In a time when the stock market has seen its spectacular fall matched only by that of the decline of Tottenham Hotspur, the Rose & Crown have found themselves rather unusually challenging for the top spot in the division and had high hopes of securing such a dizzying position at the pinnacle against Sandridge Rovers on Thursday night.
But a spectacular high as seen so often can be followed by a fall equally, if not more spectacular. This was the case on Thursday night as the Rose & Crown crashed to their first defeat of season.
The team found themselves with fewer players for this encounter than willing investors of an Icelandic bank. In fact such was the state of play that the villain of “Fugitive” could have counted all the players on his non prosthetic.
Never the less the team rallied and after securing the services of Paul “Badger” Smith they went with high hopes and a low carbon tyre print.
Already trailing one to nothing by default, the Rose & Crown without Kevin Woods, Dave Noble, Carl Bolding, “the Director of Darts” and Tom Wilson were forced to juggle things about and it looked as if things may well pay off when skipper Alan Turner and new signing “Badger” secured a two leg to one victory to put the Rose & Crown level after the doubles.
It was not to be however, and just like the Northern Rock there was nothing else they could borrow and the collapse came sooner rather than later with only Tony Scott offering any resistance on their way to a 5-3 defeat against a side favoured by many for relegation. At times it was painful to watch as the away team not only struggled against their opponents but also against themselves , one suspects a case of trying to hard. A collective case of not wanting to let each other down in the end resulted in a case of letting themselves down but that’s just inexperience of being in such a lofty position and something from which they must learn if they are now to go on and get anything out of the rest of the season.
Focus must now switch to a home encounter against the Crooked Billet a team they are more than capable of beating, and one can only hope that the Rose & Crown have more players than Tottenham have points for this encounter.
Sunday 26 October 2008
Friday 17 October 2008
Royston Club (Home) 16.10.08
Despite the "credit crunch" the Rose & Crown continue to field a near full strength side every week and this week was certainly no exception. With most of the big names on show the Rose & Crown were able to dispatch the 1st division newcomers the Royston Club if not with ease but with a functional performance of tungsten hurling.
Before i go any further I should explain perhaps what "credit crunch" is.
A credit crunch is often caused by a sustained period of careless and inappropriate lending which results in losses for lending institutions and investors in debt when the loans turn sour and the full extent of bad debts becomes known. These institutions may then reduce the availability of credit, and increase the cost of accessing credit by raising interest rates. In some cases lenders may be unable to lend further, even if they wish, as a result of earlier losses.
The real reason for this however is not what is outlined above, a more likely cause for the worlds current financial status is in the most part due to Carl Bolding being unable to bend down and pick his wallet up off the floor thus leading to a lack of revenue flow into the largest of the worlds financial institutions.
Anyway on with the darts.
It is often said that the hallmark of a good side is that of a team that wins when playing badly. This could certainly be said of the Rose & Crown this week and the 6-2 scoreline may have flattered them ever so slightly.
Brimming with confidence after recent performances the home side looked complacent for the first time this season and perhaps should have been made to pay for the hesitancy in finishing the newcomers of.
Carl Bolding replacing the the Director of Darts was unable to help the in form skipper Alan Turner in the first of the doubles. the pair eventually going down in a tense third leg that perhaps they should have won and indeed skipper Alan Turner would have be bemoaning the fact that they really aught to have won it.
At this stage it's worth noting that the Rose & Crown have surrendered the first game of each of this seasons matches so far and gone on to record some impressive results.
Woodsie and Scotty levelled the match but again it was a tense third leg that could easily have gone either way but in the end to the delight of the home side the chalkboard had a mark for each side.
Now, the “Dude” has often been accused of petulance during his time at the Rose & Crown and the Blue Anchor before that but perhaps fatherhood has put a different perspective on things for the young man from Cornwall. The tantrums do not seem as forthcoming as once they were and even seemed to have been replaced with a levelled headiness very seldom, if indeed ever seen before. Partnered by a quieter than usual Dave Noble, the “Dude would need this new found calmness. The pair toiled for three gruelling legs battling the tension and nerves before coming out with a fortuitous victory that on another day would surely have gone the other way.
Thanks to the “Dude” and Dave the home side took the lead for the first time leaving the way open for John Goode and Paul Mullins to put the Rose & Crown into an unassailable lead going into the doubles. The now reliable pairing of John and Paul were keen to oblige and, although this probably was not their most convincing of performances, (in truth it would have to be said it wasn’t the toughest of opponents for them either) the pair eased to a 2-0 win and thus opening up a two game lead going into the singles.
Not for the first time this season the Rose & Crown had put themselves into a commanding position going into the singles, good for them but for Kevin Woods this meant that the opposition have been forced to go on strong in the opening single and the Royston had to continue in the same vein if they were going to get anything at all out of this match.
In yet another hard fought encounter “Woodsie couldn’t close out the game, again going down 2-1 in the opening singles, a game that not so long ago the “Dude” would be champing at the bit for but with his new found coolness and calmness of mind. He eased himself into the second slot and again despite what was a nervy encounter for all those looking on, the “Dude” for the first time this season came away with maximum points winning both doubles and singles and at the same time earning the home side at least a point with “Scotty” and Mullins still to play.
Leading 4-2 “Scotty” strolled up to the oche with an air “undefeatability” about him when he strode back having secured the two points thoughts were now turning to the next weeks game a game that could see the Rose & Crown go clear at the top of the table for the first time this season.
Mullins was to send the visitors packing with their tails between their legs after a 6-2 defeat, but in truth it could have been different, on another day against another team earlier chances could have been taken and the result could well have been reversed. But with a 6-2 win under their belts they just send out a warning shot to those who may have thought it is all just a flash in the pan.
Before i go any further I should explain perhaps what "credit crunch" is.
A credit crunch is often caused by a sustained period of careless and inappropriate lending which results in losses for lending institutions and investors in debt when the loans turn sour and the full extent of bad debts becomes known. These institutions may then reduce the availability of credit, and increase the cost of accessing credit by raising interest rates. In some cases lenders may be unable to lend further, even if they wish, as a result of earlier losses.
The real reason for this however is not what is outlined above, a more likely cause for the worlds current financial status is in the most part due to Carl Bolding being unable to bend down and pick his wallet up off the floor thus leading to a lack of revenue flow into the largest of the worlds financial institutions.
Anyway on with the darts.
It is often said that the hallmark of a good side is that of a team that wins when playing badly. This could certainly be said of the Rose & Crown this week and the 6-2 scoreline may have flattered them ever so slightly.
Brimming with confidence after recent performances the home side looked complacent for the first time this season and perhaps should have been made to pay for the hesitancy in finishing the newcomers of.
Carl Bolding replacing the the Director of Darts was unable to help the in form skipper Alan Turner in the first of the doubles. the pair eventually going down in a tense third leg that perhaps they should have won and indeed skipper Alan Turner would have be bemoaning the fact that they really aught to have won it.
At this stage it's worth noting that the Rose & Crown have surrendered the first game of each of this seasons matches so far and gone on to record some impressive results.
Woodsie and Scotty levelled the match but again it was a tense third leg that could easily have gone either way but in the end to the delight of the home side the chalkboard had a mark for each side.
Now, the “Dude” has often been accused of petulance during his time at the Rose & Crown and the Blue Anchor before that but perhaps fatherhood has put a different perspective on things for the young man from Cornwall. The tantrums do not seem as forthcoming as once they were and even seemed to have been replaced with a levelled headiness very seldom, if indeed ever seen before. Partnered by a quieter than usual Dave Noble, the “Dude would need this new found calmness. The pair toiled for three gruelling legs battling the tension and nerves before coming out with a fortuitous victory that on another day would surely have gone the other way.
Thanks to the “Dude” and Dave the home side took the lead for the first time leaving the way open for John Goode and Paul Mullins to put the Rose & Crown into an unassailable lead going into the doubles. The now reliable pairing of John and Paul were keen to oblige and, although this probably was not their most convincing of performances, (in truth it would have to be said it wasn’t the toughest of opponents for them either) the pair eased to a 2-0 win and thus opening up a two game lead going into the singles.
Not for the first time this season the Rose & Crown had put themselves into a commanding position going into the singles, good for them but for Kevin Woods this meant that the opposition have been forced to go on strong in the opening single and the Royston had to continue in the same vein if they were going to get anything at all out of this match.
In yet another hard fought encounter “Woodsie couldn’t close out the game, again going down 2-1 in the opening singles, a game that not so long ago the “Dude” would be champing at the bit for but with his new found coolness and calmness of mind. He eased himself into the second slot and again despite what was a nervy encounter for all those looking on, the “Dude” for the first time this season came away with maximum points winning both doubles and singles and at the same time earning the home side at least a point with “Scotty” and Mullins still to play.
Leading 4-2 “Scotty” strolled up to the oche with an air “undefeatability” about him when he strode back having secured the two points thoughts were now turning to the next weeks game a game that could see the Rose & Crown go clear at the top of the table for the first time this season.
Mullins was to send the visitors packing with their tails between their legs after a 6-2 defeat, but in truth it could have been different, on another day against another team earlier chances could have been taken and the result could well have been reversed. But with a 6-2 win under their belts they just send out a warning shot to those who may have thought it is all just a flash in the pan.
Saturday 11 October 2008
London Road away 09.10.08
"A dart shall only score if the tip of the dart remains in (or touches) the face of the dartboard within the outer double wire and, having been "called", is retrieved from the face of the dartboard by the player throwing that dart."
The definition of a scoring dart (above) as laid out by the Darts Regulation Authority, something perhaps that Kevin Woods, aka "Woodsie" should read and digest before his next visit to the oche.
Having earlier sent Carl Bolding into a blind panic with a 180 in the pre match game of tactics costing him yet another pound, Woodsie could hardly keep the tungsten in the board as the Rose and Crown came away with a deserved point at London Road on Thursday.
Confident on the back of an impressive win last week the Rose and Crown travelled to London Road, not a happy hunting ground for them in recent years, but this is a Rose and Crown side filled with confidence and a belief that on their day they are capable of inflicting defeat on anyone, and after last week who is to ague with that.
The director of Darts proved perfect foil once again as he partnered skipper Alan Turner and despite their loss the evening was set up perfectly, the skippers tactical nous once again in it's own right worth a leg.
For the Rose and Crown the game was now underway, John Goode and Paul Mullins who have been so impressive this season continued from where they left off last week. Despite gifting the opposition the first leg Mullins and Goode cranked up the heat on their hapless opponents and eased to victory in the next two legs levelling the scores at one apiece.
Enter "Woodsie" and "Scotty" a new pairing this year and a fruitful one so far for the Rose and Crown. "Scotty's ability to pick his partner of course is legendary and having partnered Tom Wilson for the last three years he was quick to snap up the emerging talent of "Woodsie" and in light of "Woodsie's" earlier 180 (which bolstered the much beleaguered lottery fund) "Scottie" appeared to have it spot on once again. "Woodsie" had other ideas and seemed to have forgotten the basic rule of darts, that of which states that a dart can only score if it is in or touching the face of the board, "Woodsie" seemed to prefer his darts on the carpet and must surely be nursing a sore back this weekend from the constant bending down to retrieve them from the floor. Even with so many points scored on the floor "Scottie" and "Woodsie" did enough to put the visitors in to 2-1 lead.
The home side roared back, the impressive Kim Wiffen eased the home side level dispatching "Daddy Dude" and "Wavey Davey" with ease.
"Woodsie" once again had the task of taking the first single, and once again found himself up against stiff opposition and against what appeared to be a schizophrenic attitude towards the dartboard ...... "the one on the wall or the one on the floor...The one on the wall or....." it was never really clear which one he opted for and this proved to be his downfall eventually falling behind and handing the initiative to the home side who took the lead for a second time.
The once eager to play first singles, Neil Crosby was even reluctant to fill the second slot preferring to take his chance later in proceedings until his options were pointed out to him "Would you prefer to play Roache, Wiffen or Ralph" he was asked. Having been earlier dispatched by Kim Wiffen Neil picked the best option and went onto beat Gary Roache to once again level the match.
With Derek and Ralph and Kim Wiffen to play for the home side and Mullins and "Scotty" for the visitors this had all the hallmarks of another Derek Ralph , Tony Scott epic in the seventh game but when Kim Wiffen took to the oche a whisper of surprise echoed around the the now silent arena for surely Kim would be taking the last single, but not to be not on this occasion.
Kim Wiffen was soon into his stride and despite a nervy finish to the leg managed to check out with "Scotty" trailing in hi wake. "Scotty" came back well and took the second leg and for a moment looked like setting up the visitors another astonishing victory but Kim Wiffen, showed his 20 odd years of super league and county darts experience to clinch a point and set up the home side for an expected two points.
The Rose and Crown though are a different side these days and have a steely determination about them, an attitude of never say die.
Needing this one for the draw Mullins let his intention be known early in the first leg as he rattled in his first maximum of the season on his way to taking the first leg against "Big Bird" Derek Ralph. The difference in attitudes towards this latest maximum could hardly be different On the one hand Tony Scott beamed from ear to ear as the lottery fund was bolstered by a second maximum in one evening (a rule only recently relaxed to swell the lottery funds) and on the other hand, Carl Bolding, who had not only suffered at the hands of the Icelandic banking collapse but who was now also forced to cough up his second pound of the evening at a time when he would usually be at home sat by candle light counting his own stock pile of fifty pence pieces, each one carefully labelled, who payed, what date etc etc. Meanwhile the darts continued in earnest, Derek Ralph pulled a leg back to set up an intriguing final leg of the Night. Mullins went straight off with his first dart and never looked back and was on to a double before Derek was out of the 200's. Lacking his usual accuracy Mullins let Ralph back into the leg and indeed Ralph had a chance at double ten before Mullins closed out with an "understacker" into the centre of the double one to secure the point for the visitors.
The definition of a scoring dart (above) as laid out by the Darts Regulation Authority, something perhaps that Kevin Woods, aka "Woodsie" should read and digest before his next visit to the oche.
Having earlier sent Carl Bolding into a blind panic with a 180 in the pre match game of tactics costing him yet another pound, Woodsie could hardly keep the tungsten in the board as the Rose and Crown came away with a deserved point at London Road on Thursday.
Confident on the back of an impressive win last week the Rose and Crown travelled to London Road, not a happy hunting ground for them in recent years, but this is a Rose and Crown side filled with confidence and a belief that on their day they are capable of inflicting defeat on anyone, and after last week who is to ague with that.
The director of Darts proved perfect foil once again as he partnered skipper Alan Turner and despite their loss the evening was set up perfectly, the skippers tactical nous once again in it's own right worth a leg.
For the Rose and Crown the game was now underway, John Goode and Paul Mullins who have been so impressive this season continued from where they left off last week. Despite gifting the opposition the first leg Mullins and Goode cranked up the heat on their hapless opponents and eased to victory in the next two legs levelling the scores at one apiece.
Enter "Woodsie" and "Scotty" a new pairing this year and a fruitful one so far for the Rose and Crown. "Scotty's ability to pick his partner of course is legendary and having partnered Tom Wilson for the last three years he was quick to snap up the emerging talent of "Woodsie" and in light of "Woodsie's" earlier 180 (which bolstered the much beleaguered lottery fund) "Scottie" appeared to have it spot on once again. "Woodsie" had other ideas and seemed to have forgotten the basic rule of darts, that of which states that a dart can only score if it is in or touching the face of the board, "Woodsie" seemed to prefer his darts on the carpet and must surely be nursing a sore back this weekend from the constant bending down to retrieve them from the floor. Even with so many points scored on the floor "Scottie" and "Woodsie" did enough to put the visitors in to 2-1 lead.
The home side roared back, the impressive Kim Wiffen eased the home side level dispatching "Daddy Dude" and "Wavey Davey" with ease.
"Woodsie" once again had the task of taking the first single, and once again found himself up against stiff opposition and against what appeared to be a schizophrenic attitude towards the dartboard ...... "the one on the wall or the one on the floor...The one on the wall or....." it was never really clear which one he opted for and this proved to be his downfall eventually falling behind and handing the initiative to the home side who took the lead for a second time.
The once eager to play first singles, Neil Crosby was even reluctant to fill the second slot preferring to take his chance later in proceedings until his options were pointed out to him "Would you prefer to play Roache, Wiffen or Ralph" he was asked. Having been earlier dispatched by Kim Wiffen Neil picked the best option and went onto beat Gary Roache to once again level the match.
With Derek and Ralph and Kim Wiffen to play for the home side and Mullins and "Scotty" for the visitors this had all the hallmarks of another Derek Ralph , Tony Scott epic in the seventh game but when Kim Wiffen took to the oche a whisper of surprise echoed around the the now silent arena for surely Kim would be taking the last single, but not to be not on this occasion.
Kim Wiffen was soon into his stride and despite a nervy finish to the leg managed to check out with "Scotty" trailing in hi wake. "Scotty" came back well and took the second leg and for a moment looked like setting up the visitors another astonishing victory but Kim Wiffen, showed his 20 odd years of super league and county darts experience to clinch a point and set up the home side for an expected two points.
The Rose and Crown though are a different side these days and have a steely determination about them, an attitude of never say die.
Needing this one for the draw Mullins let his intention be known early in the first leg as he rattled in his first maximum of the season on his way to taking the first leg against "Big Bird" Derek Ralph. The difference in attitudes towards this latest maximum could hardly be different On the one hand Tony Scott beamed from ear to ear as the lottery fund was bolstered by a second maximum in one evening (a rule only recently relaxed to swell the lottery funds) and on the other hand, Carl Bolding, who had not only suffered at the hands of the Icelandic banking collapse but who was now also forced to cough up his second pound of the evening at a time when he would usually be at home sat by candle light counting his own stock pile of fifty pence pieces, each one carefully labelled, who payed, what date etc etc. Meanwhile the darts continued in earnest, Derek Ralph pulled a leg back to set up an intriguing final leg of the Night. Mullins went straight off with his first dart and never looked back and was on to a double before Derek was out of the 200's. Lacking his usual accuracy Mullins let Ralph back into the leg and indeed Ralph had a chance at double ten before Mullins closed out with an "understacker" into the centre of the double one to secure the point for the visitors.
A sign of the times
A week after upsetting the odds with a win against the Inn on The Green, it only gets tougher for the Rose and Crown who's next opponents were the London Road Club, it has to be said at this stage that the standard of the St. Albans Darts league has improved dramatically in recent years but as to what this can be attributed to is any ones guess. Could it be the untold "riches" of what the 1st division offers that has seen an influx of both players and teams from outside the area ply their trade here in St. Albans.
Teams such as "The Black Boy" who were filled with darting superstars such as Chris Mason and of course more recently Mark Walsh aka "Walshie". Then there is "The Inn on The Green" largely made up of those from the surrounding leagues of Watford and Luton. All have come here from more familiar surroundings to seek further fame and fortune amongst the throngs of local tungsten hurlers here in St. Albans.
Well whatever it is it certainly has brought the best out of some of the more local players and the Rose and Crown is no exception to this.
If you were to say at the beginning of this season that the Rose and Crown would have five points from a possible six after after games against the Inn on The Green, Bricketwood and London Road, all of whom are packed to the rafters of superleague and county payers, I'm sure this would have been met with much scepticism, especially in view of the fact that the Rose and Crown have achieved this without Tom Wilson, (who has been sorely missed, not just for his darting abilities but for his all round contribution to the team), but achieved it they have and everyone of them has stepped up to the plate when called and raised their game.
In recent years players such as John Goode has come from nowhere to be a regular member of the team and his partnership with Paul Mullins has certainly accounted for many more notable scalps than that of themselves. Then there is the "Director of Darts" who seems to strike "fear" in to the heart of the opposition with his off the oche antics but provides perfect foil for the likes of Tony Scott and Neil Crosby and the emerging talent of Kevin Woods that follow him onto the oche.
As the standard of those coming into the league from all around improves so does that of the local players and for this there is no substitute, as was demonstrated last Thursday as the Inn on The Green imploded, unable to accommodate the egotistical personalities that made for a disfunctional and disjointed outfit that could only fight amongst themselves, a team of little equilibrium unbalanced and out of tune. Compare that to their victors that night who, in stark contrast to them have no such egos to feed, each slipping into his place in the side, guided effortlessly by the skipper, standing as one and supporting each other.
Four maybe Five years ago virtually the same group of players just about avoided relegation, over the last couple of seasons John Goode has found himself beating the likes of Kim Wiffen and Gary Roache as the Rose and Crown mix it with their more illustrious counterparts.
Teams such as "The Black Boy" who were filled with darting superstars such as Chris Mason and of course more recently Mark Walsh aka "Walshie". Then there is "The Inn on The Green" largely made up of those from the surrounding leagues of Watford and Luton. All have come here from more familiar surroundings to seek further fame and fortune amongst the throngs of local tungsten hurlers here in St. Albans.
Well whatever it is it certainly has brought the best out of some of the more local players and the Rose and Crown is no exception to this.
If you were to say at the beginning of this season that the Rose and Crown would have five points from a possible six after after games against the Inn on The Green, Bricketwood and London Road, all of whom are packed to the rafters of superleague and county payers, I'm sure this would have been met with much scepticism, especially in view of the fact that the Rose and Crown have achieved this without Tom Wilson, (who has been sorely missed, not just for his darting abilities but for his all round contribution to the team), but achieved it they have and everyone of them has stepped up to the plate when called and raised their game.
In recent years players such as John Goode has come from nowhere to be a regular member of the team and his partnership with Paul Mullins has certainly accounted for many more notable scalps than that of themselves. Then there is the "Director of Darts" who seems to strike "fear" in to the heart of the opposition with his off the oche antics but provides perfect foil for the likes of Tony Scott and Neil Crosby and the emerging talent of Kevin Woods that follow him onto the oche.
As the standard of those coming into the league from all around improves so does that of the local players and for this there is no substitute, as was demonstrated last Thursday as the Inn on The Green imploded, unable to accommodate the egotistical personalities that made for a disfunctional and disjointed outfit that could only fight amongst themselves, a team of little equilibrium unbalanced and out of tune. Compare that to their victors that night who, in stark contrast to them have no such egos to feed, each slipping into his place in the side, guided effortlessly by the skipper, standing as one and supporting each other.
Four maybe Five years ago virtually the same group of players just about avoided relegation, over the last couple of seasons John Goode has found himself beating the likes of Kim Wiffen and Gary Roache as the Rose and Crown mix it with their more illustrious counterparts.
Saturday 4 October 2008
Inn on The Green 2nd October 2008
They don’t like it up ‘em
They certainly didn’t like it up ‘em! The division 1 champions quiet literally kicked off their season with a shock defeat at the Rose and Crown.
Trailing 3-1 after the doubles the visitors rallied to 3-3 before an inspired Tony Scott set up this victory for the home side with a 100 checkout to edge The below strength Rose and Crown in front by one with one game to go. And with Paul Mullins well on his way to sealing an impressive win, the visitors imploded, Mullins could only look on as scenes more akin to the playground of the local primary school some 400 yards down the road unfurled themselves in the public bar.
The visiting side arrived with an arrogance that bordered on cockiness as they asserted their presence in the bar . A Side comprising of the best that Watford has to offer with a smattering from neighbouring county Bedfordshire and with the odd home grown individual somewhere in their midst have certainly been what you describe politely as nomadic in their ways and these nomadic tendencies were plenty evident in this picturesque part of St. Albans on Thursday night. A chorus of loud and abusive language played itself out accompanied with lewd comments that pertained to their previous visit to these parts which was so evidently fresh in their minds.
Heightened by taking the first doubles of the night the champions were in a boisterous mood and the cockiness had now spilled into complacency and the talk was turned to last Mondays “Super League” exploits The fact that Tony Scott and Kevin Woods had levelled the match with another impressive performance went barely un-noticed and when Neil “The Daddy Dude” Crosby and Dave noble edged the home side in front for the first time, heads barely turned. But when the “evergreen” John Goode and Paul Mullins took the final doubles encounter of the evening without affording their more illustrious opponents a shot at a double, heads nearly rolled.
Consigned now to the confines of history was the arrogance and cockiness that proceeded this spectacular downfall (one would usually describe it has a “fall from grace” but the Inn on the Green are anything but graceful). Desperation had now begun to manifest itself in the heart of the visiting team and despite pulling back the next two singles to level the encounter the mood had changed .
Enter Tony P Scott. With a chance to secure what would be an historic point, Tony drew on his experience to guide the wolfram into the board with unerring accuracy, each one a dagger bursting through the over inflated egos of the visitors culminating in three superfluous flighted arrows to checkout on one hundred and thus securing the point, but deep down I think everyone in the pub knew that this was going to be the Rose and Crown’s Night and Tony had set up the inevitable victory.
Mullins took to the oche very much unaware of what was about to unfold and as he was seemingly coasting to victory in the first leg the visitors heard the bell that heralded playtime.
Now Neil “The Daddy Dude” Crosby is known for his antics and almost certainly has been guilty of casting out his infantile educational tools from his perambulator a little too hastily at times, but even he was aghast as the visitors mix of egotistical arrogance and cockiness erupted into an early pantomime production of “I’m better than you” , “Oh know your not”. Followed quickly by frantic arm flapping and jostling that nearly caused them all to disappear into the fireplace and up the chimney.
Unfazed, as the visitors hurled their handbags at each other Mullins kept his cool and strolled to an easy victory to cap a wonderful evening for the home side.
They certainly didn’t like it up ‘em! The division 1 champions quiet literally kicked off their season with a shock defeat at the Rose and Crown.
Trailing 3-1 after the doubles the visitors rallied to 3-3 before an inspired Tony Scott set up this victory for the home side with a 100 checkout to edge The below strength Rose and Crown in front by one with one game to go. And with Paul Mullins well on his way to sealing an impressive win, the visitors imploded, Mullins could only look on as scenes more akin to the playground of the local primary school some 400 yards down the road unfurled themselves in the public bar.
The visiting side arrived with an arrogance that bordered on cockiness as they asserted their presence in the bar . A Side comprising of the best that Watford has to offer with a smattering from neighbouring county Bedfordshire and with the odd home grown individual somewhere in their midst have certainly been what you describe politely as nomadic in their ways and these nomadic tendencies were plenty evident in this picturesque part of St. Albans on Thursday night. A chorus of loud and abusive language played itself out accompanied with lewd comments that pertained to their previous visit to these parts which was so evidently fresh in their minds.
Heightened by taking the first doubles of the night the champions were in a boisterous mood and the cockiness had now spilled into complacency and the talk was turned to last Mondays “Super League” exploits The fact that Tony Scott and Kevin Woods had levelled the match with another impressive performance went barely un-noticed and when Neil “The Daddy Dude” Crosby and Dave noble edged the home side in front for the first time, heads barely turned. But when the “evergreen” John Goode and Paul Mullins took the final doubles encounter of the evening without affording their more illustrious opponents a shot at a double, heads nearly rolled.
Consigned now to the confines of history was the arrogance and cockiness that proceeded this spectacular downfall (one would usually describe it has a “fall from grace” but the Inn on the Green are anything but graceful). Desperation had now begun to manifest itself in the heart of the visiting team and despite pulling back the next two singles to level the encounter the mood had changed .
Enter Tony P Scott. With a chance to secure what would be an historic point, Tony drew on his experience to guide the wolfram into the board with unerring accuracy, each one a dagger bursting through the over inflated egos of the visitors culminating in three superfluous flighted arrows to checkout on one hundred and thus securing the point, but deep down I think everyone in the pub knew that this was going to be the Rose and Crown’s Night and Tony had set up the inevitable victory.
Mullins took to the oche very much unaware of what was about to unfold and as he was seemingly coasting to victory in the first leg the visitors heard the bell that heralded playtime.
Now Neil “The Daddy Dude” Crosby is known for his antics and almost certainly has been guilty of casting out his infantile educational tools from his perambulator a little too hastily at times, but even he was aghast as the visitors mix of egotistical arrogance and cockiness erupted into an early pantomime production of “I’m better than you” , “Oh know your not”. Followed quickly by frantic arm flapping and jostling that nearly caused them all to disappear into the fireplace and up the chimney.
Unfazed, as the visitors hurled their handbags at each other Mullins kept his cool and strolled to an easy victory to cap a wonderful evening for the home side.
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