Pairs Report

Oxford Pairs
It was Pairs competition week and played at four different venues down to the finalists at The Six Bells Kidlington Peter Sellar and Matthew Arnold from Section 2 side The Crown stormed their way to the play offs to be played on Monday 5th September. In the second round against big guns Kevin Giles and Chris Jenkins from The Gladiators Peter Sellar smashed off two sixes in their 2-0 win. In the first leg Sellar (6) and Arnold (3) set nine and in reply Giles hit four and Jenkins hit five to tie the leg. The Crown pair winning it on three sticks 3-2. The next leg Giles and Jenkins set eight but with Sellar hitting a six in reply it left Arnold to whip off the three dolls needed to win the leg and tie. In the next round they were drawn against Pip Goulding and Pete Shepherd from The New Club. With the game nicely poised at 1-1 Sellar and Arnold set eight in the final leg which proved to be enough as the New Club pair could only reply with four.
At the same venue Rob Bradford and Darren Grant from The Black Prince battled their way to the quarter finals. They had a ding dong battle with Jimmy Kent and Tony Bradford from The New Club in the second round. Kent & Bradford won the opening leg 7-6 and then was set seven in the next leg by the Black Prince Pair. Kent hit three and Bradford four to tie the leg with Bradford and Grant winning it on three sticks 3-2. The final and deciding leg Black Prince set eight with the New Club pair matching that to send it to three sticks again. Bradford and Grant winning it 4-2.

At The Black Prince Mark Rollins and Jeff Glenister from The Woodman had an epic battle in the second round against Adam Baker and Steve Walton from Donnington Club D. The opening leg took seven attempts to find a winner. The first throw was tied 5-5, three sticks were tied, as were one stick. The second time of asking on six sticks was tied as was the three and one stick shoot outs. Back to six sticks for the third time and Rollins and Glenister won it 8-7. The second leg almost matched the first as six sticks, three sticks and one stick were all tied and again Rollins and Glenister winning it back on six sticks 6-3.
In the next round against Ady Shepherd and Robert Taylor from The New Club A chasing a set of eight Rollins hit two with Glenister whipping off all six to tie the leg. With the experience from the last round they won the three stick shoot out 5-4. The next leg was a lot easier setting eight which the New Club pair couldn’t get close.
They will be joined in the playoffs by team mates Paul Townsend and Spencer Buckingham who beat Lee Thompson and Mick Berry from The Swan A in the second round 2-1. Townsend hitting a six in the opening leg which they won 10-6. Thompson and Berry levelled in the next leg on three sticks after it was tied 6-6. The Woodman pair were then set six in the final leg which they passed by the odd doll with a reply of seven.

At The Cricketers Charlie Buckingham and Neil Pratley from The Woodman (making three pairs from the Woodman to the quarter finals) fought their way through. In the first round they lost the opening leg to The Black Prince Pair of Phil Austin and Mick Phipps 7-8, but came back well to win the next two legs. In the next round Pratley rattled off a six in their 2-0 win over Kevin Stuart and Liam Purcell from The George.
Terry Stuart and Keith Powell from The Swan will join them after first beating team mates Martin Herbert and Lee Hazell 2-1 in the second round and then Luke Beauchamp and Stuart Webb from North Oxford Con Club 2-0 in the third round.

At Florence Park Club favourites Jon Townsend and Dick Walsh from The Swan A Eynsham had to battle all the way against Trevor Greenaway and Ken Maunder from Garsington Sports Club in the second round. Both legs were tied 6-6 & 8-8 with Townsend and Walsh winning them both on three sticks 5-4 & 1-0. In the next round they had a comfortable 2-0 win over Steve Greenough and Barry Ruffles from Garsington Sports Club 9-2, 7-6.
Brian Lester and Tony Gillett from The George make up the last Quarter finalist

Lower Section Pairs
Played at The New Club, previous Lower singles winners, Steve Buckle and Yorkie Finney from The Blackbird teamed up and battled their way through to the quarter finals. They just got the better of the Donnington Club pairing of Jamie Smith and Wayne Grey 2-1.They won the opening leg 5-4 but the Donnington Pair levelled in the next leg on three sticks after it was tied 3-3. Finney & Buckle winning the deciding leg by the odd doll after chasing a set of four. They then comfortably saw of Kevin Morris and Steve Trotter from Donnington Club B 2-0 in the next round. They will be joined by Liam O’Callaghan and James Mayhew from The Bullnose Morris who first defeated P.Debanks and P.McNaughton from The Golden Ball and then saw off Ian & Dave Bowler from Littlemore British Legion 2-1.


At The Blackbird Wayne Townsend and Marcus Copelin from Red Lion Cassington won their opener against Terry Weller and Sid Mobs (North Oxford Con Club) 2-1 and then defeated Jamie Debanks and Dale Macer from The Bullnose 2-0 to progress to the playoffs.
Dave Filer and Ken Bradbury from The Cricketers will join them after an easy first round win against Gillen and Styles from The Black Swan who never troubled the doll all night. They then beat team mates Mark Simmons and Jon Goodenough 2-1.

At Littlemore British Legion another Blackbird pair got though to the play offs Danny Rawlings and Tom Finney. They didn’t drop a leg all night beating Suresh Patel and Andy Durham from Florence Park Club 6-2 3-3 (on one stick and then Ady Cox & Ian Preddy from Donnington Club 7-4, 3-2.


At The Bullnose Morris Steve Jessop & Richard Berry from Littlemore British Legion and Kenny Keep and Gareth Williams from The Cricketers both made their way though to the play offs.

SIXERS

P.Sellar 2 (The Crown) G.Glenister, P.Townsend, N.Pratley (The Woodman) B.Ruffels (Garsington Spts)

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