Phil Adams (6-6-5) clanged off 17 dolls as Cricketers came from behind to beat Six Bells 2-1 in the Premier Section in the Greene King Oxford & District League, writes ANDY BEAL.

Adams missed with his 13th stick of a thrilling encounter.

Six Bells won the opening leg 31-29, but Cricketers drew level in the next with a 31-28 win and then set 32 in the last.

Six Bells left anchor man Fred Sawyer six to tie the leg, and he rose to the occasion by whipping of all six to send the leg into three sticks.

Cricketers set 16 dolls, and Six Bells fell three short.

Sawyer and Roger Goodall hit 14 dolls each for Six Bells.

Adrian Shepherd (5-6-4) bagged 15 dolls for New Club, but it proved in vain as they lost 2-1 at Black Swan. Ken Maunder (6-4-4) hit 14 dolls for Garsington Sports, but it couldn’t stop the George claiming a 3-0 win. Steve Walton (5-4-5) led the way for the George with 14.

In Section 2, Mark Poulter (5-5-4) was another 14-doll marksman as White Hart beat Gladiators 2-1.

Malcolm Elliott (5-4-5) matched Poulter with 14 dolls for Gladiators.

Only one doll separated The Dogwood and Turners Arms, who needed a three-stick shoot-out to snatch a 2-1 win.

Turners Arms won the first leg 21-19, Dogwood levelled in the second 23-22 and Turners Arms set 21 in the final leg.

Dogwood left anchor man Robin Busby six to win, but he fell one doll short to send the leg into three sticks.

Veteran Norman Holloway (4-5-6) rolled back the years to clang off 15 dolls for Red Lion Marston as they beat Green Road Club 2-1 in Section 3.

It was a long night at the Nelson as they lost 2-1 to Queens Head in Section 6.

With the game poised at 1-1, the final leg was tied 18-18.

Three sticks could not separate the teams and it was down to a one-stick shoot-out, which was also tied. It was then back to six sticks and Queens Head finally triumphed.

Graham Reading (5-4-5) smashed off 14 dolls for Red Lion Eynsham, but they still lost 2-1 at Red Lion Cassington in Section 8.

RESULTS

GREENE KING OXFORD & DISTRICT LEAGUE

Premier/Section 1: Vikings Sports B 2, Red Lion A 1; Six Bells C 1, Cricketers B 2; Kidlington Sports B 1, Three Pigeons 2; Garsington Sports 0, George A 3 ; Black Swan A 2, New Club A 1.

Section 2: Dogwood 1, Turners Arms A 2; Six Bells 2, Cricketers A 1; New Club B 3, Cowley Workers 0; Gladiators A 1, White Hart 2; George B 2, Chequers B 1.

Section 3: Tiddington Cricket 2, Cross Keys A 1; Red Lion B Eynsham 0, Woodman 3; Highfield Club A 1, Quarry Gate 2; Donnington Club A 2, Gardiner Arms 1; Red Lion Marston 2, Green Road Club 1.

Section 4: Whitmore Arms 3, Plough 0; Red Lion Garsington 3, Vikings Sports A 0; Masons A 2, North Oxford Con Club 1; Kennington Club A 1, Seacourt Bridge 2; Fairview A 2, Crown A 1.

Section 5: Vikings Sports C 2, Democrats 1; The King & Queen 3, Chandos Arms B 0; Kidlington Sports A 0, Red Lion Kidlington 3; Golden Ball B 1, Chequers A 2; Cowley Con Club 0, White House A 3.

Section 6: Team Monarch 3, Ampleforth Arms 0; Six Bells A 0, White Hart 3; Red Lion Brill 3, Northway Club A 0; Nelson A 1 Queens Head 2; Marston British Legion 3, Brill Club A 0.

Section 7: Turners Arms B 1, Red Cow 2; Brill Club B 2, Barley Mow 1.

Section 8: Red Lion B Cassington 2, Red Lion C Eynsham 1; Jolly Sportsman 3, Golden Ball A 0; Cricketers A 1, Red Lion Wolvercote 2; Chequers C 1, Red Lion Wendelbury 2.

Section 9: Blackbird 3, Six Bells B 0; Northway Club B 1, Littlemore Rugby Club 2; Folly Bridge 2, Fairview B 1; Chandos Arms A 1, Jolly Postboys 2.

Section 10: Rose Hill Club 2, Jack Russell B 1; Donnington Arms 3, Red Lion A Cassington 0; Chequers D 1, Nutt Tree 2; Catherine Wheel A 3, Red Lion Yarnton 0.

Section 11: Kings Arms A 1, Donnington Club B 2; John Radcliffe Club 2, Kidlington Sports C 1; Cricketers B 3, Headington British Legion 0; Black Horse 2, Catherine Wheel 1.

Section 12: White House B 2, Prince Of Wales B 1; White Hart 3, Kennington Club B 0; Priory 2, Black Swan B 1; George 3, Kite 0; Jack Russell A 1, Kings Arms B 2.

SIXERS

P Adams (Cricketers B) 2, P Sawyer (Six Bells), A Shepherd (New Club A), K Maunder (Garsington Sports), M Gosford, N Lyon (Three Pigeons), B Gilding (New Club B), M Jeacock (Cricketers A), D Brownsill (Tiddington Cricket), N Holloway (Red Lion Marston), L Gillett (Littlemore Rugby Club).

BLOBBERS

J Nugent, A Mulligan (Highfield Club A), R Turner (Seacourt Bridge), B May, C Walsh (Kidlington Sports B), T Harbert (Cowley Con Club), J Jacobs (Northway Club), S Franklin (Nut Tree), P Simmonds (Donnington Club B), J Turner (John Radcliffe Club), M Allsop (White House B), P McCarthy (George Botley), A Beckham (Kite).

WARBURTONS BICESTER & DISTRICT LEAGUE

Div 1: Black Bull A 2, Football Club 1; Bull Launton 2, Crown B 1; Prince Of Wales 1, Black Bull B 2; Red Lion 1, Bull & Butcher A 2.

Div 2: Bull & Butcher B 2, Hundred Acres 1; Crown A 1, White Hart Preston Bissett 2; Six Bells A 0, Fountain 3; White Hart Bicester 0, Star A 3.