Week 12 July 22nd

WHITE HOUSE TURN UP THE HEAT AS TITLE RACE INTENSIFIES

As the hot weather continues, so does the red-hot throwing, with reigning Premier Division champions White House producing another outstanding display to remain firmly in the title hunt. They amassed an impressive 86 dolls on the night, with three players reaching 14 or more, as they edged past a strong Jolly Sportsman side 3-0 in a contest far closer than the score line suggests. Sportsmen made the brighter start, setting an excellent 26 in the opening leg. White House looked to be in trouble on 17 with only three players left to throw, but Dick Walsh changed the complexion of the leg with a crucial maximum six. The champions finished strongly to post a superb 31 and steal the opener.
The visitors raised the bar again in the second leg with a formidable 28. White House once more found the answer, leaving anchor man Ian McAteer requiring just three dolls for victory. Unfazed by the pressure, he whipped off five to complete another 31 and secure the second leg. White House set a more modest 24 in the final leg, but Sportsmen were unable to reproduce the form of the opening exchanges and fell three short on 21, handing the champions a maximum 3-0 victory.
Ian McAteer led the way with a flawless 15 dolls (5-5-5), while Dick Walsh fired 14 (6-3-5) and Roger Goodall added another 14 (5-5-4) in a superb team performance.

League leaders Littlemore British Legion 'A' maintained their advantage at the top with a hard-earned 2-1 win away to New Club 'A', extending their lead to two points. The Legion took command early by setting an excellent 28 in the opening leg, restricting New Club to 23. The home side responded well in the second, setting 23 before a sluggish Legion start left them too much to do as they fell short on 19. The deciding leg proved one-sided after New Club could only manage 17. The Legion comfortably passed the target with 24 to claim both the leg and the match. Mark Bayliss once again starred for the leaders with an excellent 14 dolls (6-3-5), including a maximum six.

In Section One, Blackbird tightened their grip on top spot, opening up a commanding 10-point lead following a convincing 3-0 victory over Ampleforth Arms 'A'. The leaders controlled the contest throughout, taking the legs 26-14, 23-15 and 25-19. Martin Cook was their top scorer with 12 dolls (5-2-5).

Second-placed Masons Arms 'A' kept up the chase but were frustrated after dropping a leg to a Black Horse 'A' side competing with a player short. Masons looked set to claim the opening leg after posting 20, with Black Horse sitting on 13 with only two throws remaining. However, Steve Ward and Steve Walton both produced superb four-doll throws to snatch the leg 21-20. Masons quickly regrouped to dominate the remaining two legs 25-15 and 21-13 and secure the overall 2-1 victory. Chris Webb again demonstrated why he leads the individual scoring charts, finishing with another outstanding 14 dolls (4-5-5).

SIX BELLS SEND OUT TITLE WARNING IN THRILLING SECTION 2 BATTLE

The Section Two title race remains impossible to predict, but Six Bells 'C' served notice to their rivals with a stunning 3-0 home victory over New Club 'B'. Despite chasing in every leg after New Club posted scores of 16, 15 and 14, Six Bells produced some of the best throwing of the night, replying with superb totals of 25, 27 and 22 to complete an emphatic whitewash. Jack Lane was the star of the show, firing an outstanding 14 dolls (4-5-5). He received excellent backing from Clive Walsh (4-3-3) and Richard Taylor (3-4-3), who both contributed 10 dolls in a dominant all-round team display.

Playing a man short ultimately proved too much for WADs Bar as they slipped to a narrow 2-1 defeat against title challengers Donnington Club 'A'. WADs looked set to claim the opening leg after posting 19, with Donnington managing just 11 from their first five throwers. However, Tim Smith produced a crucial five-doll throw to revive the visitors before they edged home with 21. The home side hit back immediately in the second leg. After setting 17, a couple of costly blobs from Donnington left them well adrift as they could only manage 12, taking the match into a deciding leg.
WADs again set a competitive target of 18, but this time Donnington produced a flawless chase, recording no blobs as they reached 21 to seal both the leg and the match. Smith finished as Donnington's top scorer with 12 dolls (5-2-5), while Jason Ludlow was WADs standout performer with 11 dolls (5-3-3).

Donnington Club 'B' suffered a damaging setback in their own title bid after crashing to a surprise 2-1 home defeat against bottom side Catherine Wheel 'B'. Catherine Wheel made the brighter start by setting and winning the opening leg 19-16, before Donnington levelled the match by taking the second 13-11. The deciding leg was as close as it gets, ending tied at 11-11, with Catherine Wheel holding their nerve to win the three-stick shoot-out and record one of the shocks of the season.

Queens Head completed an excellent evening with a convincing 3-0 home victory over Garsington Sports. Kevin Claridge stole the headlines with 11 dolls (4-4-3), remarkably scoring more in one match than he had managed in his previous three games combined. After edging a tense opening leg 13-12, Queens Head found their rhythm to dominate the remaining two legs 21-12 and 23-16 and complete the whitewash.

COWLEY WORKERS MARCH TOWARDS SECTION 3 TITLE

Cowley Workers Club took another giant stride towards the Section 3 title, extending their lead at the top to eight points with a commanding 3-0 home victory over Littlemore Rugby Club.
The league leaders were in complete control throughout, winning all three legs comfortably 20-16, 22-14 and 20-12. Eamon Hannon produced the standout performance of the night, firing an impressive 11 dolls, including a maximum six, in a superb return of 2-6-3.

Any lingering title hopes for Six Bells 'B' suffered a major blow as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Ampleforth Arms 'B'. The home side dominated from the outset, setting and winning all three legs 14-9, 22-13 and 17-15. Neil Jackson was the architect of the victory, finishing with an excellent 10 dolls (3-5-2).

Headington Con Club's miserable run continued as they crashed to a sixth successive defeat, losing 2-1 away to Masons Arms 'B'. The visitors made the perfect start by setting and winning the opening leg 17-12, but that proved to be their only bright moment of the evening. Masons responded strongly to claim the final two legs 17-12 and 17-11, condemning the Con Club to another frustrating night at the foot of the table.

Catherine Wheel 'C' flew out of the blocks at Red Lion Yarnton, taking the opening leg 15-11. However, the hosts roared back in style, claiming the remaining two legs 15-12 and 15-10 to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory.

Littlemore British Legion 'B' remain rooted in a slump after suffering an eighth consecutive defeat, this time going down 2-1 at home to Queens Head 'B'. The visitors seized control by taking the opening two legs 16-13 and 16-12 before the Legion salvaged some pride by setting and winning the final leg 15-11. Dean Jacobs was the home side's standout performer with 10 dolls (2-4-4), while Josh Breakspear led Queens Head with an excellent 11 dolls (4-4-3).

RED LION TAKE OVER AT THE TOP AFTER LEADERS ARE STUNNED

Section 4 produced another dramatic twist in the title race as former leaders Kidlington Sports Club were knocked off top spot following a surprise 2-1 defeat away to White Hart, allowing Red Lion Cassington to move into pole position with a convincing victory of their own.
White Hart, who have spent much of the season near the foot of the table, produced one of the biggest upsets of the campaign. Kidlington looked set to take control in the opening leg after White Hart posted just 10, but the visitors faltered. Sitting on seven dolls with only anchor man Daryl Connelly left, he rescued the situation by clanging off the four dolls required to snatch the leg by the narrowest possible margin.
That proved to be a warning of what was to come. Chasing only seven in the second leg, Kidlington surprisingly came up one doll short as White Hart levelled the match. White Hart then saved their best until last, setting 13 in the decider before restricting Kidlington to just 10 to seal a memorable and unexpected 2-1 victory.

Red Lion Cassington took full advantage by producing their best display of the season in a dominant 3-0 win away at Gardeners Arms. Mark Finch was in irresistible form with a superb 12-doll haul (4-4-4) as Red Lion comfortably swept aside their hosts 17-6, 19-7 and 16-12 to climb to the summit of the table.

Rose Hill 'A' saw their five-match winning streak come to an abrupt end after slipping to a 2-1 home defeat against The Tandem, a result that dents their title hopes. Rose Hill could only muster 10 in the opening leg and The Tandem cruised past the target with two players still to throw, despite both of their final players finishing with blobs. Rose Hill improved to set 14 in the second leg, but The Tandem responded brilliantly with an impressive 20 to secure the match. Rose Hill salvaged a valuable point by taking the final leg 19-11. Their one standout performer was Lucas Tappin, whose maximum six helped him finish with nine dolls.

Bletchingdon Sports Club enjoyed an excellent evening as they completed a 3-0 whitewash of visitors Rose Hill 'B'. The opening two legs were won comfortably 16-10 and 20-10 before the final leg provided the night's drama. Locked at 13-13, the contest went to a one-stick shoot-out, and after the first three-stick decider also ended level, Bletchingdon eventually edged the contest to complete the clean sweep.

Vikings Sports had one of the easiest victories of the season as they brushed aside struggling Corner House, taking all three legs with emphatic scores of 5-1, 9-2 and 10-1.

SIXERS:
James Bennett (New Club), Dick Walsh (White House) Mark Bayliss (Littlemore B.L. 'A') Eamon Hannon (Cowley Workers) Lucas Tappin (Rose Hill 'A')

BLOBBERS:
S.Claire, D.Ward, W.Bevan, B.Griffin (Corner House) M.Simpson (Donnington Club ‘B’) I.Goldby, C.Grisbrooke (Gardeners Arms)

TOP DOLLS
15: I.McAteer (White House)
14: D.Walsh, R.Goodall (White House) J.Lane (Six Bells ‘C’) C.Webb (Masons Arms ‘A’) M.Bayliss (Littlemore Legion
13: J.Bennett, L.Purcell (New Club ‘A’)

TOP LEG SCORE: 31 White House

OVER THREE LEGS: 86 White House

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