Author Archive | Roger Nichols

Almost difficult to believe that he season is already into it’s 6th week, that means after this week’s coming fixtures we are already a third of the way through our league season!

So what happened in week 5? Unfortunately we saw our first forfeited game of the season in Section F when the Horse & Jockey B were unable to fulfil their fixture against fellow newcomers Fleur de Leys B which resulted in a 6-0 walkover for the home side. Thankfully the captain of the visitors who was abroad at the time let the Fleur know early in the day to avoid an unexpected “no show” on the night.

Another week without a 6 being recorded so that’s 4 out of 5 weeks without a maximum, very unusual, but to be fair Abingdon Unt/Con Club were without a game!

Lot’s of 5’s though  with both Dave Hudson and Jumbo Mott both hitting 5’s in their share of the points against Steventon Sports for whom Derek Fletcher not to be outdone for the second week by son Rich hit 10 dolls, but Rick still hit an impressive 9 dolls. Croft Nomads hit some good form with 3 players Ian Brook, Barry Townsend and Alan Bell all hitting 5’s, Alan doing it twice and he was the league’s top scorer last week with 14 dolls in total! Ian and Barry bot weighed in with 11 and 10 respectively.

In the 4 matches played in the Premier/A section last week Croft and The Vine both recorded  home wins and the other 2 matches both ended all square at 3 points apiece.  The doll count was interesting as in the Bystanders shared points with Steventon Sports both sides 9with handicaps) recorded 73 dolls, the Red Lion in their 3-3  result against the Plum Pudding totaled 72 dolls and the Croft hit 71 in their 3 legs. Over all of the 24 legs played 21 of them had scores off 20 or more!

Several double figure scores by individuals last week in addition to those mentioned above Jamie Smith hit 10 for the College Oak A, Robert Glen and Darren Kitchen both  hit 10 for Stanford in the Vale FC, Colin (Rover! Grimes anchored for the Boundary House with his 10 dolls, Tom Lach was also a double figure man for Abingdon Conservative Club and Roly Bunce hit 11 dolls including a 5 for The Chequers at Charney in their 4-2 win against Berinsfield SC B.

Should also mention the other  5’ers who were  Liam Brooks for The Bell B, Dave Harris for the Prince of Wales, Joe Moxon for the RAL SC, Robert Baker for the North Star B, Ed Wilkinson for The Plough, Hanney and Dan Foulks for the WADS Bar.

Ann early look at the players leading the doll average in each section at this stage of the season, Phil Adams and Dave Dix of Abingdon Utd/Con Club lead the way in the Premier with individual averages of 4.66 for Phil and 4 for Dave, in the A section Danny Hamilton leads the way averaging 3.07 and Andy Shipman of Harwellian B tops the average with 2.8  average per leg. Tom Lach heads the way in the c section at 2.83 and in the D section it is Roly Bunce of The Chequers who averages 2.67. Really good averages also in the E and F sections from Darren Bennett (2.5) and Robert Baker with a very impressive 2.92 for the North Star B. his is doll average not total dolls scored that will come later, but is there for all to see on the scores and results section of the website and is updated weekly as are the league tables.

Finally  a quick look at the league pacemakers in the F section Fleur de Leys lead the way after 5 straight victories including last week’s forfeited match, in the E section despite being unbeaten to date Wheatsheaf are in pursuit of leaders Steventon Sports B who have played a game more. The D section is led by Red Lion B who have won all 5 of their fixtures as have Abingdon Conservative Club who lead the C section and although the Croft Bar are the only unbeaten side in the B section they trail Stanford in the Vale FC on points and The Bell Grove A on doll difference which, for the first time could be crucial in the final standings in September! In the Premier last week’s 6-0 result puts Croft Nomads clear at the top, but Abingdon Utd/Con Club in second place have played a game less and thy have yet to play each other!

My final comment is a moan! We have still not received any more competition entries and if that position doesn’t change soon we will have a reduced number of competitions and some of our long standing ones will not be able to take place and the proposed new competitions for the lower sections just will not get off the ground and with so many teams playing this year that will be very disappointing so get your skates on and your entries in PLEASE!

Welcome to a review of week and some of the highlights of last Wednesday’s individual and team performances. Let’s start with a warm welcome to the first individual  maximum 6 dolls achieved last week not by 1 player, no,  not by 2 players but 3 players. Inevitably Dave Dix was one of those hitting a second leg 6 against the College Oak A side, Stuart Wilson also hit a second leg 6 against the Red Lion A side and the third player to hit a straight six (and possibly as good a six as you will see this season) was Ricky Fletcher playing his first game both in the Premier and for Steventon Sports. Certainly Ricky outshone his normally free scoring dad (Derek “Rod”)  on his debut to claim bragging rights in the Fletcher house! Not sure if the six saga has set any new records with the league waiting 19 legs across 6 sections before the first 6’s of the season and a player hitting a 6 on his debut not only to the Premier section, but also in the league!

Mentioning the achievement of these 3 all hitting 6’s came with a surprise that Stuart and Ricky were all on both on the  wrong side of their team’s result. Furthermore the honour of the  highest individual score of the night (and the season so far) was with Phil Adams who hit a magnificent three straight 5’s for Abingdon Utd/Con Club in their 4-2 win at the College Oak A. 

The aforementioned Ricky Fletcher together with Dave Sapey of Abingdon RBL both hit 12’s as did Darren Bennett playing for the Wheatsheaf, Didcot. Lots of 5’s scored again and plenty of players hit double figures with Terry Downes hitting 10 for the Plum Pudding, with the exception of Terry all of the Plum Pudding side relocated to Milton from The Hart at Harwell and the lower altitude since they moved down the hill certainly appears to their liking as they are unbeaten after 4 and top the A section!

Ady Bolton and Scott Tabor both recorded 10 dolls for the Red Lion Drayton A as they overcame Berinsfield A 6-0 in  a fixture switched to Berinsfield as the Red Lion was being refurbished last week. Danny Hamilton at the Vine was another 10 doll man as were the trio of Alan Bell, Ian Brook and Martin Robinson for Croft Nomads as they overcame Steventon Sports A 5-1. Other notable individual scores of 10 were hit by Billy Collett for The Plough, Wittenham in section B, by  Jason Greenaway for Berinsfield B in the D section against The Lamb A and  by Robert Baker for the North Star B

Other individual scores worth mentioning include the 4th successive 8 doll haul for The Grapes Mr consistent, Mick Brown. A 3rd successive 9 dolls for Andy Shipman for Harwellian B and individual leg scores of 5 apiece for Steve Enock, John Thomas, Phil Johnson and Rob Bartholomew.

Other things to mention this week congratulations to The Horse and Jockey B team who registered their first points of the season (and the first for their pub as the A team are still seeking their first points ) on their debut both to the league and for most of their players to the game! Fleur de Leys B are going strong in the F section, another new team, who have certainly started in style with 4 straight wins!

Just worth looking at the highest and lowest leg scores from each section last week and in the case of the Premier/A section this doesn’t include the handicap leg. I am not naming the teams as that is largely irrelevant and only reflects the highest and lowest leg s not a 3 leg average. It is intended only to see how the sections (for 1 week and 1 leg only) are looking in terms of competitiveness. It means nothing, but is interesting to keep an eye on through the season.

                                                                    Highest                                            Lowest

Premier/A section                                        26                                                    13

B section                                                         17                                                      6

C section                                                         19                                                       7

D section                                                         16                                                       7

E section                                                         15                                                       4

F section                                                         14                                                        2

In a few weeks time  we will have another look at these statistics but based on a 3 leg average and over a number of weeks to see how it looks.

That’s about it for this week folks, but just a reminder that the Competitions scheduled originally for next Sunday have been postponed. More disappointingly, we have still not received any additional entries nor have we received any entries at all  for the B section and below competitions yet and we are now into June. So come on, get those entries in let’s make our Competitions which are part of our 60+ years history remain an integral part of our season…………otherwise presentation night in October will not be the same! 

Finally, I haven’t noticed a rush of requests from the B,C, D, E and F sections to become volunteer representatives for their sections, it really won’t be too onerous, but it will ensure that all teams have an opportunity to have a voice on how the league is run and what we could do to make it better for the 400+ of us who play every week!

Have a good week and let’s hope the promise of warmer weather on it’s way this week includes Wednesday evening!!

We are now all finding our way in the Summer season after 3 weeks and the early league positions are, in some cases looking a little predictable but across the 6 sections with 56 teams in total only 7 teams remain unbeaten!

Individually we are still awaiting our first  6 of the season I am not sure that this isn’t a first for the league having to wait 4 weeks for the first leg maximum! There were again last week plenty of 5 dolls scored with 11 players falling just 1 doll short of recording the magic 6 against their name! Overall top scorer of the night was Phil Adams from Abingdon Utd@Con Club. Phil hit 12 dolls against Red Lion A and was well supported by teammate Leigh Clapton who weighed in with 11 dolls. Their contribution proved not to be enough though as they went down to their first defeat of the season 4-2 without the missing pair of Dave Dix and Scott Humphries.

Also in the Premier Croft Nomads were way off the pace losing 5-1  at home to The Plum Pudding. Barry Townsend was one of the players who hit a 5 score in the 3rd leg for the Croft  which they salvaged their 1 point from the third leg but the Crofts disappointing first 2 legs scores of 13 and 14 respectively was easily reached by the Plum who recorded their 3rd consecutive win to head section A impressively.

College Oak recorded their first win defeating Berinsfield 4-2 and the Bystander A also recorded their opening victory defeating The Vine Cumnor who had, in their opening 2 games shared the spoils with 3-3 draws so the loss means they  are still seeking  their first win of the season!

To date no team has a maximum haul of points from their first 3 games. Some sides are certainly showing the way, in the F section newcomers Fleur de Leys B have already amassed 16 points out of a possible 18 to lead the way whilst fellow newcomers Horse & Jockey with 2 teams in the E and F sections are both still searching searching for their first points. Time to, as the pub name suggests, get back and land a horse! The Plough Appleton may have set an unwanted record in their match against Fleur de Leys B when they recorded 17 blobs from 24 throws, guess that’s a record no side wants to challenge!

In the E section Marcham Centre A, also newcomers this season lead the way at the moment. The D section is certainly proving to be pretty competitive with 3 teams contesting the top spot all with 3 unbeaten games and only 5 dolls between them so very tight so far between Red Lion B, The Midget and College Oak B. Incidentally the 5 games in that section last week all ended with 6-0 results.

In the C section Abingdon Con Club for whom Mickey Neal hit a 5 last week lead the way and have 16 out of a possible 18 points and in the B section it is Stanford in the Vale FC who have alternated between the A and B sections in the last few seasons currently topping the table.

The surprise packet in the A section are the Plum Pudding which is largely the side who relocated from The Hart at Harwell initially closed earlier in the year. As well as hitting the equal highest leg score they top the table with 13 p0ints ahead of the Red Lion A who have only played two games to date. 

Not surprisingly in the Premier Abingdon Utd/Con Club despite their first defeat of the season last week are still top dogs with 10 points, but with the handicap system it remains very tight in both the Premier and A sections which the handicap system is intended for!

Overall last week 12 of the 26 matches resulted in 4-2 scorelines, 9 in comprehensive 6-0’s, 2 ended 5-1 and 3 resulted in both teams sharing the points 3 apiece.

Some months ago (at the 2024 AGM we raised the idea of having representatives from each of the sections to make sure that we, the Committee, could listen to the views, ideas and comment and criticism from those teams in the lower sections including all those new to the league who are not represented on the Committee and therefore may have things to say or do without the opportunity to get those opinions heard.

Section representatives are not necessarily formal roles. We know that every Wednesday there are conversations taking place  in many pubs and clubs over a beer or two at what the league could do differently, improve or just making suggestions to be considered. If we don’t have representation from each of the sections we probably don’t even know what, if any, players are thinking!

Section representatives are just intended to be sounding boards for the other teams and individuals in their section. Not elected nor needing to become committee members (unless they want to be!!)  they are just the eyes and ears of ideas as to what could be done to make our league better!

We often talk about the traditions of our game, but it is equally important that we seek to improve it,  to make it more relevant to a younger generation, expand our reach to a wider population, to find ways of making it more fun, but all the while still recognising the history, the traditions and the commitment of all the people who laid the foundations all those years ago and ensuring that our game is still both attractive and inviting to newcomers.

If you are even a little bit interested in becoming a section representative just let any of the committee know and we will be delighted to have you on board!

Well week 2 fixtures certainly provided some excellent performances for some and some not so good performances for others!

Let’s start with the search for that elusive first maximum throw of the season…………well after 2 weeks we are still waiting for  the first 6 of the season to be recorded. Plenty of players getting close with 8 players scoring 5’s and Dave Dix actually hit two 5’s in recording the best 3 leg total of 13 dolls in Abingdon Utd/Con Club’s 3-3 draw with The Vine Cumnor who shared the spoils for the second successive week. Other players hitting 5 dolls on the night were Mick Samways for the Plum Pidding (I won’t mention his 3 leg total score!), Kevin Billington and Dean Bowler both for the  Red Lion A Dean actually hit 11 dolls overall, Pat Wiltshire, for the Bell Grove A, Luke Dewar for the Grapes A Andrew Farrant  hit a 5 for the Eight Bells at Eaton in the same match , but his efforts didn’t help his side as they went down 6-0. Caroline Baker also contributed a 5 doll leg for the Red Lion B in her 10 doll total on the night.

There were plenty of double figure scores recorded with Scott Humphries and Leigh Clapton hitting 10 apiece to support Dave Dix’s 13 for Abingdon Utd/Con Club for their hosts The Vine Danny Hamilton also hit 10 dolls. Elsewhere in the Premier Dave Hudson making his first appearance of the season hit 10 dolls as did Colin Brin for Steventon Sports, Ian  Brook top scored for Croft Nomads with 11 dolls in their 4-2 win at  near neighbours College Oak A for whom skipper Phil Soden also scored 10, Karl Ford hit 10 dolls for the Boundary House as they got their campaign underway in some style with their maximum points win at the Eight Bells.

It would be remis of me not to mention 2 very special leg scores by Section A sides College Oak A and Plum Pudding who both recorded 32 doll leg scores in their matches against Croft Nomads and the Bystander A. I know these scores included their handicap. but excluding those they still managed “real doll” scores of 25 and 26 which is remarkable when they started the season with 2023 team averages of  less than 17 dolls!  Great contribution from all of the team in both cases!

And now for a score at the other end of the range!  The Croft Bar entertained  Abingdon RBL and whilst they assure me they won the beer leg in the second leg of the match (which they lost 4-2) they managed only 4 dolls! With a team that consistently performs well in the B section that was more than a little surprising !!

Looking overall at the results after just 2 weeks it is interesting to not that no team in the Premier, A, B, C, and D sections have maximum points from their 2 games so if that trend continues it promises to be an interesting season in all of the sections. Some of the new teams with many new players are still finding their feet (and scoring throws!), but I am sure that they will soon start scoring well and winning games, but most of all enjoying their Wednesday night’s Aunt Sally experience.  Newcomers Fleur de Leys B in the F section are the exception as they are off to a flying start  with 2  6-0 wins already under their belts!

Finally this week can I thank everyone for getting their match score cards recorded so promptly. All  cores were online by lunchtime Friday and that’s great. We know some people have difficulty getting online so bear with us while we sort that and until we do it’s OK to send photo’s of match cards please to either myself or Paul Stone and we will ensure that they get entered. One plea though on match cards please proper names, not nicknames. That’s fine for the scoreboard but match cards we need to make sure we know who’s who if we have to enter and whilst I can sometimes work out from the surnames I did struggle last week to find out who Monkey really was!

Have a great week!

The league season got underway on what was a most welcome fine and warm Wednesday last week! This season sees a very welcome 56 teams competing in the 6 sections, an increase of 4 teams overall on 2023.

We welcome 6 new teams to our league from the Horse & Jockey at Stanford in the Vale with 2 teams , Grove Rugby Club,  The WADS bar at Wootton, another additional team from the Fleur de Leys at East Hagbourne and 2 teams from the Marcham Centre. Unfortunately we have lost the Wheatsheaf Drayton, the Black Horse Hanney, the Plum Pudding and one of the Brewery Tap teams from 2023. 

Fortunately despite a number of hostelries closing who have hosted Aunt Sally in previous seasons sides from many of those have found a new home. The Fox at Boars Hill will play at the Bystander whose B side from 2023 have returned to their former home at the Waggon & Horses Southmoor, the 2 sides from the Abingdon Arms in Wantage have found new homes at the Bell Grove and The Lamb Wantage who have also welcomed the team formerly at the Black Horse Hanney and the team from the Hart at Harwell have moved a couple of miles down the road to a new home at the Plum Pudding in Milton where they have been joined by one of the stalwarts of our league Terry Downes.

There has been quite a lot of player movements as well largely as a result of the Plum Pudding not retaining a Premier section side for 2024. The good new is that almost all of their side from 2023 have found new teams primarily at Abingdon United/Con Club, Croft Nomads and Abingdon RBL. So we may have lost a very good team, but we have retained several very good players some of whom made very good performances in their first league appearances for their new sides last week. 

I should also mention that we are delighted to see The Plough Appleton return to the Aunt Sally family this year.

So, in summary although we failed to reach our very ambitious stretch target of 60 teams for 2024 we are delighted to welcome so many new and returning teams, relocating teams and many, many new players to our game. We hope you enjoy it and stay with us for many seasons! It’s great to see that Aunt Sally is still alive and kicking and supporting not only our game, but most importantly so many of the  pubs and clubs in our communities.

So onto the week 1 review of results and individual performances. let’s start by looking at the overall results. in the Premier/A section Abingdon Utd champions for several seasons got off to a flying start defeating the Bystander A 5-1 with new recruit Phil Adams hitting the top individual score of the night with 14 dolls, ahead of team mates Dave Dix who hit 13 dolls and another new recruit Ken Fisher who also contributed 10 dolls to the cause! There were wins also in the Premier/A section for Steventon Sports A 4 -2 against newly promoted College Oak A, Plum Pudding against Berinsfield A and the Vine and Croft Nomads shared the spoils with a 3 apiece draw. 

Elsewhere there were many good individual performances, but no magical 6’s! In the premier?A section both Ian Brook with 11 and Alan Bell with 10 dolls started their season in good form as did Alec Chamberlain with his 10 dolls for Berinsfield A and Terry Downes playing for the “new” Plum Pudding helped them off to a winning start with 11 dolls at the College Oak. In the C section Rod Dorian scored 10 dolls for the Royal Oak and just down the road also  in Didcot Simon Armstrong matched that score for the Queens Arms in the D section both sides winning their matches against the Prince of Wales Shippon and The Chequers, Charney 6-0.

Other winners on the first night were Stanford In the vale FC.Abingdon RBL, The Bell Grove A, The Fox Denchworth and The Croft Bar in the B section. The Bell Grove B together with The Grapes A, Abingdon Conservative Club were winners in section C, REd Lion B, College Oak B, The Midget and the Brewery Tap got off to winning starts in the D section and in the E section newcomers Fleur de Leys B and the  WADS Bar were both winners on the night together with Sutton Courtenay FC and The Bystander C.

A great start to the season which is always great to see and with over 200 players playing Aunt Sally in 27 different venues last Wednesday providing a boost for our pubs and clubs which form such an essential part of our community