Alan Towe - A Look Back In Time - 1st October 2004
Gordon Clinton has revamped the Brookmeadow Individual League and turned it into possibly a unique setup now known as the Brookmeadow Individual Knockout League. Each week the sixteen players take part in a knockout, the winning eight players then play in a further ’A’ knockout and the losers in a ’B’ knockout. Points are then awarded for finishing positions in the two knockouts, with the highest points going to the ’A’ players, e.g ‘A’ winner 10 points (‘B’ 6), ‘A’ runner up 8 points (‘B’ 4), ‘A’ semi finalists 6 points (‘B’ 2) and ‘A’ quarter finalists 4 points (‘B’ 1).
In the first week’s games Gordon Clinton chalked up the seasons first ten points when he won the ’A’ knockout by beating John Goodman (8 points) 3-0 in the final. The ’B’ knockout was won by Ricky Lawrence (6 points), with Mark Elkin (4 points) runner up.
At the time of going to print two more fixtures have been played and Ricky Lawrence has won both of the ‘A’ knockouts to put him in pole position in the overall league table with 26 points. Close behind on 20 points is Gordon Clinton then comes John Goodman with 18 points.
In the maximums league Gordon Clinton has chalked up a fantastic seven in three matches, with Robert Earl having hit two and one for Brendan Lysaught. Earl has also recorded the fastest game of fourteen darts, while John Goodman has the highest finish 120.
The Sheldon and District Summer League is fast drawing to a close, the run of the mill weekly league fixtures already completed. Saltley Amateur Gardeners have won the group one title with 15 points. However, they could easily have lost it despite winning their final game against Glebe Community Centre 5-3, as second placed EBAHA could only draw 4-4 with RAFA in their final game. Should EBAHA have won they would have taken the title by one point.
In the other groups Mackadown Social won group two with 19 points, Iron Horse runners up on 13. Group three was won by Stechford Social (15 points), with Raven and Shard End RBL ‘A’ second, both of them having 13 points, 45 legs for and 35 against.
Banbury Club took the group four award finishing with four more points than their nearest rivals Vaughans who had 14 points. Bromford Bridge Members Club won the group five title by a similar margin of four points over Shard End Social, while group six winners were the Gunmakers Arms (15 points) and runners up Yardley Ex Service Flights (14 points).
The league has also been involved in the finals of their Mrs F. Richman Trophy. In the semi finals Three Horse Shoes chalked up a 7-0 whitewash over their counterparts Iron Horse, whose Robert Earl notched a maximum. In the other semi Malt Shovel defeated Stechford Social by 6-1.
Three Horse Shoes then went on to win the trophy with a 5-2 result against the Malt Shovel. P.Taylor (Malt Shovel), following a maximum in the final was named as man of the match.
An unusual event occurred in the South West Birmingham Clubs League recently when in division three Tascos Flights entertained Bournbrook Flights. The match was delicately poised at three each with the decider to be fought out between Margaret Ball (Tascos Flights) and Carol Twigg. First there was one problem to overcome, Carol did not have any darts. So she borrowed a set from her friend Sheila Crowe. Despite the obvious disadvantage Carol then went on to win her game 2-0 and the match for her team mates 4-3. Well done Carol.
In the league’s Mixed Doubles Knockout staged at Stirchley United WMC, the crown went to Sue Hodder and Kevin Beard, who defeated Kerry McCurry in the final.
Losing semi finalists were Cynthia Goddard and Mick Rose plus Sue and Mat Reynolds.
The Small Heath Summer League have also played off had a couple of finals. First the Delegates Knockout in which the group one winner was Martin Cooper from Ward End Ex Service Club, with Neil Parsonage (Gunmakers Arms) the runner up. Mark Kane (Station Hotel) was the group two winner and Kevin Maloney from the Custard House was the beaten finalist. With a top score of 177 John McCaffrey (Innisfree) was the group three winnerafter a final won over Station Hotel’s K.Jennings.
Mo Jennings (Station Hotel) took the honours in the Ladies Knockout. She claimed the title with her final win over Innisfree representative Jean Forde.
The draw for the second round of the ever popular Bedworth Gateway Open Darts Competition has been made and for the men is as follows, Brown Horse (Merseyside) v Rowley Labour Club (West Midlands), White Hart (Northampton) v Prince Of Wales (Rugby), Lincolnshire Nailer ‘A’ (Skegness) v High Oak ‘A’ (West Midlands), Kineton Social Club (Kineton) v Brickhouse (West Midlands), Oak and Ivy (West Midlands) v Birchills Liberal Club ‘B’ (West Midlands), Three Horse Shoes ‘A’ (Coventry) Bradford Arms (West Midlands), Six In Hand ‘A’ (Gwent) v High Oak ‘B’ (West Midlands), Liberal Club (Skegness) v Rose and Crown ‘A’ (Cambridgeshire), Glassey Inn ‘B’ (West Midlands) v Crown and Cushion (West Midlands), Lincolnshire Nailer ‘B’ (Skegness) v Samson and Lion ‘B’ (West Midlands), Low Moor WMC ‘B’ (Bradford) v Blowers Social Club (West Midlands), Royal British Legion Club ‘A’ (Cambridgeshire) v Five All’s ‘A’ (Cambridgeshire), Bees Knees (Cirencester) v Glassey Inn ‘A’ (West Midlands), Commercial Hotel ‘A’ (Cheshire) v Boot Inn (Nuneaton), Beaufort Arms ‘A’ (Cheltenham) v Samson and Lion ‘A’ (West Midlands), Wootton Bassett WMC ‘A’ (Swindon) v Stirchley United WMC (Birmingham), Rock Fountain (Shrewsbury) v Six In Hand ‘B’ (Gwent), Wheathampstead Social Club (Hertfordshire) v Foster Arms ‘A’ (Salop), Low Moor WMC ‘A’ (Bradford) v Plough Inn (Staffordshire), Three Horse Shoes ‘B’ (Coventry) v Green Rock Tavern (West Midlands), Chatteris Social Club (Cambridgeshire) v Windmill Social Club (Nuneaton), Wheathampstead Social Club ‘B’ (Hertfordshire) v Cottage Spring ‘A’ (West Midlands), Wootton Bassett WMC ‘B’ (Swindon) v Friar Tuck ‘B’ (West Midlands), Nags Head (Peterborough) v Nottingham Oddfellow Social Club ‘B’ (Leicester), White Hart ‘A’ (Swindon) v Tipton Social Club (West Midlands), Beaufort Arms ‘B’ (Cheltenham) v Cidermill Social Club (Worcester), Station Street WMC (West Midlands) v Royal British Legion Club ‘B’ (Cambridgeshire), New Inn (Worcester) v Birchills Liberal Club ‘A’ (West Midlands), White Hart ‘B’ (Swindon) v Five All’s ‘B’ )Cambridgeshire).
All games are to be played on or before 9th October.
The draw for the ladies is, Hobsons Choice (Warwickshire) v Centre Points Social Club ‘B’ (Worcester), Wootton Bassett WMC (Swindon) v White Hart (Swindon), Crown Inn (Bedford) v Plough Inn (Staffordshire), Lincolnshire Nailer ‘A’ (Skegness) v Cricketers Arms (Bedworth), Centre Points Social Club ‘A’ (Worcester) v Rock Fountain (Shrewsbury), Gorge Hill WMC (Swindon) v Air Balloon Tavern (Bristol), Foster Arms (Salop) v Six In Hand ‘A’ (Gwent), Six In Hand ‘B’ (Gwent) v Erwood Inn ‘B’ (Powys).
All games to be played on or before 30th November.
alantowedarts.co.uk