Week 9 June 24th

WEBB KEEPS MASONS MARCHING ON AS WHITE HOUSE WOES CONTINUE

Halfway through the season and the title race is beginning to take shape, but on one of the hottest evenings for many years the expected barrage of high scores and sixes failed to materialise. Instead, the sweltering conditions appeared to affect players across the league, producing some unusual scoring and several surprise results.

Premier Section holders The White House suffered another setback as they went down 2-1 at home to an improving Masons Arms 'A'. Chris Webb once again proved the difference, delivering when it mattered most. The White House set 21 in the opening leg and looked favourites to take an early lead, but a modest Masons reply left Webb requiring five dolls from the final throw. He responded superbly, removing all five to snatch the leg. Masons built on that advantage in the second leg, setting 22 before watching The White House collapse to just 14 in reply. The champions salvaged some pride in the final leg with an impressive 28-21 victory to claim a valuable point.
Webb finished as top scorer with 14 dolls (5-5-4), while Ian McAteer provided the night's only maximum six during his 10-doll haul (2-2-6).

North Leigh FC's inconsistency continued to haunt them as they slipped to a 2-1 home defeat against New Club 'A'. Chasing 23 in the first leg, North Leigh fell short on 20 before bouncing back strongly in the second, setting 28 and restricting New Club to 15 to level the contest. However, their erratic form resurfaced in the deciding leg when they could manage only 19. Even then, the drama was not over. New Club looked certain winners, needing just two dolls with two players remaining. A costly blob from their seventh man left anchor-man Pete Shepherd with work to do, but he held his nerve to remove three dolls and secure victory with a total of 21. Luke Purcell (5-3-3) and James Bennett (3-3-5) both impressed for New Club, finishing with 11 dolls apiece.

The Blackbird continued their strong form with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Black Horse 'A', bringing the visitors' recent revival to an abrupt end. Blackbird established control early by taking the opening leg 24-16 before edging the second. Black Horse appeared on course to level the match after Blackbird had set only 20, but a late collapse saw them finish three short on 17. Blackbird completed the whitewash in the final leg with a convincing 23-15 success. Tom Finney was the standout performer, finishing as the only player to reach double figures with 10 dolls (4-3-3).

The closest contest of the evening saw Jolly Sportsman come from behind to defeat Ampleforth Arms 'A' 2-1. The Amp managed only 16 in the opening leg but still took the advantage after three costly blobs from the Sportsman middle order left Mark Revill requiring a maximum six to tie. Revill almost pulled off the rescue act, falling just one doll short. Sportsman responded well to claim the second leg 21-17 to tie the game. The Amp then set 18 in the final leg, but Revill once again produced under pressure, removing three dolls with the final throw to give the Sportsman 21 dolls and secure the leg. Revill and Keith Powell led the scoring for Sportsman with 11 dolls each as their side completed an impressive comeback victory.

SECTION 2 TITLE RACE TIGHTENS AS SIX BELLS JOIN LEADERS
Just five points separate the top six sides in a fiercely competitive Section 2 title race, with Six Bells 'C' moving level at the summit alongside Donnington Club 'A' following a 2-1 home victory over Catherine Wheel 'B'.

The Bells looked in complete control after taking the opening two legs 22-17 and 19-17. However, a disappointing display in the final leg proved costly. Chasing a modest target of 17, they could muster only 11 dolls in reply, surrendering a valuable point that could prove crucial later in the season. Jack Lane led the way for The Bells with an impressive 11-doll return (4-4-3), while Steve Tooke was Catherine Wheel's top performer with 10 dolls (4-5-1).

League leaders Donnington Club 'A' were made to work hard by their B team club mates before eventually securing a 2-1 victory. Chasing a first-leg target of 18, Donnington 'A' needed anchor-man Darren Cox to remove the winning dolls and steer his side to a total of 20. The second leg went the way of their opponents, who set 16. Although that score was well within the A team's capabilities, they struggled throughout and finished on just 13, sending the match into a decisive third leg. Donnington 'A' responded in style when it mattered most, posting an excellent 24 in the final leg. Their opponents could manage only 16 in reply as the league leaders claimed an important morale-boosting win.
Philip Cassidy was the standout performer on the night, finishing as the only player to reach double figures with 11 dolls (4-2-5).

Donnington Club 'C' saw their title ambitions suffer a significant setback after a 2-1 home defeat to Queens Head 'A'. Queens Head seized control by winning the opening two legs 18-15 and 16-12, leaving the hosts with too much ground to make up. Donnington salvaged a point in the final leg with a 16-10 victory, but the damage had already been done.

New Club 'B' ended a three-match losing streak with a hard-fought 2-1 win over visitors WADs Bar, despite a nightmare start. The hosts could manage only 10 dolls in the opening leg and were punished as WADs Bar doubled that total with 20 to take an early lead. New Club responded strongly, however, producing back-to-back sets of 17 in the remaining legs. WADs Bar could reply with only 13 and 14 respectively, allowing New Club to complete an impressive turnaround and return to winning ways.

COWLEY WORKERS EXTEND WINNING RUN AS PROMOTION PUSH GATHERS PACE

Section 3 leaders Cowley Workers continued their remarkable run of form, stretching their winning streak to eight matches after recording a 2-1 home victory over Red Lion Yarnton.
Having lost their opening fixture of the season, Workers have responded in outstanding fashion and now look the team to catch at the top of the table. Their latest success did not come easily, however. The league leaders made a sluggish start and could manage only 12 dolls in the opening leg. Red Lion capitalised, replying with 15 to take an early advantage. Workers responded like champions, though, comfortably winning the next two legs 18-12 and 19-15 to maintain their charge at the summit.

Ampleforth Arms 'B' produced an impressive comeback to claim a 2-1 victory away at Masons Arms 'B'. The Amp looked out of sorts in the opening leg and, chasing a target of 13, could manage only 10 in reply. That setback sparked them into life and they responded emphatically, dominating the remaining two legs 21-12 and 18-9 to secure a well-earned victory.

Littlemore British Legion 'B' endured another difficult evening as they crashed to a sixth consecutive defeat, suffering a 3-0 home loss against Catherine Wheel 'C'. The Legion managed just 23 dolls across the entire match and were unfortunate not to take something from a closely contested opening leg. Setting only eight, they watched Catherine Wheel struggle in reply before anchor-man Kevin McMahon removed the single doll required to snatch victory. That success laid the platform for the visitors, who completed the whitewash with comfortable wins in the remaining legs, posting scores of 13 and 12 to the Legion's returns of 7 and 8.

At the foot of the table, Headington Con Club remain rooted to the bottom after a 3-0 home defeat to Six Bells 'B'. The hosts could hardly have chosen a worse occasion to record their lowest score of the season, managing only six dolls in the opening leg. Six Bells took full advantage, replying with 11 to move ahead. Headington improved only marginally in the second leg, setting seven, and looked set to level matters when Six Bells had seven on the board with three throwers remaining. However, consecutive blobs briefly opened the door before anchor-man Terry Lester stepped forward to remove the winning dolls and secure a total of nine.
Six Bells then set 12 in the final leg and, although Con Club improved again with nine in reply, they still finished three short as the visitors celebrated a convincing whitewash victory.

The closest contest of the night saw Littlemore Rugby Club edge out Queens Head 'B' 2-1 in a match where just a single doll separated the teams across all three legs. Queens Head opened with 13, but a steady Rugby Club reply left anchor-man Malcolm Bough needing only one doll for victory. He duly delivered, and added a second for good measure, to put the visitors ahead. Rugby Club then set 12 in the second leg and a mixed response from Queens Head left Jack Wells requiring three dolls to tie and four to win. He came agonisingly close, falling just one doll short as Rugby Club moved 2-0 ahead. Both teams raised their standards in the final leg, with Rugby Club setting 17. Queens Head responded strongly and once again left Wells with the match resting on his final throw. This time he delivered, clanging off four dolls to give his side a total of 19 and earn a deserved point.
Wells and Josh Breakspear were the standout scorers for Queens Head, both finishing with 10 dolls (4-2-4).

SECTION 4 RACE WIDE OPEN AS LEADERS KIDLINGTON FC SLIP UP

Section 4 remains one of the most competitive sections in the league, with just four points separating the top five teams. Despite suffering a 2-1 defeat at Rose Hill Club 'A', Kidlington Football Club remain top of the table, although their advantage has been cut once again.

Kidlington made the perfect start, comfortably taking the opening leg 16-11 and looking set to strengthen their position at the summit. However, Rose Hill responded superbly in the second leg, setting an imposing 20. The visitors were unable to match that total, finishing on 14 as the hosts levelled the contest. Rose Hill carried that momentum into the deciding leg, posting 15 and putting Kidlington under immediate pressure. A sluggish reply left anchor-man Daryl Connelly needing three dolls to secure victory, but he could only manage one as Rose Hill completed an impressive comeback. Despite the defeat, Scott Wiggins produced the standout performance for Kidlington, finishing with 10 dolls (4-3-3).

Red Lion Cassington maintained their title challenge with a hard-fought 2-1 home victory over Vikings Sports in a contest that could hardly have been closer. Vikings set the opening leg with 11 and looked on course to steal an early advantage when Red Lion's anchor-man requiring just one doll for victory blobbed out and sent the leg into a three-stick shoot-out. Red Lion held their nerve to win the shoot-out and take the lead. The visitors responded immediately, claiming the second leg 16-13 to level matters and set up a decisive finale. Red Lion found another gear in the final leg, setting an excellent 17. Vikings battled all the way but ultimately fell three dolls short. Kevin Vickers impressed for Vikings with 10 dolls (3-4-3), although his efforts ultimately proved in vain.

White Hart's remarkable improvement continued as they recorded a 2-1 away victory at The Tandem, already surpassing their total number of wins from last season. The visitors threw consistently throughout, winning the opening two legs 14-10 and 13-11 to put themselves in complete control. Chasing 10 in the final leg, White Hart looked well placed to complete a maximum victory before a couple of costly blobs brought The Tandem back into contention. That left anchor-man Giles Roper needing three dolls to secure the leg. Having already thrown a four and a blob earlier in the match, anything seemed possible. In the end he could manage only one doll, leaving White Hart on nine and forcing them to settle for a 2-1 victory.

The Gardiner Arms came agonisingly close to recording their first win of the season but were edged out 3-0 at home by Rose Hill Club 'B'. The hosts narrowly lost the opening leg 9-8 before Rose Hill established a stronger foothold in the match by taking the second 13-7. Gardiner Arms refused to give in and pushed their opponents all the way in the final leg, but Rose Hill again held on in a thriller, winning 15-14 to complete the whitewash. While the score line suggests a comfortable victory, Gardiner Arms can take encouragement from a performance that came within touching distance of earning valuable points.

SIXERS:
I.McAteer (White House)

BLOBBERS:
C.Sharkey (Catherine Wheel ‘C’) J.Brown (Littlemore Legion ‘B’) M.Colley (Headington Con Club) G.Policelli (The Tandem)

HIGHEST SCORE
Chris Webb (Masons Arms 14 dolls (5-5-4)

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