Four games into the campaign and only three 100 per cent records remain. One of these will perish this week as the hitherto unbeaten Premier Section outfits, the Plough (Wolvercote) and Far From The Madding Crowd ‘A’ (Oxford City), go head to head. Last Thursday, the former maintained their blemish-free season with a 76-69 win over rivals, the Hatchet (Childrey), while reigning title-holders, FFTMC ‘A’, banished the memories somewhat of the ignominy suffered seven days earlier when finishing behind their ‘B’ team in the ‘Dave Jordan’, by comfortably despatching their stablemates, 73-58.

The Ploughman’s Bunch! (Wolvercote), take on the Bell (Grove) in another top division clash. Both come off the back of decent victories, the Bunch! having recorded the second highest total of the evening in overwhelming the Gatehanger’s Inn (Ashendon), 82-46, while the Bell narrowly defeated the Windrush Club (Witney), 74-68.

The Blue Boar (Chipping Norton) is finally igniting their title defence in the North. After a sluggish start, which included that hammering at the hands of the Black’s Head (Bletchingdon), ‘Busby’s Babes’ have now registered back-to- back successes, that have seen them move to the top of the table. Their latest conquest was over the Sun (Hook Norton), 66-59.

Relinquishing front-running duties is the Bell (Lower Heyford) who, nevertheless, put in a spirited performance at home to the Crown (Church Enstone) before succumbing 63-68. This enabled the Crown to open their account for the season, a feat matched by the Chequers (Chipping Norton), although theirs was courtesy of a low-scoring draw, 58 all, with the Black’s Head.

Draws tend to be a rarity, two of an evening, novel indeed. The White Hart (Eynsham) had been trailing the Woodman (North Leigh), but just when it seemed the latter were going to notch up their first win, the Eynsham gang denied them, escaping with a creditable point, 64-64.

For a division of such strong contenders, the West did not provide one triumphant side. Following those stalemates for the White Hart, Woodman and Black’s Head, and the setback for the Windrush, pacesetters the Royal Sun (Begbroke), also tripped up, losing narrowly, 69-74, at the Seacourt Bridge. This victory for the Botley team leaves them with the other perfect start as well as a two-point lead atop the Oxford Division. In hot pursuit are the North Oxford Conservative Club (Summertown), who battered the Gardener’s Arms (North Parade), 85-43, and the Green Road Club (Kidlington) whose title defence is gathering momentum after downing the Black Swan (East Oxford), 73-62.

Over in the East, it was business as usual for the Green Dragon (Haddenham), whose trip to Long Crendon yielded a rewarding 75-66 victory over hosts, the Eight Bells, while the King’s Arms (Wheatley) edged out the ‘Oakley Army’, aka the Chandos Arms, in a thriller, 63-60.