- Cob Calamity for the Chairman -
High Noon is the designated meeting time with members instructed to congregate at Wednesbury Parkway Metro Stop. A fifteen minute allowance is made for latecomers but the Chairman's arrival at 12:20pm means the Secretary has a free cob to look forward to later in the afternoon.
- The Tilted Barrel -
First stop on our tour is the Tilted Barrel, a distinctively sloped pub that is Tipton's answer to the Crooked House at Himley. Mining subsidence is the cause of the building's alarming angles but we managed to keep our balance for some opening Banks's Mild.
- Spare Tyres??? -
A stroll along Bloomfield Road is next on the agenda whereby we think we've spotted Mr D9's doppelganger only to then realise it was actually the Michelin Man we'd bumped into. Our new friend points the way into Tipton town centre where Owen Street has lost some of it's pubs over the years - the Albion and the Black Cock springing to mind.
- A Bird and a Bald Spot -
Tipton still has a good selection of watering holes to keep us occupied though so all is not lost by any means. The Noah's Ark offers a very friendly welcome whilst the Red Lion has tasty steak and gravy cobs to accompany a cheap round of M&B Mild. However, any hopes Mr WME had of securing discount honours were scuppered in the Wagon & Horses where the Chairman gleefully paid only £1.55 then promptly introduced himself to the resident parrot.
- The King Arthur, a sorry sight -
Moving across towards Woodsetton, there is a moment of sadness when we see what has become of the King Arthur. This Birmingham New Road landmark is boarded up and surrounded by fencing with a very uncertain future - at the moment it seems unlikely it will ever open again, and demolition may well be around its ultimate fate.
- Mixed Marketing Messages -
We needed to cheer ourselves up after that sighting so some Holden's samples do the trick. The Park Inn brewery tap has a special ale to celebrate the birth of the latest family member (baby Kacey), whilst the New Inn offers a homely combined mixed pint of Bitter and Mild in a handled glass. In between times, there is some stunning darting success for the Secretary who clinches a 2-1 victory in the Summerhouse, aided and abetted by Countdown being on the TV in the background.
- Charles Pemberton-Rowbotham III in the Chainyard -
Coseley's crawl includes brief stops in the Old Chainyard (where an illustrious hub forefather is reincarnated to congratulate the Secretary on his employment news), plus a spot of funeral wakecrashing in the Red Cow at Wallbrook.
- Sporting Success for the Secretary -
Other Coseley options include the Rollers Arms, an industrial pub tucked away down a sidestreet near the railway station, and the Rising Sun where the Secretary hold his nerve to win the darts decider - a deadly outshot of 30 meaning the overall scoreline for the day is WME 3 D9 1.
- Bert Williams Centre at night -
The curtain comes down when the Chairman is collected outside the White House in Daisy Bank, and the Secretary heads home via the twilight tones of Bilston where the Bert Williams Leisure Centre shines out like a beacon in the dark. It had been another epic afternoon of exploration and Black Country hospitality, topped off with an unprecedented WME darts demonstration.
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