About Paul Stone

A newcomer to the game (only been playing since 2005!) I played for the Fox Steventon (until 2016) and through the cajoling of Martin Sheridan and Graham Barguss setup the first proper website building on what Graham Brown had done with just scores which has now redeveloped into this version including electronic scoring (thanks to James Barguss!) I also previously took the snaps on finals night and created the Aunt Sally TV section on YouTube. Oh, and I got us on the telly with Mud Men on the History channel and promoted Aunt Sally at my wedding! In 2024 I got on Radio 5 Live's Gordon Smart show talking about Aunt Sally and its history and on BBC Radio Oxford at the World Aunt Sally Championship. In 2023 after returning to the committee they voted me as Chairman. I'll do my best to improve the League.

Author Archive | Paul Stone

Blast from the past – 1982

By Paul Stone on 5th May 2026 in A Chairmans musings, In the History Books, Newsletter

I received an email in April from the retiring Bampton Aunt Sally league Secretary/Treasurer….

Barry

Sat 18 Apr, 13:48

to chairman

Hi Paul, trust all is well.

Just ‘clearing out the cupboard’ on retiring after my 20 year stint as Bampton Secretary (!)

Found something that originated from our founder Bob Watts.

Looks like he visited your ‘Grand Finals & Dance’ in 1982 and brought back a programme.

8 pages with a nice welcome message from Basil.

Thought you might like it for your archive collection, so let me have a postal address & I’ll forward it.

Regards

Barry

Treasurer & Webmaster

admin@bamptonauntsally.org

https://www.bamptonauntsally.org

So I duly obliged and Barry sent through the 1982 programme the front cover is now in our Old Programmes page.
Needless to say I’m sure Bampton has given Barry a good thank you and send off after his 20 years of service to the game and we wish him well.

In those days Finals Night at the Abbey Hall Abingdon, started at 6:45pm and went with the finals of Eights, Stewards, Doubles, Landlords & Landladys, Secretaries, Fours, Captains, Red Drive (3s), Tom Simmons and Singles.

Top dolls A section S (Sid?) Green Abingdon RBL 208, B: P (Pete?) Broad LWAC 167, C: J Greenough Horse&Jockey 163, D: B (Barry?) Parker AUSC 122, E: D (Don?) Hale Horse&Harrow 102, F: C Vince 3 Horse Shoes 113, G: M Foster White Hart 93 and H: K Atkinson George&Dragon 98. It also appears this was the start of the Top Dolls trophies with polished dolls instigated (some of which are now missing – so if you see one please return!).

Section Winners were A:Wootton RBL B:Wittenham Athletic C:Horse&Jockey D:White Horse B E:Horse&Harrow F:Cumnor Cricket Club G:Eyston Arms H:Queen Victoria

Runners-Up A: Saxton Arms B:Wheatsheaf (which one?) C:Dean Court B D:Fair Rosamund E:Machine Man F:Three Horse Shoes G:White Hart Marcham H:George & Dragon

Wooden spoons to Flowing Well, Red LIon Drayton, Traveller’s Welcome, White Hart Harwell, Hare B, Bowyers B, Blue Boar, Norman Knight.

Good to see at least some of these venues continuing the tradition, some of which have long gone of course.

No admission after 10pm and the band played until midnight! The committee consisted of no less than 9 members (no positions listed) and a separate ‘disputes’ committee of 5!

You may or may not have been around in 1982, for me most notable event was the Falklands War, not because I took part but because of the impact locally in Weymouth/Portland where I lived. One of my school classmates had a younger brother who I mistook for him in a club (it was darkish!). He told me his brother was in the Royal Marines and off to the fight at 20 years old. I never found out whether he’d brought back the ‘souvenir’ he said he was going to for his brother. He was one of the naughtier kids at school.

In case you missed 1982 here’s what the t’internet says and it was the birth of 🙂 and Channel 4 (making live TV have 4 channels!) :-

1982 is widely recognized as a “golden year” for pop culture, particularly in film and music, while simultaneously being a year of significant geopolitical conflict and technological transition. It was the year Thriller was released, E.T. broke box office records, the Commodore 64 arrived, and the Falklands War took place.

Here is what made 1982 special:

1. A Monumental Year for Cinema (The “Nerdiest” Year)

Often cited as one of the best years in movie history, 1982 saw the release of several iconic science fiction and fantasy films that defined a generation:

- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: Became the highest-grossing film of all time, dethroning Star Wars.
- Blade Runner: Released to theaters, cementing its status as a cyberpunk masterpiece.
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Widely considered the best of the franchise.
- The Thing & Poltergeist: Seminal horror films released during the summer.
- TRON: Pioneered computer-generated special effects.

2. A Music Industry Paradigm Shift

- Michael Jackson’s Thriller: Released on November 30, 1982, it went on to become the best-selling album of all time, redefining music videos and pop music.
- “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash: Released, pushing rap from party novelty into social commentary.
- MTV’s Rise: MTV began influencing hits, helping acts like The Go-Go’s become the first all-female band to write their own songs and reach #1 on the Billboard album chart.

3. Key Technological Advances

- The CD Player: Sony introduced the world’s first commercial Compact Disc player (CDP-101).
- Commodore 64: Released in 1982, it became one of the best-selling home computer models of all time.
- First Computer Virus: The “Elk Cloner” virus was created, the first to infect Apple II PCs.
- Digital Emoticons: Scott Fahlman proposed the use of :-) and :-( for communication.

4. Significant Global Events

- The Falklands War: A 74-day conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, taking place from April to June.
- Israel Invades Lebanon: The 1982 Lebanon War began in June.
- Canada’s Independence: The Canada Act 1982 was passed, officially patriating the Canadian constitution.
- First Artificial Heart: Barney Clark became the first recipient of a permanent artificial heart.

5. Pop Culture and Trends

- Diet Coke: Unveiled by Coca-Cola, becoming a mainstay in soft drinks.
- Pac-Man: The fever reached its peak, with Hanna-Barbera releasing a Pac-Man cartoon in the fall.
- Toys: Care Bears and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero launched in 1982.
- UK Milestone: Channel 4 started broadcasting.
- Prince William: Born on June 21, 1982.

In summary, 1982 marked a “switch” where the remnants of the 1970s ended, and the high-tech, block-buster, music-video-driven 1980s truly began.

Summer 2026 Week 1 Results

By Paul Stone on 4th May 2026 in Newsletter, Summer League Reports

Match Results

P/A – Berinsfield SC A 5 – Plum Pudding 1; Legs (26-26, 26-23, 25-18)

P/A – College Oak A 2 – Croft Nomads 4; Legs (15-17, 21-18, 15-18)

P/A – Red Lion Drayton A 6 – Abingdon Conservative Club 0; Legs (24-11, 20-14, 21-15)

P/A – Stanford-in-the-Vale FC 6 – Abingdon United A 0; Legs (17-13, 20-18, 23-14)

P/A – Steventon Sports SC A 4 – The Wheatsheaf Didcot 2; Legs (18-19, 22-18, 22-16)

B – Abingdon Utd C 3 – The Fox Denchworth 3; Legs (11-11, 11-21, 20-10)

B – Fleur De Lys B 1 – WADS Bar A 5; Legs (6-19, 12-12, 6-15)

B – The Croft Bar 2 – The Bear and Ragged Staff 4; Legs (11-14, 11-8, 7-10)

B – The Plough W.Hanney 5 – Royal Oak Didcot 1; Legs (15-14, 13-13, 13-12)

B – The Vine 4 – Abingdon RBL 2; Legs (11-12, 15-11, 13-10)

C – Harwellian B 0 – Fleur De Lys A 6; Legs (5-16, 10-11, 7-11)

C – Marcham Centre A 0 – Waggon and Horses 6; Legs (11-13, 12-15, 10-17)

C – The Bell Grove B 3 – The Earl of Abingdon B 3; Legs (13-14, 18-7, 11-11)

C – The Boundary House 4 – Grove RFC 2; Legs (9-9, 10-10, 16-14)

D – Long Wittenham AC 6 – North Star 0; Legs (12-4, 12-9, 10-7)

D – Prince of Wales Shippon 6 – Steventon Sports SC B 0; Legs (8-6, 10-9, 10-5)

D – The Black Horse E.Hanney A 4 – The College Oak B 2; Legs (9-11, 11-9, 10-8)

D – The Earl of Abingdon A 2 – The Bell Grove A 4; Legs (7-15, 8-14, 15-11)

D – WADS Bar B 2 – The Fox Boars Hill 4; Legs (12-9, 11-15, 12-15)

E – The Crown Marcham A 6 – Berinsfield SC B 0; Legs (9-7, 10-8, 10-5)

E – The Ladygrove 2 – Challow and Childrey CC 4; Legs (8-11, 10-12, 11-10)

E – The Lamb Wantage B 4 – Eight Bells Eaton 2; Legs (9-13, 14-12, 11-7)

E – The Midget @Roaring Raindrop 2 – Hanney RBL 4; Legs (8-14, 12-8, 7-11)

F – Queens Arms Didcot 3 – Marcham Centre B 3; Legs (9-10, 10-8, 7-7)

F – RAL SC 0 – The Lamb Wantage A 6; Legs (4-5, 4-8, 5-6)

F – The George Sutton Courtenay 3 – The Crown Marcham B 3; Legs (10-9, 9-9, 12-18)

F – The White Hart Harwell A 0 – The Brewery Tap 6; Legs (5-11, 6-8, 6-10)

G – The Black Swan 6 – The Red Lion Northmoor 0; Legs (6-4, 9-6, 8-7)

G – The Horse and Jockey Stanford 1 – The Black Horse E.Hanney B 5; Legs (3-6, 6-6, 2-4)

G – The Old Anchor 3 – The Seven Stars Marsh Baldon 3; Legs (10-10, 15-10, 9-11)

G – The Plough Appleton 0 – Oxford RFC 6; Legs (5-11, 7-9, 4-14)

Blobbers

Alan Webb (Abingdon Utd C), Andrew Day (The White Hart Harwell A), Andy Speight (The Seven Stars Marsh Baldon), Antoni Swiergon (The Red Lion Northmoor), Caroline Pask (The Black Swan), Connor Slade (North Star), Danny Cannon (The Black Swan), Darren Pannell (The Horse and Jockey Stanford), David Davies (Abingdon Conservative Club), Ed Hoolihan (The Boundary House), George Pottinger (Marcham Centre A), Gill Ebberson (RAL SC), Greg Dunstan (The Vine), J Penn (The Ladygrove), Jenny Lister (Prince of Wales Shippon), John Walton (Berinsfield SC B), Juliet Carter (The Plough Appleton), Kimberley Embling (The Horse and Jockey Stanford), Lee Constable (RAL SC), Liz Dowthwaite (The Plough Appleton), Matthew Prickett (The Red Lion Northmoor), Nick Monger (Steventon Sports SC B), Peter Phiillips (The Lamb Wantage A), Richard Moran (Marcham Centre B), Robin Cole (The Black Horse E.Hanney B), Stephen Fowler (RAL SC), Tim Dalby (The George Sutton Courtenay), Tom Glanville (The Brewery Tap), Tony Blissett (The White Hart Harwell A).

1^st week and no sixers this week so here are the best of the rest.

Fivers

Andrew Stoter 4-1-5 (Grove RFC) – Week 1

Ash Wheeler 1-5-3 (Waggon and Horses) – Week 1

Dave Kidd 3-3-5 (Waggon and Horses) – Week 1

Jason Bowler 1-1-5 (Abingdon United A) – Week 1

John Webster 1-5-0 (The Fox Denchworth) – Week 1

Martin Rawlings 2-3-5 (Berinsfield SC A) – Week 1

Richard Jones 4-5-2 (Berinsfield SC A) – Week 1

Robert Glen 1-3-5 (Stanford-in-the-Vale FC) – Week 1

Terry Downes 5-4-2 (Plum Pudding) – Week 1

Wayne Waldron 2-2-5 (The Earl of Abingdon A) – Week 1

Summer League AGM 26th January 2026 – Minutes

By Paul Stone on 13th April 2026 in Committee Meetings, Newsletter, Summer League Reports

Note attachments are available on request and are not included here. Apologies for the delay in publication.

Minutes from Abingdon & District Aunt Sally Association AGM held on 26th January 2026
At The Croft Bar, Abingdon

Present: Committee – P. Stone (Chairperson), R. Nichols (Treasurer), T. Woolloff (General), G. Lee (General) and C. Foster (Secretary)

Teams Represented (22 Teams) – See attachment 1

Registration & Welcome

P.Stone welcomed everyone and thanked all for attending.

1. Minutes of AGM 2025

Agreed and proposed by D. Harris and seconded by E. Reisener

2. Chair’s Report

2026 has been a good year for the league as far as the sections go as we managed 60 teams making us the biggest league in the county, and as some might say, the world!

We still have challenges with venues still having a difficult time, we are aware of a couple with issues that will affect next season, but we also know that the teams affected are looking for new locations so are keen to keep playing which is excellent news.

We are also aware of a few new teams and venues that want to take part so we may be in the position of having to instigate some byes this season. As we are a 10-team section league if we step over 60 teams we really need to leap to 66+ to avoid multiple byes in sections. Of course, many of our venues with a single pitch can support two teams so do encourage others to think about having another team. And a slight plea to think about the number of players registered – we don’t set a limit but having 16+ players registered seems a bit daft when you could probably have two teams.

As far as performances go Dave Dix who was again 1 short of the maximum in Week 16, he did total 6 sixes in the season but that was equalled with Phil Adams who also missed the maximum by one doll in Week 12! Both missing dolls in the first leg. Surely, we should be getting a max this season.

I can’t mention all the other 24 sixers here, but it was great to see both our Honorary President John Simmons get one in Week 14, nice to see him getting some form back, and our sponsor, John Pownceby got one in Week 8.

Sadly, I need to mention another sixer Andy Shipman from Harwellian B who we lost over Christmas. He was their best player (he scored 6-5-4 in Week 9) and will be sadly missed by the team and his family.

With every player that puts down their sticks, as it were, we, like a lot of pastimes, need to encourage a younger element to take up the game. There’s a lot to be said to drag some away from their screens and outside into a social gathering both for mental health and social skills. This is not without risks as we’ve seen this year with 2 incidents with behaviour which have been dealt with and for the first time in my history of the Summer League has led one player to a rest-of-season+1 ban. We are all conscious that a mix of alcohol and strong opinions can lead to heightened emotions and it’s up to teammates, and Captains, to ensure everyone’s behaviour is sensible. Two incidents out of 540 games isn’t much but any incident is shocking.

For the avoidance of doubt this league will not accept anti-social or threatening behaviour.

Which brings me on to the people that support us in the League not that they are anti-social or threatening!

Thanks to the efforts of the committee, we have the 60 teams to give us a strong league both in financial and playing terms. Roger Nichols of course puts in a great deal of effort to get us going and keep us going in the season and for Competitions, Presentation Night and of course this AGM as Treasurer.

Roger didn’t do all this on his own and Claire, Geoff & Tosh – your committee, helped us along the way.

Once again, we were grateful for John Pownceby of Thames Cable for sponsoring the League and for the new lower section pairs competitions. For which the one for the D/E/F sections was very popular in the summer with a great turnout at The Harwellian.

We’ve still not increased our fees and as we know almost everything else has gone up. We don’t intend increasing this year but there will come a time when we need to look at our income vs expenditure.

I’ve mentioned the lower section competition, and we did manage to get enough entries to run most of the competitions this year, but it was a hard slog, and Roger did his upmost to cajole and strong-arm teams to enter to get the bare 8 we need for a decent start. Unfortunately, some of those teams dropped out meaning that competition didn’t happen.

I believe the competitions are the best way to hone your match nerves and of course your skills as a player and would hope more teams will take part this year. Singles is always well supported, I’d just encourage you to take part in the other events.

So, I think we are looking forward to another successful year of Aunt Sally.

3. Financial Report – see attachment 3 & 3A

Proposed by M. Crook and seconded by M. Samways

A query was raised on trophies and names. It was explained that some trophies had gone missing/destroyed etc during COVID. Teams to let committee know what trophies are incorrect.

4. Rule Change/Amendments.

Suggestion – could players fill in if another team is short at the same club? It would mean all players would need to sign on for 2 teams for entering scorecards??? Best option is to try and get another team?

5. Sponsorship

Thames Cable have sponsored us again and have also donated £200.00 to lower league competitions which was very much appreciated.

6. Competitions

A big dilemma – which days to hold them, are there too many etc
8’s – handicap is 2 per section at present. Is this fair? Suggestion to use players handicaps instead.
5’s – no handicap at present. Should handicap be introduced?

From the floor – Suggestion of staggering the comps, starting with the lower leagues?

Wednesday for competitions

AGREED – To leave to committee to decide handicaps

Other competitions and start of season:

22^nd April will be first round of 8’s competitions
League will run from 29^th April until 26^th August
3’s, 4’s & 5’scompetitions will be take place on 2^nd and 9^th September
Captain’s and Secretary’s to stay as individual competitions but if not enough entries, this will be combined – AGREED

7. Election of Officers

The existing committee was willing to stand for another year with no new members.

Chairman – Paul Stone
Treasurer – Roger Nichols
Secretary – Claire Foster
General – Tosh Woolloff and Geoff Lee
All nominated by J. Pownceby and seconded by P. Soden.

8. Dates

16^th March – Registration Night @ Ab Con Club from 7.30pm
16^th September – Final’s Night @ Ab United
23^rd October – Presentation Night @ Ab United

9. Recruitment

Hopefully there will be the same number of teams in the League this year as the ideal number is 60 teams. We understand pubs/clubs change hands and circumstances do change but we always welcome new teams/venues.

10. A.O.B.

Scorecards – it is not necessary for each player to sign but the captains must sign to agree scores and players.
All handicaps will be published and put into welcome packs.

The meeting closed at 9.15pm.

SUMMER 2026!

By Paul Stone on 31st March 2026 in Competition News, Newsletter, Summer League Reports

We are here again for another season of Aunt Sally! Our 66th year since formation, despite being 66 years old the league is still younger than many of our players!!!

This year we have 65, yes sixty five teams entering so we now have a G section (and are still the biggest Aunt Sally league in the world!) ) Unfortunately our growth has necessitated some byes as each section our ideal make up is 10 teams but this year with 5 additional teams it means 5 sections will only have 9 teams so 16 matches instead of 18. Our simple choice was to accept all entrants or turn away some. Turning away teams is not conducive with our objectives which are to “grow our game”, encouraging more teams and players many of whom are totally new to our game, and importantly that provides custom to our local pubs and clubs!

Sections and handicaps have been calculated and teams are being set up in the score system and in parallel we are working with the printers to get the fixture list and other necessary paperwork finalised.

Sections are determined by the Committee who establish each teams top 8 2026 registered players and, use their 2025 doll average to determine the overall team average. Teams are then placed in sections which are expected to provide competitive teams of similar ability.

NEW TEAMS this year include:- The Old Anchor Abingdon, Oxford RFC , The Seven Stars Marsh Baldon. The Red Lion Northmoor, The White Hart, Harwell Check out our Venues Map to show where we play.

Welcome back to the ‘regulars’ and to all the new teams and players and a warm Diddy welcome from me to The Wheatsheaf Didcot into the A section (Tosh Woolloff and I will look forward to walking to our away match!)

League season starts slightly earlier this year in APRIL with the first league matches taking place on Wednesday 29th April.

The week before, Wednesday 22nd April will be the first rounds of the 8s Handicap Knockout competition. We have 15 entries so far so there’s still time to enter with the closing date being next Monday April 6th. You can enter via Team Support or directly via e mail to roger.nichols@hotmail.com

This year we are adjusting the handicap system from the simple ‘2 dolls a section’ approach of previous years to a section average approach based on all registered players for 2026 which benefits teams from the middle and lower sections with a doll or so extra than the previous system.

This will all be explained in your packs (and online) when Roger has done the necessary with the printers.

← Previous 1 … 3 4 5 … 41 Next →