Darts News - Alan Towe’s The Line On Darts
In division one of the BDO Inter County Championships West Midland’s final game of the season was a vital home tie against London as both teams pushing for a place in the premier division next season, West Midlands in second place just one point to the good on their opponents.
The weekend could not have got off to a better start for the Midlanders as the ladies ‘B’ kicked off with a lady of the match performance from Heather Wright who handed out a straight 3-0 defeat to Nikki Patten, Wright rounding off her win with an 18 darts leg to give her a 21.17 average to end the season the way she began it with a match award.
Shannon Hall doubled West Midlands lead with a similar 3-0 win over Lynne Biondini before London staked their claim on the game when Dee Belcher beat Claire Hobbs 3-2 after Hobbs had won the first and drawn level in the fourth and Mandy Solomons levelled the game with her 3-1 success against Shellbie Simmons.
Elizabeth Arnold restored West Midlands lead when she beat Jane Biggs 3-1 and with a further 3-1 win for Jacqueline Maiden against Shaz Deboo Costello in the last game the hosts registered a 4-2 win their sixth of the season, losing just two of the nine games.
The first four games in the men’s ‘B’ match saw all of the results go against the first throw advantage, the home team going one up through Mark Rollinson when he beat namesake Mark Gallagher 3-1, then London drawing level when Matthew Finch won 3-1 against Paul Price. Michael Baker put the hosts ahead for a second time when with a straight 3-0 result he accounted for Paul Killington only to see the lead cancelled out for a second time when Nick Cocks beat Danny Coyle 3-1 after Coyle had won the opening leg.
It was game number five before the sequence was broken, Michael Power coming from 1-0 down and 2-2 to beat Robert Smith 3-2 and give London the lead for the first time in the game.
The away team’s lead was short lived as Paul Wells and Neil Pointon in turn won 3-2 against Tony Hamit and Rob Edwards to give the home side a 4-3 advantage, but once again the lead didn’t last long as London’s Lewis McGurn won 3-0 against Sam Guest to put the running score level at 4-4.
The visitors looked all set to go ahead again in the ninth when Michael Artiss won the first two legs against Matthew Dicken, but Dicken won the third in 19 darts, then with a 100 game shot levelled at two each and took the decider with a 120 outshot for a 3-2 win.
Putting a win beyond London’s reach was Dean Mills who lost the first leg when the away team’s Spencer Ellis produced a 100 checkout after Mills had left himself on double nine off a 72 outshot. The second leg, with a 110 game shot saw Mills draw level in 18 darts and then take a 2-1 lead with a 16 darts leg including a maximum. To round off his 3-1 win Mills produced his second 16 darts leg to give him a man of the match award winning average of 29.21 his first award of the season.
The penultimate game saw London reduce the deficit to 6-5 when Dean Coughlan won 3-0 against Mark Hampton to put the emphasis on the final game between John Morris (West Midlands) and Matt Winzar to determine whether or not the match would finish all square or West Midlands would win.
John Morris (West Midlands) won the first leg in 16 darts only to see Winzar level in 21 darts, then after a little nervous finishing in the third Morris finally got the necessary double one to go 2-1 up. Once more Winzar levelled this time in 23 darts after Morris had left double nine off 90. In 21 darts and with a 60 game shot John Morris sealed not only his personal 3-2 win but more importantly his team’s 7-5 victory to put West Midlands 11-7 up after the first day’s play.
After the superb start to the weekend in the Saturday ‘B’ games Sunday saw West Midlands come back down to earth as the ladies ‘A’ suffered their third 5-1 defeat of the season. Debs Watling with a 3-1 result over Kayh Jenkins put London one up and with a similar 3-1 win from Carly Townsend over Lisa Badge the visitors lead was doubled.
London’s ladies ‘A’ were guaranteed at least a share of the spoils as early as the third game when Tammy Mackenzie won 3-2 against Sophie Singh in a game that could have gone either way. It was the same story in the fourth game where Casey Gallagher beat Gemma Barrett 3-2 to ensure a victory for the away team.
A 3-0 win from Steph Stutley against Debbie Loon took the score along to 5-0 before West Midlands registered their one and only win in the final game when Sarah Roberts, winner of four previous lady of the match awards made it five with a 3-1 win over Leanne Topper. Sarah lost the first leg but in 17 darts and an 80 game shot levelled then went 2-1 up in 24 darts and completed her win with a 21 darts leg including a 120 finish to give her a superb 23.47 average.
With six wins from the previous eight games the men’s ‘A’ team have enjoyed a successful season and it was that sort of form that saw them open up a 4-0 lead in double quick time against London. Nick Fullwell led the charge as he won the opener against Graham Rackstraw 4-3 after Rackstraw had gone 2-0 and 3-2 up. Gareth Watts and Dean Mills in turn had 4-2 wins over Steven Ferguson and Dean Coughlan and taking the score to 4-0 was Scott Baker with his 4-1 success against David Wawrzewski.
Danny Faulkner was London’s first winner when in game five he beat Jonathan Platt 4-3 in a game that saw Platt go 1-0 up, fight back to 2-2 and 3-3 before losing. Faulkner’s team mate Lee Cocks looked as though he would reduce the deficit even further when he opened up leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Ian Jones, but from 2-1 down West Midlands long serving campaigner fought back to take a 3-2 lead and although Cocks won the sixth it was Jones who got the 4-3 verdict when he wrapped up his win in 18 darts with a 76 game shot. At 5-1 down was when London came alive Nicky Turner beat Ashe Khayat 4-1, Steve Douglas won by the same margin against Gavin Baker, Tom McGurn was the 4-2 winner against Daniel Nicholls, Conan Whitehead had a 4-0 success against Paul Wells and Tommy Sanwell gave the visitors the lead for the first time in the game in the penultimate encounter when he won 4-1 against Mark Craddock.
So now after completing eight fixtures and having played 323 games of darts it had all come down to the last game of the day, the weekend and the season to decide who would play their fixtures in the premier division next season.
Lining up for the West Midlands was Shaun Carroll and London Chris Stevens. Carroll took the first leg in 19 darts only to see Stevens draw level in 15 darts. Then Carroll stepped up a gear and with scores of 174,46,140 and 121 left himself on 20 after only a dozen darts with Stevens way back on 145. Two darts later and Carroll had his lead restored at 2-1. The home player then went 3-1 up in 17 darts, again Stevens was left stranded on 154 and to round off his 4-1 win Shaun Carroll took the fifth leg in 16 darts, Stevens without a throw for 100.
What better way to earn a 4-1 win, a man of the match award for his superb 31.35 average, a critical 6-6 draw for the men’s ‘A’, an overall 18-18 draw for the weekend and most important of all promotion to the premier division as West Midlands finished the season one valuable point ahead of London to clinch the runners up spot behind Hampshire.
Division One:West Midlands v London (18-18): (West Midlands names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Nick Fullwell 4 Graham Rackstraw 3, Gareth Watts 4 Steven Ferguson 2, Dean Mills 4 Dean Coughlan 2, Scott Baker 4 David Wawrzewski 1, Jonathan Platt 3 Danny Faulkner 4, Ian Jones 4 Lee Cocks 3, Ashe Khayatt 1 Nicky Turner 4, Gavin Baker 1 Steve Douglas 4, Daniel Nicholls 2 Tom McGurn 4, Paul Wells 0 Conan Whitehead 4, Mark Craddock 1 Tommy Sanwell 4, Shaun Carroll 4 Chris Stevens 1, Men’s ‘B’:- Mark Rollinson 3 Mark Gallagher 1, Paul Price 1 Matthew Finch 3, Michael Baker 3 Paul Killington 0, Danny Coyle 1 Nick Cocks 3, Robert Smith 2 Michael Power 3, Paul Wells 3 Tony Hamit 2, Neil Pointon 3 Rob Edwards 2, Sam Guest 0 Lewis McGurn 3, Matthew Dicken 3 Michael Artiss 2, Dean Mills 3 Spencer Ellis 1, Mark Hampton 0 Dean Coughlan 3, John Morris 3 Matt Winzar 2, Women’s ‘A’:- Kath Jenkins 1 Debs Watling 3, Lisa Badger 1 Carly Townsend 3, Sophie Singh 2 Tammy Mackenzie 3, Gemma Barrett 2 Casey Gallagher 3, Debbie Loon 0 Steph Stutley 3, Sarah Roberts 3 Leanne Topper 1, Women’s ‘B’:- Heather Wright 3 Nikki Patten 0, Shannon Hall 3 Lynne Biondini 0, Claire Hobbs 2 Dee Belcher 3, Shellbie Simmons 1 Mandy Solomons 3, Elizabeth Arnold 3 Jane Biggs 1, Jacqueline Maiden 3 Shaz Deboo Costello 1.
Four Oaks and District League Division One Winners The Boat[/caption]
The South Birmingham League played off the finals of their Roy Parry and Roy Parry Consolation cups. In the Roy Parry cup the top two division one teams Erdington Members Club and Mackadown Social squared up to each other, the 7-2 result going in favour of Erdington Members Club. The Raven and The Dog did battle for the Roy Parry Consolation cup title and it was the division one outfit Raven, who got the better of their division two rivals with a convincing 8-1 result [caption id="attachment_20935" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
South Birmingham League - Roy Parry Consolation Cup Winners The Raven[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_20936" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
South Birmingham League - Roy Parry Cup Winners Erdington Members Club[/caption]
The divisional cup finals in the Forest of Arden Winter League were all about Journeys End. In the division one play off champions Journeys End beat bottom of the table Ivy Leaf 7-2 and in the division two game it was again champions Journeys End Flights who won by the same 7-2 scoreline against divisional runners up Highwood Arms. The league also staged the final of their League Pairs Cup and taking the honours with a final 11-4 win over bottom of the first division Ivy Leaf were division two champions Journeys End Flights whose C.Roberts notched a maximum, also finding the three treble twenties was A.Sheen for Ivy Leaf. [caption id="attachment_20892" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Forest of Arden Winter League Division One Divisional Cup Winners Journeys End[/caption]
The Silver End Sunday Morning League staged their Mickey Kelly Memorial Knockout and clinching the title with a final 5-0 win over Jamie Rollinson was Mickey’s son Liam Kelly. In the semi finals Kelly won 4-1 against Rob Pierce while Rollinson had a much closer 4-3 verdict over Rob Powers. Losing quarter finalists were G.Jackson, G.Davies, M.Davies and I.Mathers.
Both of the semi finals of the Brierley Hill Friday Night League finished with close 2-1 scorelines as Jeff Batham and Carl Penzer beat Matt Hadley and Ben Lewis then Reece Colley and Robert Pierce won against Jim Churchill and Carl Davies. The final saw Batham and Penzer account for Colley and Pierce with a clear cut straight 3-0 victory.
The Sheldon Marlborough Cricket Club Singles League had their 501 Knockout on the fixture card and scooping the title with a final win over Alan Wale was Dave Howlett. Losing semi finalists were Mark Malvin and Paul Brown.
The Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League have completed their domestic fixtures and Ashwood have enjoyed a very successful season as the ‘A’ team won the league title with 56 points and the ‘B’ side finished as runners up on 50 points just pipping Brickmakers Arms and Miners Welfare to second place on average as they also had 50 points. Taking the wooden spoon were Hare and Hounds who won just one of their 31 games. Ten Arches ‘A’ won the Shadow League with 18 points two more than runners up Fox Inn (Lye).
As the league fixtures drew to an end in the Bilston and District League the 301 league title went to The Nutan with a total of 52 points, Tilted Barrel finishing second on 48 points. The roles were reversed in the 501 league as Tilted Barrel with 54 points finished as champions and The Nutan runners up with 50 points. With the domestic fixtures all done and dusted the league played off their Main Cup which produced a fantastic final that went down to the wire, not decided until the very last deciding leg when Bilston Conservative Club claimed their win and the title over Allens Sports Bar ‘A’. In the semi finals Bilston Conservative Club handed out a 7-0 whitewash to their opponents Darlaston Conservative Club while Allens Sports Bar ‘A’ had a much closer 4-3 verdict over 501 League champions Tilted Barrel. [caption id="attachment_20937" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Bilston and District League Main Cup Winners Bilston Conservative Club 'C'[/caption]
Pensnett Welfare Club laid on a charity darts knockout in aid of the Dementia Appeal for Ward B2 in Russells Hall Hospital. The guaranteed £500 prize money attracted almost sixty entrants with the title and £200 top prize going to Liam Kelly who won the close final against Andy Hamilton 6-5, Hamilton receiving £100. The last four play offs saw Kelly win 5-2 against Reece Colley while Hamilton had a 5-1 success over Ashley Hykin, both losing semi finalists collected £50 plus there was £25 for each of the losing quarter finalists C.Willimas, C.Fox, J.Rollinson and M.Rollinson. However the biggest winner was the charity which will benefit to the tune of £1,002.
Shropshire v Middlesex With one win and one draw from their previous eight division four BDO Inter County Championship fixtures, Shropshire, despite having home advantage in their final game of the season had no easy task as their opponents were Middlesex who were riding high in the top half of the table. Nevertheless the weekend got off to a pretty good start as Sue Lane opened up for the ladies ‘B’ and despite trailing 2-1 after winning the first leg went on to clinch a 3-2 victory. Sharon Harris doubled that lead when she accounted for Marlene Pope with a 3-1 result, Harris checking out on 120 in the fourth leg to seal her win. At number three for the home side was Kirsty Jenks who was quick to open up a 2-0 lead over Sindy Stiles. Stiles fought back to level at two each but it was Jenks who got the 3-2 verdict and also the hosts lady of the match award for her 14.94 average. Game number four saw Middlesex chalk up their first win when Dee Jules-Stock won 3-1 against Caron Minton but the Shropshire win was assured in the fifth as Cal Jones beat Coreen Loffler 3-2. The final game went to the away side Sue Hicks winning 3-1 against Caroline Powell after Powell had taken a 1-0 lead. The final score 4-2 to Shropshire. The men’s ‘B’ also had a good start as Neil Powell put them one up coming from 1-0 and 2-1 down against Tony Sedgwick to go on and win 3-2. Peter Eley made it 2-0 to Shropshire with a neat 3-0 win over Mark Haggerty. Fortunes then changed and the home side went from two up to 3-2 down as Dickie Gregory beat Dan Boot 3-1, Adam Finch won 3-0 against Trevor Smith and Chris Moore with his 3-1 win over Sean Flynn put Middlesex in the lead for the first time in the match. A 3-1 win from Robert Harris against Gary Middleton restored parity at three each but it was the away team who went ahead again in the seventh when John Power won 3-0 against Simon Pritchard. One again the game was levelled this time it was through a hard fought 3-2 win from Tim Eley (Shropshire) against Craig De Almeida. For a third time Middlesex took the lead when Paul Hackett beat Andre Knox 3-0 and with a further 3-0 result from John Scott over Nathan Storar the visitors guaranteed themselves of at least a draw with a 6-4 lead. The spoils were not going to be shared however as in the penultimate game Scott Robertson won 3-1 against Robert Trumper and rounding off the day’s play Shropshire produced their man of the match in the form of Arthur Smart. Smart took the first leg off Nick Ellis in 18 darts and although Ellis won the second the Shropshire man went on to win the tie 3-1 with further legs of 20 and 21 darts for an award winning average of 24.63 taking the result to 7-5 for Middlesex. Sunday’s ladies ‘A’ team were not able to emulate their ‘B’ team’s performance as Jennette Collins gave Middlesex first blood when she won 3-2 against Kat McLean, McLean drawing level in the second and fourth legs. Marie Riggs has been the shining light for the Shropshire ladies ‘A’ this season having previously won five of the eight lady of the match awards and once again she didn’t disappoint as she made it six consecutive awards when she beat Jenny Sallans 3-1 with a 17.41 average. Michele Pritchard twice pegged Margaret Sutton back to level terms before losing the decider and going down 3-2 then with 3-1 wins from Lisa Brosnan and Tina Moran over respective opponents Julie Griffiths and Sophie Fawcett, Middlesex were home and dry with a 4-1 advantage. Vickie Kiely took the final score to 5-1 for the visitors when she won 3-0 against Becky Harris. The first half of the men’s ‘A’ game was something of a disaster as Allen Bond gave Middlesex the early lead with his 4-3 win over Clive Lucking after Lucking had won the first two legs, then came a string of three 4-2 wins for the away team as Joshua Burksfield, Tony Andrews and Andy Turnbull in turn defeated Brian Hickman, Eddie Austin and Kevin Harris. John Cooper was Shropshire’s first winner when in the fifth game he handed out a straight 4-0 defeat to Brian Green before Steven Hyatt and Paul Holloway added another two 4-2 wins to the Middlesex tally when they accounted for Andi Chatter and Richard Parker. Trailing 6-1 Derek Coulson provided a ray of hope for Shropshire as he claimed his third man of the match award for the campaign with a 4-2 win over Mark Tiller and his 23.48 average. Unfortunately Coulson’s win only managed to delay what had appeared to be the inevitable as Roy Peacock got the better of Matt Williams to put the visitors into an unassailable 7-2 lead with yet another 4-2 win. Mick Seager took the score along to 8-2 when he beat Scott Meyrick 4-3 after Meyrick had gone 3-2 up. The final two games of the weekend produced Shropshire’s best run in the game as Danny James and Neville Quinton both chalked up 4-3 wins against respective opponents Terry Andrews and Ben Stevenson to put the final score at 8-4 to Middlesex and the overall result for the weekend at 22-14 again to Middlesex which leaves Shropshire finishing the season next to bottom of the table on 132 points, 31 more than bottom team Isle of Wight and 24 short of Pembrokeshire the team just above them. Full Results:Division Four:Shropshire v Middlesex (14-22): (Shropshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Clive Lucking 3 Allen Bond 4, Brian Hickman 2 Joshua Burksfield 4, Eddie Austin 2 Tony Andrews 4, Kevin Harris 2 Andy Turnbull 4, John Cooper 4 Brian Green 0, Andi Chatter 2 Steven Hyatt 4, Richard Parker 2 Paul Holloway 4, Derek Coulson 4 Mark Tiller 2, Matt Williams 2 Roy Peacock 4, Scott Meyrick 3 Mick Seager 4, Danny James 4 Terry Andrews 3, Neville Quinton 4 Ben Stevenson 3, Men’s ‘B’:- Neil Powell 3 Tony Sedgwick 2, Peter Eley 3 Mark Haggerty 0, Dan Boot 1 Dickie Gregory 3, Trevor Smith 0 adam Finch 3, Sean Flynn 1 Chris Moore 3, Robert Harris 3 Gary Middleton 1, Simon Pritchard 0 John Power 3, Tim Eley 3 Crag De Almeida 2, Andre Knox 0 Paul Hackett 3, Nathan Storar 0 John Scott 3, Robert Trumper 1 Scott Robertson 3, Arthur Smart 3 Nick Ellis 1, Women’s ‘A’:- Kat McLean 2 Jennette Collins 3, Marie Riggs 3 Jenny Sallans 1, Michele Pritchard 2 Margaret Sutton 3, Julie Griffiths 1 Lisa Brosnan 3, Sophie Fawcett 1 Tina Moran 3, Becky Harris 0 Vickie Kiely 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Sue Lane 3 Sue Hinks 2, Sharon Harris 3 Marlene Pope 1, Kirsty Jenks 3 Sindy Stiles 2, Caron Minton 1 Dee Jules-Stock 3, Cal Jones 3 Coreen Loffler 2, Caroline Powell 1 Sue Hicks 3.
Staffordshire v Derbyshire Derbyshire rounded off their season in division two of the BDO Inter County Championships with an away fixture against Staffordshire, a second successive season that has not seen Derbyshire perform the way they did two seasons ago when they won promotion to division one and their lack of form and results unfortunately continued to the bitter end. Kerri Buckley (Derbyshire) opened up for the ladies ‘B’ losing in three legs to Anne Allsop. Michelle Colclough looked all set to double Staffordshire’s lead when she went two up against Dawn Buckley but the Derbyshire player stuck to the task and fought back to take the 3-2 result. Julie Robinson restored the home team’s lead with a close 3-2 win over Rachel Ayers who had cancelled out Robinson’s lead in the second and fourth legs. It was all square again in the fourth game when Derbyshire’s Samantha Marshall beat Roz Harry 3-2 then in the fifth the away side took the lead for the first time when Rebecca Hoyland handed out a straight 3-0 defeat to Samran Prommetta, Hoyland taking the match award with her 19.03 average. With the visitors leading 3-2 the result hinged on the final game between Ann Price (Staffordshire) and Kelly Dean. Dean went one up but then finishing doubles deserted her and she lost 3-1 to put the final score level at 3-3. Paul Baker gave Derbyshire an opening win in the men’s ‘B’ match when he beat Nick Schonau 3-1 earning himself the man of the match award in the process for his 27.28 average. The home team then strung together four consecutive wins. Kevin Johnson, Richard Cummings and Stuart Livesley handing out in turn 3-0 defeats to Scott Parkin, Ian Allcock and Ashley Weaver and making up the quartet of wins Dave Richards won 3-1 against Henry Coates to put the hosts 4-1 up. Darran Sinfield and Loz Barnes stopped the Staffordshire charge when Sinfield beat Stewart Sim 3-2 and Barnes won by the same scoreline against Paul Wright but it was only a minor delay for the home side as they romped to a 9-3 win with further successes for Lee Ratcliffe who won 3-1 against Adrian Asprey, Karl Hinks who beat Tony Cresswell 3-2, Steve Rushton with a straight 3-0 win over John Elliott, Danny Key who had a 3-1 win over Lee Cummins and rounding off the day with a 3-0 win against Andrew Gillott was Kevin Hammersley. Susan Sherratt gave Staffordshire the ideal start to the ladies ‘A’ match as she won 3-0 against Jackie Sweet and her team mate Dawn Schonau looked as though she would produce the same result against Dee Fenn when she went 2-0 up but Fenn hung on in there and clawed her way back to 2-2 before losing the final leg and the game 3-2. Kera Astle was Derbyshire’s first and as it turned out only winner when in the third she won 3-2 against Terry Selman with an award winning average of 18.50. A 3-0 win from Sarah Cope over Louise Rawson took the score along to 3-1 and with 3-2 wins from Emma Pearce and Diane Tolley over respective opponents Jennifer McCormick and Terri Bellamy the home team recorded a 5-1 win. The men’s ‘A’ match almost followed the exact same pattern as the ‘B’ game with just one single difference. Similar to the ‘B’ match Derbyshire won the first game when Gary Fenn beat Martin Wheawall 4-3, then Staffordshire once again took the following four games. Jamie Dunsdon beat Brian Snell 4-1, Carl Batchelor won by the same margin against Adam Fern, John Burgess had a 4-0 win over Lee Stanley and Andy Beardmore won 4-1 against Sean Lambert. Then, again as in the ‘B’ encounter Derbyshire took two in a row when Richard Hughes won 4-3 against Lewis Oliver and man of the match Nigel Daniels after going 2-0 up against James Hughes then 3-2 down won the last two legs for a 4-3 victory and a 28.55 average. Game number eight could easily have gone either way as Karl Merchant went one up against Tim Daniels in 19 darts then Daniels replied with winning legs of 21, 14 and 20 darts to go 3-1 up. Merchant levelled the game at 3-3 in 18 and 19 darts, then after Daniels had missed his 72 outshot Merchant won the deciding leg in 22 darts for a very, very close 4-3 win. Games nine and ten both finished 4-0 with Staffordshire’s Callum Matthews and Benjamin Davies beating respective opponents Alan Statham and Ian Allcock, the match still going exactly the same as the ‘B’ game. It was only the penultimate game that differed from the previous day, whereas Staffordshire won the next to last game in the ‘B’ encounter it was Derbyshire’s Ian Clarke who won for the ‘A’ as he stormed to a 4-0 win over Benjamin Hilditch before Trevor Carter (Staffordshire) won the final game of the weekend 4-3 against Rob Wood to give the home side an 8-4 win. The defeat leaves Derbyshire firmly rooted to the foot of the division two table with 130 points, 20 fewer than the team directly above them Berkshire who, the only team that Derbyshire have beaten this season. The last two seasons have seen Derbyshire freefall from division one to division two and now to division three, let’s hope their confidence and luck will change and they will get a quick return to division two. Full Results:Division Four:Staffordshire v Derbyshire (25-11): (Staffordshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Martin Wheawall 3 Gary Fenn 4, Jamie Dinsdon 4 Brian Snell 1, Carl Batchelor 4 Adam Fern 1, John Burgess 4 Lee Stanley 0, Andy Beardmore 4 Sean Lambert 1, Lewis Oliver 3 Richard Hughes 4, James Hughes 3 Nigel Daniels 4, Karl Merchant 4 Tim Daniels 3, Callum Matthews 4 Alan Statham 0, Benjamin Davies 4 Ian Allcock 0, Benjamin Hilditch 0 Ian Clarke 4, Trevor Carter 4 Rob Wood 3, Men’s ‘B’:- Nick Schonau 1 Paul Baker 3, Kevin Johnson 3 Scott Parker 0, Richard Cummings 3 Ian Allcock 0, Stuart Livesley 3 Ashley Weaver 0, Dave Richards 3 Henry Coates 1, Stewart Sim 2 Darran Sinfield 3, Paul Wright 2 Loz Barnes 3, Lee Ratcliffe 3 Adrian Asprey 1, Karl Hinks 3 Tony Creswell 2, Steve Rushton3 John Elliott 0, Danny Key 3 Lee Cummins 1, Kevin Hammersley 3 Andrew Gillott 0, Women’s ‘A’:- Susan Sherratt 3 Jackie Sweet 0, Dawn Schonau 3 Dee Fenn 2, Terry Selman 2 Kera Astle 3, Sarah Cope 3 Louise Rawson 0, Emma Pearce 3 Jennifer McCormick 2, Diane Tolley 3 Terri Bellamy 2, Women’s ‘B’:- Anne Allsop 3 Kerri Buckley 0, Michelle Colclough 2 Dawn Buckley 3, Julie Robinson 3 Rachel Ayres 2, Roz Harry 2 Samantha Marshall 3, Samran Prommetta 0 Rebecca Hoyland 3, Ann Price 3 Kelly Dean 1.
Warwickshire v Devon It was a disappointing end to the season for Warwickshire in the premier division of the BDO Inter County Championships as they surprsingly lost their home fixture against Devon and also the chance of finishing third in the table. Starting the weekend in third place in the premier table Warwickshire didn’t have the best of days on Saturday as the ladies ‘B’ found themselves trailing 2-0 when Karen Matthews and Jodie Hawton in turn beat Donna Pinch 3-2 and Lisa Deslandes 3-1. Angela Jones stopped the rot with a 3-2 win over Cat Callard but she was made to fight all the way for her win as Callard won the opening two legs. Nina Bolt (Warwickshire) opened up a 2-0 lead over Sarah Brown in the fouth game but it was the Devonshire player who got the 3-2 result to put her team into an unassailable 3-1 lead. It tokk a lady of the match performance from Kerry Bambridge to halt the visitors progress, Kerry winning with a straight three legs result against Tracy Ware to give her a 19.03 average and with a similar 3-0 win from Wendy Adams in the final game against Sharna Eva Warwickshire had salvaged a 3-3 draw. Charlie Symons gave Warwickshire the opening win in the men’s ‘B’ game as he accounted for Liam Spear with a 4-1 scoreline, however the hosts lead was short lived as Mark Shears beat Luke Kennedy 4-2 after Kennedy had twice taken the lead and with a 4-1 win for Philip Goodwin over Simon Fairbrother Devon were 2-1 up. The advanatge changed for a third time when Matthew Edgar and Peter Hughes in turn won 4-2 against Lewis Dare and Darren Tilley to restore Warwickshire’s lead at 3-2. Once again the visitors fought back as Mark Hatherley won 4-2 against Tom Martin, Kevin Winter beat Richard Foster 4-3 and with further 4-3 wins for Liam Goyne and Paul Millford against Mark Carter and James Hykin Devon opened up an unbeatble 6-3 lead. Ian Shaw kept hopes of a draw alive for the home team when he won 4-1 against Gary Phillips but it was all over in the penultimate game when Terry McDermott won 4-1 against Carl Green after Green had won the first leg. Warwickshire kept their best till last as Thomas Ryan stepped up to take on Darren Collis and in 15 darts with a 101 finish Ryan went 1-0 up, he doubled his lead in 18 darts checking out on 86, then with another 15 darts leg and a 113 finish went 3-0 up and rounded off a tremendous 4-0 win with his third 15 darts leg and a 120 outshot to give him a fantastic 31.81 average, the best ‘B’ team average of the weekend. The final score 7-5 to Devon. Amazingly the ladies ‘A’ have not won a game all season, in fact they haven’t won since January 2016 when they were 5-1 winners at home to Lancashire and their latest fixture didn’t see them get the best of starts once again as Chloe McKivett lost 3-1 to Anna Johnson and Sue Gulliver was beaten 3-2 by Merryl Dennis. Trina Gulliver MBE stemmed the tide as she not only won 3-0 against Lisa Hughes but at the same time took the match award, her fourth of the campaign with a 21.47 average. Natalie Gilbert looked all set to level the game when she won the first two legs against Maria O’Brien but unfortunately lost the next three to go down 3-2. A 3-1 win over Hayley Brant by Melanie Hill kept Warwickshire in the match, Hill checking out on 117 in the third leg, but it was all over in all respects when Michelle Andrews beat Caroline Puke 3-0 in the final game to give Devon a 4-2 win. Nothing less than a 9-3 win from Warwickshire’s men’s ‘A’ team would now be good enough for an overall victory for the weekend. The pattern of the first four games saw all of the results going with the first throw advantage Devon going ahead twice first through Mike Pearce in the opening game when he won 4-2 against Mark Westgarth and again when Scott Hutchinson won 4-3 in the third against Noel Grant. Meanwhile levelling the game for Warwickshire were Nigel Heydon who won the second game against Neil White 4-3 and Bob Nixon with a 4-2 win in the fourth over Glyn Wells after Wells had gone 2-0 up. For the first time in the game the home team took the lead in the fifth when Jamie Hughes recorded his second successive man of the match average beating Mark Turner 4-1 with winning legs of 15,15,14 and 13 darts to give him a fabulous 32.96 average. Nevertheless by the halfway mark the scores were level at three each when Phil Stewart replied for Devon with a 4-1 success against William Naylor. As the second half got underway it was Devon who quickly gained the advantage Shaun Dring taking their tally to 4-3 with his 4-0 win over Ted Evetts. Simon Power squared the game at 4-4 with his 4-1 win over Thom Humphrey after the Devon man had won the first leg, but the visitors came bouncing back once more and giving them a 5-4 lead was John Imrie with his 4-2 success against Dean Stewart and when Mark Vellacott added his straight 4-0 win against Tom Aldridge the away team had gone into an unassailable 6-4 lead. Antony Allen (Warwickshire) put the pressure on the final two players when he won 4-1 against Martin Horn in the penultimate game, then with a similar 4-1 result Anthony West defeated Daniel Belsten to put the final score all level at six each. Unfortunately the rally by the men’s ‘A’ team was not enough as the overall score for the weekend was 20-16 to Devon which meant that Warwickshire would lose their third place and finish the season fifth, seven points behind third placed Lincolnshire and five points adrift of Cambridgeshire who finished fourth. Premier Division:Warwickshire v Devon (16-20): (Warwickshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Mark Westgarth 2 Mike Pearce 4, Nigel Heydon 4 Neil White 3, Noel Grant 3 Scott Hutchinson 4, Bob Nixon 4 Glyn Wells 2, Jamie Hughes 4 Mark Turner 1, William Naylor 1 Phil Stewart 4, Ted Evetts 0 Shaun Dring 4, Simon Power 4 Thom Humphrey 1, Dean Stewart 2 John Imrie 4, Tom Aldridge 0 Mark Vellacott 4, Antony Allen 4 Martin Horn 1, Anthony West 4 Daniel Belsten 1, Men’s ‘B’:- Charlie Symons 4 Liam Spear 1, Luke Kennedy 2 Mark Shears 4, Simon Fairbrother 1 Philip Goodwin 4, Matthew Edgar 4 Lewis Dare 2, Peter Hughes 4 Darren Tilley 2, Tom Martin 2 Mark Hatherley 4, Richard Foster 3 Kevin Winter 4, Mark Carter 3 Liam Goyne 4, James Hykin 3 Paul Milford 4, Ian Shaw 4 Gary Phillips 1, Carl Green 1 Terry McDermott 4, Tom Ryan 4 Darren Collis 0, Women’s ‘A’:- Chloe McKivett 1 Anna Johnson 3, Sue Gullliver 2 Merryl Dennis 3, Trina Gulliveer 3 Lisa Hughes 0, Natalie Gilbert 2 Maria O’Brien 3, Melanie Hill 3 Hayley Brant 1, Caroline Pike 0 Michelle Andrews 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Donna Pinch 2 Karen Matthews 3, Lisa Deslandes 1 Jodie Hawton 3, Angela Jones 3 Cat Callard 2, Nina Bolt 2 Sarah Brown 3, Kerry Bambridge 3 Tracy Ware 0, Wendy Adams 3 Sharna Eva 0.
Congratulations to Sutton Sports who in a very close finish in the Warwickshire Men’s Super League, clinched the title with 133 points, exactly the same number of points as runners up Coventry Bishopsgate with Sutton taking the crown by virtue of them having won one game more than Coventry. After confirming the league title the two top teams met in a thrilling final of the Team Cup Knockout which saw all seven games go the full distance of five legs but it was Sutton who made it a fantastic double by beating their rivals 4-3. Eight teams had battled it out on the night with Stockton and Warwick the unfortunate losing semi finalists, Stockton losing 4-3 to Sutton Sports while Warwick went down 5-2 to Coventry Bishopsgate.
Winmau Darts Centre at Wolverhampton Indoor Community Sports Stadium On the night of Friday 14th July the Winmau Darts Centre in the Wolverhampton Indoor Community Sports Arena will be staging a knockout as a warm up for what will be an exciting weekend of darts as on the following day the centre will be hosting the Winmau Wolverhanpton Classic and will complete a superb three days of darts on Sunday 16th July with their fifth annual Winmau BDO Wolverhampton Open.
by Alan Towe Website: www.alantowedarts.co.uk
On The Local Scene:
With the domestic issues all sorted in the Four Oaks and District League it was all down to cup finals the first of which were the Coronation Shield and the Norman Day Cup. In the former Old Oscott Arrows started well against The Boat taking the first game 2-1 but it was a lead they would lose and never recover as the newly crowned league champions and last year’s runner up in the competition dropped just three legs in the following three games, rounding off their win with a 3-0 success in the final game for a 10-5 victory. Playing Drakes Drum in the Norman Day Cup, Erdington Arrows matched their opponents in scoring but struggled to find the finishing doubles. They lost the first two games 2-1 and would not win another leg until the final game, giving Drakes Drum a 12-3 win. To round off the season the finals of the Brian Goodman and Ken Rust cups were played off. In the Brian Goodman Cup a depleted Golden Hind outscored their opponents Boldmere St Mikes and after losing the first two games won the next two to level the match. Boldmere St Mikes however would not be denied and won the remaining five games to take the match 7-2 to retain the title and also repeat the 7-2 defeat of Golden Hind two years ago. In the Ken Rust Cup Red Lion started well against The Boat winning the first game but then losing the next three, Red Lion rallied to level the match at 3-3 but then ran out of steam and the league champions won last three for a 6-3 victory. J.Prince (The Boat) hit his fourth 180 and the final maximum of the season to bring the grand total for the season to 73. [caption id="attachment_20891" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Four Oaks and District League Division One Winners The Boat[/caption]
The South Birmingham League played off the finals of their Roy Parry and Roy Parry Consolation cups. In the Roy Parry cup the top two division one teams Erdington Members Club and Mackadown Social squared up to each other, the 7-2 result going in favour of Erdington Members Club. The Raven and The Dog did battle for the Roy Parry Consolation cup title and it was the division one outfit Raven, who got the better of their division two rivals with a convincing 8-1 result [caption id="attachment_20935" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
South Birmingham League - Roy Parry Consolation Cup Winners The Raven[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_20936" align="aligncenter" width="640"] South Birmingham League - Roy Parry Cup Winners Erdington Members Club[/caption]
The divisional cup finals in the Forest of Arden Winter League were all about Journeys End. In the division one play off champions Journeys End beat bottom of the table Ivy Leaf 7-2 and in the division two game it was again champions Journeys End Flights who won by the same 7-2 scoreline against divisional runners up Highwood Arms. The league also staged the final of their League Pairs Cup and taking the honours with a final 11-4 win over bottom of the first division Ivy Leaf were division two champions Journeys End Flights whose C.Roberts notched a maximum, also finding the three treble twenties was A.Sheen for Ivy Leaf. [caption id="attachment_20892" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Forest of Arden Winter League Division One Divisional Cup Winners Journeys End[/caption]
The Silver End Sunday Morning League staged their Mickey Kelly Memorial Knockout and clinching the title with a final 5-0 win over Jamie Rollinson was Mickey’s son Liam Kelly. In the semi finals Kelly won 4-1 against Rob Pierce while Rollinson had a much closer 4-3 verdict over Rob Powers. Losing quarter finalists were G.Jackson, G.Davies, M.Davies and I.Mathers.
Both of the semi finals of the Brierley Hill Friday Night League finished with close 2-1 scorelines as Jeff Batham and Carl Penzer beat Matt Hadley and Ben Lewis then Reece Colley and Robert Pierce won against Jim Churchill and Carl Davies. The final saw Batham and Penzer account for Colley and Pierce with a clear cut straight 3-0 victory.
The Sheldon Marlborough Cricket Club Singles League had their 501 Knockout on the fixture card and scooping the title with a final win over Alan Wale was Dave Howlett. Losing semi finalists were Mark Malvin and Paul Brown.
The Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League have completed their domestic fixtures and Ashwood have enjoyed a very successful season as the ‘A’ team won the league title with 56 points and the ‘B’ side finished as runners up on 50 points just pipping Brickmakers Arms and Miners Welfare to second place on average as they also had 50 points. Taking the wooden spoon were Hare and Hounds who won just one of their 31 games. Ten Arches ‘A’ won the Shadow League with 18 points two more than runners up Fox Inn (Lye).
As the league fixtures drew to an end in the Bilston and District League the 301 league title went to The Nutan with a total of 52 points, Tilted Barrel finishing second on 48 points. The roles were reversed in the 501 league as Tilted Barrel with 54 points finished as champions and The Nutan runners up with 50 points. With the domestic fixtures all done and dusted the league played off their Main Cup which produced a fantastic final that went down to the wire, not decided until the very last deciding leg when Bilston Conservative Club claimed their win and the title over Allens Sports Bar ‘A’. In the semi finals Bilston Conservative Club handed out a 7-0 whitewash to their opponents Darlaston Conservative Club while Allens Sports Bar ‘A’ had a much closer 4-3 verdict over 501 League champions Tilted Barrel. [caption id="attachment_20937" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Bilston and District League Main Cup Winners Bilston Conservative Club 'C'[/caption]
Pensnett Welfare Club laid on a charity darts knockout in aid of the Dementia Appeal for Ward B2 in Russells Hall Hospital. The guaranteed £500 prize money attracted almost sixty entrants with the title and £200 top prize going to Liam Kelly who won the close final against Andy Hamilton 6-5, Hamilton receiving £100. The last four play offs saw Kelly win 5-2 against Reece Colley while Hamilton had a 5-1 success over Ashley Hykin, both losing semi finalists collected £50 plus there was £25 for each of the losing quarter finalists C.Willimas, C.Fox, J.Rollinson and M.Rollinson. However the biggest winner was the charity which will benefit to the tune of £1,002.
Shropshire v Middlesex With one win and one draw from their previous eight division four BDO Inter County Championship fixtures, Shropshire, despite having home advantage in their final game of the season had no easy task as their opponents were Middlesex who were riding high in the top half of the table. Nevertheless the weekend got off to a pretty good start as Sue Lane opened up for the ladies ‘B’ and despite trailing 2-1 after winning the first leg went on to clinch a 3-2 victory. Sharon Harris doubled that lead when she accounted for Marlene Pope with a 3-1 result, Harris checking out on 120 in the fourth leg to seal her win. At number three for the home side was Kirsty Jenks who was quick to open up a 2-0 lead over Sindy Stiles. Stiles fought back to level at two each but it was Jenks who got the 3-2 verdict and also the hosts lady of the match award for her 14.94 average. Game number four saw Middlesex chalk up their first win when Dee Jules-Stock won 3-1 against Caron Minton but the Shropshire win was assured in the fifth as Cal Jones beat Coreen Loffler 3-2. The final game went to the away side Sue Hicks winning 3-1 against Caroline Powell after Powell had taken a 1-0 lead. The final score 4-2 to Shropshire. The men’s ‘B’ also had a good start as Neil Powell put them one up coming from 1-0 and 2-1 down against Tony Sedgwick to go on and win 3-2. Peter Eley made it 2-0 to Shropshire with a neat 3-0 win over Mark Haggerty. Fortunes then changed and the home side went from two up to 3-2 down as Dickie Gregory beat Dan Boot 3-1, Adam Finch won 3-0 against Trevor Smith and Chris Moore with his 3-1 win over Sean Flynn put Middlesex in the lead for the first time in the match. A 3-1 win from Robert Harris against Gary Middleton restored parity at three each but it was the away team who went ahead again in the seventh when John Power won 3-0 against Simon Pritchard. One again the game was levelled this time it was through a hard fought 3-2 win from Tim Eley (Shropshire) against Craig De Almeida. For a third time Middlesex took the lead when Paul Hackett beat Andre Knox 3-0 and with a further 3-0 result from John Scott over Nathan Storar the visitors guaranteed themselves of at least a draw with a 6-4 lead. The spoils were not going to be shared however as in the penultimate game Scott Robertson won 3-1 against Robert Trumper and rounding off the day’s play Shropshire produced their man of the match in the form of Arthur Smart. Smart took the first leg off Nick Ellis in 18 darts and although Ellis won the second the Shropshire man went on to win the tie 3-1 with further legs of 20 and 21 darts for an award winning average of 24.63 taking the result to 7-5 for Middlesex. Sunday’s ladies ‘A’ team were not able to emulate their ‘B’ team’s performance as Jennette Collins gave Middlesex first blood when she won 3-2 against Kat McLean, McLean drawing level in the second and fourth legs. Marie Riggs has been the shining light for the Shropshire ladies ‘A’ this season having previously won five of the eight lady of the match awards and once again she didn’t disappoint as she made it six consecutive awards when she beat Jenny Sallans 3-1 with a 17.41 average. Michele Pritchard twice pegged Margaret Sutton back to level terms before losing the decider and going down 3-2 then with 3-1 wins from Lisa Brosnan and Tina Moran over respective opponents Julie Griffiths and Sophie Fawcett, Middlesex were home and dry with a 4-1 advantage. Vickie Kiely took the final score to 5-1 for the visitors when she won 3-0 against Becky Harris. The first half of the men’s ‘A’ game was something of a disaster as Allen Bond gave Middlesex the early lead with his 4-3 win over Clive Lucking after Lucking had won the first two legs, then came a string of three 4-2 wins for the away team as Joshua Burksfield, Tony Andrews and Andy Turnbull in turn defeated Brian Hickman, Eddie Austin and Kevin Harris. John Cooper was Shropshire’s first winner when in the fifth game he handed out a straight 4-0 defeat to Brian Green before Steven Hyatt and Paul Holloway added another two 4-2 wins to the Middlesex tally when they accounted for Andi Chatter and Richard Parker. Trailing 6-1 Derek Coulson provided a ray of hope for Shropshire as he claimed his third man of the match award for the campaign with a 4-2 win over Mark Tiller and his 23.48 average. Unfortunately Coulson’s win only managed to delay what had appeared to be the inevitable as Roy Peacock got the better of Matt Williams to put the visitors into an unassailable 7-2 lead with yet another 4-2 win. Mick Seager took the score along to 8-2 when he beat Scott Meyrick 4-3 after Meyrick had gone 3-2 up. The final two games of the weekend produced Shropshire’s best run in the game as Danny James and Neville Quinton both chalked up 4-3 wins against respective opponents Terry Andrews and Ben Stevenson to put the final score at 8-4 to Middlesex and the overall result for the weekend at 22-14 again to Middlesex which leaves Shropshire finishing the season next to bottom of the table on 132 points, 31 more than bottom team Isle of Wight and 24 short of Pembrokeshire the team just above them. Full Results:Division Four:Shropshire v Middlesex (14-22): (Shropshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Clive Lucking 3 Allen Bond 4, Brian Hickman 2 Joshua Burksfield 4, Eddie Austin 2 Tony Andrews 4, Kevin Harris 2 Andy Turnbull 4, John Cooper 4 Brian Green 0, Andi Chatter 2 Steven Hyatt 4, Richard Parker 2 Paul Holloway 4, Derek Coulson 4 Mark Tiller 2, Matt Williams 2 Roy Peacock 4, Scott Meyrick 3 Mick Seager 4, Danny James 4 Terry Andrews 3, Neville Quinton 4 Ben Stevenson 3, Men’s ‘B’:- Neil Powell 3 Tony Sedgwick 2, Peter Eley 3 Mark Haggerty 0, Dan Boot 1 Dickie Gregory 3, Trevor Smith 0 adam Finch 3, Sean Flynn 1 Chris Moore 3, Robert Harris 3 Gary Middleton 1, Simon Pritchard 0 John Power 3, Tim Eley 3 Crag De Almeida 2, Andre Knox 0 Paul Hackett 3, Nathan Storar 0 John Scott 3, Robert Trumper 1 Scott Robertson 3, Arthur Smart 3 Nick Ellis 1, Women’s ‘A’:- Kat McLean 2 Jennette Collins 3, Marie Riggs 3 Jenny Sallans 1, Michele Pritchard 2 Margaret Sutton 3, Julie Griffiths 1 Lisa Brosnan 3, Sophie Fawcett 1 Tina Moran 3, Becky Harris 0 Vickie Kiely 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Sue Lane 3 Sue Hinks 2, Sharon Harris 3 Marlene Pope 1, Kirsty Jenks 3 Sindy Stiles 2, Caron Minton 1 Dee Jules-Stock 3, Cal Jones 3 Coreen Loffler 2, Caroline Powell 1 Sue Hicks 3.
Staffordshire v Derbyshire Derbyshire rounded off their season in division two of the BDO Inter County Championships with an away fixture against Staffordshire, a second successive season that has not seen Derbyshire perform the way they did two seasons ago when they won promotion to division one and their lack of form and results unfortunately continued to the bitter end. Kerri Buckley (Derbyshire) opened up for the ladies ‘B’ losing in three legs to Anne Allsop. Michelle Colclough looked all set to double Staffordshire’s lead when she went two up against Dawn Buckley but the Derbyshire player stuck to the task and fought back to take the 3-2 result. Julie Robinson restored the home team’s lead with a close 3-2 win over Rachel Ayers who had cancelled out Robinson’s lead in the second and fourth legs. It was all square again in the fourth game when Derbyshire’s Samantha Marshall beat Roz Harry 3-2 then in the fifth the away side took the lead for the first time when Rebecca Hoyland handed out a straight 3-0 defeat to Samran Prommetta, Hoyland taking the match award with her 19.03 average. With the visitors leading 3-2 the result hinged on the final game between Ann Price (Staffordshire) and Kelly Dean. Dean went one up but then finishing doubles deserted her and she lost 3-1 to put the final score level at 3-3. Paul Baker gave Derbyshire an opening win in the men’s ‘B’ match when he beat Nick Schonau 3-1 earning himself the man of the match award in the process for his 27.28 average. The home team then strung together four consecutive wins. Kevin Johnson, Richard Cummings and Stuart Livesley handing out in turn 3-0 defeats to Scott Parkin, Ian Allcock and Ashley Weaver and making up the quartet of wins Dave Richards won 3-1 against Henry Coates to put the hosts 4-1 up. Darran Sinfield and Loz Barnes stopped the Staffordshire charge when Sinfield beat Stewart Sim 3-2 and Barnes won by the same scoreline against Paul Wright but it was only a minor delay for the home side as they romped to a 9-3 win with further successes for Lee Ratcliffe who won 3-1 against Adrian Asprey, Karl Hinks who beat Tony Cresswell 3-2, Steve Rushton with a straight 3-0 win over John Elliott, Danny Key who had a 3-1 win over Lee Cummins and rounding off the day with a 3-0 win against Andrew Gillott was Kevin Hammersley. Susan Sherratt gave Staffordshire the ideal start to the ladies ‘A’ match as she won 3-0 against Jackie Sweet and her team mate Dawn Schonau looked as though she would produce the same result against Dee Fenn when she went 2-0 up but Fenn hung on in there and clawed her way back to 2-2 before losing the final leg and the game 3-2. Kera Astle was Derbyshire’s first and as it turned out only winner when in the third she won 3-2 against Terry Selman with an award winning average of 18.50. A 3-0 win from Sarah Cope over Louise Rawson took the score along to 3-1 and with 3-2 wins from Emma Pearce and Diane Tolley over respective opponents Jennifer McCormick and Terri Bellamy the home team recorded a 5-1 win. The men’s ‘A’ match almost followed the exact same pattern as the ‘B’ game with just one single difference. Similar to the ‘B’ match Derbyshire won the first game when Gary Fenn beat Martin Wheawall 4-3, then Staffordshire once again took the following four games. Jamie Dunsdon beat Brian Snell 4-1, Carl Batchelor won by the same margin against Adam Fern, John Burgess had a 4-0 win over Lee Stanley and Andy Beardmore won 4-1 against Sean Lambert. Then, again as in the ‘B’ encounter Derbyshire took two in a row when Richard Hughes won 4-3 against Lewis Oliver and man of the match Nigel Daniels after going 2-0 up against James Hughes then 3-2 down won the last two legs for a 4-3 victory and a 28.55 average. Game number eight could easily have gone either way as Karl Merchant went one up against Tim Daniels in 19 darts then Daniels replied with winning legs of 21, 14 and 20 darts to go 3-1 up. Merchant levelled the game at 3-3 in 18 and 19 darts, then after Daniels had missed his 72 outshot Merchant won the deciding leg in 22 darts for a very, very close 4-3 win. Games nine and ten both finished 4-0 with Staffordshire’s Callum Matthews and Benjamin Davies beating respective opponents Alan Statham and Ian Allcock, the match still going exactly the same as the ‘B’ game. It was only the penultimate game that differed from the previous day, whereas Staffordshire won the next to last game in the ‘B’ encounter it was Derbyshire’s Ian Clarke who won for the ‘A’ as he stormed to a 4-0 win over Benjamin Hilditch before Trevor Carter (Staffordshire) won the final game of the weekend 4-3 against Rob Wood to give the home side an 8-4 win. The defeat leaves Derbyshire firmly rooted to the foot of the division two table with 130 points, 20 fewer than the team directly above them Berkshire who, the only team that Derbyshire have beaten this season. The last two seasons have seen Derbyshire freefall from division one to division two and now to division three, let’s hope their confidence and luck will change and they will get a quick return to division two. Full Results:Division Four:Staffordshire v Derbyshire (25-11): (Staffordshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Martin Wheawall 3 Gary Fenn 4, Jamie Dinsdon 4 Brian Snell 1, Carl Batchelor 4 Adam Fern 1, John Burgess 4 Lee Stanley 0, Andy Beardmore 4 Sean Lambert 1, Lewis Oliver 3 Richard Hughes 4, James Hughes 3 Nigel Daniels 4, Karl Merchant 4 Tim Daniels 3, Callum Matthews 4 Alan Statham 0, Benjamin Davies 4 Ian Allcock 0, Benjamin Hilditch 0 Ian Clarke 4, Trevor Carter 4 Rob Wood 3, Men’s ‘B’:- Nick Schonau 1 Paul Baker 3, Kevin Johnson 3 Scott Parker 0, Richard Cummings 3 Ian Allcock 0, Stuart Livesley 3 Ashley Weaver 0, Dave Richards 3 Henry Coates 1, Stewart Sim 2 Darran Sinfield 3, Paul Wright 2 Loz Barnes 3, Lee Ratcliffe 3 Adrian Asprey 1, Karl Hinks 3 Tony Creswell 2, Steve Rushton3 John Elliott 0, Danny Key 3 Lee Cummins 1, Kevin Hammersley 3 Andrew Gillott 0, Women’s ‘A’:- Susan Sherratt 3 Jackie Sweet 0, Dawn Schonau 3 Dee Fenn 2, Terry Selman 2 Kera Astle 3, Sarah Cope 3 Louise Rawson 0, Emma Pearce 3 Jennifer McCormick 2, Diane Tolley 3 Terri Bellamy 2, Women’s ‘B’:- Anne Allsop 3 Kerri Buckley 0, Michelle Colclough 2 Dawn Buckley 3, Julie Robinson 3 Rachel Ayres 2, Roz Harry 2 Samantha Marshall 3, Samran Prommetta 0 Rebecca Hoyland 3, Ann Price 3 Kelly Dean 1.
Warwickshire v Devon It was a disappointing end to the season for Warwickshire in the premier division of the BDO Inter County Championships as they surprsingly lost their home fixture against Devon and also the chance of finishing third in the table. Starting the weekend in third place in the premier table Warwickshire didn’t have the best of days on Saturday as the ladies ‘B’ found themselves trailing 2-0 when Karen Matthews and Jodie Hawton in turn beat Donna Pinch 3-2 and Lisa Deslandes 3-1. Angela Jones stopped the rot with a 3-2 win over Cat Callard but she was made to fight all the way for her win as Callard won the opening two legs. Nina Bolt (Warwickshire) opened up a 2-0 lead over Sarah Brown in the fouth game but it was the Devonshire player who got the 3-2 result to put her team into an unassailable 3-1 lead. It tokk a lady of the match performance from Kerry Bambridge to halt the visitors progress, Kerry winning with a straight three legs result against Tracy Ware to give her a 19.03 average and with a similar 3-0 win from Wendy Adams in the final game against Sharna Eva Warwickshire had salvaged a 3-3 draw. Charlie Symons gave Warwickshire the opening win in the men’s ‘B’ game as he accounted for Liam Spear with a 4-1 scoreline, however the hosts lead was short lived as Mark Shears beat Luke Kennedy 4-2 after Kennedy had twice taken the lead and with a 4-1 win for Philip Goodwin over Simon Fairbrother Devon were 2-1 up. The advanatge changed for a third time when Matthew Edgar and Peter Hughes in turn won 4-2 against Lewis Dare and Darren Tilley to restore Warwickshire’s lead at 3-2. Once again the visitors fought back as Mark Hatherley won 4-2 against Tom Martin, Kevin Winter beat Richard Foster 4-3 and with further 4-3 wins for Liam Goyne and Paul Millford against Mark Carter and James Hykin Devon opened up an unbeatble 6-3 lead. Ian Shaw kept hopes of a draw alive for the home team when he won 4-1 against Gary Phillips but it was all over in the penultimate game when Terry McDermott won 4-1 against Carl Green after Green had won the first leg. Warwickshire kept their best till last as Thomas Ryan stepped up to take on Darren Collis and in 15 darts with a 101 finish Ryan went 1-0 up, he doubled his lead in 18 darts checking out on 86, then with another 15 darts leg and a 113 finish went 3-0 up and rounded off a tremendous 4-0 win with his third 15 darts leg and a 120 outshot to give him a fantastic 31.81 average, the best ‘B’ team average of the weekend. The final score 7-5 to Devon. Amazingly the ladies ‘A’ have not won a game all season, in fact they haven’t won since January 2016 when they were 5-1 winners at home to Lancashire and their latest fixture didn’t see them get the best of starts once again as Chloe McKivett lost 3-1 to Anna Johnson and Sue Gulliver was beaten 3-2 by Merryl Dennis. Trina Gulliver MBE stemmed the tide as she not only won 3-0 against Lisa Hughes but at the same time took the match award, her fourth of the campaign with a 21.47 average. Natalie Gilbert looked all set to level the game when she won the first two legs against Maria O’Brien but unfortunately lost the next three to go down 3-2. A 3-1 win over Hayley Brant by Melanie Hill kept Warwickshire in the match, Hill checking out on 117 in the third leg, but it was all over in all respects when Michelle Andrews beat Caroline Puke 3-0 in the final game to give Devon a 4-2 win. Nothing less than a 9-3 win from Warwickshire’s men’s ‘A’ team would now be good enough for an overall victory for the weekend. The pattern of the first four games saw all of the results going with the first throw advantage Devon going ahead twice first through Mike Pearce in the opening game when he won 4-2 against Mark Westgarth and again when Scott Hutchinson won 4-3 in the third against Noel Grant. Meanwhile levelling the game for Warwickshire were Nigel Heydon who won the second game against Neil White 4-3 and Bob Nixon with a 4-2 win in the fourth over Glyn Wells after Wells had gone 2-0 up. For the first time in the game the home team took the lead in the fifth when Jamie Hughes recorded his second successive man of the match average beating Mark Turner 4-1 with winning legs of 15,15,14 and 13 darts to give him a fabulous 32.96 average. Nevertheless by the halfway mark the scores were level at three each when Phil Stewart replied for Devon with a 4-1 success against William Naylor. As the second half got underway it was Devon who quickly gained the advantage Shaun Dring taking their tally to 4-3 with his 4-0 win over Ted Evetts. Simon Power squared the game at 4-4 with his 4-1 win over Thom Humphrey after the Devon man had won the first leg, but the visitors came bouncing back once more and giving them a 5-4 lead was John Imrie with his 4-2 success against Dean Stewart and when Mark Vellacott added his straight 4-0 win against Tom Aldridge the away team had gone into an unassailable 6-4 lead. Antony Allen (Warwickshire) put the pressure on the final two players when he won 4-1 against Martin Horn in the penultimate game, then with a similar 4-1 result Anthony West defeated Daniel Belsten to put the final score all level at six each. Unfortunately the rally by the men’s ‘A’ team was not enough as the overall score for the weekend was 20-16 to Devon which meant that Warwickshire would lose their third place and finish the season fifth, seven points behind third placed Lincolnshire and five points adrift of Cambridgeshire who finished fourth. Premier Division:Warwickshire v Devon (16-20): (Warwickshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Mark Westgarth 2 Mike Pearce 4, Nigel Heydon 4 Neil White 3, Noel Grant 3 Scott Hutchinson 4, Bob Nixon 4 Glyn Wells 2, Jamie Hughes 4 Mark Turner 1, William Naylor 1 Phil Stewart 4, Ted Evetts 0 Shaun Dring 4, Simon Power 4 Thom Humphrey 1, Dean Stewart 2 John Imrie 4, Tom Aldridge 0 Mark Vellacott 4, Antony Allen 4 Martin Horn 1, Anthony West 4 Daniel Belsten 1, Men’s ‘B’:- Charlie Symons 4 Liam Spear 1, Luke Kennedy 2 Mark Shears 4, Simon Fairbrother 1 Philip Goodwin 4, Matthew Edgar 4 Lewis Dare 2, Peter Hughes 4 Darren Tilley 2, Tom Martin 2 Mark Hatherley 4, Richard Foster 3 Kevin Winter 4, Mark Carter 3 Liam Goyne 4, James Hykin 3 Paul Milford 4, Ian Shaw 4 Gary Phillips 1, Carl Green 1 Terry McDermott 4, Tom Ryan 4 Darren Collis 0, Women’s ‘A’:- Chloe McKivett 1 Anna Johnson 3, Sue Gullliver 2 Merryl Dennis 3, Trina Gulliveer 3 Lisa Hughes 0, Natalie Gilbert 2 Maria O’Brien 3, Melanie Hill 3 Hayley Brant 1, Caroline Pike 0 Michelle Andrews 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Donna Pinch 2 Karen Matthews 3, Lisa Deslandes 1 Jodie Hawton 3, Angela Jones 3 Cat Callard 2, Nina Bolt 2 Sarah Brown 3, Kerry Bambridge 3 Tracy Ware 0, Wendy Adams 3 Sharna Eva 0.
Congratulations to Sutton Sports who in a very close finish in the Warwickshire Men’s Super League, clinched the title with 133 points, exactly the same number of points as runners up Coventry Bishopsgate with Sutton taking the crown by virtue of them having won one game more than Coventry. After confirming the league title the two top teams met in a thrilling final of the Team Cup Knockout which saw all seven games go the full distance of five legs but it was Sutton who made it a fantastic double by beating their rivals 4-3. Eight teams had battled it out on the night with Stockton and Warwick the unfortunate losing semi finalists, Stockton losing 4-3 to Sutton Sports while Warwick went down 5-2 to Coventry Bishopsgate.
Winmau Darts Centre at Wolverhampton Indoor Community Sports Stadium On the night of Friday 14th July the Winmau Darts Centre in the Wolverhampton Indoor Community Sports Arena will be staging a knockout as a warm up for what will be an exciting weekend of darts as on the following day the centre will be hosting the Winmau Wolverhanpton Classic and will complete a superb three days of darts on Sunday 16th July with their fifth annual Winmau BDO Wolverhampton Open.
by Alan Towe Website: www.alantowedarts.co.uk