

Cheers all

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LEAGUE ROUND 4 - 16th May

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 20 Dolls - Dick Walsh (White House B) 

SECTION ONE - 22 Dolls - Neil Pratley (Masons Arms A) & Steve England (Charlbury SSC) 

SECTION TWO - 15 Dolls - Chris Stewart & Steve Rogers (Both Middle Barton SSC A)

SECTION THREE - 14 Dolls - Mark Finch (Red Lion) 

SIXERS

Steve England - Charlbury SSC

Ray Grant - Masons Arms A

Neil Pratley - Masons Arms A

Barry Townsend - White House B

Dick Walsh - White House B

Chris Price - Yarnton BL

G Reading - Eynsham SSC A

REPORT

Sorry for the delay in getting this report done. I've been trying to play catch up in getting all the stats up to date, which were complicated by the Three Pigeons pulling out the league. Plus I was waiting on some cards......

Premier & Section One:

The headline makers this week, and the only side in the top sections to win at home this week were the Oxford Yeoman A. They recorded the first 10-0 win in the top sections after their clean sweep win over 'away' side the Oxford Yeoman B. With the handicaps between the sides level, this will have been a morale boosting victory for the A side. Their anchorman Harry Irwin had a particularly good night, hitting 15 dolls in total which included hitting the winning dolls in three out of the five legs played. Good work matey. There was a very close match between Charlbury SSC and the Masons Arms A, which was so close that both teams hit 86 dolls! But, as we all know, it's not always about how many dolls you hit but more importantly when you hit them. This was the case for the Masons, as they won the last leg decider to claim a 7-3 match victory. Steve England (Charlbury) & Neil Pratley (Masons) were the standout performers in the match, both hitting 22 dolls which included both of them hitting a maximum in the final leg. The White Hart picked up an impressive 7-3 away win over Enstone SSC B, who are still trying to find top form. Enstone were 3-1 ahead after two legs, but some excellent team throwing by the White Hart resulted in them winning the final three legs to take the win. The father & son duo of Len Sykes (16 dolls) & Morgan Sykes (15 dolls) both had good nights for the White Hart, and seem to be enjoying the move to throwing outside after a tricky winter season. The final top flight match saw Yarnton BL picked up a good 6-4 away win over the White House B. If you take into account the handicap, there was just a single doll between the two sides, which will be why the match appeared to swing one way and then the other. There were three sixes scored in the match, with Barry Townsend & Dick Walsh from the White House and Chris Price from Yarnton all having perfect throws. Well done all.  

Section Two & Section Three:

There were a couple of postponements this week, meaning that there were only three matches played. There was double delight for our Middle Barton sides, with both the A team and the B team picking up impressive 9-1 wins. The A side did their damage away at Stonesfield SSC A in what was a good team performance. It was nearly a clean sweep, but Stoney managed to tie the final leg to at least get a point from the match. The B side continued their good start to the season after earning their 9-1 win at home over Enstone SSC A. This was a much closer match, with just a doll or two separating the sides in four legs with the Barton side won. I can't report on if there was any heroics from either of the anchormen as the "Who Set?" section of the card wasn't filled in, which is a shame as I like to reward good performances in this report. Make sure this is filled in please teams. The final match in the report saw the Red Lion pick up an 8-2 home win over Stonesfield SSC B. It was a closer match than the scoreline suggests, with the final two legs being won by the Lion by just a single doll, so the result could have quite easily gone to Stoney. Mark Finch was the matche's stand out performer with 14 dolls from the lead off position for the Lion.

Cheers all

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LEAGUE ROUND 3  - 9th May 

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 17 Dolls - Keith Powell & Mark Revill (Both Eynsham SSC A) 

SECTION ONE - 28 Dolls - Steve England (Charlbury SSC) 

SECTION TWO - 12 Dolls - Pete King (Masons Arms B) 

SECTION THREE - 12 Dolls - Lee Parsons (Eynsham SSC B)

SIXERS

Steve England - Charlbury SSC x 3!

REPORT

No cards received from:

Enstone SSC A v Chadlington SSC
Middle Barton SSC A v Red Lion

I'm getting fed up with this..............

Premier & Section One:

There's only one place where the report can start this week, and thats at the match between Charlbury SSC and the Oxford Yeoman A. There was an unbelievable performance by Charlbury's Steve England, who came in with the small matter of 28 dolls (6,5,5,6,6). This tied the league record, and I'm certain that it won't get broken. The match itself was a good contest, with both teams scoring well. In fact, the Yeoman boys managed a blob free match, which I'm sure the fines committee weren't happy about. Charlbury took the match 7-3, although it could have ended the other way around. It did mean that Charlbury were the weeks only home winners in the top sections, as the other three matches went in favour of the away sides. The largest margin of victory was a 7-3 win for Eynsham SSC A, who made the long journey to the White Hart (Also Eynsham). Eynsham SSC were pretty much always in control of the match, but gave away the final leg after a poor set to gift 2 points to the White Hart. One player who deserves a mention is 12yo Nathanial McCreadie, who was playing as the anchor man for the White Hart. News filtered back to me that he managed to hit the doll which tied a leg, and only narrowly missed for the victory. And from my understanding, he was well supported by both teams, which is great to hear. Well done Nathanial, keep it going. Yarnton BL picked up a somewhat surprising 6-4 away win over the previously unbeaten Masons Arms A, whilst Enstone SSC B managed to pick up their first win of the season by winning a last leg shootout with the Oxford Yeoman B.   

Section Two & Section Three:

There was a big win for Stonesfield SSC A, who picked up a surprise 8-2 away win over the White House A. The match was poised at 4-2 to Stoney, but a couple of low scores by the White House saw Stoney run out with the big win. The other Stoney side also managed to pick up a victory after beating Middle Barton SSC B 6-4 at home. It was a very close match, with only 2 dolls separating the sides overall. Middle Barton took the opening leg, but Stoney hit back to take the next three legs before Middle Barton claimed the final leg to gain 4 points. In the final match to report on, the Masons Arms B won a last leg shootout in their match away at Eynsham SSC B to claim a 6-4 win. The match was tied at 4-4 going into this last leg, and after being set a score of 12, Eynsham fell just 1 doll short in their chase, meaning that the Masons took the win.

Just as a quick reminder, if I don't get the hard copy of the card, you won't make the weekly top scorers list or the weekly reports. It's that simple!

.....................................................................................................................................................................

LEAGUE ROUND 2  - 2nd May 

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 22 Dolls - Steve Arthurs (Enstone SSC B)

SECTION ONE - 20 Dolls - Steve England (Charlbury SSC) 

SECTION TWO - 14 Dolls - Martin Blake (Enstone SSC A)

SECTION THREE - 0 Dolls - ????????

SIXER

Steve Arthurs - Enstone SSC B

REPORT

Nice quick report this, yet again due to a lack of cards arriving. At fault this week were:
Oxford Yeoman A v Yarnton BL - NO CARD RECEIVED

Middle Barton SSC A v White House A - NO CARD RECEIVED

Stonesfield SSC A v Eynsham SSC B - NO CARD RECEIVED

Chadlington SSC v Stonesfield SSC B - NO CARD RECEIVED

Red Lion v Middle Barton SSC B - NO PHOTO OR CARD RECEIVED - UNACCEPTABLE 

Premier & Section One:

There was an entertaining clash between near neighbours Enstone SSC B and Charlbury SSC, which went the distance and ended in a 5-5 draw. The match began with some good scoring, with the opening leg being tied on 19 each. Enstone then pressed on to move into a 5-3 going into the last leg shootout. As the rain got heavier, the dolls proved harder to hit and it was Charlbury who took this decider to level the scores. It was a good match to play in if your name was Steve, as the three Steve's taking part were the match top scorers. Steve Arthurs for Enstone was the highest with 22 dolls, which included the weeks only maximum, whilst Steve England was Charlbury's top scorer with 20 dolls. Steve McAteer from Enstone was the other Steve, and he came in with 17 dolls. Eynsham SSC A hit back after their defeat last week to pick up a 6-4 home win over the Oxford Yeoman B. Eynsham raced into an easy 6-0 lead following three legs, only for the Yeoman to hit back by winning the last two legs to make the scoreline more respectful. Eynsham will probably look back and wonder how they didn't win by a larger margin, but it goes to show that if you keep going in each leg then you can get some points. The other top flight match saw the first away win of the season with the Masons Arms A defeating the an under strength White House A. It actually turned out to be a fairly close contest, although the Masons always looked like they were in control. Although the match result wasn't what they wanted, at least the White House won the final leg, which had been doubled up as the beer leg due to the rain. 

Section Two & Section Three:

The only card received saw a very close match, with the Masons Arms B hosting Enstone SSC A. Big respect goes to the Enstone team, who made the trip with only 5 players, and one of those was making his league debut. It would have been very easy for Enstone to have called the match off, but they stuck to the rules and got the game played - maybe some other teams could learn from this?? The rules are the rules don't forget... Anyway, it was the Masons who looked like they were going to take full advantage of their extra player, and they were 5-1 ahead after three legs. However, Enstone stuck at it and won the last two legs to tie the match 5-5. Very well done

Cheers all

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LEAGUE ROUND 1 - 25th April

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 23 Dolls - Mark Revill (Eynsham SSC A)

SECTION ONE - 21 Dolls - Steve England (Charlbury SSC)

SECTION TWO - 14 Dolls - Wayne Gray (White House A)

SECTION THREE - 10 Dolls - Mark Finch & Graham Mills (Both Red Lion)

SIXERS

Ray Barson - Oxford Yeoman B

Dave Trim - Oxford Yeoman B

Neil Lyon - Three Pigeons

Roger Goodall - Three Pigeons

Alan Stevens - Charlbury SSC

Mark Poulter - Yarnton BL

Rob Bradford - Enstone SSC B

REPORT

You might be wondering where the opening report of the season is. I've been hanging back in writing it whilst I wait for the cards to arrive. How foolish of me! It seems that I get the 'pleasure' of starting the season with a grumble......

No cards received from:
Stonesfield SSC 'B' v Masons Arms 'B'

Middle Barton SSC 'B' v Chadlington SSC

No picture of the card received from Yarnto BL v Enstone SSC 'B' - The hard copy only arrived on Wednesday

Teams, I don't have the time or the patience to chase for cards. You all know to send a picture of the card after the match, and then to get the cards to me asap! Thank you to those that made the effort and delivered the cards by hand the following day. I hope that this is the first and last time I have to mention this, but if not I will name and shame the offenders.
I will also mention Rule 11, which is as follows:

If League or Cup results are not received within 7 days, the match can be awarded to the non-offending side 8-2.  If this problem recurs the matter will be debated by the Committee who have the power to award the match against the offending side 10-0

I will finish off a report for the matches that I have the cards from over the weekend...
 

Premier & Section One:

Home advantage was certainly the key in the opening round of fixtures in the top sections, with there being three wins and a draw. Coming off the back of their league & cup double last year, Eynsham SSC A began their defence with a 6-4 defeat away at Charlbury SSC. After a low scoring first leg, the quality improved and resulted in a close contest. Charlbury did the damage early on, opening up a 6-0 lead before Eynsham hit back to win the final two legs to get some points on the board. Steve England made a good start to the season for Charlbury with 21 dolls, but it was Eynsham's Mark Revill who was the star performer of the week after coming in with 23 dolls (4,5,4,5,5). There was a surprise result in Freeland, where the Yeoman B defeated the Three Pigeons 7-3 in an excellent fixture. The Yeoman raced into a 5-1 lead after three legs, before the Pigs took the fourth to take the match to a deciding leg. The Yeoman set in this last leg, and posted an impressive 20 dolls, which was enough to take the leg and the match. There were four different players in the match to record a maximum, which is very impressive and it might not be beaten again this season. The second leg for the Yeoman saw the forever young Ray Barson & Dave Trim both hit sixes, whilst Neil Lyon & Roger Goodall both recorded their first of what will no doubt be many maximums hit during the season for the Pigeons. There was a nail biting end in the match between new boys Yarnton BL & Enstone SSC B. With the scores tied at 4-4, the last leg decider ended in a tie meaning that we had the first 5-5 draw of the season. Both sides captains notched a maximum (Mark Poulter for Yarnton & Rob Bradford for Enstone), but it was Steve Arthurs for Enstone who stood out. Steve is a very welcome addition to the long list of great players we have playing in our league, and I'm sure he was pleased with his 21 doll haul. The other top flight match played saw the Masons Arms defeat the Yeoman A 8-2, although the result could have been different as there were two drawn legs. I'm sure the Yeoman lads will settle into their first season in the top flight, and I've heard that they won the most crucial leg of the match, being the beer leg of course. At least we know what their priorities are!

Section Two & Section Three:

As with the top sections, home advantage was again the key, with all four home sides dominatimg their matches to record big wins. The largest winning margin was a 10-0 win by Middle Barton SSC B over Chadlington SSC. The Barton side made the decision to move down the road to the sports club from the Cinnamon Stick, and the change appeared to do them good as they recorded this big win, which included a very impressive 17 dolls in the fourth leg. The White House A got their season up and running by securing a 9-1 win over the Red Lion. It was a good team performance by the White House side, and it will be interesting to see how they go this season after their promotion to Section Two. Stonesfield SSC B had an impressive 8-2 win over the Masons Arms B. Despite the Masons taking the first leg of the match, Stoney hit back to take the remaining four legs and secure the big win. There was no such luck for the other Stoney side, as the A side went down 7-3 at Enstone SSC A. On paper it looks like Enstone will be the team to beat, so I will be keeping a close eye on their progress. As the Stonesfield SSC A, they might have already secured a season's best record, even though it's only Round One. This record would be for the lowest dolls scored in a leg, with Stoney posting a score of just 1 doll (4 in you include the handicap). Well done Alan Franklin for hitting that single doll. Surely this won't get beaten will it? Only time will tell
Cheers 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

REPORT

Report to follow

Premier & Section One:

Coming soon

Section Two & Section Three:

Coming soon

.....................................................................................................................................................................

CUP WEEK - 

SIXERS

ANOTHER (VENUE)

REPORT

Report to follow

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WEEK 1 - 4th MAY

REARRANGED FIXTURES

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 0 DOLLS

SECTION ONE - 0 DOLLS

SECTION TWO - 0 DOLLS

SIXERS

??

REPORT

Test

WEEK 1 - 27th APRIL

TOP SCORERS

PREMIER - 0 DOLLS

SECTION ONE - 0 DOLLS

SECTION TWO - 0 DOLLS

SECTION THREE - 0 DOLLS

SIXERS