Once again pride of place goes to Abingdon Conservative Club who are proving unstoppable despite every other team in the Premier and A section having to concede dolls to them with the handicap system. In their 6-0 victory over Stanford FC they amassed a total of 79 dolls including a first leg of 33 dolls, the second time in recent weeks they have reached this – an average of over 4 dolls from each of their 8 players. Strength in depth is the key to their success and last Wednesday Paul Barrett was the only “sixer” of the night, but 5 of out of their 8 hit double figures – Dave Dix 14, Phil Adams, 13 Paul Barrett 12, Alex Chamberlain with 11 and Nick Baldwin’s 10 and the other 3 players weren’t too shabby either scoring 19 between them. In fairness to the Vale FC they almost made it in the 3rd leg losing that by only the one doll 22-21.
The Plum Pudding closed the gap on second placed Croft with a 4-2 win against Steventon Sports. Paul Longford top scoring with another 10 dolls for the Plum. For Steventon it was a mixed evening losing the first 2 legs and the normally reliable ‘Rod’ Fletcher recorded blobs in both, but he struck back with a big 5 in the 3rd to help the Sports secure 2 points.
Interestingly 17 players last week all had at least one 5 doll leg on the night, but 6 of those also failed to record a doll in at least one of the other legs!
At the Croft the night started badly and got worse! Before the match started the iron broke at the base and had to be propped up with paving slabs and bricks before both sides agreed to go ahead with the match. Thanks to Abingdon United for agreeing to throw at a doll in a shed which looked as if a body had been buried there! It didn’t seem to deter United who went on to win for only the second time this season beating the Nomads 4-2. Skipper Steve Martin top scored for United with 10 dolls, and Bert Newman and Simon Kinnaird were both solid contributors for United. Whilst for the Croft only Alan Bell seemed to be on song for the Croft hitting another 13 dolls but United clinched the first leg 24-22, Croft hit back to win the second, but set 22 in the deciding leg they had 5 players who only managed 1 doll each, leaving them well short of the target!
In the A section Berinsfield SC A lead the way entertaining and opening up a nice gap over their nearest rivals and visitors on the night Red Lion A with a 6-0 win. Leg scores were 23-22, 25-18 and 25-24 so it was a close run thing with 2 legs could have gone either way with just the 1 doll separating the sides. For Berinsfield Jack Hawkins with 11 dolls top scored and Dean Bowler hit 10 for the Lion.
Other double figures scores on the night in the Premier/A section were recorded by Robert Glen for Stanford FC and Steve Peedell for the Vine, but their scores alone weren’t enough to gain their side any points on the night although the Vine’s 6-0 defeat by College Oak A also saw 2 of those legs won by just the 1 doll!
It’s tight at the top of the B section with Royal Oak and Cr0ft Bar level on points with 3 to play! Both were 4-2 winners on the night. There were also welcome wins for the Bear & Ragged Staff and for The Bell A in this section. Steve Browning top scored with 10 dolls as the Bell A beat Fleur de Lys 5-1. WAD’s Bar fell to a somewhat surprising 6-0 defeat at home to Abingdon Legion.
Highlights in the C section saw the Wheatsheaf consolidate their top spot with a 5-1 win against the Red Lion B and Eight Bells record only their second victory of the Summer against the Brewery Tap. The Fox Denchworth enjoyed a good night with a 6-0 win over the Bell B. Steve Taylor led the way with 12 dolls and Charlie East chipped in with 11 dolls (wot no VAR referral Charlie!) The Midget beat the Earl B 5-1 in a South Abingdon derby. Boundary House were 4-2 victors against the North Star A and in another South Abingdon derby in this section Brewery Tap defeated the Earl of Abingdon B 5-1.
The Plough Long Wittenham maintained their long unbeaten run (last defeat week 6) in the D section with a 4-2 return against College Oak B, The other Plough side from West Hanney enjoyed their trip to Shippon where they took all 6 points from their hosts, the Prince of Wales. Steventon Sports B and Harwellian shared the points and due to players holidays etc the Lamb A conceded their fixture at the Fox.
In the E section the competition remains fierce as we approach the last 3 weeks of the summer season with the Bystander winning 5-1 against one of the chasing pack the Waggon and Horses and Marcham Centre A securing 4 points against Berinsfield SC B. Despite registering 11 blobs on the night Queens Arms still managed a 4-2 win against The Crown A.
There was some good leg scores in the F section with a very commendable 45 dolls being scored by the Horse & Jockey in their 6-0 victory over the Crown B, their 4th win on the bounce. There was a setback for league leaders Grove RFC as they went down 4-2 to the North Star B and wins were secured also by the Ladygrove 6-0 against the Plough Appleton, Tyrone McGill with 10 dolls and Long Wittenham AC.
Overall in the F section there were 15 legs recorded with double figure (highest 17) scores good enough to have secured points in many games in higher sections!
As far as league positions go it seems improbable that Abingdon Conservative Club will be caught in the Premier, the chase seems to be all for runners up but both second placed Croft and third placed Plum Pudding both have to face the league leaders in the next couple of weeks so their results against the league leaders could prove to determine the final league placings. The A section shows that Berinsfield SC A have opened up a comfortable gap over the Red Lion A after last week’s results.
In the B section Royal Oak and The Croft Bar share the lead with the Oak ahead on doll count with a 14 doll advantage. The C section sees The Wheatsheaf 11 points clear from second placed Bell B. The Plough West Hanney are 10 points ahead of the Fleur de Lys B and it is the E and F sections which are proving to be the tightest sections of all this year. The E section sees Bystander just 2 points ahead of Marcham Centre A and both the Waggon and Horses and Challow CC just 1 point further behind so all to play for! The F section is getting tight as well. Long term leaders Grove RFC are now only 1 point ahead of North Star B and Ladygrove are also still in the hunt only another 2 points adrift and they meet Grove this Wednesday!
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