Semi-Finals Report

NEW NAME GUARANTEED ON THE OXFORD SINGLES CUP

There will be a new name on the Oxford Singles Cup after Steve Ward and Luke Purcell booked their places in the final with impressive semi-final victories at a packed Garsington Sports Club.
Neither player has lifted the prestigious trophy before, guaranteeing that a new champion will be crowned on finals night.

For Steve Ward of Black Horse ‘A’, it is another chance to finally get his hands on the trophy after heartbreak in the 2011 final. Standing in his way in the semi-final was five-times World Champion Roger Goodall of the White House, a player who has famously found the Oxford Singles title harder to win than the World Championship itself. Goodall had previously finished runner-up in 2014 and again in 2024.

Ward opened the first leg by setting three, but Goodall immediately showed his class, flying past the target and whipping off five dolls to take an early advantage. Goodall then had the chance to put himself firmly in control by setting the second leg, but could only manage a score of two. Ward needed no second invitation, hitting three dolls with sticks to spare to level the match.

It all came down to the deciding leg.
Goodall won the toss and elected to put Ward in first. Ward could only manage an average three dolls, seemingly handing Goodall another opportunity to reach the final. But remarkably, Goodall could only reply with two.
Ward had done enough. After 14 years of waiting, he had his revenge for the 2011 final defeat and booked his place in another Oxford Singles final.

PURCELL BACK IN THE FINAL

In the second semi-final, Luke Purcell of New Club ‘A’ produced another composed performance to beat 2018 runner-up Kevin Stuart of Littlemore British Legion 2-0.
Purcell, himself runner-up in 2016, set and won the opening leg 4-3 before facing a set of three in the second.
Once again Purcell produced when it mattered most, whipping off four dolls to win the leg and send himself into his second Oxford Singles final.

It means that when the players step onto the stage on finals night, one thing is certain — a brand-new name will be engraved on the Oxford Singles Cup.

PAIRS FINALISTS DECIDED

Purcell will also have another opportunity for silverware after teaming up with New Club colleague James Morrison in the Pairs competition.
The New Club duo comfortably defeated Pat Giraleo and Jack Lane of Six Bells ‘C’ 2-0, winning the two legs 6-2 and 9-1.

Their final opponents will be the Blackbird pairing of James Dineen and Martin Cook, who survived one of the night's real humdingers against Dan Reading and Lee Thompson of The Jolly Sportsman.

Reading and Thompson set five in the opening leg. Dineen responded with four before Cook finished the job with two to put Blackbird ahead.
The second leg was even more dramatic.
Blackbird set six and the Sportsman pair matched it. The three-stick shoot-out finished 2-2, forcing another shoot-out on one stick, which was also tied at 1-1.

Back to six sticks, Dineen and Cook set six once again. Reading hit four in reply before Thompson clanged off three, giving the Sportsman pair seven and levelling the match.
Everything came down to the final leg.

Dineen and Cook both hit five dolls apiece to establish a formidable total of ten. Reading matched the five, but Thompson couldn't produce enough in reply.

Blackbird were through to their first-ever Pairs final.

SIX BELLS ‘C’ SHOCK PREMIER CHAMPIONS

There was a major upset in the Monty Greenaway Fours, as Section 2 outfit Six Bells ‘C’ stunned newly crowned Premier champions Littlemore British Legion with a 2-1 victory.

Legion set 10 in the opening leg and Bells could only reply with seven, giving the champions the early advantage.
But Six Bells hit back in style, setting 13 in the second leg. Legion responded with three dolls from each player, leaving them one short and forcing a tie-break.
Bells once again set 13, and with some erratic throwing from the Legion, anchor-man Kevin Baker was left needing all six dolls to win the leg.
It proved too much, and Six Bells completed a remarkable victory.

The other semi-final was considerably less dramatic, with New Club ‘A’ progressing to the final after receiving a walkover when Masons Arms ‘A’ failed to appear.

RED LION SHOWDOWN GOES TO CASSSINGTON

The Oxford Fours for the lower-section teams saw an all-Red Lion battle as Cassington faced Yarnton.

It was Red Lion Cassington who roared loudest, securing a convincing 2-0 victory with wins of 10-5 and 9-5.

Dave Behan produced one of the highlights of the tie, clanging off a maximum six.

In the other semi-final, Cowley Workers also booked their place in the final with a 2-0 victory over Masons Arms ‘B’, winning 11-3 and 9-8.

FINALS NIGHT

After a night packed with close finishes, upsets and dramatic shoot-outs, all roads now lead to Cowley Workers Club on Friday 23rd October.

The trophies are waiting — and for the Oxford Singles Cup in particular, a brand-new champion is guaranteed.

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