I received a curious email on Friday morning from a member of the Plough (Wolvercote) quiz team.

It was not the scoreline they were reporting that I found a little odd, although some might find their third successive victory over stablemate and Winter Premiership titleholders the Ploughman’s Bunch!, this time by an 82-78 margin, a little baffling.

No, it was the line which followed, “….this means the Plough are champs again.”

With two points for a win and two rounds of matches to go, it is still possible for the Royal Blenheim ‘A’ (Oxford City) to wipe out the current two-point deficit and overhaul the Plough, particularly as they play them in the penultimate fixture next week.

I daresay when they rock up the Plough will have the Brasso out and be giving the silverware a good old polish. They have certainly given the Blenheim an added incentive, if indeed they were in need of one.

The latter remain within touching distance of the league leaders courtesy of a fruitful trip to Eynsham where, in the highest scoring contest of the evening, they beat a gutsy White Hart outfit 85-61.

As intriguing as the finish to the Premier Division campaign may be to some, it does not quite compare to that in Section One, where five teams theoretically have the opportunity to lift the winner’s trophy.

The favourite’s, as they have been before the season even began, the Green Road Club (Kidlington), are still in the pound seats following their latest success against the Black Swan (East Oxford), 77-61. They have tricky ties to come at the White Hart and then at home to the Royal Sun (Begbroke) who themselves have an outside shot at the silverware.

The North Oxford Conservative Club (Summertown) lie second, two points adrift, but they face the Bunch! next up so their chances of successfully defending their crown appear slim.

However, the 68-60 defeat of previous front runner’s, the Black’s Head (Bletchingdon), should provide them with a degree of confidence. The Black’s Head are not out of the running either, in spite of this setback, and, arguably, have the easiest run-in. They would need the Green Road to slip up somewhere but this has been known to happen at crucial times in the past.

The one other side in with a shout, but very distant, is the Gardener’s Arms (North Parade).

They stay mathematically in contention following a demolition job on the Royal Blenheim ‘B’, 76-46. Curiously, it has been that sort of week, the encounter was staged immediately after the filming of the Blenheim ‘B’ in action in a National TV quiz which is soon to be televised on Sky! In the one other tie of the night, the Royal Sun entertained the Seacourt Bridge (Botley) whom they duly sent packing after overwhelming them 75-62.

 

 

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