---

There’s Something About Mary Tim

A Surrey Super League player that is well-known to me, well he should be, he’s my Dad (the rumours about the milkman have never been proved), recently produced an interesting local newspaper cutting which we estimated to be from the early 90s.

Whilst clearing out some long-neglected boxes containing such items as a broken Remington Microscreen, various embarrassing photos, and even more embarrassingly, a Celine Dion LP, he came across the article, yellowed by age, which detailed an 18th Surrey Mens Super League Championship for Kingston’s The Cambridge Arms.

Although the pub itself is no longer around, having been replaced by a block of luxury (natch) flats a few years ago, those of a certain age will remember that The Cambridge Arms side were frequent winners of the Champions Cup in the 80s & early 90s. Of course, the team in the article has changed dramatically but the force behind it still remains to this day with Tim Stedman as the immensely successful manager and Ritchie Gardner his right hand man.

From ‘The Cambridge Arms’ to ‘The Port of Call’ to ‘The Swan’ to Walton Snooker Club & now, in his latest venue, Walton Working Mens Club, Tim Stedman has guided his charges to success after success & after winning the Super League Crown again this season, can now claim to have more Titles than Prince Charles!

This campaign saw determined rivals in the form of Worcester Park British Legion & Ditton FC, but Walton not only defended their place at the pinnacle of a hugely successful and over-subscribed Super League, they actually increased their winning margin to 25 points, securing the Title with two matches to play.

Ditton FC, in 2004, were the last team to prise the Trophy from Mr Stedman’s tightly clenched fist and they were again Runners-up with the very talented line-up of WPBL taking third after faltering in the latter stages.

If the antique local paper report is to be believed, Stedman-led sides must surely now be at the 30 mark in terms of League Titles as the only other second place I can think of was a result of the Golden Lion’s win in 1994. Actually, there seems to be a pattern here with years ending in 4 … if this trend continues, I’m sure the rest of the League will be relieved that Tim & Ritchie will perhaps let someone else have a go at the Champions Cup in 2014!

Loadsamoney

The Mens Super League Finals night was held on Tuesday 1st May & yet again the payout reached new heights. Total prize money increased by over £350 and now stands at close to £7,000 as the League goes from strength to strength (and this is without the 4 teams that are gagging to join if places miraculously materialise in the summer!).

The Singles Title was taken by Dave Askew but not after a real scare from the Princess’ Mark Richmond in the Final. We’ve always known that Mark is far from lacking talent but his scoring bossed proceedings against The Diamond and it was only agonisingly close doubles misses for the match that prevented a new name being added to the Singles Trophy. Askew can justifiably argue that he earned the accolade though as he was forced to wade through an appalling draw from the Quarter Finals onward, accounting for Jimmy Mann & Jason Roberts on the night.

Roger ‘The Laughing Gnome’ Kitching & Phil Milburn kept up the recent tradition of surprise winners of the Pairs Competition with an inspired display throughout their campaign, while the Salfords team of Askew, Richard McLaughlin & Ben Burton took the triples prize.

The most coveted award of any Super League is the Title of top average & after a long 26 week season, Worcester Park’s Ronnie Godbeer was the recipient in one of the closest finishes in recent memory. With the strength and depth of talent in our league, Ronnie wasn’t one to receive his deserved recognition meekly, choosing instead to accept the Mark Gawley Memorial Trophy in a shirt that even Wayne Mardle would think twice about wearing! (See picture)

Much Ado About Nothing

What a palaver! All the worries about BICC relegation seem to have been over-reaction in hindsight as Sussex failed to shine in their clash with Middlesex to allow Surrey to increase the buffer on the bottom places by 7 points.

It may have been a comfortable weekend in the end but Surrey weren’t to know that and fielded as strong a side as it was possible to muster to avoid going down to Division 2. The match with Bucks was eventually drawn but safety was virtually assured after the Saturday following news from our southern neighbours.

Billie Auzins (19.03) showed her vast experience to take Lady of the Match in a nervy 2-4 defeat for the Ladies B, before Mark Richmond (26.05) helped the Mens B to a 6-6 draw that eased fears of the drop. Apylee Jones (24.24) and Laura Power (20.08) finished off the Ladies A match by snatching a draw, which was helpful but not a patch on their exploits just 3 weeks later at the England National Singles in Hemsby, where they swept aside all before them to set up an All-Surrey Final, with Apylee taking the Title 3-1. Finally, Mark Tiller (28.48) led the Mens A averages in an afternoon of comfortable end of season revelry that saw a 7-5 victory and Division 1 safety.

The relegation threat was worrying yet rather exciting at the same time and saw the County pull together wonderfully but … could we have mid-table obscurity next year instead please as some at Surrey were more agitated before the final match than Lee Evans after an overdose of caffeine!

James and the Giant Fib

What’s that saying? Lies, damn lies & statistics? There is one thing missing from that statement … local newspaper reports, and when inaccurate ones appear in my own backyard it can prove rather irksome.

I must say that I was quite enticed whilst skimming the local free paper on seeing a headline entitled “Wade puts on an exhibit of his best against Surrey’s finest” referring to an exhibition by James Wade at a club in Wallington. The account gushed about the PDC player taking on “… the cream of Surrey’s county players in 14 matches” and thus was my appetite whetted. On further investigation, it was clear that county players were indeed present on the night – all ONE of them. Intriguingly, the piece stated that James “… beat 13 of his opponents, qualifying for the Blue Square tournament in Bolton next month”! I must admit to feeling rather lacking as your Darts World Surrey correspondent in not noticing a UK Open qualifier just a couple of miles from my home!

A letter may well be winging its merry way toward the newspaper in question very soon to correct matters but in the meantime congratulations are in order to Bill Fleming, the secretary of the Wallington Sports Club team, who organised the event that was very much enjoyed and which also saw £200 raised for charity. Well done too to Graham Wright of the Wallington Club’s A side, who was the one that got away in the PDC player’s 13 successes out of 14. James Wade’s sponsor, Jason Thame, reports that it was a great success, especially the buffet that was particularly enticing for someone of his girth. After having had his fill, he was then able to catch up on a bit of gossip about his old acquaintances in Surrey … before hitting the buffet again.

*** For All the Up-To-Date Surrey News, Log On the www.toe-the-oche.co.uk ***