They’re not a bad outfit, the Ploughman’s Bunch! (Wolvercote). My lot, that’s the North Oxford Conservative Club (Summertown), hosted them last Thursday, and we had the temerity to forge a five-point lead after three rounds.

Well, red rag to a bull! In the last section before the half- time interval, they, astonishingly, managed to correctly identify all 22 pictures of 1960s TV programmes.

That brought the scores level and after the break they battered us, the final outcome being a 77-60 win for the ‘Bunch!’, And in so doing, they consolidated their position at the head of the Premier Section.

Hot on their heels however, are Far From the Madding Crowd (Oxford City), who narrowly defeated the other title contenders, the Plough (Wolvercote), 70-66. This setback for the Con Club ended the only remaining 100 per cent record in Section One, and resulted in them slipping to fourth in the table.

All in all it was a good week for the Green Road Club (Kidlington), and they didn’t even play! Having been the frontrunners before hostilities last week, they still remain so, as the Black Swan also failed to capitalise on their absence in succumbing 75-54 to the very impressive White Hart. This Eynsham side may have made a slow start to the campaign, indeed this was their first victory, but they have had far and away the trickiest fixtures and they won’t be a million miles away, come the end of the season.

Also breaking their duck were the Black’s Head (Bletchingdon) who saw off some spirited resistance from the Gardener’s Arms (North Parade) in posting a 63-53 success. Meanwhile the Royal Sun returned to winning ways after overcoming the Seacourt Bridge (Botley) in a hard fought battle at Begbroke by a score of 67 to 59.

This week there is a break from league action as sides compete in the USA ‘Tabletop’, appropriately timed as it is that country’s Independence Day tomorrow.

Joining the fray will be two sides from this esteemed newspaper, and I’m sure there will be no keener edge to the hostilities than that provoked by the Mail ‘A’ side, led by the deputy editor, as they attempt to exact revenge on the ‘B’ side who beat them by a solitary point in the quiz at the Presentation Evening for the Winter League back in April.