In what has proved to be one of the most controversial weeks in recent times for St. Albans Darts, The Rose & Crown found themselves playing host to the Inn On The Green in what many were predicting would be a feisty encounter.
Responding to comments made about them The Inn On The Green had plenty of scores to settle, and settle them they did. But rather than rising to these comments the Inn On The Green did their talking on the oche as they run away with this top of the table encounter humbling the home side by a resounding 7-1 in what at times seemed to be exhibition darts.
The depleted Rose & Crown had no answer to the awesome power of the Inn On The Green and only Tony Scott could offer any resistance in what proved to be a fruitless night for the home side.
If this was an attempt at mind games from the home side then the Inn On The Green took it all in their stride and showed their class.
Saturday, 26 January 2008
Monday, 21 January 2008
Redbourne Cricket Club January 17th 2007
The lights were off in the car park, a last ditch attempt possibly to stop any visitors in thier tracks, to disable them over the carp park boundary perhaps, or maybe the committe have yet to vote on who puts the light bulbs in. The answers to these questions we may never know.
A small clubhouse nestled in the centre of Redbourne Common, home to Redbourne Cricket Club and the sound of leather on willow echoing round the walls in the summer months. The winter however is very different, it stands alone and almost empty shrouded in darkness that seems to surround it all day long barley noticeable almost conspicuous by its almost apparent absence. This was the venue for the latest instalment of Rose & Crown Darts, a venue that has proved to be a stumbling block in the past.
It proved tonight that the only stumbling block would be the unlit car park as the Rose & Crown ran away with victory 6-2.
It was hardly a vintage performance by the visitors as they played well within themselves but with enough in hand to ease to a comfortable victory and extend a recent run of impressive performances going into next weeks encounter against the highly rated Inn On The Green.
After suffering defeat in the first match of the evening it was up to Neil "The Dude" Crosby and Carl Bolding to redress the balance and pave the way for the ever reliable pairing of stalwart Tony Scott and Tom Wilson to put put the visitors ahead. They duly obliged and were quickly followed by the impressive John Goode and Paul Mullins who swept the visitors into a 3-1 lead going into the singles.
Plagued by the cold whistling in through the doors the visitors seemed in a hurry to end this encounter as quickly as possible and when Tom Wilson stepped up to take on the first single in place of Neil Crosby it certainly looked like being an early night.
Tom strolled to the oche and almost nonchalantly and with such unerring accuracy powered the visitors into an unassailable 4-1 lead.
Neil Crosby sealed victory shortly afterwards before the Rose & Crown eventually run out 6-2 victors and putting behind them previous slip ups in the parishes.
A small clubhouse nestled in the centre of Redbourne Common, home to Redbourne Cricket Club and the sound of leather on willow echoing round the walls in the summer months. The winter however is very different, it stands alone and almost empty shrouded in darkness that seems to surround it all day long barley noticeable almost conspicuous by its almost apparent absence. This was the venue for the latest instalment of Rose & Crown Darts, a venue that has proved to be a stumbling block in the past.
It proved tonight that the only stumbling block would be the unlit car park as the Rose & Crown ran away with victory 6-2.
It was hardly a vintage performance by the visitors as they played well within themselves but with enough in hand to ease to a comfortable victory and extend a recent run of impressive performances going into next weeks encounter against the highly rated Inn On The Green.
After suffering defeat in the first match of the evening it was up to Neil "The Dude" Crosby and Carl Bolding to redress the balance and pave the way for the ever reliable pairing of stalwart Tony Scott and Tom Wilson to put put the visitors ahead. They duly obliged and were quickly followed by the impressive John Goode and Paul Mullins who swept the visitors into a 3-1 lead going into the singles.
Plagued by the cold whistling in through the doors the visitors seemed in a hurry to end this encounter as quickly as possible and when Tom Wilson stepped up to take on the first single in place of Neil Crosby it certainly looked like being an early night.
Tom strolled to the oche and almost nonchalantly and with such unerring accuracy powered the visitors into an unassailable 4-1 lead.
Neil Crosby sealed victory shortly afterwards before the Rose & Crown eventually run out 6-2 victors and putting behind them previous slip ups in the parishes.
The Feeding of Dave and John
10] When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, [11] but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
[12] Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here."
[13] He replied, "You give them something to eat."
They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish--unless we go and buy food for all this crowd." [14] (About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." [15] The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. [16] Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. [17] They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
And lo, David went out and in the valley of St.Michael's and he did gather himself two fishes, his Disciple John did applaud him and the two of them ate the two fishes heartily. In fact so good were the fishes that disciple John did say unto David that he had never tasted salmon like it before. David did say unto John that it was in fact Trout, a row broke out as the two glutenous "apostles" full to the gunnel's on freshly caught fish argued as to the fishes identity, Meanwhile the poor, the, unemployed and the hungry could only look on as a fully qualified chef with every means of cookery known to man at his disposal could only feed himself and John whilst over two thousand years ago a humble carpenter with no knowledge of the catering trade whatsoever managed to feed an entire five thousand seater open air restaurant with not so much as a frying pan or a court bouillon sauce.
[12] Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here."
[13] He replied, "You give them something to eat."
They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish--unless we go and buy food for all this crowd." [14] (About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." [15] The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. [16] Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. [17] They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
And lo, David went out and in the valley of St.Michael's and he did gather himself two fishes, his Disciple John did applaud him and the two of them ate the two fishes heartily. In fact so good were the fishes that disciple John did say unto David that he had never tasted salmon like it before. David did say unto John that it was in fact Trout, a row broke out as the two glutenous "apostles" full to the gunnel's on freshly caught fish argued as to the fishes identity, Meanwhile the poor, the, unemployed and the hungry could only look on as a fully qualified chef with every means of cookery known to man at his disposal could only feed himself and John whilst over two thousand years ago a humble carpenter with no knowledge of the catering trade whatsoever managed to feed an entire five thousand seater open air restaurant with not so much as a frying pan or a court bouillon sauce.
Friday, 11 January 2008
Evergreens January 10th 2008
As the smoking ban continues to descend the game of tactics into absolute chaos, albeit ably assisted by the "Director of Darts" with his penchant for disruption ,the Rose & Crown continue to go from strength to strength when it really matters.
Last nights visitors to St. Mitchael's darting Mecca were the Evergreens, who on their day were capable of beating the best in league, a fact proven by a recent victory over the Inn On The Green. The Rose & Crown how ever are anything but The Inn On The Green and are most certainly not a bunch of silver pot chasing, egotistical spear throwing megalomaniacs, au contraire quite the reverse in fact. The Rose & Crown embody the very spirit of darts, a team built over the years in the best traditions of the game (the director of darts a part) with a strong cohesion and togetherness that sets them apart from the "gypsies" that have wandered across the boundary to the north of the district. The Evergreens found this out to their cost on Thursday night as the home side turned in a performance worthy of a higher placing in the league table.
After a shaky start to the evening with what was perhaps the longest doubles game in Rose & Crown memory Skipper Alan Turner and Dave Noble finally came out on top as an out of sorts Tim Banks and below par Geoff Greene just couldn't find any rhythm and left the door wide open for the Rose & Crown duo. This early advantage was soon to be overturned, Carl Bolding and Neil Crosby surrendering to Jimmy Meyrick and Paul Stevens followed by the first defeat of the season of John Goode and Paul Mullins who despite dominating the match and throwing a maximum with his first three darts were unable to put away the wily campaigners of Mick Norris and John Thiel and thus find themselves trailing 2-1. Enter Tony Scott and Tom Wilson who set the standard for the rest of the evening with a comprehensive 2-0 win to put the home side back level.
The sandwiches brought some light relief to proceedings and it has to be said that Ruth does the team proud. Wonderful freshly made sandwiches with a variety of exciting fillings served on a platter and garnished exquisitely always go down well after a few pints of the cask conditioned ale on offer to which the delicious Gemma is only to happy serve up.
So with refreshments taken and the last remnants of fresh bread woofed down by Tia it was back onto the Oche. Neil Crosby usually takes first single, not by the skippers choice it has to be said, while others are gorging themselves on the fresh fare Neil hones in to the vacant oche and refuses to move until he plays. This was a season defining game for the enigmatic Mr Crosby as well as a defining game in the evenings events. At two each the pressure was on both players to get a result and it was Evergreens Paul Stevens who looked the more likely victor as he out played "The Dude" for all three legs. and looked sure to wrap things up before Neil hit him with a bolt from the blue. Limping like a lame duck it was all Neil could do to stay in touch with his opponent at times, but staring down the Barrel Neil pulled of an incredible 112 finish that stunned not only his opponent but all inside the public bar at the time and so put the Rose & Crown back in pole position and with the likes of Tom Wilson and Tony Scott to follow not to mention the in form Paul Mulins there only looked like one team in it and so it proved. Tom Wilson came out on top despite a momentary lapse of concentration in the second leg against John Thiel before Tony Scott turned in yet another masterclass to seal the victory. Paul Mullins then put the icing on the cake as the home side reeled off all four single matches to complete a wonderful 6-2 victory
Last nights visitors to St. Mitchael's darting Mecca were the Evergreens, who on their day were capable of beating the best in league, a fact proven by a recent victory over the Inn On The Green. The Rose & Crown how ever are anything but The Inn On The Green and are most certainly not a bunch of silver pot chasing, egotistical spear throwing megalomaniacs, au contraire quite the reverse in fact. The Rose & Crown embody the very spirit of darts, a team built over the years in the best traditions of the game (the director of darts a part) with a strong cohesion and togetherness that sets them apart from the "gypsies" that have wandered across the boundary to the north of the district. The Evergreens found this out to their cost on Thursday night as the home side turned in a performance worthy of a higher placing in the league table.
After a shaky start to the evening with what was perhaps the longest doubles game in Rose & Crown memory Skipper Alan Turner and Dave Noble finally came out on top as an out of sorts Tim Banks and below par Geoff Greene just couldn't find any rhythm and left the door wide open for the Rose & Crown duo. This early advantage was soon to be overturned, Carl Bolding and Neil Crosby surrendering to Jimmy Meyrick and Paul Stevens followed by the first defeat of the season of John Goode and Paul Mullins who despite dominating the match and throwing a maximum with his first three darts were unable to put away the wily campaigners of Mick Norris and John Thiel and thus find themselves trailing 2-1. Enter Tony Scott and Tom Wilson who set the standard for the rest of the evening with a comprehensive 2-0 win to put the home side back level.
The sandwiches brought some light relief to proceedings and it has to be said that Ruth does the team proud. Wonderful freshly made sandwiches with a variety of exciting fillings served on a platter and garnished exquisitely always go down well after a few pints of the cask conditioned ale on offer to which the delicious Gemma is only to happy serve up.
So with refreshments taken and the last remnants of fresh bread woofed down by Tia it was back onto the Oche. Neil Crosby usually takes first single, not by the skippers choice it has to be said, while others are gorging themselves on the fresh fare Neil hones in to the vacant oche and refuses to move until he plays. This was a season defining game for the enigmatic Mr Crosby as well as a defining game in the evenings events. At two each the pressure was on both players to get a result and it was Evergreens Paul Stevens who looked the more likely victor as he out played "The Dude" for all three legs. and looked sure to wrap things up before Neil hit him with a bolt from the blue. Limping like a lame duck it was all Neil could do to stay in touch with his opponent at times, but staring down the Barrel Neil pulled of an incredible 112 finish that stunned not only his opponent but all inside the public bar at the time and so put the Rose & Crown back in pole position and with the likes of Tom Wilson and Tony Scott to follow not to mention the in form Paul Mulins there only looked like one team in it and so it proved. Tom Wilson came out on top despite a momentary lapse of concentration in the second leg against John Thiel before Tony Scott turned in yet another masterclass to seal the victory. Paul Mullins then put the icing on the cake as the home side reeled off all four single matches to complete a wonderful 6-2 victory
Friday, 14 December 2007
The Grange Club 13th December 2007
The dust had now settled and Chris Wilson had been archived to the Tony Scott book of darting folklore. Now just a mere fable to be narrated in the presence of a roaring fire with a plethora of adoring grandchildren and the sweet scent of hand rolled Cuban cigar smoke adding a foggy mystique to the latest darting fairytale.
To others perhaps a soliloquy as they recalled themselves and others suffering such humiliating defeats at the hands of a darting legend.
It was now down to another dashing prince to step forward and awaken the sleeping beauty that is the rose and crown dart team.
The special one himself Jose Mourinho would surely have been salivating at the prospect of delivering the after match press conference in the aftermath of such a show of tactical genius that was so evidently displayed by Rose and Crown sipper Alan Turner last night. Realizing that success is built on solid foundations the skipper resisted the urge of tinkering with with these very foundations and was duly rewarded.
Eyebrows were raised it has to be said as the Sipper went on first partnering "Wavey Davey" Noble then followed by the enigmatic Neil "The Dude" Crosby and Carl Bolding and those same eyebrows were raised even further when both pairs came back from the oche empty handed.
"Big Al" kept his nerve though and cheered on so enthusiastically by Veronica Kent who has established herself within the side with her very own and unique brand of support (more akin to that of the Circus Tavern than to the Rose & Crown it has to be said) he stuck fast with the tried and tested partnership of Tony Scott and Tom Wilson and despite a shaky start the first blow to the visitors had been struck and the Rose & Crown were off the mark. Perhaps though, the most rewarding was the skippers tactical nous not to have given in to temptation and partnered the emerging Paul Mullins with Neil Crosby (a partnership that had payed dividends in the past) and he stuck with the partnership of Paul Mullins and John Goode which continues to be successful.. In fact Paul is playing so well at the moment that all John has to do is "slipstream" him. Once caught up in the undertow of HMS Mullins it's full steam ahead to the winning post! and last night was no exception as the surprise pair of the season yet again chalked up a 2 leg victory which put the sides level going into the interval.
Even Dave Vass had no answer, darting wise or unusually for him verbally to the steamroller that was now hurtling to the tape with victory insight. He was left to mutter such utterings about winning goldfish and other such nonsense (surely a childhood memory, perhaps even that of the last "trophy" he lifted above his head!) as he was humbled into submission by Neil Crosby who put his recent troubles and injuries behind him to put in an all most vintage performance to put the home side ahead for the first time.
The point was secured and the skippers job made to look easy as Tom Wilson mopped up the next in two straight legs the home side had now reeled off four games on the bounce and the disappointment of a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of the Crooked Billet just a fortnight ago now just a distant memory.
"Big Al" then played his final hand and called upon the in form Paul Mullins to seal victory. Paul was happy to oblige and you could hear a pin drop as his final arrow pierced the double five almost like a dagger through the heart and mouth! of the now almost mute Dave Vass and victory was complete far from the whooping and cheering that had been the traits of the away side in those first two encounters of the evening the home side were dignified in their celebrations and you had to listen very intently to hear the whispers around the public bar of "Chris Who?"
This one was for you Chris and all the very best of luck.
To others perhaps a soliloquy as they recalled themselves and others suffering such humiliating defeats at the hands of a darting legend.
It was now down to another dashing prince to step forward and awaken the sleeping beauty that is the rose and crown dart team.
The special one himself Jose Mourinho would surely have been salivating at the prospect of delivering the after match press conference in the aftermath of such a show of tactical genius that was so evidently displayed by Rose and Crown sipper Alan Turner last night. Realizing that success is built on solid foundations the skipper resisted the urge of tinkering with with these very foundations and was duly rewarded.
Eyebrows were raised it has to be said as the Sipper went on first partnering "Wavey Davey" Noble then followed by the enigmatic Neil "The Dude" Crosby and Carl Bolding and those same eyebrows were raised even further when both pairs came back from the oche empty handed.
"Big Al" kept his nerve though and cheered on so enthusiastically by Veronica Kent who has established herself within the side with her very own and unique brand of support (more akin to that of the Circus Tavern than to the Rose & Crown it has to be said) he stuck fast with the tried and tested partnership of Tony Scott and Tom Wilson and despite a shaky start the first blow to the visitors had been struck and the Rose & Crown were off the mark. Perhaps though, the most rewarding was the skippers tactical nous not to have given in to temptation and partnered the emerging Paul Mullins with Neil Crosby (a partnership that had payed dividends in the past) and he stuck with the partnership of Paul Mullins and John Goode which continues to be successful.. In fact Paul is playing so well at the moment that all John has to do is "slipstream" him. Once caught up in the undertow of HMS Mullins it's full steam ahead to the winning post! and last night was no exception as the surprise pair of the season yet again chalked up a 2 leg victory which put the sides level going into the interval.
Even Dave Vass had no answer, darting wise or unusually for him verbally to the steamroller that was now hurtling to the tape with victory insight. He was left to mutter such utterings about winning goldfish and other such nonsense (surely a childhood memory, perhaps even that of the last "trophy" he lifted above his head!) as he was humbled into submission by Neil Crosby who put his recent troubles and injuries behind him to put in an all most vintage performance to put the home side ahead for the first time.
The point was secured and the skippers job made to look easy as Tom Wilson mopped up the next in two straight legs the home side had now reeled off four games on the bounce and the disappointment of a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of the Crooked Billet just a fortnight ago now just a distant memory.
"Big Al" then played his final hand and called upon the in form Paul Mullins to seal victory. Paul was happy to oblige and you could hear a pin drop as his final arrow pierced the double five almost like a dagger through the heart and mouth! of the now almost mute Dave Vass and victory was complete far from the whooping and cheering that had been the traits of the away side in those first two encounters of the evening the home side were dignified in their celebrations and you had to listen very intently to hear the whispers around the public bar of "Chris Who?"
This one was for you Chris and all the very best of luck.
Saturday, 1 December 2007
The Crooked Billet November 29th
If life it is a vaudeville
And we the crowd it entertains
And the skies they are the set
Then the earth it is the stage
And if time it is the script
And we the willing players
Then hope it be the answer
To all our dreams and prayers.
Hope indeed, The Rose & Crown certainly went into this intriguing encounter with hope in abundance. On the back of an unbeaten five game streak hope was certainly high. Thoughts were even harboured of curtailing a runaway Crooked Billet side who find themselves in the higher echelons of the first division, a position it would have to be said that they are very much unaccustomed to.
But this was a different Crooked Billet side, one that has not been seen in recent years and one that now boasted the mercurial talent that is Bob Williams and the incomparable Linda Searle.
The truth was that on paper this should have been an even match up, reality though is something very different and this was a no contest. Linda Searle weaved her magic and almost single handed dismantled the Rose and Crown as if tearing it down brick by brick, barely leaving the skeletal wooden framework behind.
Chris Wilson on his final competitive match for the Rose and Crown managed just one leg from both his doubles and singles encounters, one more it has to be said than his father Tom who failed to even get off the mark during one leg of his doubles with Tony Scott and then encountered Linda Searle at her brilliant best and was duly dispatched two straight legs in the singles.
So with the usually dependable Wilson's managing just one leg from a possible eight all hopes of a result had long since departed and the Rose only had pride to play for.
Even pride was proving a difficult obstacle to climb though, as Skipper Alan Turner found out as he to fell short. Only John Goode offered any Resistance as once again he put in a solid performance to claim yet another victory by two straight legs but then was cruelly overlooked for a singles slot in favour of the out of sorts Neil Crosby!!!
So with just the one bright spot the Rose went down 7-1, one of their biggest defeats in recent memory and one that they will no doubt be looking to put behind them as they go into the mid season break.
Friday, 23 November 2007
Caledon Club "A" November 22nd
This was old school darts, both teams steeped in their traditions, steeped also in the traditions of the league. This was an epic encounter played out in a traditional old English Pub, a far cry from the dilapidated surroundings of such salubrious establishments as "The Grange" or "British Legion" or the stark empty interiors of so called town pubs who's furniture consists of alcopop binge drinking, ASBO collecting teenagers who's only contribution to the environment is to feed the jukebox to reach a decibel level that masks both their lack of social intelligence and monosyllabic tone of the staff who can just about raise a grunt in between text messages. The public bar at the "Rose & Crown" is about as far detached from this as is possible to be. Cosy open fire's and low beamed ceiling's coupled with the ability of it's enchanting staff to converse on a level that includes both witt and intelligence contributes to an atmospherically charged evening that both teams thrive on and have thrived on for many years.
The dictionary defines pugilism as "the art or practice of fighting with the fists". The fists were thankfully not evident last night as these two first division contenders stood toe to toe trading blows of tungsten against a bristle board that would have had even the purest of pugilists trading in the gloves for these toughened steel arrows.
The visitors drew first blood as Rose & Crown skipper Alan Turner and the Director of Dart's or "DD" as he is affectionately known failed to land the first punch and give the "Rose" the start they so desperately craved. Skipper Alan Turner then turned to the inform John Goode and the resurgent Paul Mullins to steady the ship and after another assured display from duo had ensured the scores were level it was down to Rose & Crown stalwart Tony Scott and the enigmatic Neil Crosby to steal a march on the visitors. Described as a spent match by "Wavey Davey Noble" for his innovative use of head ware, Neil was soon quick to strike up once more as he and Tony wrapped up proceedings to overhaul the deficit and send the Rose in to a 2-1 lead. It was now down to "Wavey Davey" (back from a mid-season break) and the returning Carl Bolding who had also missed the previous weeks match to wrap up proceedings.
Returning from illness with more medical terms in his vocabulary than a BMA medical journal former retired postal worker Carl failed to find his form as he and "Wavey Davey" Noble couldn't live up to their past performances and limped out lamely as the visitors turned up the heat on the hosts to draw level at 2 each.
After the interval and everyone concerned had gorged themselves on the generous helpings of freshly made sandwiches garnished with fresh salad and served with piping hot chips it was back to the business in hand.
"Bryant and May" look alike Neil Crosby dusted down the excess "sesquisulfide of phophorous" and struck once more to send the home side into a 3-2 lead. Skipper Alan Turner without both Tom and Chris Wilson then turned to Paul Mullins to secure the draw, and he didn't disappoint. In a nail biting encounter Paul held his nerve to secure a 2-1 victory and thus secure the home side a valuable point.
Trailing 4-2 the visitors were on the ropes and looked down and out but were given a lifeline as the home side dropped its guard as John Goode failed to take his doubles form into the singles and was caught with a sucker punch to reduce the lead to just one at 4-3 but with stalwart Tony Scott still to play the home side were still confident of picking up another two points. Alas this was not to be. "Scotty" looking to repeat last weeks heroics was strangely out of sorts and his inconsistency proved to be his undoing as the away side fought back off the ropes and snatched a remarkable draw against all odds.
The dictionary defines pugilism as "the art or practice of fighting with the fists". The fists were thankfully not evident last night as these two first division contenders stood toe to toe trading blows of tungsten against a bristle board that would have had even the purest of pugilists trading in the gloves for these toughened steel arrows.
The visitors drew first blood as Rose & Crown skipper Alan Turner and the Director of Dart's or "DD" as he is affectionately known failed to land the first punch and give the "Rose" the start they so desperately craved. Skipper Alan Turner then turned to the inform John Goode and the resurgent Paul Mullins to steady the ship and after another assured display from duo had ensured the scores were level it was down to Rose & Crown stalwart Tony Scott and the enigmatic Neil Crosby to steal a march on the visitors. Described as a spent match by "Wavey Davey Noble" for his innovative use of head ware, Neil was soon quick to strike up once more as he and Tony wrapped up proceedings to overhaul the deficit and send the Rose in to a 2-1 lead. It was now down to "Wavey Davey" (back from a mid-season break) and the returning Carl Bolding who had also missed the previous weeks match to wrap up proceedings.
Returning from illness with more medical terms in his vocabulary than a BMA medical journal former retired postal worker Carl failed to find his form as he and "Wavey Davey" Noble couldn't live up to their past performances and limped out lamely as the visitors turned up the heat on the hosts to draw level at 2 each.
After the interval and everyone concerned had gorged themselves on the generous helpings of freshly made sandwiches garnished with fresh salad and served with piping hot chips it was back to the business in hand.
"Bryant and May" look alike Neil Crosby dusted down the excess "sesquisulfide of phophorous" and struck once more to send the home side into a 3-2 lead. Skipper Alan Turner without both Tom and Chris Wilson then turned to Paul Mullins to secure the draw, and he didn't disappoint. In a nail biting encounter Paul held his nerve to secure a 2-1 victory and thus secure the home side a valuable point.
Trailing 4-2 the visitors were on the ropes and looked down and out but were given a lifeline as the home side dropped its guard as John Goode failed to take his doubles form into the singles and was caught with a sucker punch to reduce the lead to just one at 4-3 but with stalwart Tony Scott still to play the home side were still confident of picking up another two points. Alas this was not to be. "Scotty" looking to repeat last weeks heroics was strangely out of sorts and his inconsistency proved to be his undoing as the away side fought back off the ropes and snatched a remarkable draw against all odds.
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