Week 3 May 13th

Premier Section leaders The White House edged out North Leigh FC 2-1 in a closely contested clash, despite an outstanding performance from Charlie Buckingham, who hit 13 dolls (6-2-5) for the visitors. The White House took the opening leg after setting 25, just enough to hold off North Leigh, who fell agonisingly short with 24. North Leigh responded strongly in the second leg, setting 25 restricting The White House to just 17 to level the match. The deciding leg proved crucial, with The White House producing their best score of the night, a superb 27 helped by a maximum six from Roger Goodall. Buckingham again gave North Leigh hope with a strong start to the chase, but the visitors struggled to maintain momentum and could only manage 20, handing The White House the leg and the match.

Jolly Sportsman came from behind to hand Littlemore British Legion their first defeat of the season in another dramatic 2-1 encounter. Sportsman opened with 21, but Legion raced past the target with 26 to claim the first leg. Legion then set 23 in the second leg and looked set to move further ahead when Sportsman stood on 17 with two throws remaining. However, a maximum six from Mark Hewitson followed by four from anchor-man Mark Revill sealed a remarkable 27 and levelled the contest. Sportsman set 24 in the deciding leg and, although Legion were well placed halfway through the chase, they faltered late on and finished one short on 23, giving Sportsman a hard-fought victory.

New Club ‘A’ secured their first win of the season with a difficult 3-0 success away at struggling Black Horse ‘A’, although the opening two legs were closely fought. The first leg finished tied at 21-21 before New Club edged it on three sticks. They then moved further ahead with a 26-24 win in the second leg before another impressive 26 in the final leg proved too much for Black Horse, who could only reply with 16. Luke Purcell top scored for New Club with 12 dolls (4-3-5).

Chris Webb smashed a baker’s dozen (5-3-5) for Masons Arms ‘A’, but it was not enough to prevent a 2-1 home defeat against Blackbird. Masons started brightly by taking the opening leg 16-13 after setting first, but Blackbird levelled the match in the second with an 18-17 win after Masons failed to recover from a slow start. Blackbird then sealed victory in the deciding leg, setting and winning 18-15. Steve Buckle led the scoring for Blackbird with 11 dolls (5-3-3).

In Section 1, Black Horse ‘B’ maintained their unbeaten start with a third successive victory, this time away at Ampleforth Arms 2-1. Chasing 15 in the opening leg, Black Horse relied on anchor-man Stu Wells, who needed two to win and delivered in style by knocking off all three dolls to secure a total of 17. Ampleforth responded to level the match with a 16-14 win in the second leg before Black Horse could only manage 12 in the decider. The target looked well within reach for the hosts, but in a dramatic finish their anchor-man required three to win and blobbed out, gifting Black Horse an unexpected victory.

SECTION 2
Section 2 is already shaping up to be one of the most competitive divisions this season, with several sides showing they are capable of mounting a title challenge.
Donnington Club ‘A’ lead the chasing pack after maintaining their unbeaten start with a 3-0 victory over their previously undefeated Club ‘C’ side, despite an excellent individual display from Adam Baker, who hit 13 dolls (5-4-4). The opening leg was closely contested before the A team edged it 19-17. They then took control of the match with convincing wins in the following two legs, 23-16 and 22-17, to preserve their perfect record.

Catherine Wheel ‘A’ also remain unbeaten after battling back to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory away at New Club ‘B’. It began well for the home side as they set and won the opening leg 20-15. Catherine Wheel responded strongly in the second leg, setting 22, and a sluggish start from the Club men proved costly as they fell just one short with 21. The visitors completed the comeback by taking the deciding leg 17-13, with Craig Hambridge in superb form throughout, top scoring with 13 dolls (4-4-5).

Queens Head ‘A’ recorded a 3-0 win away at Catherine Wheel ‘B’, although the score line failed to reflect just how tight the contest was.
The opening leg ended tied at 14-14 before Queens edged the three-legger with an impressive score of 12. They then set and won the second leg 16-14 to move within touching distance of victory.
Catherine Wheel set just 12 in the final leg and it appeared unlikely to trouble the visitors, especially when Queens had already reached seven at the halfway stage. However, consecutive blobs from the next two players suddenly swung the pressure back onto the visitors, leaving anchor-man Dean Fitzgerald needing three to tie the leg. Fitzgerald held his nerve superbly to knock all three dolls off and force another three-legger.
Catherine Wheel could only manage three in the shootout, which should have been straightforward for Queens Head, but they again made heavy weather of the chase and once more relied on Fitzgerald, who knocked off the single doll required to complete a dramatic victory.

Garsington Sports Club are still searching for their first win of the season after slipping to a 2-1 home defeat against WADs Bar.
The Sportsmen made a bright start by taking the opening leg 14-10 and looked well placed in the second while chasing 18. However, a poor start ultimately proved costly as they fell agonisingly short on 17. WADs then completed the turnaround with another 14-10 success in the deciding leg.

Donnington Club ‘B’ crashed to a third consecutive defeat after losing 2-1 at home to Six Bells ‘C’.
Six Bells struggled early on, with two blobs contributing to a modest opening-leg total of 15. However, Donnington failed to capitalise and, after managing just six with two players remaining, eventually closed on only 11.
Donnington responded impressively in the second leg, setting a strong total of 22 which proved too much for Six Bells, who could only reply with 18.
The visitors excelled in the final and deciding leg, setting and winning it 23-16 to seal victory.
Jack Lane was in outstanding form for Six Bells with a dozen dolls (3-5-4), while Donnington’s Paul Sims matched the feat with 12 dolls of his own (4-5-3).

SECTION 3
Catherine Wheel ‘C’ remain the only unbeaten side in Section 3 and sit top of the table after a hard-fought 3-0 home victory over Ampleforth Arms ‘B’.
Despite the score line, the visitors pushed the league leaders all the way in every leg. Ampleforth set in all three legs but narrowly lost the opener 11-10 before suffering another agonising one-doll defeat in the second, 16-15. The final leg was almost as close, with Catherine Wheel sealing a 12-10 success to complete the whitewash.
Adam Woodley was the standout performer for Ampleforth, hitting 10 dolls (5-3-2).

Cowley Workers are keeping the pressure on at the top and sit just one point behind the leaders after an impressive 3-0 home win over Masons Arms ‘B’.
Workers dominated throughout, winning the three legs 19-17, 18-13 and 19-12. Eamon Hannon led the scoring with 10 dolls (3-3-4) in another strong all-round team display.

Red Lion Yarnton are still searching for their first victory of the season after suffering a 3-0 home defeat against Littlemore British Legion ‘B’, although the contest was far closer than the score line suggested.
Legion set 14 in the opening leg and looked in control after three Red Lion players blobbed out in reply. However, anchor-man Arthur Bowers almost produced a remarkable turnaround, hitting four dolls when five were needed to force a three-legger. Legion eventually edged the decider 5-2.
Red Lion’s struggles continued in the second leg as they could only set eight. Legion almost paid for complacency in the chase and needed their anchor-man to knock off the final two dolls required to scrape home with nine.
The hosts improved in the final leg by setting 14, but Legion responded strongly with an 18 to complete the maximum victory.

Six Bells ‘B’ produced one of the performances of the night as they comfortably brushed aside visiting Littlemore Rugby Club with a dominant 3-0 win. The home side impressed in every leg, recording convincing victories by scores of 14-6, 18-11 and 19-8.

Playing a player short proved costly for Headington Con Club as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat away at Queens Head ‘B’. Headington lost the opening leg 17-10 but came agonisingly close to levelling the match in the second before narrowly falling 14-13. Queens Head sealed the clean sweep by taking the final leg 15-9.

SECTION 4
The Tandem continue to lead the way in Section 4 with maximum points after securing a 3-0 victory away at league newcomers Corner House. Although not at their fluent best, The Tandem still had enough quality to comfortably claim all three legs by scores of 10-3, 8-6 and 10-4. Richard Butler was the standout performer for the league leaders, finishing with eight dolls (2-2-4).

Red Lion Cassington were pushed all the way before edging out visitors Rose Hill Club ‘A’ in a high-scoring and entertaining contest. The hosts narrowly claimed the opening leg 12-11 before producing an impressive set of 18 in the second. Rose Hill battled hard in reply but fell just short on 16, giving the Lion a winning advantage. Rose Hill ensured they left with a valuable point after setting 16 in the final leg, a target Red Lion could not match as they replied with only 13.

Another high-scoring encounter saw Rose Hill Club ‘B’ record a 2-1 home victory over The White Hart. Rose Hill made a flying start by setting 18 in the opening leg and comfortably winning it 18-10. The White Hart responded superbly in the second leg with an excellent 19, restricting the hosts to 13 to level the match. The deciding leg proved one-sided as Rose Hill set 14 before White Hart collapsed under pressure, managing only six in reply. Tony Eeles led the way for Rose Hill with nine dolls (4-3-2).

Kidlington Football Club produced another consistent display to secure a convincing 3-0 home victory over Vikings Sports. Daryl Connelly starred with 10 dolls (3-3-4) as Kidlington claimed the three legs 15-9, 14-9 and 13-8.

Bletchingdon Sports condemned Gardeners Arms to a third successive defeat with a dominant 3-0 home success. Gardeners struggled throughout, recording three scores of seven, while Bletchingdon posted winning totals of 15, 12 and 11 to comfortably secure maximum points.


SIXERS
M.Hewitson (Jolly Sportsman) R.Goodall (White House) C.Buckingham (North Leigh FC)

BLOBBERS
M.Bowers (Red Lion Yarnton) J.Davies (Ampleforth ‘B’) S.Parker, S.Hemsley (Corner House) A.Crossan (The Tandem) J.Boyd (Vikings ‘C’) N.Scott (Littlemore Rugby Club)

TOP SCORES
13: A.Baker (Donnington Club ‘C’) C.Hambridge (Catherine Wheel ‘A’) C.Buckingham (North Leigh FC) C.Webb (Masons Arms ‘A’)

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