THE Black Prince sealed their first Oxford & District Premier title without throwing a stick.

Nearest rivals The Swan A had to beat New Club 3-0 to stay in touch with the table-toppers, but they instead crashed to defeat by the same scoreline.

After losing the opening leg on three sticks following a 20-20 tie, they went down 22-15, 20-14 to hand the Prince the title in their free week.

The Section One crown is still up for grabs, although leaders The Blackbird B boosted their chances with a 2-1 triumph at Garsington Sports Club.

They won the first two legs 24-13, 20-16, but Garsington responded with a 20-18 victory in the third to grab a unexpected point.

The George A came away from Gladiators A with a 2-1 win as they achieved their best dolls tally of the season.

They set and won the first leg 27-22, but lost the next one 28-25.

George set an imposing 31 in the decider and their opponents gave it a good go, only to fall four dolls short with 27.

Scott Thompson was top dog for Gladiators with a baker’s dozen (4-5-4).

Three teams are still in the running for the Section Two title, with Red Lion B a point ahead of Six Bells A.

The front-runners met this week and Bells took an early lead, winning the opening leg by the odd doll 16-15.

They eased to a 28-15 victory in the second but could not keep it up, as the Red Lion took the final leg 15-12 to snatch a vital point.

Bells captain Seamus O’Malley hit his first six of the season in a mixed score of 2-6-1.

Third-place Red Lion A Yarnton dropped a crucial point at home to Queens Head, losing the opening leg 25-20 before recovering with wins of 21-20, 20-14.

Mark Poulter was in top form for the Lion, hitting 14 dolls (6-4-4).

OTHER WEEK 16 RESULTS

Premier/Section One: Ampleforth Arms A 1, North Leigh FC 2.

Section Two: Vikings A 3, Gladiators B 0; Chequers A 1, Seacourt Bridge 2.

Section Three: Cricketers Arms 2, Ampleforth Arms B 1; Cowley Workers 3, Red Lion A Kidlington 0; The George B 2, The Blackbird A 1; Vikings B 1, Masons Arms A 2; Catherine Wheel 2, Donnington B 1.

Section Four: Masons Arms B 3, Red Lion B Yarnton 0; Duke Of Monmouth 1, Six Bells Quarry 2; Six Bells B 2, The Tandem 1; Kidlington FC 2, Six Bells C 1; Bletchington Sports 2, Rose Hill 1.

Section Five: White Horse 1, Red Lion Cassington 2; Northway 3, Littlemore RFC 0; Cricketers Arms Cowley 2, Swan C 1.

SIXERS: L Thompson (Swan A), D Simms (Ampleforth A), C Buckingham (North Leigh FC), G Coyle (Blackbird B), J Dunne (Cowley Workers), P Burden (Cricketers Cowley), S O’Malley (Six Bells A).

BLOBBERS: R Shadbolt (The Tandem), J Castle (Masons Arms B), B James (Six Bells C).

TOP DOLL SCORERS: 14: M Poulter (Red Lion A Yarnton); 13: S Thompson (Gladiators A).