This category is for the newsletter posts – as these are automatically emailed out to mailing list subscribers, it should only be used for important announcements and updates.
We now have 59 teams over 44 venues in the Abingdon & District Aunt Sally League so do check out the Aunt Sally Venues map to familiarise yourselves if the new team/venue is in your section when we finish entering the teams this week.
You’ll find the Venues map under the Scores,Results and Rankings menu.
We are still the biggest league in the county (and arguably The World!).
You know it’s good when you hear the wood!
Tuesday last week the committee met to do the draw for the 8s knockout handicap competition.
13 teams entered the fray for the 8s and that means 5 preliminary rounds and then into the quarter finals.
8’s Competition Draw: Handicaps in (brackets) 2 dolls per section (Prem/A count as 1 section)
Preliminaries: To be played on Wednesday 30th April
1. Challow & Childrey CC (8) vs Abingdon Conservative Club
2. Steventon Sports B (6) vs Plum Pudding
3. Croft Nomads vs The Bell Grove A (2)
4. The Bell Grove B (2) vs Harwellian B
5. Abingdon Utd C (2) vs Berinsfield SC A
Round 1 (to be arranged by teams before end June)
Many thanks to those teams and venues supporting this competition and Good Dolls!
Don’t forget the other competitions including BC and DEF sections’ own Pairs competitions are all there to be signed on for before 15th June.
Finals Night for the Winter league was last Wednesday and the photos are now available online.
See https://abingdonauntsally.com/photos/winter-league/
At this year’s AGM, we were thrilled to announce, with the support of our sponsor Thames Cables, a series of new competitions designed to encourage participation from all sections, especially the lower ones. We’ve also moved some competitions to Thursday evenings to better accommodate everyone’s schedules.
You’ve already registered for the Handicap 8’s Knockout, with the first game kicking off on Wednesday, April 30th. League games will begin on May 7th.
But wait, there’s more! Now it’s time to get your entries in for the Singles, Pairs (open to all), 3’s, 4’s, and 5’s competitions by June 15th.
Exciting News! This year, sections B&C and D-F have their own FREE PAIRS COMPETITION with prize money of £50 for the winners and £25 for the runners-up in each group.
This is a fantastic opportunity for sections B&C and D-F to get comfortable with competition play. There’s no better way to improve your skills, enjoy the thrill of competition, and have a shot at prize money and Aunt Sally glory!
So, come on, everyone in the league—get your entries in now! You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Entry forms are available on the home page of the website and must be submitted by June 15th.
I hope this version helps to motivate more players to join in! Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to adjust.
At Abingdon Conservative Club
Aunt Sally Singles, £5 per player, 5 legs, who ever gets the highest score
wins the Barrington Parker Trophy
All Money raised goes to Sobell House Hospice
Registration at 1.30pm to pay your fiver and Aunt Sally to start at 2pm
Come and enjoy a day of Aunt Sally and remembering one of the greatest Aunt Sally players.
This event has been organised by Barry’s team mates raising money for
Sobell House Hospice a local charity that provides compassionate care to people in Oxfordshire
facing life-limiting illness, and support to their family and friends.
Just a reminder that Registration Night for both the Summer League and Team 8’s Competition will take place next Monday.
Registration fee per team is £45 (up to 15 registered players) and the registration forms should be completed and available on Monday for registration. All teams are advised to keep a copy of the forms for their own records (no photocopying facilities will be available at the venue). If more than 15 players are registered the additional cost is £1 per player.
All registered players will be eligible to play in the 8’s handicap knockout competition for which the entry fee is £8 and as the Competition gets underway before the league season entries need to made and paid for next Monday. The first round of this competition will be scheduled for Wednesday 30th April.
Unfortunately, we cannot process digital payments, so fees need to be paid in cash or by cheque on the night. Cheques should be made payable to Abingdon & District Aunt Sally League. Receipts will be given if required.
On Monday it will also be possible to order equipment including sticks, dolls, swivels and irons which will then be collected and delivered before the start of the season. Payment, cash or cheque, will need to be made, ideally upon ordering or alternatively on delivery.
KIT PRICES
Arrangements for all other team and individual Competitions entries, complete with entry forms and dates will be included in the team Captains/Secretaries Summer 2025 packs which will be compiled and distributed once the league formations are sorted. The forms will also be available on the website, together with closing dates for entry, fees (where appropriate), dates, times and venues for all competitions.
It is expected that these packs, which will include section formations, fixture lists and match cards will be available and distributed mid April.
The League season will start on Wednesday 7th May.
Once again the Abingdon & District Aunt Sally League has been invited to take part in the annual Banbury Interleague 8’s Knockout competition. Last year, as the first year entered we had a baptism of fire, not least because Banbury rules state the doll is a further 6 inches away – 30ft to doll, not to iron like AASL and most other leagues.
So we are up for a challenge once again so if you want to take part do get in touch with Paul Stone or via chairman@ email address to express interest. Of course we’ll need to coordinate travel arrangements as soon as we can so it might be best if you bring some good players with you!
Last year we needed to be in Banbury for 7pm start and with travel it was a long night so be prepared for that, expecially if we get to the final!
Let’s hope we can show Banbury and the other leagues we still can hold our own.
Paul Stone
Chairman
It is confirmed that Barry’s wake following his funeral on the 28th February will be held at The Earl of Abingdon bar on the corner of Ock Street and Stratton Way Abingdon.
Barry’s funeral will take place on Friday 28th February at 12noon.
The service will be at St Michael & All Angels Church, Park Road, Abingdon and will be followed by a burial at Spring Road Cemetery, Abingdon.
We are sure that there will many attendees not just from the Aunt Sally Community, but also from Barry’s many friends, and from his golfing and cricketing colleagues, two sports which Barry also demonstrated considerable proficiency and enjoyed much success during his life.
We are sure that Barry will, after much suffering, bravely borne, over a long period, appreciate, as will his family and friends, an appropriate send off in recognition of both his very life taken tragically too soon and his demonstrably long and successful sporting career.
Our President John Simmons passed a recording to me last night of the 1994 Finals Night. He got it transferred from a VHS tape.
There’s 2.5 hours of footage using a mirror setup so you can see both the player and the doll so the players are reverse handed!
I can recognise a few of the players like Graham Barguss, Graham Brown and Alan ‘Titch’ Bell (to be fair I had to be told it was him as he had dark hair and a tasche!) so if you can name them please do so in the comments and note the time they appear so others can gawp! 🙂
Watch it on AuntSallyTV now !