Big opening wins for Harborne duo

EIGHTEEN teams have started the new season in the Harborne and District League and two of them share the number one spot after the opening fixtures.

- By ALAN TOWE

Northfield Conservative Club and Copper Fox ‘R’ in turn had 8-1 wins over Harborne Social and Northfield Darts Club to give them a slender one leg of average lead over Copper Fox ‘M’ and Weoley Castle WMC, both of them winning 7-2, the former at Windsor Complex and the latter at Bourneville.

Smethwick Cricket Club and Thimble Mill in turn won 6-3 at Cock Inn and at home against league newcomers Stag and Three Horseshoes. Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club and Weoley Castle Pub were the only two other winners as Kings Norton won 5-4 at Lion Bar and Weoley won by the same margin at Lion Bar.

The new season got under way with ten maximums, there were two each for K Foxhall (Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club) and R Hosey (Northfield Conservative Club) while there was one each for R Allcock (Cock Inn), J Downer (Copper Fox ‘M’), P Coombes (Weoley Castle WMC), R Derbyshire (Crown), C Foxhall (Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club) and D Hill (Northfield Conservative Club).

™@ Sheldon Marlborough Arrows, leaders of the premier league, in the Sheldon and District Winter League, were the only team to play in the top three teams in week four, their 7-2 win at RAFA making it four wins in as many games, second placed Highwood are the only other team in the premier to have won all of the games but they have only played three so far. Sam Hicks recorded a maximum for RAFA.

In division one, RAFA Arrows continue to head the table with a perfect eight points from four games, the latest of which saw them win 6-3 at Lyndon Old Boys. Second placed Banbury Club, with a maximum from Adam Cooksey, went one better with a 7-2 win at Raven to keep them within two points of the leaders as are Sheldon Marlborough Ridge, Trident Spears and Raven. Ridge winning 7-2 at home against Moseley Rugby Club, Spears having a narrow 5-4 win at Yardley Ex Colts and Raven suffering their first defeat when they went down to Banbury.