WHITE Hart B team are top of Heart of England League Division Three after a hard fought home win over Valley.
They fielded six winners – Brian Chatterley 21-8, Kirk Wright 21-11, Tim Hollingshead 21-14, Ken Brown 21-17, Gill Croft 21-18 and captain Norman Batchelor 21-15 – and now head the table by a single point from Warstock.
The A team are in fourth place in Division Two, four points behind leaders Stoke Prior A after a 147-111 defeat by local rivals Alcester A. Hart had three winning cards from Ian Humphreys (21-15), Mick Perrins (21-13) and Sheila Humphreys (21-14).
The HOE Over 60s A team lost a high quality Division One match 124-91 at home to Moseley CC A who only dropped two shots. Ray Richards and captain Mike Estell both had single-shot victories for the Redditch club, who are currently in fourth place in the top flight.
The B team were defeated 117-94 at Stoke Prior where Ken Brown (21-17) and Sheila Humphreys (21-19) were their only two winners. The team still occupy second place in Division Three, 13 points behind Baldwin.
The Warwickshire and Worcestershire Saturday team were beaten 235-152 at Erdington & Richmond in Premier Division Five. They had three winning cards from Stuart Rice (21-18), Ken Brown (21-15) and Mike Estell (21-13), who is having a particularly fine season.
In the SW Birmingham Tuesday leagues, White Hart A were impressive 110-74 winners at home to British Oak. Captain Ian Huimphreys led by example winning 21-7 and he was well supported by Tony Sugden (21-8), Ray Richards (21-7) and Mike Estell (21-10). They occupy a mid-table seventh spot in Division One.
The B team recorded a comfortable 119-83 win over Moorpool A to remain unbeaten in Division Four after three matches.
Anne Batchelor led the way with an easy 21-5 win and was well supported by Sue Sugden (21-19), Sheila Humphreys (21-7) and Rob Faulks (21-10), while Mick Perrins (19-21) and captain Kate Broome (17-21) both played well in defeat.
In Yardley & District League Division Three, White Hart were narrowly defeated 144-135 at home by league leaders Wythall B. Hart’s three winners were captain Gill Croft, (21-8), Kirk Wright (21-11) and Tim Hollingshead (21-14), while John Bridger only went down by a single shot.
In Northfield & District League Division Two, White Hart A lost 156-124 at Rubery Sheldon and stay in seventh place.
Tony Sugden won 21-12 in his seasonal debut for the A team and he was backed up by captain Mick Perrins (21-16), while both Mike Estell and Ian Humphreys only lost by a single shot.
The B team were comfortable 151-74 home winners over Woodbourne Sport B in Division Four, with winning cards from Gill Croft, Dave Edwards, Tim Hollingshead, Kirk Wright, Sheila Humphreys and Neil Laxton.
The visitors fielded a number of very young players who all gave spirited displays and will benefit from the experience, while completely disproving the cliched theory that bowls is an ‘old people’s game’.