146 SUTTON COLDFIELD OBSERVER, Friday, January 10, 2014 SSX-eO1-S2 [SSX] visit our website suttoncoldfieldobserver.co.uk Sutton Sports blow RUGBY UNION ROUND-UP title race wide open Spartans grind out a D A RT S road win to stay top SUTTON Sports put them- Sutton see off Hinckley selves back in the Four Oaks Mids Two West South and District Darts League Di- SEE MORE PICS FROM vision One championship race DROITWICH 8 with a 6-3 victory over title SUTTON RFC’S WIN AT SPARTANS RFC 25 rivals The Nomads. to remain in title hunt The other contenders, Red suttoncoldfieldobser ver.co.uk SPARTANS produced a smash- Lion Flights outscored their and-grab win at Droitwich to opponents in everything but Midlands One West retain top spot in Midlands finishing doubles, losing 5-4 to Two West South. Old Oscott Arrows. SUTTON COLDFIELD RFC 25 The early minutes belonged In Division Two, leaders The HINCKLEY 0 to Droitwich but intelligent Beehive and second-placed play saw the Men in Black Anvil Nomads both claimed MAGNIFICENT early-morn- move up-field and feed the comprehensive 8-1 victories, ing efforts from the ground hungry Andrew Bushell for a while Boldmere Sports stay staff got this game on –and try after ten minutes. third after edging out Brook- Sutton ensured their hard However, Droitwich were vale Social 5-4. work was worthwhile, shutting not going to lie down and hit In Division Three, Bishop out Hinckley to avenge an away back on the half hour with a Vesey beat Boldmere Oak 6-3 to defeat earlier in the season. lovely try of their own. stay on the heels of White Lion It was an important win for Spartans were now very who just about maintained the Walmley Road men over much on the back foot and their unbeaten record, pipping their fifth-placed visitors, Droitwich added a well-taken the Pint Pot Flights 5-4. keeping Sutton in third spot penalty to take the lead. N Clarke of The Beehive and near the top of a very com- With the momentum C Packer of Boldmere Sports petitive league, five points be- swinging their way, the home both hit their second 180s of hind leaders Nuneaton and side pressured Spartans’de- the season. just two adrift of second- fence but some strong running placed Broadstreet. from Matthew Perry left the RESULTS –Division One After the Christmas break, HOW THEY STAND visitors with a good field po- DRAKES DRUM 8 (C Turnbull 116b, both sides were struggling to sition and the back row linked 121, 100, 125 J Clarke 112f K Lumby find their form and touch in The try that never was: Liam Hills grounds the ball for Sutton but NATIONAL LEAGUE THREE MIDLANDS well to restore their lead just 100 A Day 120b, 4x100) OLD OSCOTT the difficult conditions, and it PWL Pts before half-time. WMC 1 (C Hawkley 2x100 D Higgins the referee was unsighted. Picture by Ian Worthington. Nuneaton ............ 15 13 2 60 115b, 120b D Parsons 100b, 125, was little surprise that the Broadstreet ......... 15 12 3 57 The second half began with 4x100, 120f J Tolley 100b J Higgins game was full of fumbles and SUTTON COLDFIELD 15 11 4 55 play well and truly stuck 112b, 100 N Hawkley 140, 100). Old Halesonians... 15 10 5 51 early errors. was unsighted when prop up a strong scoring position on Hinckley .............. 15 8 6 42 between the 10m line and SUTTON SPORTS 6 (M Ashton 120b, However, a series of defens- Liam Hills was driven over the the left flank. South Leicester.... 14 8 6 41 Spartans were forced to sweat 118, 100, 3x140 R Hawker 100b, 120b, ive infringements by the vis- try line. Scrum-half Mark Rayner ap- Bournville ............ 15 7 8 38 it out for a good while with 2x100, 141f, 115f S Paling 122 A Kim- itors saw them reduced to 14 In spite of the disappoint- plied the perfect finish to take Longton ............... 14 6 7 32 Droitwich battering away at berley 2x100, 140 J Kavanagh 100, 131 Lymm .................. 15 7 8 31 men by a sin-binning and Alex ments, Sutton continued to the score to 25-0 with smart Newport (Salop) ... 15 6 8 30 the visitors’d o o r. M Wild 121, 140) THE NOMADS 3 (M Sandbach ............ 15 6 9 28 Corfield 2 x 100b M Horacek 100, 140, White kicked the resulting press and defend superbly play, when he picked the ball Scunthorpe .......... 15 4 11 25 As the scrum count began to 125 C Millward Jnr 4x100 M Archer penalty to hand Sutton a 3-0 when called on, until their from the base of a ruck formed Syston ................. 15 4 10 21 increase, Spartans made valu- 110b W Mynard 101b, 120 M McFall Bedford Athletic ... 15 0 15 5 112b, 100 M Gallett 100) lead after 15 minutes. chance came with three by the Sutton pack on the able ground to inch towards He added a second penalty minutes left as Hills put his Hinckley try line and dived MIDLANDS TWO WEST (SOUTH) the Droitwich try-line. OLD OSCOTT ARROWS 5 (M Compton under similar circumstances name on the scoresheet, driv- over for the hosts’third try. P W L Pts With Droitwich beginning 100 M Page 140 J Frost 120b, 100 A 10 minutes before the break ing over from close range for Anxious for a fourth bonus- SPARTANS .......... 12 9 2 47 to tire, Michael Blair spotted a Lea 148b, 100 A Mountford 100, 112b Earlsdon .............. 12 9 2 44 D Page 100, 135) RED LION FLIGHTS 4 and converted a fine try from an undisputed try. point try, Sutton shunned the Nuneaton Old Eds 12 8 4 40 hole to squeeze through for the Leamington .......... 12 8 3 38 (D G Bond 101b, 123, 140, 2 x 100 B Fraser Tait to give Sutton a 13- White kicked the conversion conversion and raced back for Kidderminster ...... 12 7 5 38 bonus point try before a pen- Hughes 2x100 S Andrews 100b D 0 lead at the interval. for 20-0 and then with only the restart but were unable to Old Leamingtonians 12 7 5 36 alty from the ever-reliable Watkins 137 T Vickers 120b, 100, 135 Sutton maintained their mo- moments remaining, Sutton conjure up the elusive score. Banbury ............... 12 7 5 35 Tom Hardy completed the T Colley 135 D Vickers 2x106b, 137, Stourbridge Lions . 12 6 6 33 120, 100, 2x140 D Rawlings 100, 120 mentum into the second half again drove towards the ITomorrow (Saturday), Sut- Old Coventrians.... 12 2 9 18 scoring. L Vickers 121). but were denied scores by a Hinckley try line as a pen- ton travel to Longton for an- Dunlop ................ 12 3 9 15 ISpartans host Coventry knock-on over the line and etrating run by in-form other tough contest, kick-off Droitwich ............. 12 2 10 12 Dunlop tomorrow (Saturday) THE GREYHOUND 6 (D Savage 2x100, Bedworth ............. 12 2 10 9 101 K Jarvis 100, 114 D Murray 100b, then agonisingly the referee flanker Marcus Harewood set 2.15pm. at 2.15pm. 101b, 106, 100, 140 K Shorthouse 2x100b) DEER’S LEAP STAGS 3 (A Stainfield 100b, 134 J L Morris 4x100 G Kimberley 120b, 160b, 100b, 100 T O‘Kereke 120b, 105b, 124 J Dunn 100 Brilliant Boldmere boys and girls retain their West Midlands Premier title A Pritchett 2x100). DIVISION TWO SWIMMING who had all won their races in anchor legs from Lily Wood the day behind Coventry but 100m free and Alice Dearing ANVIL NOMADS 8 (L Perks 116 G each of the first two rounds. and Ben Smith. five points ahead of Derby. (open age 100m free) and a Gaughan 100, 111 D Walton 100 T Tyrie BOLDMERE Swimming Club However, boys’captain Josh A win for Jake Dixon (15/u) There were further bronze for Megan Holder (13/u 160b, 120b M Kemble 140, 100 N Har- are celebrating after once Winnicott got the team off to a in the 100m butterfly and four Boldmere victories from Ben g i rl s ’100m fly). ley 121) PLOUGH AND BARROWS 1 (B Godfray 125, 100 T Hickman 100 M again being crowned West Mid- great start with gold in the second place finishes from Stanford (15/u 100m free) and With nine events to go there Bateman 156b G Parry 118, 135) lands Premier Division Arena open age 200m individual med- Wood (50m fly), James Good- Wood (50m free), plus silvers was only one point between National League Champions. ley, before the boys and girls win (50m fly), Matt Price (100m for Harriet Gordon (50m second-placed Boldmere and THE BEEHIVE 8 (T Reynolds 106f S Har- vey 121 K Deeley 123, 2x100 N Clarke Going into the final, City of 11/u freestyle relay teams fin- backstroke) and Holly Lynch breaststroke), Toby Chiles (11/ rivals Derby but the Sutton 120b, 180 M Partridge 100b, 140 K Derby topped the league by ished first and second respect- (100m backstroke) kept u 50m breaststroke), Smith squad then opened up a de- Reynolds 3x100 S Hazlett 121, 115f R virtue of having just one more ively thanks to impressive Boldmere in second place on (11/u 50m free), Price (13/u cisive 13-point advantage with Parry 2x100) BROMFORD LIONS 1 (J gala point than Boldmere with two wins and a second place in Frost 120b, 101b, 2x100, 139 D Sar- gent 100 S Cain 108b, 121, 2x100 K both tied on 27 league points the next three races.