FINALS NIGHT REPORT

WARD HOLDS HIS NERVE TO CLAIM OXFORD SINGLES CROWN
Steve Ward strikes gold in dramatic finale as Littlemore British Legion complete the double at a memorable 87th Oxford & District Aunt Sally Finals Night.
A packed hall at Cowley Workers Club witnessed an exciting evening of Aunt Sally at the 87th Oxford & District Finals Night, with several trophies going down to the wire before being presented by Oxford United’s Peter Rhodes-Brown.
There were dramatic finishes, outstanding individual performances and some tense deciding legs, with Steve Ward producing the moment of the night to claim the Oxford Singles title, while Littlemore British Legion completed a memorable league and cup double.

The Oxford Singles final brought together two former runners-up, Steve Ward of Black Horse ‘A’ and Luke Purcell of New Club ‘A’, but it was Ward who finally got his hands on the coveted title after a nerve-shredding finish.
The opening leg was a subdued affair, with Purcell managing just two dolls. Ward comfortably passed that target with sticks to spare. Purcell improved in the second leg, setting four, and Ward matched him with his final stick to force a three-stick shoot-out.
Purcell set two dolls, which proved sufficient as Ward could only manage one, leaving the contest finely balanced heading into the deciding leg.
Purcell set four, leaving Ward needing five to take the title. Ward immediately whipped off the doll with his first stick, but his second went wildly wide to the right after dragging away from the target.
With the pressure mounting, Ward composed himself magnificently, hitting the doll with his next three sticks to leave himself one final attempt to seal victory.
He held his nerve, struck the doll cleanly and sent it flying to loud cheers from the packed hall, finally claiming his first Oxford Singles title.
Purcell could hardly have given any more, but he was left to reflect on that opening leg score as he suffered his second defeat in a Singles final.

EELES EDGES ANOTHER NAIL BITER
The Ted Houghton Singles final was every bit as tense, with Tony Eeles of Rose Hill ‘B’, competing in his first final, facing Paul Edwards of Red Lion Yarnton, who had been runner-up in 2022.
Eeles made the perfect start, setting and winning the opening leg 4-2. He then set three in the second leg, which Edwards matched with a stick still in hand. However, Edwards missed with his final stick, sending the contest into a three-stick shoot-out.
Eeles set two, but Edwards missed with his first attempt before hitting the doll with his next two sticks to force a sudden-death, one-stick decider.
Eeles took the initiative and knocked the doll off with his single stick. Edwards had the chance to match him, but his effort fell just short, handing Eeles his first Singles title and condemning Edwards to another narrow final defeat.

LEGION COMPLETE THE LEAGUE AND CUP DOUBLE
The Stuart & Sons Cup final between Littlemore British Legion ‘A’ and North Leigh produced the only six of the night as the Legion added the cup to their Premier Section championship.
North Leigh set the opening leg and, after making a decent start, faltered to finish on 19. The Legion passed that total comfortably, with a player to spare.
The second leg saw the Legion set, but their challenge got off to a disastrous start, with just one doll on the board after the first two players had thrown.
Mark Bayliss then sparked a remarkable recovery. Having already contributed five in the opening leg, he returned to the oche and whipped off all six dolls to register the night's only maximum and inspire his team to an impressive total of 27.
North Leigh began their reply well but struggled to maintain their momentum, and the contest was over after their sixth player had thrown.
The victory completed a superb double for Littlemore British Legion, who had already secured the Premier Section title.

COWLEY WORKERS TAKE THE JIM WHITBREAD CUP
Section 3 champions Cowley Workers Club lifted the Jim Whitbread Cup after defeating Bletchingdon Sports 2-1 in a contest that featured a nervy finish to the opening leg.
Workers set 12, leaving Bletchingdon anchor man Walter Harwood needing just one doll to win. He certainly made his team-mates wait, finally hitting the winning doll with his fifth stick.
Bletchingdon then set 14 in the second leg, but Workers made light work of the target, storming past it with two players still to throw.
In the deciding leg, Workers raised the bar with an impressive 21 dolls, a total that proved far too strong for Bletchingdon, who fell well short in reply.

STUART FAMILY RETAIN PARENT & CHILD CROWN
Kevin and Ashley Stuart of Littlemore British Legion successfully retained the Parent & Child title for the third successive year, defeating Brian and Dane Lovatt of Rose Hill Club.
The Lovatt's were competing in their first final, but the experienced Stuart pairing proved too strong, taking the title with scores of 5-2 and 3-2.
Another trophy was safely secured by the Stuart family, adding to the Legion's memorable evening.

NEW CLUB SNATCH THE MONTY GREENAWAY FOURS
The Monty Greenaway Fours final between Premier side New Club ‘A’ and Section 2 champions Six Bells ‘C’ proved a tight affair that could have gone either way.
New Club made the early running with a good set of 14 to take the opening leg. Six Bells responded impressively in the second, setting 13 and winning 13-10 to level the contest.
Everything came down to the deciding leg, with New Club setting 11. Six Bells anchor man Jack Lane was left needing four to tie and five to win.
Lane produced a fine effort, hitting the doll three times with two sticks remaining. However, his next two attempts missed the target, handing New Club the title in dramatic fashion.

RED LION ROAR BACK TO CLAIM OXFORD FOURS
Red Lion Cassington claimed the Oxford Fours title with a 2-1 victory over Cowley Workers Club.
Workers took the initiative in the opening leg with a set of 10, but the contest turned dramatically in the second when they could manage only five dolls.
Red Lion needed just their first two players to pass that total and level the match.
With everything resting on the final leg, Red Lion set 11. It proved just enough, as Workers could muster only nine in reply, allowing Cassington to celebrate another cup triumph.

MORRISON & PURCELL DELIVER FOR NEW CLUB
The Oxford Pairs title went to New Club's James Morrison and Luke Purcell, who produced a commanding performance against James Dineen and Martin Cook of The Blackbird.
Morrison and Purcell both contributed five dolls to set an impressive total of 10 in the opening leg and establish an early advantage.
The Blackbird pair struggled in reply, managing just three in the second leg. With Purcell adding four dolls of his own, New Club swept to victory.
The triumph offered Purcell some consolation after his narrow defeat in the Singles final, ensuring he still left finals night with a trophy.

EELES & FAULKNER SECURE LOWER PAIRS
The Lower Sections Pairs title went to Rose Hill's Tony Eeles and Mark Faulkner, who defeated Kevin Johnson of Red Lion Cassington.
Johnson was forced to compete on his own after his partner was taken ill and their reserve was unavailable, leaving him with a difficult task against the Rose Hill pairing.
Eeles enjoyed a particularly successful evening, adding the Pairs title to his triumph in the Ted Houghton Singles.
A fitting end to the 2026 season

The 87th Oxford & District Aunt Sally Finals Night proved a fitting finale to a memorable season, with a packed hall, a terrific atmosphere and some outstanding throwing.
The 2026 campaign has delivered plenty of drama, with league positions changing almost every week, exceptional individual scoring and title races that kept teams battling until the closing stages. The season was also blessed with some of the best weather seen for many years.
A big thank you must go to all the officers and committee members of Oxford Aunt Sally, whose hard work keeps the league operating, and to the main sponsor, Stuart & Sons Building Services, for its continued support.
Congratulations to all the winners and finalists, and here's hoping to see everyone — and a few more — back for another exciting season next year!

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