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Week 13 Round up and bits and bobs

By Roger Nichols on 9th August 2023 in Newsletter

Well here we are week 14 already only 5 weeks left of the Summer 2023 league season! Unbelievable that we are already into the second week of August!

Before I start last week’s league round up just a few important things to note. Firstly The Red Lion, Drayton closed last week leaving both their Aunt Sally teams, at least temporarily, homeless!

The A side have been able to take immediate steps to play their remaining home fixtures just down the road at The Wheatsheaf starting with tonight’s game against The Hart , Harwell. Scheduled games against both The Bystander and The Vine will also take place at the Wheatsheaf. Fortunately the Wheatsheaf team have no scheduled home games so the arrangement works perfectly.

The Red Lion B side have 2 remaining home matches and hopefully these can be re-arranged at a convenient and available alternative venue or maybe played as away matches. We will liaise with their secretary to see how we can help them to complete their scheduled home fixtures on the 16th and 30th August.

Thanks again to all who entered and supported the Competitions last Sunday and the earlier Competitions held in June. Both days were successful and we are now down to the finalists in all of the Competitions with the exception of the 8’s where I think, the semi final between The Bell Grove and Abingdon Con Club is still outstanding. The winners of that tie will meet Abingdon Utd/Con Club in the final on Wednesday 13th September at Abingdon United.

We know that holding Competitions on Sunday is not universally popular, but the Committee made those who attended the AGM aware of our plans and the decision was voted upon at the AGM back in the Spring. What was good to see is that our President John Simmons together with one of his former team mates John Gapper took time out to come along and watch for much of the afternoon and share some banter with many of those playing. Thanks to everyone for their support and participation on the day.

Before next year’s AGM we will once again look at the future of all of our Competitions, the options and how best to organise them so we try to ensure maximum participation and more importantly, to find out how we attract as many entries from all sections rather than just from the Premier and A section. We want all the Competitions to be more inclusive, but we also need them to be manageable to administer! We will ask all clubs and teams for their views and put the responses to the AGM early in 2024.

Well back to last weeks highlights and lowlights!

Firstly, congratulations to the Plum Pudding who (without the assistance of any handicap) hit 30 dolls in the 3rd leg against Steventon Sports A, who themselves recorded 30 dolls in the second leg of that match. Stevie did have the advantage of a 4 plus handicap in their 30! Plum’s total of 30 was even more remarkable in that it included a blob!

Leg scores were Plum 26,25 and 30, Stevie 27 30 19 so despite Plum having 6 players hitting double figures they still lost 4-2. Individual highlights were Phil Adams including a 6 in his total of 14, Dave Butler scoring 12 , Tosh Wooloff and Barry Townsend 11 apiece and Terry Downes 10.

For Steventon Colin Brind also included a 6 in registering 12 dolls, but he was outscored by Derek (Rod) Fletcher who top scored with 13 dolls for the visitors. I might be mistaken, but I think that game featured the highest number of dolls scored in any game this season so far, so it is worthy of a special mention!

Premier section leaders Abingdon Utd/Con Club like second placed Steventon Sports were also victors 4-2 at home to the Bystander A and Dave Dix was another “sixer” he hit 14 dolls and with Darren Holmes hitting 13 and Scott Humphries 10 to maintain their position as likely title favourites. For Bystander Duncan Taylor hit a season’s best with 12 dolls and Mickey Phillips also hit a season’s best score with 11 dolls.

Steve Enock also hit his best of the season and shared the top dolls score of the night with 14 dolls, well supported by Alan Bell with 10 dolls in Croft Nomads 6-0 home win against Red Lion A who not only are now homeless, but after 3 successive 6-0 victories earlier in the season that enabled them to lead section A have now fallen to 5 successive defeats and to third place in the table.

Elsewhere double digit scores were recorded by Roger Lee of The Hart Harwell, Stewart Towlerton and Darren Sargison of the Fleur de Leys and Abingdon United’s C Captain and music maestro Matt Ashmall in Section B.

In section B College Oak A have gone 7 games unbeaten and now lead the section hotly pursued by the Fleur de Leys. Another side on a good run is Bystander B in Section D who have recorded 4 successive wins.

It still is all very open in terms of who are going to be top dogs and runners up in each of the sections with very little , in terms of points separating several teams at the moment and with 5 games to play in the Premier/A section and 3 to play in the other sections there will, I am sure, be more changes at the top and bottom before the end of the season.

Well that’s about it for another week other than to say it looks like the deluge of a couple of weeks ago seems to be behind us and we can look forward to a warm and dry evening tonight.

Mentioning the rain on July 26th I notice that there are a few results are outstanding from that week, together with a couple from last week so I will be chasing those in the next few days so that we can keep all of our individual and team tables up to date.

Competition Sunday Part 2

By Paul Stone on 8th August 2023 in Competition News, Newsletter, Summer League Reports

With the threat of a shower (or 2 in reality) most of Sunday was fine and not plagued like the previous competition event with a gusty side wind. The sun did shine and at times that doll was very bright when the clouds cleared!

We had 15 pairs entered, 6 Captains, 6 Secretaries, and 27 Singles. Kicking off with the pairs draw at 1pm we actually finished playing around 7.30pm not bad for 48 matches on one pitch. A shower caused a slight pause twice.

A special thank you to all entrants for both their participation and patience as the afternoon developed into quite a long, but for most I think and enjoyable one! We know that Sundays are not ideal for many so entries may be affected, but those who did enter seemed to enjoy the afternoon and the standard of play, the sportsmanship and the banter and humour was, as usual, evident of the way our game is so popular.

You may know that in the Summer League Competition rules if a leg is drawn we play 3 sticks then if that’s drawn 1 stick then back to a 6 stick leg and repeat until someone wins. (In the Winter league if the match is still a draw AFTER 3 legs then the 3 stick rule is applied – it means it’s less variable in match time). Well, we had quite a few games which would have seen a bookie getting nervous for the favourite and the committee were starting to worry we were going to be playing until sunset! Roy Taylor’s singles game against Dave Butler was one of those – we’d asked Roy to have a go to help even up the numbers and it turned into a tense crowd pleaser! To be honest this is one of the most exciting aspects of the knock out competitions and it almost doesn’t matter how good or bad a player you are because everyone can have a bad day and succumb to the match nerves.

We had a couple of 5’s notably when Terry Downes set a 5 and Barry Parker hit a 6 in response! (the only maximum of the afternoon) I had warmed Barry up in the previous round by going to 3 sticks etc – I’m sure he was toying with me! Unfortunately it wasn’t Barry’s day and Terry bested him in the later legs only to go out himself against Steve Enock. This is why we love the competitions. You need to put in your best performance but its easy to go astray under the pressure.

Unfortunately in all the excitement (you had to be there) we didn’t record all the leg scores so you’ll have to make do with the images attached which show the final placings and who played who. You’ll have to ask the players how they got on and what were their memorable moments. It was good to see a few new faces too from Berinsfield, two of which got through to the pairs and secretaries – just proving you don’t have to be Premier to have a chance in the competitions.

Once again I need to thank Brian Clapton for preparing the dolls etc, our Doll Secretary Roger Nichols for making it back from holiday to join us with the lists of entrants and for Claire Foster with the PA equipment and doing all the recording of matches and Roy Taylor (for being the extra pair of hands you always need). A special mention is due to Matt Ashmall who liaised with the bar staff to put on some sandwiches and suggested using the 2nd pitch portable scoreboard.

Congratulations to all of those who came through the afternoon to earn their place either on Finals night or in the case of the Pairs and Singles competitions on Presentation Night.

So the Finalists for Finals Night on Wednesday 13th September at Abingdon United FC :-

Captains – Mike Greenaway vs Dave Sapey

Secretaries – Bob Duff vs Martin Rawlings

For Presentation Night on Friday 3rd November at Abingdon United FC where we play the semi finals and finals:

Pairs -Tony Beecher & Martin Rawlings, Paul Longford & Dave Butler, Ken Fisher & Phil Adams, Scott Humphries & Leigh Clapton.

Singles – Phil Adams, Leigh Clapton, Steve Enock, Paul Longford.

2023 Competition results

To enlarge the images

Click on the image to view then at to top right click on the 4 way arrow to enlarge full size.
Click on the X at bottom right to close – you’ll have to scroll if you’ve enlarged the image.

2023 Pairs

2023 Secretaries

2023 Captains

2023 Singles

Week 12 Roundup

By Paul Stone on 31st July 2023 in Newsletter, Summer League Reports

Well, that was a wet one. I think we’ve been lucky that this was the first really wet Wednesday of the season. Ask any seasoned player and they’ll tell you a time that it was raining even harder etc. It’s all part of the charm of this game we love. And it definitely affected some players scores, I find it’s a great leveller for the teams ! And yet there are other players who can just hit dolls in the rain just the same as the dry.

So this is reflected in that there were NO SIXERS this week and more blobbers, 10 to be precise, including myself! I’ll have a rest next week Captain Roger! Sometimes trying harder doesn’t help in this game.

So the total player scores maxed out at 12 dolls and those worth a mention with double digit scores are:-

12 Barry Townsend 2-5-5 (Plum Pudding) – Week 12
12 David Dix 4-5-3 (Abingdon United @Con Club) – Week 12
11 Leigh Clapton 4-5-2 (Abingdon United @Con Club) – Week 12
11 Mick Christopher 2-5-4 (The Grapes B) – Week 12
10 Dean Bowler 3-3-4 (Red Lion A) – Week 12
10 Derek Fletcher 3-4-3 (Steventon Sports A) – Week 12
10 Kenny Moore 4-3-3 (The Brewery Tap B) – Week 12
10 Mark Brind 4-4-2 (Hanney Plough A (W.Hanney)) – Week 12
10 Martin Rawlings 3-3-4 (Berinsfield B/C) – Week 12
10 Martin Robinson 4-4-2 (Croft Nomads) – Week 12
10 Michael Jarvis 4-3-3 (Steventon Sports A) – Week 12
10 Scott Humphries 4-4-2 (Abingdon United @Con Club) – Week 12

You see what I mean by those that can play in the rain, Barry Townsend (Plum Pudding) AGAIN getting two 5s and the next three top scores with a 5 in theirs. The fact there’s lower section players in that list is a great thing to see.

Now we may be missing some scores because some teams might have elected to play on another night under Rule 14 – some might have been spared the rain with a fortunate bye of course. Any reschedule should take place before the next Wednesdays match- not least because you know the mess it makes with the score card and week numbers! SO any teams that have rescheduled drop an email to Team Support so we know we are awaiting a card (or attach the card and I’ll put it in). I’ll be changing the week number on Wednesday night so if you play on Tuesday get that card online before 7pm Wednesday.

Because of this, and the byes, it’s a little difficult to judge the table positions. Premier is still possible for any of Ab Utd/Steventon Sports or Berinsfield to take the top spot. Ditto the A section top 3 still neck and neck. B section has College Oak extending the lead to 8 points ahead of Fleur de Lys making it harder for them and The Plough LW to catch them. C Section again it’s within the grasp of the top 3, D Section top 4, E Section top 3 and F Section seem to be a few missing but Abingdon Arms A look strong with 40 points although Wheatsheaf Didcot with 29 and seemingly a game in hand will need to go some to take top spot.

ABOUT THE BYES – As you know we took the decision at the start of the season NOT to throw out 2 teams to make 50 teams hence 5x 10 team sections but be inclusive and this meant the only sensible way to do that is with some sections with byes to spread the teams out over 6 sections. This is the only sustainable approach because unless we change the section size (9 or 8 team fixtures) or we wait until we have 60 teams exactly we can’t field the same fixtures. Byes are a way to get people playing albeit with a few weeks off when of course you could arrange a friendly. We already have some interest for few new teams for next year so I think this is the right way to go to get more people playing. Of course, at the AGM in January you might feel different – do let us know after Christmas. The other thing is why not a 2nd team (or 3rd/4th if you have 2 pitches) at your venue – we always get some teams signing on lots of players and it might be possible to get another team on the books.

REMINDER COMPETITION SUNDAY – 6th August at Abingdon Utd FC starting at 1pm. Do come along even if you’re not playing because we are all hoping for some great games. You know there’s nothing quite like the pressure of a competition match, as Phil “The Power” Taylor of darts fame once said “You can’t practice sh*****g yourself”. It really is in the taking part under pressure.

Roger should be back in the Roundup chair next week. Thanks for reading this far!

Week 11 roundup

By Paul Stone on 24th July 2023 in Newsletter, Summer League Reports

Roger is on 2 weeks much deserved and needed given last weeks issues 😉 holiday so this week’s round up won’t necesarily be in the same flavour. As they say, a change is as good as a rest.

Blobbers and Sixers

This week we’ve had only eight blobbers – I won’t name them because I know they’ll be trying better next week (or be dropped for one)! Overall we’ve had 86 blobbers so far this season with 69 players so some are making a habit of it as repeat offenders. We all started there so give them some encouragement next match. Last year we had 200 over the whole season with 147 players so that means we’re doing a lot, lot better this year but we are only half way !

Four Sixers this week and some of the usual suspects … Barry Parker (Abingdon United @Con Club), Bob Beasant (Chequers Charney), David Dix (Abingdon United @Con Club), Phil Soden (College Oak A). That makes 17 sixes scored so far this season. I’m just waiting for Kevin Regan to make good (see below) as he had 2 fives this week.

High scores this week

13 – Barry Parker 4-6-3 (Abingdon United @Con Club)

12 – David Dix 6-2-4 (Abingdon United @Con Club), Dean Bowler 5-3-4 (Red Lion A), Kevin Regan 2-5-5 (Red Lion A)

11 – Andy Phelps 5-4-2 (Berinsfield SC A), Dave Butler 3-5-3 (Plum Pudding), Jumbo Mott 5-4-2 (Bystander A), Leigh Clapton 2-5-4 (Abingdon United @Con Club), Mike James 4-3-4 (Abingdon United C), Phil Soden 3-6-2 (College Oak A)

10 – Barry Townsend 2-3-5 (Plum Pudding), Colin Brind 4-3-3 (Steventon Sports A), Doug Bolton 3-4-3 (Steventon Sports A), Malc Jones 4-4-2 (Berinsfield SC A), Mick Greenaway 4-3-3 (Berinsfield SC A), Scott Humphries 4-3-3 (Abingdon United @Con Club), Simon Reeve 5-1-4 (The Hart, Harwell), Tyler Rawlings 4-4-2 (Berinsfield B/C)

There’s a lot of 5’s in those scores which probably could have been 6’s if the gods of Aunt Sally (and the wind) were with them. Over the whole season we’ve had 141 scores from 92 different players with at least one 5 in the score. You only need one doll to win and some of you are so close to a 6!

Talking if individual performance don’t forget to check out your ‘ranking’ in the ‘Player Rank by Average‘ report and get some competition going between your mates. After all, if low ranking players can win Wimbledon who knows what you could achieve!

The Tables

So where are we on the Sections?

Well, Ab Utd have squeezed past Steventon Sports by 1 point with Berinsfield on their tail just 3 points below Stivie in the Premier. Croft Nomads has sunk to the bottom of the Premier with Plum Pudding inching by 2 points above them. In the A section we’ve got Red Lion and Stanford i-t-V FC jockeying for the top spot level on 34 points with the Bystander A in with a chance to better them both in the last half of the season. In the B Section, it feels like the College Oak A and the Fleur are leaving the rest behind with at least 7 points ahead. In C Section it’s still tight at the top with only a point between The Grapes B and Boundary House. In D Section it’s up for all 4 of the top teams to prove themselves worthy of the silverware with only 3 points between them. E Section shows the Midget only 4 points away from the Harwellian A. In F Section it’s possibly a hard task for Fox Boars Hill to catch Abingdon Arms B with a 7 point lead but it’s not impossible. Talking of the impossible, or so they thought, the Bystander C won their first game 6-0 against North Star B so stranger things can happen in this game!

COMPETITION SUNDAY

Don’t forget the Pairs, Singles, Captains and Secretaries Competitions are being played at Abingdon Utd FC on Sunday 6th August at 1pm. Even if you’re not playing come along and see some great Aunt Sally.

And Finally… There’s a lot of talk about AI, Artificial Intelligence going to take over the world. Here’s what ChatGPT, the Artificial Intelligence engine made of the tables report……just for fun, you can draw your own conclusions about it’s emphasis and accuracy! I’ll be happy when Roger returns with his reports!

Let’s dive into the thrilling world of Aunt Sally and the Sections!

In the Premier Section, the competition is fierce, and Ab Utd managed to secure a nail-biting victory, edging past Steventon Sports by a mere 1 point! But they better watch their backs, as Berinsfield is closing in just 3 points behind Stivie, ready to challenge for the top spot. On the flip side, Croft Nomads finds themselves at the bottom of the table, while Plum Pudding inches ahead by 2 points, trying to escape the relegation zone.

Over in the A Section, the race for supremacy is a neck-and-neck affair! Red Lion and Stanford i-t-V FC are locked in a thrilling battle, level on 34 points each. But hold on, the Bystander A is lurking close behind, with their eyes set on snatching the top spot in the latter half of the season. It’s anyone’s game, and the excitement is palpable!

The B Section is witnessing a stunning display of dominance from College Oak A and the Fleur. These powerhouses are leaving the rest of the competition trailing in their wake, with a commanding lead of at least 7 points! Can anyone catch up to this dynamic duo?

In the C Section, the competition is as tight as it gets, with just a single point separating The Grapes B and Boundary House at the top. Every match becomes a crucial battle for supremacy, and teams are giving it their all to claim the coveted position!

Over in the D Section, it’s an all-out war for the silverware! The top four teams are locked in an intense battle, with only 3 points separating them. Each point earned or lost carries immense significance in this heated pursuit for glory!

In E Section, the Midget is hot on the heels of the Harwellian A, a mere 4 points away! The tension is building as they try to narrow the gap and potentially seize the top spot.

And finally, in the F Section, Fox Boars Hill faces a daunting challenge as they aim to catch up to Abingdon Arms B, who boast a commanding 7-point lead. It may be a difficult task, but in this game of surprises, anything is possible!

Speaking of surprises, the Bystander C defied all expectations by securing an astonishing 6-0 victory against North Star B in their first game. It’s a vivid reminder that Aunt Sally is a game full of unexpected twists and turns, and every team has the potential to rise and shine!

So, as the battle continues in each section, the stage is set for more thrilling encounters, heart-stopping moments, and triumphant celebrations. The world of Aunt Sally never fails to amaze, and fans can’t wait to witness the captivating drama that lies ahead!

Week 10 round up and my holiday!

By Roger Nichols on 19th July 2023 in Newsletter

Firstly, I think we have sorted all of the confusion caused to some because I failed to update the week number and at least 9 teams had entered the match score before I realised! So a bit of rework was required and I think with Paul Stone’s help we have recovered all of the scores and they are in the right week! The good news is that this week, week 1, has already been reset so hopefully no problems for those who get their scores online so quickly!

The other good news is that I am on holiday for the next 2 weeks so I won’t be making any cocks up on the site at least until I am back! In the meantime if any team has any problems loading scores or need to register additional players to cope with holiday absences etc Paul Stone will be looking after things in my absence. Ideally any match cards should be emailed (photos) to team support and Paul should pick them up and will enter for you. Paul’s own e mail address is on the paulmjstone@gmail.com.

Shortly we will be featuring on this site some memories and photographs of a former singles winner who has been in contact with us from his home in Perth, Western Australia. Frank Sanders played in both the Oxford and Abingdon Leagues and emigrated to Australia many years ago, but I am sure some of you will remember him.

Well, back to last week’s results and highlights (in my case lowlights!). There was lots of double digit scores recorded last week, probably the most in a single week so far this season. Leading the way were the Plum Pudding where Terry Downes recorded the highest individual score of the night with 14 dolls, a very welcome return to form for Terry who was ably assisted by both Ken Fisher and Graham Brown, Ken hitting 12 dolls and Graham 10. As a result Plum beat the Vine whose Danny Hamilton also recorded double figures on the night.

Abingdon Utd/Con Club also had a trio of double digit scorers with Paul Barrett notching 11 dolls for the second successive week and both Dave Dix and Scott Humphries with their usual reliability both hitting 10. Despite this Berinsfield managed a 3-3 shared result on the night with skipper Stuart Wilson top scoring with 11 dolls for the home side.

Elsewhere in the Premier /A section Dave Hudon top scored with 10 dolls for the Bystander A team and Neil Tame also hit 10 dolls for the league leaders his best of the season and despite going down 4-2 Steventon Sports still remain top of the Premier although the gap is now down to just 1 point!

Garry Gibbard, for many years a native of Steventon, was also amongst the dolls for Stanford in the Vale FC scoring 10 in the Football Club’s 5-1 victory over league leaders Red Lion A who were missing their highest scorer, Dean Bowler on the night. That result makes both teams level on 32 points a t the top of the A section.

Elsewhere there was some other good scoring with both Phil Soden and matty Belcher contributing 10 dolls apiece in College Oak A’s 67-0 victory over local rivals Abingdon United C in the B section. Also for College Oak B in the D section Jason Major was another double digit scorer in the game against RAL SC and Sam Higgs hit 11 for Bystander B who defeated Hanney RBL 6-0 in a match where every third throw of the 48 on the night was a blob!

Just another use(ful) or use(less) statistic from last week of the 23 matches played 34% were drawn, 30% resulted in a 4-2 scoreline, 17% ended 5-1 and 20% finished with 6-0! I know that adds up to 101%, but that’s ue to the rounding!

A final call for the Competitions taking place at Abingdon United on August 6th, yes it’s a Sunday! It’s not too late to enter, It’s the Singles, Pairs , Captains and Secretaries comps taking place and the start time will be 1.30pm with the draws taking place 30 minutes before each competition. Only those recorded as present at the time the draw takes place will be able to play.

At the moment we have just over 30 entries for the singles, 18 pairs for the pairs and only a disappointing 6 entries for both the Captains and Secretaries. it should be a good day (and definitely not as long as last year) so if you want to enter please let us know through the Team Support page on this site or by contacting any of the Committee direct. Entries will be open right up until Friday 4th August.

Competitions have always been an important part of our calendar and the more people who enter and participate the better the competition, and equally as important, the more significant it is for those who win the competition!

The bar will be open all afternoon so bring along your family, friends and teammates for both support and banter!!

Halfway there – Summer 2023

By Roger Nichols on 12th July 2023 in Newsletter

Well, it seems only a few days since we were looking forward to a new season and yet here we are halfway through the season already! Where does the time go when you are enjoying yet another year of Abingdon and District Aunt Sally.

Week 9 should have been the first week of this season when we had a full fixture lists with all the teams numbers listed as byes in Sections through C to F were actually drawn against each other (team 2 v team7). Unfortunately the withdrawal of the Black Swan spoilt and Bystander C were the only side not playing last week as a consequence.

Now to last week’s matches and top scorers. In the Premier Steventon Sports remain at the top of the table despite their first defeat of the season going down 4-2 when they visited bottom of the Premier Croft Nomads. In Stevie’s defence they were missing their leading doll scorer Colin Brind and his absence clearly upset them as in the first leg 4 of their 8 players act failed to trouble the doll!

Elsewhere in the Premier both Abingdon Utd/Con Club and the Plum Pudding both recorded 6-0 victories against The Hart and Stanford FC respectively. The Bystander continued their recent good form and Jumbo Mott was the week’s leading doll scorer including the week’s only 6 doll maximum and hitting 14 cracking dolls at Berinsfield and he was ably supported by Captain Steve Martin with Bystander winning 4-2.

Lots of double digit individual scores last week With Jumbo at the top of the tree with his 14, Barry Townsend and Dave Dix both hit 13 for Plum Pudding and Abingdon Utd/Con , Steve Enock hit 12 for the Croft and there were 11’s recorded by Phil Adams, Alan Bell, Paul Barrett in the Premier and Dean Bowler for the Red Lion in the A section and Paul Ealey for Abingdon RBL in the B section. Lot’s of 10’s as well last week including Dave Butler a welcome first double figures of the season, Geoff Lee. Paul Kelsey and Phil Soden for the College Oak A in the B section Richard Bunce and Ian McCregor for the Chequers, Charney and Steve Soden for the Grapes (matching his old man for bragging rights! Dave Heard for the Queens Arms Didcot and Karl Humphries for Abingdon Arms B also showed again that high scoring individuals don’t just belong in the higher section both contributing 10 dolls apiece for their sides.

I should also mention that Fox Denchworth who last week (8) recorded their first win of the season and probably against the local rivals who they would most like to beat from up the road in Charney!! They followed that up with a share of the points against the Royal Oak.

A few interesting encounters tonight including the “battle of the Taps” in the E section as Brewery Tap A and B meet, College Oak A entertain Abingdon United C with both sides including a Worrell in their line ups and The Chequers have another West Berks derby when they travel to play the Bell at Grove.

Finally for this week we have a lot of discussions and sometimes debate about the handicap system, how fair it is, and why we need it. I think the reasons we need it are pretty obvious it’s to make the section’s as competitive as possible and also to give encouragement so that all games are competitive. It’s for broadly the same objective as the handicapping of racehorses based on previous form, golf uses handicaps and so does table tennis it’s a form of “levelling up”.

Out of interest and of no particular importance I have looked at the results in terms of average leg scores for the Premier/A and B sections after 9 games have been played and removed the handicap received by each of the teams in the Premier and A sections. The total dolls and leg averages in rank order show the following:

Abingdon Utd/Con Club 566 20.96
Plum Pudding 523 19.37
Steventon Sports A 450 16.66
Berinsfield A 449 16.63
Croft Nomads 443 16.40
Red Lion A 422 15.63
Bystander A 412 15.25
The Vine 400 14.81
Stanford FC 383 14.18
The Hart 380 14.07
College Oak A 373 13.81
Fleur de Leys 352 13.03
Abingdon United C 330 12.22
The Plough 328 12.14
Abingdon RBL 312 11.55
Harwellian B 310 11.48
The Wheatsheaf 307 11.37
Berinsfield B 300 11.11
Abingdon Arms A 259 9.58*
Eight Bells 252 9.33*

Have only played 8 games, but total and average assume same doll count and leg average for the 9th game which was forfeited by both teams.

Using the actual leg average and the handicap added together means, shows that at this stage of the season there is only 1.9 doll difference between the highest scoring team (no handicap) and the lowest scoring team (+5) in the Premier/A section. Without a handicap there would be a massive 7 doll difference and that would be neither competitive nor challenging for most sides in the Premier and A section.

The comparison of scores for all teams based on actual results of the top 8 players is a much more useful way of determining the sections rather than straightforward promotion and relegation as is the norm in most sports.

My final word for this week is that the closing date for the final 4 competitions, Captains, Secretaries, Pairs and Singles is Monday 17th July. The Competitions will take place on Sunday August 6th at Abingdon United and the draw will be made on the day based on both entries and attendance.

Have a good week

Week 8 summary and 8’s Competition Quarter Final results

By Roger Nichols on 4th July 2023 in Newsletter

Well, tomorrow night marks the halfway point in our league, yes it’s already week 9 so we are halfway there and it is worth looking at who is currently leading the pack in each of the section’s as we approach the second half of the season.

In the Premier section Steventon Sports have established a 6 point gap over Abingdon United and last week in defeating The Hart 4-2 they hit their highest leg score so far this season, more of that later.

In all of the other sections after 8 weeks things are all a little tighter in the A, B, C and E sections only 12 points separate the top 2 in each section and in F section the gap is only 1 point whilst in D section the margin is 3 points. League leaders in the A section are Red Lion A, in the B section College Oak A head the table and in sections C and D it is The Grapes on top at this stage of the season. In the E section Harwellian A are clear of The Midget although there is an outstanding online score correction from week 4 to make which will reduce the gap between the 2 to just 2 points and in the F section it is very tight with Abingdon Arms B taking over at the top by 1 point from The Fox, Boars Hill.

So all to play for in the second half of the season!

Back to last week’s matches and a quick resume of some of the highlights both in terms of individual scores and team scores.

It’s worth starting by some very good team and individual scores in the game between Plum Pudding and Abingdon Utd/Con Club in the Premier section. Abingdon United put together their best performance of the season winning 4-2 at Milton winning the first two legs with scores of 28 and 29 to which Plum Pudding could only reply with 20 and 21 dolls. Plum did however recover to and take the 3rd leg 24-22. The legend that is Barrington Parker hit a second leg 6 (the only one of the night!), but leading the honours for Utd/Con Club was Leigh Clapton with 14 dolls ably assisted by Dave Dix with 12 and both Barry and Tom Lach both hit 10 apiece. For Plum Phil Adams led the way with 12 dolls supported by skipper Terry Downes and Barry Townsend who both hit 10 dolls .

Elsewhere in the Premier/A section Steventon Sports recorded 30 dolls in the third leg of their 4-2 win against The Hart with leg scores of 23-15, 16-25, and 30-24 and I think Hart’s score in that third leg might have been their highest leg score of the season so far. Croft Nomads and The Vine shared the spoils in a 3-3 result leaving Croft still adrift at the bottom of the Premier, but, by virtue of the draw now level with Plum Pudding on 21 points.

Other results in the Premier/A Section saw wins for Red Lion 6-0 against Berinsfield A who had a disappointing week as the following night they went out in the quarter final of the 8’s Competition. For the Red Lion Dean Bowler and Scott Tabor both hit 10 dolls (Scott your first double figures?) Stanford in the Vale FC also had a win when they hosted Bystander A and won 4-2.

That’s a round up from the Premier and A section matches last week, next week we will have a more detailed review at the results from some of the other sections where there were also some good and not so good individual and team outcomes last week. I will start by highlighting the leading double figure scorers. Moffy for Abingdon United C, Geoff Organ, College Oak A, Dave Sapey, Abingdon RBL, and John Curry (didn’t he used to be a skater?) for Harwellian A in Section E all contributed with 10 dolls each for their teams last week.

Elsewhere many, I am sure many had “funny” old nights, but none more so than Steve Bartholomew and Jack Wrigglesworth. Steve plays for the Black Horse Hanney and his night started with a “blob”, then he hit a 5 with his second throw and then his third blow was, yes you guessed it was another blob! How does that happen? Jack Wrigglesworth playing for Abingdon Arms B at the Fox, Boars Hill followed his first leg “blob” with 1 doll in his second leg and then he turned his what looked like being a bad night into a much better one with a third leg 5. As they say it’s a”funny old game”!!

Finally the 2 outstanding quarter finals in the Team 8’s competition were completed last week and C section sides Abingdon Con Club defeated their Premier Division opponents Croft Nomads 2 legs to 1 and their Section C colleagues The Bell Grove also advanced into the semi finals with a 2-0 victory against their Premier Division opponents Berinsfield A. These results would suggest that the handicap system does really provide teams from outside the Premier and A sections with the opportunity to progress through to the later stages of this Competition and Abingdon Conservative Club, semi finalists now, remember reached the final of this Competition last season! So maybe these results will encourage more sides , outside of the top sections, to enter in 2024!!

So the 4 semi finalists are The Bell Grove, Abingdon Conservative Club, Plum Pudding A and Abingdon Utd/Con Club. The draw for the semi finals will take place next week and the ties will be played by mutual arrangement by the end of August, with the final scheduled to take place as the opening game on Finals Night on the 13th September.

Hopefully the weather will improve and it will be warmer tomorrowevening , it’s p’ing down with rain right now which is why I am doing last week’s update a little bit earlier than usual!!

Enjoy!!

Week 7 resume

By Roger Nichols on 28th June 2023 in Newsletter, Summer League Reports

Well the warmer weather certainly seems to have led to some improving individual scores and 14 players manged double figures last week with Barry Townsend (Plum Pudding), Alan Bell (Croft Nomads) and Ian Morrison (Steventon Sports) all leading the way with 13 dolls each. Titch shaded the honours though with a maximum 6 in his 13.

Dave Dix (Ab Utd/Con Club) and teammate Scott Humphries together with Robert Glenn of Stanford FC were hot on their heels with 12 dolls apiece. Phil Adams, Mr Consistent, for the Plum Pudding hit 11 dolls and 7. There were a good smattering of 10’s scored and amongst these were Andrew Wilson of the Plough, Simon Armstrong of the Queens Arms in Section E and I must mention Barry Parker returning to the Abingdon Utd/Con Club side after a n illness enforced long lay off hitting his first double figures of the season, I suspect there’s more big scores to come from Barry before the season is out!

Other sixers last week were Derek Fletcher (Steventon Sports) and Billy Collett of the Plough, Long Wittenham. Lots of 5’s scored last week for many with 13 throwers just failing to make 1 stick count to make the magical and elusive maximum. Really encouraging to see several of these scores coming from the lower sections including Andy Barrett for the Croft B playing in the D section, Darragh Murphy for the Plough in B section, together with Les Giles from the Fleur at Hagbourne also in the B section and Alistair Brewis for the Chequers in C section. Well done to all of you.

Just a few interesting stats so far after 7 weeks of the 18 week season 600 players have picked up the sticks and thrown them for the 51 sides entered in the league this year. Of those 11 players are averaging over 3 dolls a leg leading the way is Dave Dix closely chased by Phil Adams and his teammate Scott Humphries. Really encouraging is that within the top 25 in terms of doll average you will find Rick Selby of the College Oak B, and Dave Harris of the Prince of Wales Shippon also within the leading pack you will see Andrew Wilson (Plough), Dave Worrell (College Oak), Steve Taylor, (Fox Denchworth) Richard Burns (Chequers ), Steve Fisher (Royal Oak) and landlord Tony O’Sullivan (Eight Bells) so there is plenty of consistent talent playing outside of the Premier/A section and hopefully we will see some of these entering the singles and pairs competitions later in the season.

Competition Sunday – 3s/4s/5s Results

By Paul Stone on 26th June 2023 in Competition News, Newsletter, Summer League Reports

The scorching hot and breezy Sunday afternoon saw the 3’s, 4’s, 5’s Competitions take place at Abingdon United Football Club.

The Chairman proudly announced that with the Honorary President role agreed at the AGM in January Mr John Simmons accepted the appointment. John’s deep-rooted connection to Aunt Sally, much like his father Tom Simmons before him, added a touch of legacy to the event. The Tom Simmons trophy for the 5’s competition is the one that we were playing for today.

With four teams bringing 18 sides to the competitions we kicked off with the 3’s.

3’s Competition

With 8 sides in the 3’s a straight 4 games got us to the semifinalists. Kicking off with a luck of the draw Plum Pudding A vs Plum Pudding B the A side won 9-6, 7-6.

Next Abingdon United B saw off a hard fighting Berinsfield A to 3 legs and a 3 stick decider with scores 6-5, 4-6, 7-7 and 4-3 in 3 sticks.

Croft Nomads also got themselves to play with and the A side winning 7-3, 3-2.

Abingdon Utd A side also took out Berinsfield B with straight 7-1, 2-1.

On to the semifinals and Plum A took Ab Utd B a straight 2 legs with 8-7, 9-2.

Ab Utd A then took the Croft A to 3 legs to win 7-9, 5-4, 7-6.

The Summer Breeze, unlike the song, provided an unexpected challenge for players. The gusts played tricks on even the most precise sticks, sometimes veering a whole foot or more to the left during doll approach. It added an extra dimension of excitement to the proceedings you could say.

4’s Competition

On to the 4’s and 6 teams meant 2 preliminary games first of which was Croft vs Plum B which Croft won 4-3, 8-5. Second prelim saw Ab Utd A beat Plum A 12-10, 8-7.

Croft Nomads then went on to secure their final place beating Ab Utd B over 3 legs 6-5,9-10,12-10. Utd were not out to though with their A side seeing off Berinsfield A with a 2 leg 3 stick decider of 7-6,12-12, and 6-5 in 3 sticks.

5’s Competition

With a short break to refuel with scrumptous pizza (thanks Roger) the 5’s had 4 teams to go straight into semi finals.

First off Plum Pudding beat the Croft 11-3, 18-11 and just when we thought we only have a couple of fives as the highest individual score, like buses, two 6’s arrived by Plum’s Phil Adams and Barry Townsend in the second leg leaving the crowd in awe and delight.

Ab Utd then saw off Berinsfield 14-13, 11-10 to get their place in the final.

NEXT COMPETITIONS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

So the next competitions are the Captains, Secretaries, Singles and Pairs which are on the Sunday 6th August.

Finals Night on the Wednesday 13th Sept will therefore have the following teams.

3’s – Plum Pudding A vs Abingdon Utd A

4’s – Croft Nomads vs Abingdon Utd A

5’s – Plum Pudding vs Abingdon Utd A

8’s – still all to play for.

And the finalists from the Captains and Secretaries being played this month.

The pairs and singles semis/final will be played on Presentation Night in November promising an unforgettable evening of sporting excellence.

And finally, Thank You…

In the world of Aunt Sally, where remarkable shots and near-impossible feats unfold, we encountered today dolls lying flat on the swivel and even one that seemed to defy gravity, standing on its head! Not to mention the dolls that teased us, tantalizingly wobbling, evading our efforts despite being kissed, caressed, and scraped. It truly is a funny old game!

A special thanks goes to Brian Clapton for meticulously preparing the dolls, ensuring they were “match fit.” We also extend our appreciation to the unsung heroes who willingly stepped in to call and stick up without being asked. The committee deserves a round of applause, particularly Roger Nichols, the Treasurer and Doll Secretary, for flawlessly organizing the competitions (and pizzas), and Claire Foster (along with her husband Alan) for lending her PA system, saving precious vocal cords and providing invaluable assistance with scoring and note-taking for this update. Also a heartfelt thank you to Roy Taylor for his unwavering presence—because you can never have too many committee members, as one might be needed at any moment! Last but not least to the bar staff and Abingdon United FC club for hosting us.

Lastly, we extend our gratitude to the players and teams whose spirited participation made these competitions a true joy. Throughout the fierce battles, not a single cross word was heard, a testament to the camaraderie and sportsmanship on display.

Now, let’s keep the excitement alive! Let’s discuss ways to encourage even more participation in these captivating competitions. Share your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions with the Committee during the upcoming AGM in January or at your earliest convenience!

Thank you once again, and we eagerly anticipate seeing you on August 6th!

Paul
Chairman

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