Having opened their account with victory over defending champions in the North, The Blue Boar Bees (Chipping Norton), great deeds were widely anticipated from the Sun Inn (Hook Norton) in their follow-up match with The Plough (Wolvercote).

However, a 20-plus point deficit after just three rounds totally evaporated our new heroes’ confidence and they capitulated to a 92-51 butchering.

Also recording back-to-back wins in the Premier Division were the Royal Blenheim (Oxford City). ‘Ben Stokes’, the Vicar, Nick the Thesp et al just held the edge throughout their contest with the Ploughman’s Bunch! (Wolvercote) to finally outlast their opponents in a high-scoring affair, 80-75.

These two unbeaten behemoths are now preparing to lock horns in two days time.

Elsewhere, the remarkable run undertaken by the Green Road Club (Kidlington) grinds on remorselessly. Undefeated since May, they continued the trend by upstaging nearish neighbours, the Seacourt Bridge (Botley), 83-63.

It was an agonising night once more for the Woodman (North Leigh). Having lost narrowly seven days earlier, they suffered a similar fate, 55-52 against the plucky Gardeners Arms (North Parade).

The Blue Boar Bees atoned for their disappointment the previous week with a hard-fought 66-63 triumph over their visitors and very decent outfit from Witney, the Windrush Club.

Also making up for opening-day setbacks were the Bell (Lower Heyford) and the North Oxford Conservative Club (Summertown).

The former overcame the Chequers (Chipping Norton), 67-56, whilst the latter survived some brave resistance late on to eventually subdue their hosts, Moley’s ‘Oakley Army’, aka the Chandos Arms, 71-57.

The Bletchingdon Nomads will undoubtedly emerge as the chief challenger to the Bees in the North as their 78-60 dissection of the not too shabby White Hart (Eynsham) clearly illustrates.

The Eight Bells (Long Crendon) will be hoping they can issue just as stern opposition, but for the Green Road in the East. In seeing off the Black Swan (East Oxford) 69-60, they should have bundles of momentum and they have the talent.

JAMES CARR'S QUESTIONS

1 Which 1960s war film played in three acts: Act one – identification and ‘recruiting’ the prisoners; Act two – training; Act three – the mission? 
2 Which English cricketer scored a then world record 364 runs against Australia at the Oval in 1938? 
3 Name the Irish writer, producer, comedian, actor, and director, best known for portraying Agnes Brown in the BBC TV sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys?

Answers: 1 The Dirty Dozen; 2 Len Hutton; 3 Brendan O’Carroll.