Archive | Newsletter

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.

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

3’s,4’s and 5’s Competitions this Sunday

By Roger Nichols on 21st June 2023 in Newsletter

Don’t forget that the first of the competitions for teams of 3, teams of 4 and teams of 5 will take place this Sunday at Abingdon United.

The Competitions will start with the 3’s, followed by the 4’s and finally the 5’s. Play will commence at 2pm and each of the competitions will be played down to the final 2 teams with the 2 remaining teams of each Competition playing the final on Finals Night on September 13th.

There has been a disappointing low number of teams entered this year with only 4 clubs represented, partly that is because many do not want to play on a Sunday and, I suspect largely because teams from outside the top sections are reluctant to enter competitions because there is no incentive for them to compete against the Premier/A section sides unlike in the 8’s competition which is handicapped. Spectators will be most welcome on Sunday and the Bar will be open!!!

We will need to rethink our Competition programme for 2024 and put any proposed changes either to format, dates etc to next year’s AGM. The Competitions represent our lowest income and our highest expenditure so the need for them to be attractive and encourage more participation needs careful consideration.

Draws for each of the Competitions on Sunday will be made 15 minutes prior to each of the Competition’s.

On a more positive note entries for the Pairs, Singles, Captains and Secretaries competition are much healthier and we have extended the closing date for entries until next month. These Competitions will take place again at Abingdon United, again on a Sunday, August 6th. More details later in the season.

In the 8’s Competition 2 of the 4 quarter finals have already been completed with wins for Plum Pudding against the Bystander A and Abingdon United/Con Club overcame The Fox Denchworth 2 legs to 1 in their tie. The remaining games will take place in the next few days when Croft Nomads will entertain Abingdon Con Club and The Bell Grove will face Berinsfield SC A.

Round up of week 5 and 6 results

By Roger Nichols on 21st June 2023 in Newsletter

Well, at last I think we have sorted out all of the problems caused with the week 5 scores, several of which found there way into week 4 obliterating the correct week 4 scores that had already been correctly entered. All week 6 scores (with 1 exception) are now all entered so tonight it’s week 7 and the correct week number has already been set and, more importantly I remembered to press the update button!

Well week 5 was a better scoring week for many with Phil Adams of the Plum Pudding leading the way with 14 dolls , ably assisted by Tosh Wooloff who contributed 11 dolls, their efforts were not enough to stop Croft Nomads edging home 4-2 on the night with Martin Robinson and the ever reliable Steve Enock both hitting 11 dolls. Also in the Premier/A section AbingdonUtd/Con Club ruthlessly despatched Stanford in the Vale Fc 6-0 with Dave Dix, Leigh Clapton and Scott Humphries hitting a combined total of 36 dolls, that’s an average on the night of 4 dolls a leg each…………..that’s class throwing!

Elsewhere in the Premier/A section there were wins for Steventon Sports A for whom Colin Brind hit 10 dolls against Berinsfield, a 6-0 win for Red Lion over The Hart Harwell for whom Paul Leach’s 10 dolls was the outstanding contribution, but was to no avail in terms of points .

Bystander recorded their first win of the season beating The Vine 4-2 and quickly followed that up with a second win last week , this time 5-1 against the Hart with Jumbo Mott hitting 14 dolls including a 6.

Elsewhere in week 5 there was another maximum 6 recorded by Matty Cook for the Boundary House against the Bear & Ragged Staff in Section C.

Good week for the Worrell brothers who both hit 10 dolls, Jono for Abingdon United C against Berinsfield B and Dave for the College Oak B against Red Lion B

Week, 6 threw up some interesting results with Abingdon Utd/Con Club both Plum Pudding losing and despite one exceptional leg of 28 dolls from Abingdon United the scores for both sides were disappointing against Steventon Sports and Red Lion respectively. Berinsfield with stalwarts Geoff Lee (14 dolls inc a 6) and Stuart Wilson (12) dolls in fine form saw off the challenge of Croft Nomads winning 6-0 with leg scores of 23-21, 25-22 and 21-17. For Croft Paul Stone and Steve Enock offered some resistance with 9 dolls apiece, but Berinsfield were worthy winners and rubbed it in by winning the beer leg as well!

There was an interesting second successive 6-0 win for College Oak B in the D section against Hanney RBL with Rick Selby top scoring with 12 dolls for the Oak. Hanney had the somewhat unfortunate and unenviable record of hitting 12 blobs from their total of 24 throws! Just one of those nights that the game sometimes throws up (or down)!

A couple of other interesting observations…Richard Bunce playing for The Chequers at Charney in C section has only played 2 games to date, but is currently averaging 3.5 dolls per throw and Dave Harris playing this year for his “local” the POW at Shippon who has already recorded a 6 this season is “topping”, at 3.11 the averages in Section E. Ashley Jerome playing for Harwellian A also in section E hit 11 dolls for them last week when they claimed their third straight 6-0 victory and, to date, Harwellian A lead the way in that section having dropped only 2 points.

Finally, in looking at the League table I know Steve Fernback (ex Harwellian) will be delighted to see that his new side The Fox, Boars Hill, after the recent adjustments, are leading the way in Section F!

Chairman’s bits and bobs and Results should now be correct……

By Paul Stone on 16th June 2023 in Newsletter

After Roger’s hiccup in week 5 I believe we now have the scores sorted so please check and email team support if you spot any mistakes remaining. I’ve slapped his wrists and he promises he won’t do it again. HOWEVER when you put the card it the week number is at the top right so let us know if you think its wrong. (Next year I’ll make sure the week numbers are on the fixture list).

We’ve also caught up with previous forfeits for teams not turning up on the night. We’ve always said that it’s courteous, because the home team provides food, to give AT LEAST 24hours notice to the home team if you are going to forfeit a game (and hence lose 6 points). There is of course the option to play on another night (in effect rule 14 although strictly for rained off games) – contact team support if this is an option for you – we’d rather you play a game than miss it.

We have also removed the Black Swan from the F Section – there was only one ‘game’ which was a forfeit anyway. It’s shame because the Black Swan was where the league started in 1960 – see Basil Collins The First 30 Years.

On another note we have had a couple of enquiries to see if we have a portable pitch to hire out for fetes, weddings etc. If anyone has any ideas of where or how to get one built please get in touch. For information we did look at having a ‘stand’ at the Abingdon event in the Abbey grounds but they said we couldn’t play the game without our own public liability insurance. Having a portable pitch would probably absolve us from that liability (TBC).

Some old players will know we used to name (and put them in the Oxford Mail etc) the blobbers – those with X-X-X or zero, zilch, nada dolls. Just to let you know over the weeks so far we have 49 blobbers some are repeat offenders and one in the A section so a bad week can affect anyone! Just keep playing and the accuracy and consistency will come, that’s what I tell myself anyway.

For information here are the Sixers so far this season

Sixers
Darren Holmes 2-6-2 (Abingdon United @Con Club) - Week 3
Dave Harris 1-6-4 (Prince Of Wales Shippon) - Week 1
Garry Gibbard 2-6-3 (Stanford in the Vale FC) - Week 2
Geoffrey Lee 4-6-4 (Berinsfield SC A) - Week 6
Jumbo Mott 6-3-5 (Bystander A) - Week 6
Matty Cook 6-3-2 (Boundary House) - Week 6
Scott Humphries 5-2-6 (Abingdon United @Con Club) - Week 1

Don’t forget if you want a bit of friendly player to player competition take a look at the Player Rank by Average score sheet. See if you’re in the top 10, 50, 100, 300….!

Talking of Competitions if you want to have a late entry GET IN TOUCH AS SOON AS because the comps are on Sunday 25th June.

AND FINALLY… we have a new Facebook page so check out https://www.facebook.com/OfficialAbingdonAuntSally

We are one third of the way through the season so lets hope for good throwing weather and higher scores.

Paul
Chairman

Week 4 Round up and review

By Roger Nichols on 6th June 2023 in Newsletter

Well, unless I missed it, last week was almost unique in that nobody managed to hit the ultimate leg score of 6.There were plenty of 5’s recorded, but the magic 6 proved elusive.

Top individual scorer on the night was Phil Adams with 13 dolls, but his efforts were not enough to secure a win for the Plum Pudding against Steventon Sports SC who shared the spoils in a 3-3 drawn encounter and retained their unbeaten record in the Premier/A section.

Elsewhere Richard Berry hit 12 dolls for Croft Nomads who put on their best performance to date in beating Red Lion A 6-0 at Drayton, their first win at the Lion in their last 3 visits. Richard included a 5 in his 12 and in the first leg hit his first 5 sticks, but missed with his final stick. Berinsfield A secured top spot in the Premier section after their convincing win at Stanford FC.

Dave Dix returned after missing the previous week to top score for Abingdon Utd/Con Club in their win at the Bystander

In Section B Simon Skelly’s 10 dolls helped early season league leaders Fleur de Leys to a 6-0 win against Eight Bells and in the same section Andrew Wilson also recorded 10 dolls for The Plough, Long Wittenham but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 4 -2 home win for Abingdon Arms A.

Also in Section B Berinsfield B had a night to forget going down 6-0 to The College Oak A.

In the C section Steve Fisher hit double figures and his namesake Stephen J. Fisher also contributed 9 dolls in their win against The Bell. In the same section Richard Bunce contributed 10 dolls for The Chequers Charney at The Grapes in a 4-2 win against the home pub’s B side.

In section D Croft Nomads secured their first win of the season 5-1 at home to Hanney RBL and the RBL’s village neighbours The Plough also went down to their heaviest defeat of the season against Bystander B despite Mark Wheeler’s 8 dolls. For the Bystander Kevin Higgs top scored with 9 dolls.

So after 4 weeks how are the league tables looking? Berinsfield A are leading the way in the Premier, taking top spot from the unbeaten Steventon Sports A last week.

In the A section despite their second successive defeat Stanford in the Vale FC still lead the way and in the B section Fleur de Leys top the table closely followed by the College Oak A.

Section C is led by Abingdon Con Club and in the D section Bystander B have already opened up an 8 point gap over their nearest rivals. E section is led by The Midget who have a 100% record, but they are being closely pursued by both Harwellian B and the Prince of Wales Shippon.

Finally section F is led by The Wheatsheaf Didcot also with a 100% record, but the Fox, Boars Hill are on their tail!

Early days yet and there will be lots of chopping and changing over the next 13 weeks of the season and maybe even some warmer Wednesday nights for us to enjoy!

← Previous 1 … 5 6 7 … 64 Next →