Week 10 July 8th

PREMIER TITLE RACE BLOWN WIDE OPEN

The second half of the season has exploded into life and, and with dehydration breaks introduced for the first time in Aunt Sally history, the standard of throwing has reached new heights. The Premier Section could hardly be tighter, with just two points separating all five teams and the top four locked together on 17 points apiece.

Littlemore British Legion 'A', who began the night as outright leaders, suffered only their second defeat of the campaign as they were swept aside 3-0 by a superb North Leigh FC outfit. The Legion produced arguably their poorest display of the season at exactly the wrong time, while North Leigh turned in their best performance to throw themselves firmly back into the championship picture. North Leigh were in command from the opening throw, taking the first two legs 27-15 and 27-23 before posting a competitive 24 in the third. It was a target well within the Legion's reach, but they never found their rhythm and could muster only 14 dolls, sealing their first whitewash defeat of the season. Ady Pitts and Charlie Buckingham led the way for North Leigh with 13 dolls each, both returning identical scores of 4-5-4.

Chris Webb once again underlined why he leads the top doll scoring charts, clanging off a magnificent 16 dolls (5-5-6) for The Masons Arms 'A'. Unfortunately for Webb, his heroics were not enough to prevent a narrow 2-1 defeat away to The Ampleforth Arms 'A' in one of the matches of the night. The Ampleforth struck first by setting 17 in the opening leg, leaving Webb needing a maximum six to force a tie. He came desperately close with five. Masons hit back in the second after setting 20, with The Ampleforth matching the total before Masons edged the three-stick shoot-out 10-9 to level matters. The deciding leg proved equally tense. Masons could only post 17 and The Ampleforth kept their composure, passing the target with a player to spare before finishing on 20 to claim two valuable points.

The Blackbird strengthened their grip on the top of Section One with a hard-earned 2-1 victory over Premier visitors The White House. With a three-doll handicap advantage, The Blackbird opened with 22. The White House looked well placed to overhaul the target before a blob and a one changed the complexion of the leg, leaving Ian McAteer requiring four to tie. He could only manage three, handing the home side the advantage. The visitors struggled for fluency in the second leg, posting only 19, and The Blackbird comfortably replied with 23 to secure the win. However, the holders showed their class in the final leg. Faced with a daunting target of 26, they responded brilliantly, leaving McAteer needing three to win. He produced four under pressure to finish on 28 and earn a deserved consolation point. Young Harry Dineen was the standout performer for The Blackbird with an excellent 12 dolls (3-4-5).

Jolly Sportsman capitalised on a depleted Black Horse 'A' side to record a convincing 3-0 victory. The Sportsman dominated throughout, taking the legs 22-13, 24-14 and 23-14. Steve Walton battled hard for Black Horse with 12 dolls (5-3-4), while Andy Warren impressed for the winners with 11 dolls (4-4-3).
New Club 'A' also enjoyed a successful evening, claiming maximum points with a comfortable 3-0 win away at Black Horse 'B'. They controlled all three legs, winning 25-17, 21-15 and 20-15 to continue their strong run of form.

SIX BELLS RING LOUD TO BLOW AWAY RIVALS

The much-anticipated top-of-the-table clash in Section Two between Six Bells 'C' and Donnington Club 'A' failed to live up to expectations, with the home side cruising to a comfortable 3-0 victory after a closely contested opening leg.
Donnington made the brighter start, setting 19 in the first leg. A composed reply from Six Bells left anchor man Nick Edmonds needing just two dolls to secure victory, but with the pressure on he could only manage a single to tie the leg. The Bells quickly recovered to win the three-stick shoot-out and take the early advantage. That proved to be the turning point. Donnington never recovered from the disappointment and could only set modest targets of 15 and 16 in the remaining legs. Six Bells took full advantage, racing past both totals with scores of 26 and 23 to complete an emphatic whitewash. Jack Lane was the star of the evening, producing a superb 14-doll haul that included a maximum six, finishing with an outstanding score of 3-5-6.

Leaders Donnington Club 'C' maintained their position at the summit with a routine 3-0 victory over Garsington Sports Club, who struggled to find any consistency throughout the match. Ian Walters led the scoring with 10 dolls (3-3-4) as Donnington comfortably claimed the legs 18-8, 16-13 and 16-11.

Despite outscoring their hosts 54-46 overall, Donnington Club 'B' were left to reflect on a frustrating 2-1 defeat at New Club 'B' after losing two legs via three-stick shoot-outs.
New Club opened with 19 in the first leg and Donnington looked on course to overhaul the target before their seventh player blobbed, leaving anchor man Paul Sims needing four to win. He almost rescued the leg with three dolls to force a tie, but New Club held their nerve to take the shoot-out. The second leg followed a similar pattern, ending level at 12-12 before New Club again prevailed in the three-stick decider. Donnington finally earned their reward in the last leg, responding to a target of 15 by powering through with an impressive 23 to secure a deserved point. It was a contest that could easily have gone either way. John Cleaton led the way for New Club with 11 dolls (5-3-3), while Sam Macer matched that tally for Donnington with a score of 4-2-5.

Playing a man short ultimately proved costly for WADs Bar as they slipped to a narrow 2-1 defeat away to Catherine Wheel 'B', losing by just a single doll overall. WADs made the perfect start by edging the opening leg 15-14, but the numerical disadvantage eventually took its toll. Catherine Wheel fought back to snatch the remaining two legs by the narrowest of margins, 14-13 and 12-11, to claim the victory. Ian Sharp top scored for WADs with 10 dolls (3-4-3), while Harry Clent matched that return for Catherine Wheel with a score of 4-2-4.

WORKERS SURVIVE SCARE TO STAY TOP

Section Three leaders Workers maintained their excellent run of form with a 3-0 victory away at Littlemore British Legion 'B', although they were pushed much harder than the final score line suggests. Workers eased to the opening leg 18-11 before receiving an unexpected fright in the second. Set just 12 to win, the league leaders struggled throughout and could only match the target, forcing a three-stick shoot-out. They kept their composure to edge the decider before returning to their best in the final leg, setting 22 and restricting the Legion to 14 to seal another maximum points haul. Neil Butler starred for the visitors, producing the throw of the night with a maximum six in his 10-doll return (2-2-6).

Littlemore Rugby Club's climb up the table gathered further momentum as they claimed a third consecutive victory with a hard-fought 3-0 success away at Catherine Wheel 'C'. The Rugby Club edged a tense opening leg 15-13 before Malcolm Bough proved the match winner in the second. With two dolls required for victory, the anchor man held his nerve to put his side 2-0 ahead. The final leg was equally competitive. Catherine Wheel posted 15, but Rugby squeezed past with 17 to complete a well-earned whitewash and continue their impressive revival.

Queens Head 'B' recorded a 2-1 home win over Red Lion Yarnton with father & son Ian and Josh Breakspear both leading the scoring with 10 dolls apiece. The hosts looked in complete control after taking the opening two legs 16-13 and 21-13, but Red Lion finished strongly by setting and winning the final leg 15-10 to claim a deserved consolation point.

Headington Con Club remain rooted to the foot of the table despite producing their second-highest team score of the season, as Ampleforth Arms 'B' recovered from a disastrous start to claim a 2-1 victory. The Con Club could only set 12 in the opening leg, but Ampleforth unexpectedly collapsed with four blobs, finishing on just 10 to hand the home side the lead. That setback sparked the visitors into life. Ampleforth responded with victories of 17-15 and 17-12 in the remaining legs to leave Headington still searching for a way off the foot of the table.

Masons Arms 'B' claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Six Bells 'B' despite the two sides finishing level on overall dolls. The hosts edged the opening two legs 15-13 and 15-14 to secure the match before Six Bells finished on a high by taking the final leg 13-10. Lee Percival was the standout performer for Six Bells with an excellent 10-doll return (4-3-3).

FIVE-WAY BATTLE HEATS UP

The Section Four title race is becoming one of the closest in the league, with just five points separating the top five sides after another fascinating round of fixtures.

Red Lion Cassington moved into a share of top spot with a convincing 3-0 home victory over Bletchingdon Sports Club. The hosts were rarely troubled in the opening two legs, cruising to 11-4 and 17-9 victories before being pushed all the way in the third. Bletchingdon threatened to rescue a point, but Red Lion held on to edge the final leg 14-13 and complete the whitewash. It was not Bletchingdon’s night as even their top doll scorer Walter Harwood failed to trouble the doll all night while Mark Finch led the way for Red Lion with an impressive 11-doll return (2-4-5).

Kidlington Sports Club remain level at the top, although they were forced to settle for a 2-1 victory away at The Tandem after a sluggish start. Chasing a target of 11 in the opening leg, Kidlington never got going. With only two dolls on the board after four players, they left themselves with too much to do and eventually finished on nine, two short of the target. The league leaders quickly rediscovered their form, responding with victories of 15-11 and 14-12 to secure two valuable points. Daryl Connelly was Kidlington's standout performer with an excellent 11 dolls (2-5-4).

Rose Hill 'A' remain firmly in the title hunt after strengthening their promotion hopes with a 3-0 home victory over The White Hart. The hosts dominated the opening two legs, winning comfortably 17-9 and 18-11. The visitors offered far greater resistance in the final leg, forcing an 11-11 tie, but Rose Hill held their nerve to win the three-stick shoot-out and complete another maximum point’s haul.

Rose Hill 'B' saw their title ambitions suffer a major setback as Vikings Sports ended their five-match unbeaten run with a hard-fought 3-0 victory. The contest was far closer than the score line suggests. Rose Hill opened by setting 10 in the first leg, but Vikings edged home 11-10 to take the early advantage. The visitors' problems worsened in the second leg when they could only post seven, allowing Vikings to reply with 10 and move within touching distance of a whitewash. Rose Hill had one final opportunity to rescue something from the match after being set 12 in the deciding leg. With only four dolls on the board halfway through the team, the task looked daunting. Their final three players rallied with nine dolls between them, but they still finished one short as Vikings completed a deserved whitewash to throw the Section Four title race wide open.

SIXERS
C.Webb (Masons Arms) N.Butler (Cowley Workers) J.Lane (Six Bells ‘C’)

BLOBBERS
H.Hudson (Kidlington Sports) B.Cotton (Black Horse ‘B’) W.Harwood (Bletchingdon Sports)

HIGHEST SCORERS
16: C.Webb (Masons Arms ‘A’)
14: J.Lane (Six Bells ‘C’)
13: C.Buckingham, A.Pitts (North Leigh FC)

HIGHEST LEG
27 North Leigh FC

OVER 3 LEGS
81 North Leigh FC

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