Author Archive | Roger Nichols

Well, the league season is drawing to a close with the planned last week of matches taking place on Wednesday. There are though a number of outstanding games in some sections which have, or need to be re-arranged. Many of these were postponed as a result of the World Cup back in June and July. We know that some of these have been scheduled for the next couple of weeks, but it seems that these won’t have too much affect on section winners and runners up, some of which have already been sorted! (Ed: when you play a rescheduled game email the photo of the card to Support – do not enter any postponed games online). Having said that there is still a lot to be decided as we enter the last week of the summer season. It’s been a good season with some of the best Aunt Sally weather many of us can recall, although the first few weeks were a bit chilly the past 3 months have been decidedly warm and, most importantly, dry!

So what about last week’s result, both individual and team performances and the impact on the league position?

Let’s start with the A section where Steventon Sports SC A were confirmed on Tuesday as section champions, by virtue of their nearest rivals Red Lion A losing their re-arranged home fixture against Croft Nomads on Tuesday 4-2 leaving it impossible for them to catch Steventon when they played the following night. So, disappointed they may have been, but it didn’t stop the Lion, with Dean Bowler’s 11 dolls contibution, beating the new A section champions 5-1 to confirm their spot as Runners up. Both sides still have a game to play on Wednesday. 

Ian Brook top scored for the Croft with 12 dolls against the Red Lion and the Croft returned another 4-2 victory the following night at Stanford FC where Dave Butler top scored for the Nomads with 9 dolls. These 2 wins mean that third placed Croft can still theoretically win the Premier, but they will need a minor miracle needing to beat this weeks opponents Abingdon Con Club by at least 5-1 and then hope that Berinsfield SC A, who are at home to the College Oak, a game re-arranged to be played at Berinsfield because the College Oak is closed for refurbishment, fail to pick up a victory.

Berinsfield are just 1 point ahead of Croft Nomads and 1 point below Abingdon Con Club so the Premier section title and runners up will be decided on the last game of the season! Incidentally, if that isn’t a close call after 18 games, the reality is that before these last games in the Premier section the difference in dolls scored, including the handicap, is just 59 dolls over 45 legs played and with just 9 legs left to play this season it’s truly been a close run section.

So maybe some who think the handicap system is unfair might want to consider that the title will only be decided on the 18th and final game of the season and the difference in recorded dolls between winners and 5th placed team is probably going to be around 1 doll per leg once the last 9 legs are played!

The tight finish is because Berinsfield were beaten by Abingdon United last week, Steve Martin top scoring for United in a 4-2 victory, Abingdon Con Club regained the top spot by beating the College Oak 4-2 with 13 dolls from Paul Barrett, 12 from Dave Dix and 11 from Phil Adams.

The Plum Pudding with 2 games remaining are finishing the season in some style, last week beating the Wheatsheaf 6-0, Simon Winterbourne top scoring with 13 dolls, but his contribution was more than well supported with Dave Bradshaw hitting a maximum 6 in his 10 dolls, Paul Longford added 10 more and 3 other teammates added 9 of their own to take the Plum to their 4th successive victory.

In the B section The Vine defeated their closest rivals WADS Bar 4-2 to strengthen their chance of winning the section and Dan Hamilton was again hitting double figures with another 10 dolls. 11 dolls for Derrick Brown for the WADS Bar was not enough to gain a share of the spoils leaving The Vine favourites to head the section as they also have a superior doll count than WADs who look like finishing runners up.

Skipper Paul Ealey led the way with 11 dolls for Abingdon RBL’s 4-2 win over Royal Oak.

Double figure scores were also recorded by Fleur de Lys Simon Skelly, Kevin Lewis for Harwellian B as they beat The Boundary House 6-0, Dave Collett for the Plough, Long Wittenham 4-2 winners over The Bell B, but the top score across the league last week was the 14 dolls, including a 6, scored by Jim Fletcher for the North Star in the D section, but that superb score was not enough to deny The Prince of Wales winning 4-2.

The Final Countdown!

So what has been decided with just 1 week and a few re-arranged matches to play? Well as already mentioned the Premier is still up for grabs both winners and runners up. The A section is sorted. In the B section The Vine hold a 3 point advantage over The WADS bar and both teams are on the road for their final game of the season with trips top the Croft Bar and The Plough respectively.

The C section sees Grove RFC who have headed the section for much of the season now holding a 13 point lead and The Earl of Abingdon B are looking to finish runners up. In the D section The Fox, Boars Hill clinched the title last week and The Earl A are likely runners up. The E section looks like being Challow and Childrey CC’s to win as they lead the Eight Bells by 9 points but there are still some “catch up” games outstanding so still some uncertainty before winners and runners up in this section can be declared!

Likewise the F section, still some outstanding results, but The Brewery Tap even with 3 games to play (all arranged) can almost be certain of taking the title whatever those results. The G section has been dominated by “new” entrants this year and The Seven Stars have a 4 point advantage over both The White Hart B and The Old Anchor and all that could change on the last day of the season and this section could see final positions determined on doll count if tems are level on points which is possible.

Well, as I have been away on my Summer holiday I thought I should provide a quick review of the last 3 weeks results as quite a lot of results will have had a bearing on individual averages, team results and ultimately affect league positions as we draw close to the end of our 2026 league season. 

There are still a lot of outstanding games in all sections and we appreciate that some of these may have been “no shows”, others agreed postponements and in some cases, conceded. So I will be writing to all aptains/secretaries of those teams where scheduled games are not showing a result later this week so we can complete all of the scoring for all teams. That will give us a completed programme come early September and we do know that some outstanding matches are already scheduled for September 2nd.

Well as the season draws to an end, during what must have been the best Wednesday night weather for us all throughout the season there has been some excellent individual scoring in recent weeks in all of the sections,so many of you must be getting the hang of our game!!

Week 14

In week 14 the 12 double digit scores was topped by Barry Townsend’s 14 Croft Nomads which included a second leg maximum, Colin Brind also landed a 6 for Steventon Sports SCA and not to to be outdone Dan Hamilton also hit a maximum 6 doll leg for the Vine scoring 13 dolls in total. Not surprisingly Dave Dix maintained his 4+ average with another 13 dolls. For the Croft Steve Enock, Tosh Wooloff and Ian Brook all contributed 10 dolls apiece, Colin Brind totalled 11 dolls for Steventon Sports and Doug Bolton added 10 of his own. Plum Pudding have his a late run of form and Paul Leach’s 12 dolls was his best of the season and Mr Consistent Terry Downes weighed in with 10. Jumbo Mott led the way for Abingdon United against the Croft with another 11 doll haul on a day when we lost another of our Aunt Sally stars and a long time Abingdon United colleague Mick Phillips. College Oak A skipper Phil Soden also registered 10 dolls against The Wheatsheaf. Dan Hamilton’s 6 was his first of the season and his 13 dolls helped to keep The Vine on top of the race to what looks like a very close B section championship.

Week 15

Week 15 produced the highest number of individual double figure dolls of the season, but no maximum 6 legs. Jumbo Mott, Colin Brind and Derrick Brown (WADS Bar A) produced 12 dolls each. Andy Morton, Dave Dix 11 each, Ian Brook and Scott Humphries and Terry Downes were the other Premier/A section double digit scorers and they were joined by Tony Barrett (Abingdon RBL), Mark McReadie (Bear & Ragged staff), Nick Ridge (Croft Bar) all playing in the B section, Darren Sargison and Danny Towlerton (Fleur A) from the C section and Mick Brown (Earl A), Roger Clarke (Black Horse A) who are both playing in the D section. Nathan Hamilton of The George playing in the F section all also contributed 10 dolls for their teams although for several of them it wasn’t enough to secure wins!

Week 16

So to week 16 and another good scoring week for many. Pride of place to Joe Hamilton whose 6 doll maximum saw him share bragging rights with brother Dan who landed a 6 2 weeks earlier and they both scored 13 just 2 weeks apart, their personal best of the season. Dave Dix returned to the top of the weeks individual leaderboard with 14, Paul Longford hit 12 dolls and Paul Leach 11 for a resurgent Plum Pudding who secured their third win on the bounce. Scott Humphries landed his second successive 10 dolls for Steventon Sports, Stuart Wilson top scored for Berinsfield SC A who have just edged out Abingdon Con Club at the top of the Premier as they inflicted a second consecutive 6-0 defeat on Croft Nomads whose hopes of a second place finish appear to be over with no points from their last 2 outings.. Abingdon Con Club despite Dixie’s 14 dolls and 10 from Phil Adams were beaten 4-2 by visitors Stanford FC. The Wheatsheaf who have tried manfully with enthusiasm and good nature since their elevation to the Premier/A section saw both Charlie Guinan and Olly Saunders hit double figures for the first time this season against the Red Lion.

Lots of double figure returns in other sections last week. Steve Davidson, mine host at The Fox Denchworth, 10 dolls steered the Fox to their second win of the season in the B section. The C section had 4 double figure scorers with Mike Phipps (Waggon & Horses), Dave Collett, (Plough L W) and Andrew Stoter (Grove RFC) all on the mark, but Andrew Luker topped the lot with 11 dolls for the Rugby Club. In the F section Ashley Jerome’s 10 dolls was a seasons best for him and for his team, Harwellian A.

The Tables

So a quick look at the league tables and it’s too close to call at he top of the Premier with Berinsfield’s 6 points taking them level on points with Abingdon Con Club with just 2 to play! Could be down to doll difference and by virtue of the handicap system, Berinsfield are just marginally ahead. 

The A section sees Steventon Sports SC A needing just another 4 points to secure the title. The B section is promising a close finish with the Vine and WADS Bar A playing each other this week, the result of which could decide the final placings as there is just 1 point between them.

Grove RFC could clinch the title this week in their last league game with a win at the Earl of Abingdon B, but a win for the Earl could leave Grove in suspense as they have a bye in the final week.

The D section sees The Fox, Boars Hill needing 6 points from their last 2 games to secure the title and the E section has a lot of outstanding games, but it looks like Challow & Childrey won’t be caught and the runners up spot will be between The Eight Bells and Hanney RBL to fight it out. Like the E section the F section also has a alot of games still to be recorded, but the Brewery Tap look to be the likely winners.

The G section sees newcomers The Seven Stars as favourites, but it has been a good year for several of the new sides and a special mention ought to go to the White Hart B who as an entirely new side have put together 9 successive wins.

Finally congratulations to Dave Dix who has amassed almost 200 dolls so far despite missing 1 game, he will be head and shoulders above any other player in terms of total dolls and doll average again this season. 33 players in total have hit 3 figures in terms of total dolls and with 2 games to play another 50 players have a real opportunity of reaching a three figure doll total for the season! 

Well, week 13th has come and gone and the most surprising things about the 2026 Summer season is that time flies and the sun keeps shining!

Last week Premier Division leaders Berinsfield SC A were undone by Red Lion A losing 4-2 despite 11 dolls from Stuart Wilson, for the Lion Dean Bowler matched that and he was well supported by 3 of his team mates who all added 9 dolls each to secure 4 points for the visitors. The A section is still dominated though by Steventon Sports who “whitewashed” the Plum Pudding 6-0 to strengthen their advantage over the Lion who remain their nearest rivals, but a 7 point gap may be difficult to close with just 6 matches remaining (5+England postponement). Terry Downes was once again top man for the Plum with another 11 dolls, but it was the consistency scoring of the Steventon team that secured the win with Colin Brind’s 10 dolls and all of the rest of the team adding between 6 and 9 dolls each.

Abingdon Con Club closed the gap at the top to just 1 point as they were 4-2 winners against Abingdon United A. The Con Club were ably led by skipper Dave Dix with another 13 dolls, a total equalled by Phil Adams, and Paul Barrett chipped in with 11. For United Bertie Newman “rolled back the years” with 11 dolls and Jason Bowler also contributed 11 including a third leg maximum. 

Other player to hit their first double total of the season were Martin Robinson and Dave Butler for Croft Nomads who beat the Wheatsheaf 5-1. Martyn Bolton top scored for the Didcot side with 10 dolls and Ollie Saunders secured their point in the first leg, needing 5 to take the leg he just fell short with the last stick, but his 4 was enough for the point.

In the B section 4-2 wins for both The Vine and the WADS Bar maintained the tight position at the top of the table as the two sides are separated by just 1 point with the WADS leading, but with the Vine having a much superior doll count should it come to level points at the season end. 4-2 was a popular score in this section last week with 4 of the 5 matches ending in that score line with wins for The Croft Bar and The Royal Oak by that margin whilst Abingdon RBL and The Plough shared 3 points apiece. Top scorer on the night was Matt Dingle for The Vine with 11 dolls and remarkably of the 30 legs played, with 80 players in action and 240 sticks thrown there were only 9 scores of 4 dolls recorded!

The C section is led still by Grove RFC, but again only 1 point keeps them ahead of the Earl of Abingdon B. The D section saw The Fox and the Earl of Abingdon A both record 6-0 wins and retain their leadership and second spot positions whilst the other 3 matches ended 4-2 with wins for WADS B, Long Wittenham AC and The Bell A.

Hanney RBL retain top spot in the E section winning 4-2 against the Red Lion B. There were a couple of walkovers in this section last week disappointingly giving the Lamb B and Challow & Childrey CC 6-0 results, but I am sure they would rather have had the games played!

The F section produced some good individual performances, including a leg with 5 dolls for Tony Blissett for the White Hart A as they shared the spoils with The George. 9 dolls for stalwart Joe Moxon in the RAL’s as they also drew 3-3 with The Crown B for whom Jamie Butcher hit 8 dolls and best of the night was Jonathan Hutt’s 11 dolls for the Brewery Tap’s 6-0 win over Harwellian A for whom Ian Cooksley recorded a very credible 9 dolls. Marcham Centre B were 4-2 winners against the Lamb A in this section which is led by the Brewery Tap with an impressive 10 point advantage.

Finally the G section where the Seven Stars suffered only their second defeat of the season going down 4-2 to section leaders Oxford RFC who brought to an end the Seven Stars run of 5 straight 6-0 victories these 2 sides are just 2 points apart at the top of the section. In a local derby The Black Swan and The Old Anchor shared the honours with 3 points apiece. Gary Kaveaney followed up his 6 last week with another 9 doll haul for the Anchor. The Red Lion at Northmoor were 6-0 winners against The Plough Appleton and a special mention for the White Hart B whose 4-2 result over the Black Horse was their 6th successive win!

I am going to be on holiday for a few days, but I am sure that our erstwhile Chairman, Paul Stone will keep you all updated until I return on August 8th. If you need any help, additional registrations, scores posted please contact Paul and the best route is Team Support. 

Well, I did promise a couple of weeks ago to update news from week 11 and also a review of the season at the halfway point and unfortunately I failed on both counts! So apologies, but I guess my posts don’t really create a big readership following so maybe it’s not too bad!!

Here goes then with a recap of week 11 highlights and also of the 12 games that were played last week which means that an awful lot of games have or need to be arranged before the league season closes which now will be officially on September 2nd which coincides with the planned date for the team 3’s and 4’s competitions.

Week 11

Let’s first look back a couple of weeks to the games that were played on July 8th. There were some good collective team performances, lots of double figure totals and, maybe with the continuing good weather, that’s helping the overall dolls count!

Berinsfield SC A had another fine win 4-2 against Stanford in the Vale FC with good contributions of 11 dolls from both Secretary Geoff Lee and Captain Tony Beechers. Richard Jones looked on course to double figures as well, but followed his second leg 6 with a “blob”.

The Plum Pudding also had a welcome 5-1 win at home to the College Oak. Paul Leach with his best of the season 10 dolls, a doll count shared by Terry Downes. Croft Nomads had their best night of the season emerging 4-2 winners over A Section leaders Steventon Sports SC A. Skipper Steve Enock hit his third successive double figure score with an impressive 13 dolls and Chris Jenkins, Barry Townsend and Tosh Woolloff all added 10 apiece as Croft scored 70 dolls on the night for only the second time this season. For Stivie Scott Humphries with 11 and Nick Baldwin with 10 helped the visitors to gain 2 points to maintain their A section leadership.

Abingdon Con Club were 4-2 winners at The Wheatsheaf who, whilst finding their elevation to the top sections tough, are both great hosts and clearly enjoying their Aunt Sally. Phil Adams was a “sixer” so is clearly well on the way back to his best after 2 bouts of surgery already this season. Dave Dix was once again Con Club’s leading scorer with 10 dolls. Ian Rogers top scored for The Red Lion with 10 as they overcame Abingdon United A 4-2 for whom Jason Bowler also top scored with 10.

Other notable individual scores in week 11 games came from Dan Hamilton in The Vine’s 6-0 win against the Fleur de Lys B, Mick Whiskin and Derrick Brown for The Wads Bar A as they beat The Croft Bar all manged 10 dolls each in the B section.

Week 12

Last week only 12 of the 30 matches were played but those 12 games produced some notable performances Phil Soden hit his first maximum of the season of the season for the College Oak as they enjoyed a rare 6 point maximum result against Abingdon United A. Dave Dix following his “disappointing ” 10 dolls the previous week went some way to redeeming himself and restoring his “average” with 15 dolls at Steventon Sports, unfortunately even 15 dolls were not enough to stop the home side edging home 4-2 on the night. Berinsfield maintained their top of the table form winning 6-0 at the Wheatsheaf with Stuart Wilson top scoring with 13 dolls ably assisted by Martin Rawlings and Richard Jones with 11 apiece.

Some individual scores to note as well and one of which may be a “first” when Gary Kaveaney hit a first leg 6 and just missed 13 dolls in the G section helping The Old Anchor to a 6-0 victory over The Black Horse B. Other double digit scores in last weeks limited programme were Colin Brind for Steventon Sports A, the aforementioned Phil Soden for the College Oak A, Stephen J Fisher for the Royal Oak. Last week also saw The Fox, Denchworth enjoy their fiirst win of the season. Also a mention for David Brown of The Plough, John Mackay with 11 dolls each for their sides and for Mr RAL SC Joe Moxon who managed to score 9. These were some of the highspots last week, but The White Hart B and The Ladygrove in section E might point out that their 23 dolls over 3 legs which secured 6 points in the G section for the White Hart B against the Horse & Jockey and, for the Ladygrove their aggregate 26 dolls saw them home 4-2 against The George in the F section were indeed “highspots” at least for them. 

I guess the rest of us, instead of enjoying a leisurely game of Aunt Sally last Wednesday we were sat in front of a TV somewhere getting angrier and more frustrated watching a performance by England which, for the last 30 minutes, looked about as lacking in passion and ability some of our very worst Aunt Sally performances!!

League Overview

So how are the leagues looking with just a third of the season remaining?

In the G section The Seven Stars top the table with The Old Anchor and Oxford RFC level on points as they vie for second place. The Brewery Tap are 7 points clear heading the F section and in the E section it is tight between Challow & Childrey CC and Hanney RBL separated by only 2 points. The Fox, Boars Hill top the D section again pulling clear of The Earl of Abingdon A following their win over The Earl last week.

Grove RFC an The Earl of Abingdon B look to be well clear in the C section, but the B section sees just 1 point separating near neighbours The Vine and WADS Bar A. Steventon Sports SC A continue to “boss” section A with a 6 point advantage over second placed College Oak A wo have climbed above The Red Lion A who still have a game in hand.

Berinsfield are 3 points clear of Abingdon Con Club in the Premiership helped by the 6-0 win last week and with their doll count boosted with a 77 aggregate total from the 3 legs played.

Looking at individual stats (don’t forget though it’s a team game!), Dave Dix, not surprisingly leads the way with 139 dolls at an average of 4.2. Paul Barrett, Richard Jones and Stuart Wilson have all reached 3 figures in terms of dolls scored and average over 3 dolls also with a 3+ average are Colin Brind and Dean Bowler who both play in the A section. This week there are another 10 or more players who, with a good week, will reach 3 figures in terms of dolls scored and some of those will also have the opportunity to take their average beyond 3 for the season.

Top dollers in the other sections are

B Dan Hamilton, The Vine 87

C Andrew Wilson,  The Plough,  66

D John Mackay,  WADS Bar B  70  

E John Gould,  Red Lion 53

F Ian Kelly, The George 51

G Ben Green  The Seven Stars 79

Last week heralded the start of the second half of the season and the return fixtures from week 1.

Looking first at the Premier and A sections Abingdon Conservative Club exacted revenge when they entertained The Red Lion who had been 6-0 victors on the opening day of the season at the Lion. This time it was a 5-1 win for the Con Club with their irrepressible skipper Dave Dix leading the way with another 14 dolls including yet another maximum, Paul Barrett and Phil Adams each added 10. Jumbo Mott of Abingdon United was another player hitting a maximum 6 doll leg and 14 in total, but his contribution was not enough to save United as they went down 5-1 at home to Stanford in the Vale FC who are enjoying a good season. For the football club Rob Glen hit 10 dolls and was ably assisted by Will Glen and Darryl Kitchen’s contribution of 8 dolls each, Jason Bowler and Steve Martin hit 8 dolls for United.

The return match at the Croft between next door neighbours College Oak provided a repeat result to the opening night, a 4-2 win for the Nomads with Captain Steve Enock top scoring with 12 dolls and Oak skipper Phil Soden almost matching that with 11 dolls of his own. Plum Pudding, strengthened by the recent return to the team of Kevin Davies who, together with Terry Downes hit 9 dolls, had a welcome 4-2 win at Berinsfield.

In the B section leaders The Vine fell to a 4-2 defeat against Abingdon RBL in a fairly low scoring match, Paul Ealey providing 9 dolls to help the Legion to victory. WADS Bar A continued their good form and Gareth Brown’s 11 dolls were his best of the season as they defeated The Fleur de Lys 4-2. Mark McCutchen’s 10 dolls helped The Bear & Ragged staff to a maximum 6 points over the Croft Bar and The Plough, West Hanney overcame The Royal Oak 5-1

The Earl of Abingdon prospered thanks to some low scoring by their visitors The Bell in the C section, the Bell only mustering 29 dolls over 3 legs which helped the home side who only scored 34 dolls themselves in a 5-1 win. The C section also saw wins for Marcham Centre A 6-0 against a below par Waggon & Horses and despite 10 dolls from Gary Duluz Pera Harwellian B were on the wrong end of a 5-1 scoreline against The Fleur A team.

The North Star are starting to find their “feet” on their return “home” winning 6-0 their first maximum points of the season against Long Wittenham AC. The D section saw 6-0 wins also for The Prince of Wales and for The Earl of Abingdon whose 2 sides completed an aggregate score of 12-0 against the Bell on the night. Mickey Neal top scoring for the Earl with 11 dolls. The Fox returned to winning ways after their first defeat of the season in week 9, they were 4-2 winners against near neighbours WADS B and both skippers Steve Fernback and John Mackay led the way for their teams with 9 dolls each. College Oak B won 4-2 against the Black Horse A.

The E section there were 4-2 wins for Challow & Childrey CC, The Crown Marcham A and a 6-0 win for the Eight Bells.

Marcham Centre B and the Brewery Tap both enjoyed 6-0 wins and to cap a good night for the village the Crown A had a 5-1 win against the George.

The G section produced some interesting results and scorelines as the battle for the leadership between Oxford RFC and The Seven Stars continues. The Rugby Club were 6-0 victors against The Plough Appleton in a match, which in 6 legs produced only 30 scoring dolls, I think that’s an average of 5 dolls a leg each, but even better (or worse really) was the match between The Black Horse B and The Horse & Jockey which produced only 26 dolls on the night, but at least that game ended in a share of the points 3 a piece!

To redeem the G section though The Red Lion Northmoor emerged 4-2 winners against visitors The Black Swan and the The Old Anchor, doing well to date on their return to the Aunt Sally “family” this season succumbed to a 6-0 loss on their trip to Marsh Baldon with The Seven Stars 3 legs collectively hitting a very impressive 64 dolls!

Now to take a quick look at the league tables, of the 8 sections in the Premier and A and B sections only 1 point separates the top 2, in the C section Earl of Abingdon hold a 4 point advantage over Hanney RBL who have a game in hand; The Earl also lead the D section, but just by 1 point. The Brewery Tap are well clear in the F section at the moment, In the E section top spot is shared by Challow & Childrey CC and Hanney RBL both with 30 points and the G section sees Grove RFC and The seven Stars level on 43 points each.

So with just 7 or 8 league matches to go and a few re-arranged matches still to play it promises to be a close call as we head further into the season and remember where teams finish level on points at the end of the season it may will be dolls scored that decide final position.