Alan Towe - BICC Results
Derbyshire v Norfolk
Derbyshire’s second fixture in division three of the BDO Inter County Championships was a home game against Norfolk. Last season’s similar fixture was played at Norfolk and saw the home side run out 20-16 winners but Derbyshire have had a better start to this season kicking it off with an encouraging opening day 18-18 draw away to Merseyside and were looking for an even better result against Norfolk.
All four Derbyshire teams began the new season with a draw at Merseyside but the ladies ‘B’ side soon found that even with home advantage it was not enough against a Norfolk team that were on form on the day. Kerry Jobson gave the away team the lead with her 3-0 win over Emma Varnam and despite Jennifer McCormick twice cancelled out Lynsey Childs lead, Jennifer winning the second leg with a superb 116 finish, she finally went down 3-2.
Carol Weston looked odds on to reduce Norfolk’s lead when she went 2-0 up against Amanda Moore but doubles then deserted Weston and the away player went on to win 3-2.
At 3-0 up the visitors then rattled off three consecutive 3-0 win, Sue Brittain, Sarah Sharp and Dawn Standley in turn defeating Sara-Jane Harrison, Debbie Caven and Dee Fenn with all three Derbyshire players having throws at finishing doubles.
The final score 6-0 to Norfolk.
The first three encounters of the men’s ‘B’ game all went with the fist throw advantage Robbie Ellis giving Norfolk the early lead as he won 3-2 against Michael Ryall who won the first and fourth legs. Timothy Rippon replied for the hosts when he defeated Peter Taylof with another 3-2 result after Rippon had his lead cancelled out twice before winning the game. The visitors got their noses in front again in the third when James Hubbard beat Robert Needham 3-0. It was game number four that saw the sequence broken when Craig Venman won 3-1 against Keith Cooper.
Game four may have seen the sequence broken but game five was the start of a Derbyshire onslaught as after trailing 3-1 they romped to a 9-3. Henry Coates was the first of the nine winners as he came from 2-1 down against Nathan Potter to win 3-2. Levelling the score at three each with a win over Trevor Pearse was Andrew Gillott, Gillott’s 3-0 win emulated by Derbyshire’s next player Gary Fenn who not only beat Donny Forder but took the team match award for his tremendous 30.67 average in which he hit a maximum plus five scores of a ton or more and registered winning legs of 20, 15 and 14 darts.
The next four games all finished with 3-1 results as Scott McCabe, Lee Arkwright, Sean Lambert and Paul Williams beat respective opponents David Wilson, David Dearing, Brad Burnett and Andy Neve.
The final game of the day swayed one way then the other as Derbyshire’s Steve Thompson won the first leg against Adrian Siddle then Siddle won the next two. Thompson squared the game in the fourth and then went on to win the decider for a 3-2 win giving a terrific 9-3 result for the men’s ‘B’ team.
The ladies ‘A’ like the ladies ‘B’ suffered with finishing doubles which at the end of the day proved to be very costly.
Mandy Gray opened up for Norfolk with a 3-1 win over Rachel Ayres only to see Louise Rawson (Derbyshire) put up a great fight against Marie Stopher as she came back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to go on and win 3-2 and take the lady of the match for her 17.21 average.
Games three and four saw the away team’s Nikki Goldsmith and Roz Bulmer win 3-1 in turn against Terri Bellamy and Jackie Sweet to put their team within an ace of victory.
Sammi Marshall kept Derbyshire in the game as she added her 3-1 win over Sandra Page to their account to take the result to the deciding game between Rebecca Hoyland (Derbyshire) and Stephanie Mudd. The first leg went to Rebecca Hoyland but it was Stephanie Mudd who won the following three to win 3-1 and give Norfolk a 4-2 victory, the second ladies success for them of the weekend.
With only the men’s ‘A’ result to be added the overall running score was 13-11 to Norfolk but that was about to change.
Derbyshire were given a winning start by Robert Hawker who had winning legs of 20,16,17 and 14 darts as he won 4-2 against Hamish Varnon. Hawker taking the men’s ‘A’ man of the match award with his 29.22 average and although Connor Hodgkinson was taken to a seventh and deciding leg by Charles Wilson he made it 2-0 for the hosts with his 4-3 win.
Wayne Wall was Norfolk’s first winner, a 4-2 success against Stephen Paling in the third but the home team’s two games buffer was restored in the fourth when Peter Burgoyne beat Evan Wilson 4-1 and with a similar 4-1 win from Ian Clarke over Jon Sharp, Derbyshire’s lead was extended to 4-1 and by the midway point taken to 5-1 as Ian Allcock beat Glenn West 4-3.
Oliver King pulled one back for the visitors as the second half got underway as he won 4-3 in a close tie with Benjamin Holmes, however a share of the twelve games was assured for the home side in the eighth game when Tim Daniels went from 1-0 up to 2-1 down against Christopher Earll then went on to win 4-2.
Lee Stanley made sure of a men’s ‘A’ win for Derbyshire when he handed out a straight 4-0 defeat to Vinny Mudd to put his team 7-2 up.
Jason Lovett was Norfolk’s third winner as he came from one down against David Fritchley to go on and win 4-1. Lovett’s win proving to be Norfolk’s last as Ryan Hassell beat Adam White 4-2 and in the last game of the weekend Richard Hanson had a 4-1 win over Darren Goldsmith to give a final score of 9-3 to the men’s ‘A’ team, the second 9-3 win of the weekend for Derbyshire’s men’s teams.
The overall result was 20-16 to Derbyshire which completely reversed last season’s 20-16 win for Norfolk.
Full Results: Division Three:Norfolk v Derbyshire (16-20):(Norfolk names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Robert Hawker 4 Hamish Varnon 2, Connor Hodgkinson 4 Charles Wilson 3, Stephen Paling 2 Wayne Wall 4, Peter Burgoyne 4 Evan Wilson 1, Ian Clarke 4 Jon Sharp 1, Ian Allcock 4 Glenn West 3, Benjamin Holmes 3 Oliver King 4, Tim Daniels 4 Christopher Earll 2, Lee Stanley 4 Vinny Mudd 0, David Fritchley 1 Jason Lovett 4, Ryan Hassell 4 Adam White 2, Richard Hanson 4 Darren Goldsmith 1, Men’s ‘B’:- Michael Ryall 2 Robbie Ellis 3, Timothy Rippon 3 Peter Taylof 2, Robert Needham 0 James Hubbard 3, Keith Cooper 1 Craig Venman 3, Henry Coates 3 Nathan Potter 2, Andrew Gillott 3 Trevor Pearse 0, Gary Fenn 3 Donny Forder 0, Scott McCabe 3 David Wilson 1, Lee Arkwright 3 David Dearing 1, Sean Lambert 3 Brad Burnett 1, Paul Williams 3 Andy Neve 1, Steve Thompson 3 Adrian Siddle 2, Women’s ‘A’:- Rachel Ayres 1 Mandy Gray 3, Louise Rawson 3 Marie Stopher 2, Terri Bellamy 1 Nikki Goldsmith 3, Jackie Sweet 1 Roz Bulmer 3, Sammie Marshall 3 Sandra Page 1, Rebecca Hoyland 1 Stephanie Mudd 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Emma Varnam 0 Kerry Jobson 3, Jennifer McCormick 2 Lynsey Childs 3, Carol Western 2 Amanda Moore 3, Sara-Jane Harrison 0 Sue Brittain 3, Debbie Caven 0 Sarah Sharp 3, Dee Fenn 0 Dawn Standley 3
Northumberland v Derbyshire Derbyshire’s third fixture in division three of the BDO Inter County Championships was an away game against Northumberland and they returned from the north with their best result of the season so far. The ladies ‘B’ game got underway with a straight 3-0 win from Sara-Jane Harrison who defeated Christine Caldow. A Sara-Jayne with a “Y” this time Sara-Jayne Gowens squared the match for Northumberland when she won by the same 3-0 margin against Dee Fenn. Derbyshire went ahead again in the third when Carol Western (Derbyshire) not only beat Rachael Brown 3-1 but also took her team’s match award for her 15.33 average. A third 3-0 result and the second for Derbyshire was provided by Jennifer McCormick who accounted for Lilian Frost to put the away team 3-1 up. Unfortunately a win was not to be as Louise Kidd and Gemma Slipper in turn won 3-0 against Katrina McAleney and Dawn Buckley to take the final score to three each. The honours were even after the first two games of the men’s ‘B’ match as Sean Lambert put Derbyshire ahead with a 3-1 win over Drew Mole and Lee Harrison replied for Northumberland with a similar 3-1 win against Steve Thompson. From there on it was all change as Derbyshire romped to a 5-1 lead by the break. Timothy Rippon won 3-2 against Ian Cooper, Keith Cooper beat Joseph Reed 3-1, Michael Ryall won 3-2 against Elliott French and taking the visitors advantage to five games was Benjamin Holmes with his 3-1 win over Dave Wallace. The start of the second half saw the hosts chalk up their second winner when Rikki Oversby won 3-1 against Darren Webster before Derbyshire’s man of the match was found in the form of Andrew Houghton who was another 3-1 winner in his tie with David Wilson, Houghton recording winning legs of 14, 20 and 28 darts to give him an average of 25.93. The next game saw the visitors get their win as Scott McCabe beat Jamie Martin 3-2 to open up a 7-2 lead and with Henry Coates coming from two down to Reece Aitman and then win 3-2 that lead moved along to 8-2. The final score was a tremendous 10-2 to Derbyshire with Robert Needham adding his 3-1 win over Simon Ward and Gary Fenn rounding off the day’s play with a 3-2 success against Bob Smith. First on for Derbyshire ladies ‘A’ was Jackie Sweet who after leading 1-0 against Ang Turnbull then trailed 2-1 but fought back magnificently to win the game 3-2. Sammi Marshall lost her first leg against Marie Silk but again the away player stormed back to go on and win 3-1. For a third time in the opening three games the visiting player fell behind, on this occasion it was Louise Rawson who went 1-0 down, 2-1 up then 2-2 but won the fifth leg for a 3-2 win to put Derbyshire into a commanding 3-0 lead. Ashley Halliday was Northumberland’s first winner, a 3-1 victory over Terri Bellamy before lady of the match Rebecca Hoyland put up the winning strike for Derbyshire when she beat Dawn Longstaff 3-0 to take the award for her 19.78 average. The final game saw Joy Wanless make the score a little more respectable for the hosts when she won 3-1 against Rachel Ayres to give a final score of 4-2 in favour of Derbyshire. What better way could there be to start the men’s ‘A’ game than to see your captain hand out a 4-0 defeat to his opponent and in the process win the man of the match award. That is exactly what happened as Lee Stanley opened up for Derbyshire and beat Christopher Bewick in 18,14, 22 and 18 darts for a superb 27.83 average. Robert Hawker came from 2-0 and 3-1 down to Ian Dawson to level his game at 3-3 but then lost the decider in 15 darts to see Northumberland square the game at one each. The away side then strung together three successive wins as Ian Allcock beat Shaun Brown 4-1, Richard Hanson won 4-3 against Christopher Harvey and with a 4-2 win for Michael Ryall over Sam Gibson Derbyshire were 4-1 up. David Fritchley looked all set to make it 5-1 at the midway point when he opened leads of 1-0 and 3-2 against Micky Ord but it was Ord who went on to win the game 4-3. Tim Daniels began the second half for Derbyshire in style as he won the first leg against Richard Gerry with a fantastic 143 game shot in 15 darts. He then went 3-0 up with further legs of 22 and 17 before Gerry came back with three winning legs to take the game to a seventh and deciding leg. Both players struggled with high scores in the last leg but it was Daniels with a 76 finish that won it and the game 4-3. Two successive 4-1 wins from Paul Williams and Ian Clarke over respective opponents Paul Bell and Lee Harbottle secured the win for Derbyshire as their successes took the score along to 7-2. Jimmy Blakey (Northumberland) trailed 2-0 to Lee Arkwright, he then went 3-2 up but was taken to a final leg before securing his team’s third win of the match and with a 4-2 win for Simon Tate over Connor Hodgkinson Northumberland had reduced the arrears to 7-4. The final game of the weekend saw Stephen Paling (Derbyshire) go one up against his namesake Stephen Wanless but then trail 2-1. Paling went on to win the last three legs in 21, 21 and 24 darts to win 4-2 and take the final score to 8-4 for Derbyshire. Derbyshire’s 25-11 win has seen them climb the league table and take over in second place with 70 points just seven short of current leaders Somerset. Full Results: Division Three:Northumberland v Derbyshire (11-25):(Northumberland names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Christopher Bewick 0 Lee Stanley 4, Ian Dawson 4 Robert Hawker 3, Shaun Brown 1 Ian Allcock 4, Christopher Harvey 2 Richard Hanson 4, Sam Gibson 2 Michael Ryall 4, Micky Ord 4 David Fritchley 3, Richard Gerry 3 Tim Daniels 4, Paul Bell 1 Paul Williams 4, Lee Harbottle 1 Ian Clarke 4, Jimmy Blakey 4 Lee Arkwright 3, Simon Tate 4 Connor Hodgkinson 2, Stephen Wanless 2 Stephen Paling 4, Men’s ‘B’:- Drew Mole 1 Sean Lambert 3, Lee Harrison 3 Steve Thompson 1, Ian Cooper 2 Timothy Rippon 3, Joseph Reed 1 Keith Cooper 3, Elliott French 2 Michael Ryall 3, Dave Wallace 1 Benjamin Holmes 3, Rikki Oversby 3 Darren Webster 1, David Wilson 1 Andrew Houghton 3, Jamie Martin 2 Scott McCabe 3, Reece Aitman 2 Henry Coates 3, Simon Ward 1 Robert Needham 3, Bob Smith 2 Gary Fenn 3, Women’s ‘A’:- Ang Turnbull 2 Jackie Sweet 3, Marie Silk 1 Sammie Marshall 3, Angela Best 2 Louise Rawson 3, Ashley Halliday 3 Terri Bellamy 1, Dawn Longstaff 0 Rebecca Hoyland 3, Joy Wanless 3 Rachel Ayres 1, Women’s ‘B’:- Christine Caldow 0 Sara-Jane Harrison 3, Sara-Jayne Gowens 3 Dee Fenn 0, Rachael Brown 1 Carol Western 3, Lilian Frost 0 Jennifer McCormick 3, Louise Kidd 3 Katrina McAleney 0, Gemma Slipper 3 Dawn Buckley 0
Shropshire v West of England Shropshire began their campaign in division four of the BDO Inter County Championships with an encouraging 18-18 draw away to Tyne and Wear, their second fixture of the nine match season was a home tie with West of England, last season’s away fixture ending with a 24-12 win for the home team. The ladies ‘B’ got the weekend off to a fine start as Cally Jones opened up their account with a straight 3-0 win over Yvonne Savery, Cally taking her team’s match award for her 17.89 average. Doubling Shropshire’s lead was Tracey Knox, who despite being taken to a deciding leg by Alison Golding won the game 3-2. West of England chalked up their first winner in game number three when Laura Phillips won 3-0 against Suzie Barnham only to see the home side have their two games buffer restored when Debbie Davies beat Sue Brown with the third 3-0 win of the game. Julie Griffiths began her encounter with Louise Ballatyne by checking out on 113, she then went 2-0 up and although Ballatyne won the third the 3-1 win went to Julie Griffiths in the fourth to give Shropshire a 4-1 lead and put the result beyond their opponents reach. The final game was won by Millie Hooper, a 3-2 win over Jenna Ball after Ball had twice cancelled her lead. The final score 4-2 to Shropshire. Mike Hampson was first on in the men’s ‘B’ game and with a 3-0 result beat Dom Taylof to put the home team one up. The lead was quickly erased as Paul Meyer, with a similar 3-0 scoreline accounted for Adam Thackray. The hosts took the lead again in the third when Steve Blewitt won 3-1 against Rory Bisp but again in the fourth the result went against the darts advantage and West of England drew level when Luke Durham had a 3-1 win over Shane Knight. Game number five was the first one in which a player won with the first throw advantage, Liam Dawe putting the away team ahead for the first time when he beat Rob Trumper 3-2, Trumper having come from two down to level terms before losing the decider. By the halfway stage the visitors had opened up a 4-2 lead, Simon Lloyd extending their advantage with a 3-1 win over Chris Hill, Lloyd checking out on 151 in the second leg after Hill had won the first. Rob Henderson momentarily reduced the arrears for Shropshire when in the opening game of the second half he won 3-1 against James Cook only to see Darren Purnell win 3-1 against Richard Parker and Paul Smith beat Simon Pritchard 3-2, Pritchard taking him to a decider after trailing 2-0. Neville Quinton delayed the away team’s celebrations as he won the tenth game against Alan Thatcher 3-2. However it was all over in the penultimate game as Ryan Cox got the better of Scott Meyrick with a 3-0 result to take his team’s lead to an unbeatable 7-4. The final game of the day saw Reece Cook-Lucas with a 3-1 result defeat Chris Manning to take the final score to 7-5 in favour of West of England but the overall score for the day was 9-9 with both teams having it all to play for. The ladies ‘A’ had a similar start to the ladies ‘B’ as they won four of the opening five games. Stephanie Clarke, like Cally Jones for the ‘B’ team kicked the game off with a lady of the match performance as she swept aside the challenge of Mev Kelly to win 3-0 with a super 21.17 average. Michele Pritchard lost the first leg of her game to Emma Bowles but responded in tremendous fashion as she won the second leg with a 101 finish. Michele then went ahead in the third leg and despite losing the fourth went on to clinch her 3-2 win in the final leg to put the hosts 2-0 up. Once again it was Laura Phillips to the rescue for the West of England as she followed up her match award for the ‘B’ team the previous day with her second award of the weekend when she came from 1-0 and 2-1 down to Sophie Fawcett to go on and win 3-2. Sue Lane assured the home team of a share of the points when she beat Maria Barker 3-1 and with a 3-2 success for Allison Gallagher over Jane Fitzgerald Shropshire had won the game as they led 4-1. The last game for the ladies went to the home team as Tracey Webb lost 3-0 to Marie Riggs to give a final score of 5-1 to the Shropshire ladies. The men’s ‘A’ team didn’t have the best of starts as Andy Jervis lost by the odd leg to Wayne Allen (4-3) and Lee Hodgkiss went down 4-2 to Jerry Abbott. Dan Astbury put a temporary halt to the visitors charge as he beat Robbie Long in straight legs 4-0 but it was West of England who then got back on track as Kieran Grimmitt beat Danny James 4-2 and Darren Purnell won 4-1 against Martin Price before the score was taken to 4-2 at the midway point when Jamie Barrowman won 4-1 against Gary Grimmitt. Barrowman took the first leg in 15 darts with a superb 167 outshot, Grimmitt then levelled in 19 darts only to see the Shropshire man romp to his win with further winning legs of 22, 23 and 21 darts. Two 4-1 wins in the opening two games of the second half from Dom Taylof and Ricky Harding over Derek Coulson and Luke Griffiths took West of England into a 6-2 lead. A 4-2 win from Justin Evans (Shropshire) against Josh Allen only delayed the visitors their win as in the very next game Andrew White’s 4-1 success over Clive Lucking took them into an unassailable 7-2 lead. Sam Hamilton (Shropshire) came from 2-0 and 3-1 down to Martyn Lansdown to square the game in the sixth with a 109 finish but unfortunately he lost the decider and went down 4-3 in what was a very close game. The last game of the weekend produced the home team’s man of the match as Keith Allman, making his return from a spell with the West Midlands, won 4-2 against Phil O’Connell. Allman actually lost the first leg to O’Connell but squared the game in 17 darts. He then went ahead in 16 and although after 15 darts in the fourth he lost to O’Connell who levelled the game for a second time, a fantastic 145 game shot saw him creep ahead again in15 darts before he wrapped up a great 4-2 win in 17 darts to give him a 28.33 average. The final score after all games had been played was 18-18 but it transpired that West of England had played an ineligible player on Sunday and because of that had points deducted and the result amended to a 19-17 win for Shropshire. Full Results: Division Four:Shropshire v West of England (19-17):(Shropshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Andy Jervis 3 Wayne Allen 4, Lee Hodgkiss 2 Jerry Abbott 4, Dan Astbury 4 Robbie Long 0, Danny James 2 Kieron Grimmitt 4, Martin Price 1 Darren Purnell 4, Jamie Barrowman 4 Gary Grimmitt 1, Derek Coulson 1 Dom Taylof 4, Luke Griffiths 1 Ricky Harding 4, Justin Evans 4 Josh Allen 2, Clive Lucking 1 Andrew White 4, Sam Hamilton 3 Martyn Lansdown 4, Keith Allman 4 Phil O’Connell 2, Men’s ‘B’:- Mike Hampson 3 Dom Taylof 0, Adam Thackray 0 Paul Meyer 3, Steve Blewitt 3 Rory Bisp 1, Shane Knight 1 Luke Durham 3, Rob Trumper 2 Liam Dawe 3, Chris Hill 1 Simon Lloyd 3, Rob Henderson 3 James Cook 1, Richard Parker 1 Darren Purnell 3, Simon Pritchard 2 Paul Smith 3, Neville Quinton 3 Alan Thatcher 2, Scott Meyrick 0 Ryan Cox 3, Reece Cook-Lucas 3 Chris Manning 1, Women’s ‘A’:- Stephanie Clarke 3 Mev Kelly 0, Michele Pritchard 3 Emma Bowles 2, Sophie Fawcett 2 Laura Phillips 3, Sue Lane 3 Maria Barker 1, Allison Gallagher 3 Jane Fitzgerald 2, Marie Riggs 3 Tracey Webb 0, Women’s ‘B’:- Cally Jones 3 Yvonne Savery 0, Tracey Knox 3 Alison Golding 2, Suzie Barnham 0 Laura Phillips 3, Debbie Davies 3 Sue brown 0, Julie Griffiths 3 Louise Ballatyne 1, Jenna Ball 2 Millie Hooper 3
Clwyd v Shropshire Following a draw and a win in their first two fixtures Shropshire’s third encounter in division four of the BDO Inter County Championships was an away game against Clwyd, a game they lost 21-15 at home last season. The hosts got off to the better start in the ladies ‘B’ game as Becky Jones and Del Stapley handed out 3-0 defeats in turn to Jenna Ball and Sophie Fawcett. Lyn Chadwick looked to be on the way to making it 3-0 when she opened leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Debbie Davies however Debbie stuck to the task and with wins in the last two legs won the tie 3-2. Game four was another 3-0 win to Clwyd as Jackie Brighton beat Tracey Knox, but keeping Shropshire in with a chance of a draw was Cally Jones who for the second successive fixture won the ladies ‘B’ match award. Cally lost the first leg to Jo Toye but won the next two. Toye won the fourth to force a decider but it was Cally Jones who won it and the game 3-2 with a 17.10 average. The final game saw Clwyd record their fourth 3-0 win when Abi Hamilton took the score to a final 4-2 to Clwyd when she defeated Cloey Davies, this being Shropshire ladies ‘B’ team’s first defeat in three. Craig Billingsley was the hosts first winner in the men’s ‘B’ game as he came from one down against Neville Quinton to win 3-1. The home team’s lead was cancelled out in the best possible way by the visitors as their man of the match Clive Lucking won 3-1 against Paul Gillam, once again it was the player who won the first leg that lost 3-1 as Lucking came from one down to win with a respectable 24.47 average. Scott Towers added to Lucking’s win when he beat Daniel Reeves 3-2 to give Shropshire their first lead with the score at 2-1. Now trailing the home side then won the following three games as David Davies kicked off the trio of wins when he beat Luke Griffiths 3-1, then with 3-0 wins from Pete Watkins and Josh Robinson over their respective opponents Nik Bloor and Scott Meyrick, Clwyd went into the break with a 4-2 advantage. As the second half got underway Shropshire reduced the deficit with a 3-1 win from Mike Hampson who accounted for Phil Wilcock but the hosts two games advantage was restored when Jon Darlington won a hard fought five games affair against Simon Pritchard. Game number nine was another one that went the full distance as Richard Parker (Shropshire) won by the odd leg against Aaron Argyle to take the running score to 5-4 in Clwyd’s favour with both counties still having everything to play for. The home side moved to within an ace of victory in the tenth when their Simon Roberts won 3-1 against Adam Thackray and looked all set to celebrate their win when Colin Snead opened up a 2-0 lead over Chris Hill, but it was not to be as Hill won the next three legs for a 3-1 win and at the same time take the contest to the final game of the day. Anchor man for Clwyd was John Thomas and for Shropshire Andre Knox. Thomas won the first leg in 19 darts and could have lost the second as Knox had failed darts at a finishing doubles, but Thomas eventually won it with a 15 game shot to give Clwyd a very close 7-5 win. Shropshire’s ladies ‘A’ team, like their ‘B’ side had drawn and won and got this their latest fixture off with a win from Marie Riggs. Marie won the first leg but then lost the next two to Rachel Kingdon. After levelling her game in the fourth Marie then went on to win 3-2 with a final 21 darts leg. Natalie Davey was Clwyd’s first winner, a 3-1 success against Michele Pritchard who with a little more luck on finishing doubles could easily have won the tie. The away team took the lead again in the third when Sue Lane won in three straight legs against Glad Davies. Julie Griffiths (Shropshire) went one up against Izzy Thomas only to see Thomas fight back and win 3-1, and with a further 3-1 win for Paula Collins over Allison Gallagher Clwyd were 3-2 up with one to play. A win looked on the cards for the hosts as their Bethan Jones went 2-0 up against Stephanie Clarke, but with her never say die attitude Stephanie fought back and went on not only to win 3-2 but make it two consecutive match award wins with her 20.42 average as she won the final three legs in 19,23 and 22 darts to give a final result of 3-3.Sam Hamilton was Shropshire’s opener in the men’s ‘A’ game and although he won the first leg against Paul Hughes he then found himself trailing 3-1. With a 112 outshot Hamilton reduced the arrears and then levelled the game in 17 darts before recording the best leg of the day an eleven darts game in which he hit 180,85,140 and checked out on 96 in two darts for a super 4-3 win. The visitors lead was short lived as Dafydd Edwards beat Martin Price 4-1 and Dave Roberts won 4-2 against Rob Henderson. Dan Astbury restored parity as he handed out a 4-0 whitewash to Steve Gilbert and the away team looked all set to take the lead for a second time when Jamie Barrowman went 3-0 up against Craig Spriggs, however it was the home layer that got the 4-3 result as he went on to win the last four legs. Clwyd were 4-2 to up at the halfway mark as Mike Warburton added his 4-1 win over Derek Coulson to their tally. Derek Williams extended the home team’s lead to 5-2 when he began the second half with a 4-0 win over Reece Cook-Lucas and with leads of 1-0 and 2-1 David Routledge looked as though he would make it 6-2 with a win against Andy Jervis but Jervis bouned back and after levelling the game in the six in 16 darts won 4-3 when he checked out in 17 darts in the final leg. David Harrold opened up a 3-0 advantage over Keith Allman and despite Allman reducing that to 3-2 Harrold went on to win the encounter 4-2. Shropshire’s hopes of a draw were kept alive when Steve Blewitt added his 4-2 win over Chris Ware to their account and those hopes were increased when in the penultimate game Justin Evans laid on a man of the match performance for Shropshire as he won 4-1 against Paul Reilly. Evans began in style when he won the opening leg in 15 darts with a tremendous game shot he then won the next legs in 18 and 14 darts before Reilly pulled one back when he won the third leg in 21 darts. Evans wrapped up his win in the fifth with an 18 darts leg giving him a superb 29.31 average and leaving his opponent still requiring 146. The final game of the weekend and indeed the one to decide the outcome of the men’s ‘A’ game was between Jason Wilcock (Clwyd) and Lee Hodgkiss. Hodgkiss opened leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but with wins in the last three legs it was Wilcock who got the 4-2 verdict to take the final score to 7-5 to Clwyd. The overall scoreline for the weekend was a 21-15 win for Clwyd but despite the defeat Shropshire only drop one pace in the table to sixth on 56 points. Full Results: Division Four:Clwyd v Shropshire (21-15):(Clwyd names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Paul Hughes 3 Sam Hamilton 4, Dafydd Edwards 4 Martin Price 1, Dave Roberts 4 Rob Henderson 2, Steve Gilbert 0 Dan Astbury 4, Craig Spriggs 4 Jamie Barrowman 3, Mike Warburton 4 Derek Coulson 1, Derek Williams 4 Reece Cook-Lucas 0, Dave Routledge 3 Andy Jervis 4, David Harrold 4 Keith Allman 2, Chris Ware 2 Steve Blewitt 4, Paul Reilly 1 Justin Evans 4, Jason Wilcock 4 Lee Hodgkiss 2, Men’s ‘B’:- Craig Billingsley 3 Neville Quinton 1, Paul Gillam 1 Clive Lucking 3, Daniel Reeves 2 Scott Towers 3, Dave Davies 3 Luke Griffiths 1, Pete Watkins 3 Nik Bloor 0, Josh Robinson 3 Scott Meyrick 0, Phil Wilcock 1 Mike Hampson 3, Jon Darlington 3 Simon Pritchard 2, Aaron Argyle 2 Richard Parker 3, Simon Roberts 3 Adam Thackray 1, Colin Snead 2 Chris Hill 3, John Thomas 3 Andre Knox 0, Women’s ‘A’:- Rachel Kingdon 2 Marie Riggs 3, Natalie Davey 3 Michele Pritchard 1, Glad Davies 0 Sue Lane 3, Izzy Thomas 3 Julie Griffiths 1, Paula Collins 3 Allison Gallagher 1, Bethan Jones 2 Stephanie Clarke 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Becky Jones 3 Jenna Ball 0, Del Stapley 3 Sophie Fawcett 0, Lyn Chadwick 2 Debbie Davies 3, Jackie Brighton 3 Tracey Knox 0, Jo Toye 2 Cally Jones 3, Abi Hamilton 3 Cloey Davies 0.
Cheshire v Warwickshire After their very close 19-17 opening day defeat away to Yorkshire reigning champions of the premier division of the BDO Inter County Championships, Warwickshire have stormed back to winning ways chalking up two 22-14 victories the latest of which was an away game against Cheshire. The ladies ‘B’ had a bright start when Chloe McKivett came from the brink of defeat trailing 2-0 to Andrea Hunt to go on and win 3-2. Chloe not only won her game but also the lady of the match award for her 18.94 average. Jane Robson like her team mate Hunt also won the opening two legs in her game against Angela Jones but unlike her fellow Cheshire player she went on to win 3-2 after Jones had levelled the game in the fourth leg. Cheshire went ahead for the first time in the third when Tess Yates won 3-1 against Helen Rigg and with a further 3-1 win for Adele Probin over Marian Conway the hosts were in an unbeatable position leading 3-1. Beverley Martin appeared to be on her way to winning the game for the home side when she opened leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Melanie Jones but Jones made it 2-2 with a 120 finish in the fourth and then went on to win the decider for a 3-2 win. The last game for the ladies ‘B’ saw Cheshire’s Heidi Williams win 3-1 against Donna Pinch to give her team a 4-2 win. With a 7-5 win away to Yorkshire followed by a 9-3 win over West Midlands, Warwickshire men’s ‘B’ team were full of confidence and that showed against Cheshire as by the halfway point they had opened up a 5-1 lead. Ashley Hykin got the ball rolling for the visiting team as he beat Ross Gilder jnr 4-2 however the lead was short lived as Joe Rowland won his game against Richard Foster 4-1 to square the game at one each. Tom Martin put Warwickshire’s noses in front again in the third with a 4-3 win over Andrew Rose, the advantage then taken to 3-1 when Jack Wareing beat Robert Paine 4-1. Karl Reynolds (Warwickshire) had a tough seven legs battle with his namesake Karl Windisch as Windisch went 2-0 and then 3-1 up but Reynolds held his nerve and won the next three legs for a close 4-3 win. As the first half of the game came to an end Warwickshire’s James Hykin finished the half in superb fashion as he went one up against Shaun Walshe with a 116 checkout and although he lost the second leg he went on to win 4-1 with winning legs of 18,18 and 17 darts for an award winning average of 29.21. The hosts got their second winner and their man of the match in game seven as Christopher Gibson (24.42) won 4-3 against Carl Green who had throws to win the game. Anthony West put the sixth win on the board in the eighth as he accounted for Paul Blythe with a straight 4-0 win. The arrears were reduced to 6-3 for the home team when Jeff Fisher won his game against Mark Carter 4-1 after Carter had won the first leg. Robert Comben (Warwickshire) lost his first leg to Andrew Green but came fighting back to seal a 4-1 win and assure his team mates of a win with the score at 7-3. The final score was taken for a second successive fixture to 9-3 for Warwickshire’s men’s ‘B’ team when the last two players David Hill and Tommy Ryan, after trailing 1-0 against respective opponents Gareth Owen and Paul Goodwin both went on to win 4-1. The ladies ‘A’ team are fast becoming the draw specialists in the division as for a third successive fixture they finished all square at 3-3, but the early signs didn’t suggest that would be the case. Emma Pearce and Anastasia Dobromyslova put Cheshire two up when in turn they won 3-0 against Kat Spanswick and Wendy Adams. Jane Stubbs took a 1-0 lead against Natalie Gilbert but it was Gilbert who got the 3-1 verdict plus the match award for her 21.13 average. Warwickshire fell further behind in the fourth, Mandy Smith taking the home teams lead to 3-1when she handed out a rare defeat to Sue Gulliver, the score 3-0. After going 1-0 up Nina Bolt found herself trailing 2-1 to Ros Davies but she went on to win the game 3-1 and with a superb 3-0 win for Caroline Pike against Chrissie Halliday in the last game Warwickshire had sealed a draw. As the men’s ‘B’ team made it two consecutive 9-3 wins the ‘A’ side made it two 8-4 wins and again like the ‘B’ team the ‘A’ opened up a 5-1 lead at the halfway stage. The ‘A’ side were in terrific form with no fewer than four players averaging over 30.00 First on for Warwickshire was Charlie Symons (30.48) who with a great 140 checkout in the fourth leg went on to beat David Bird 4-1.Mark Strong went 1-0 and 3-2 up against Mick Haynes but with defeats in the last two legs went down 4-3. Back to county duty Jamie Hughes (30.50) trailed 1-0 and 2-1 to Sean Bell but levelled at 2-2 with a 106 outshot in 12 darts and then got his 4-2 win with 15 and 20 darts legs. Jeff Fisher (Cheshire) was another player to go 1-0 and 2-1 up in his game against Tom Aldridge but like Bell he also went down 4-2. Nigel Heydon (Warwickshire) was reduced to level terms twice by Carl Dennel but won the game 4-2 in 14 and 17 darts in the last two legs. Noel Grant got off to a fine start against Mal Barrow going 2-0 up and although Barrow managed to draw level at two each Grant went on to win 4-2. Ian McFarlane (Warwickshire) was involved in a seven legs affair with David Smith as the second half got underway, Smith winning the first, fourth and sixth legs while McFarlane finished the 4-3 winner with wins in the second, third, fifth and seventh giving him a 31.70 average. As early as the eight game Warwickshire had achieved their win, Antony Allen chalking up the necessary seventh win when he defeated Tony Richardson 4-1. Cheshire gained their second win in the ninth when Steve Lomas won 4-0 against Colin Laffar only to see Kevin Dowling beat Daniel Ayres 4-2. Dowling lost the first leg as Ayres went out in 13 darts but he then drew level in 16 and opened up a 3-1 lead with further winning legs of 13 and 18 darts. With a 158 finish Ayres won the fifth in 15 darts but with a 180 and 137 Dowling went on to win the sixth leg in 16 darts, the game 4-2 and the man of the match for a tremendous 31.97 average. The last two games of the match and the weekend both went to the hosts as Patrick Lynskey with a 28.10 average beat Dean Stewart 4-1 and take his team match award, then taking the final score to 8-4 was Peter Boughey who won 4-0 against Ian Shaw. The 22-14 win for the weekend took Warwickshire’s points to 67 and consolidated their fourth place in the table. Full Results: Premier Division Cheshire v Warwickshire (14-22):(Cheshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- David Bird 1 Charlie Symons 4, Mick Haynes 4 Mark Strong 3, Sean Bell 2 Jamie Hughes 4, Jeff Fisher 2 Tom Aldridge 4, Carl Dennel 2 Nigel Heydon 4, Mal Barrow 2 Noel Grant 4, David Smith 3 Ian McFarlane 4, Tony Richardson 1 Antony Allen 4, Steve Lomas 4 Colin Laffar 0, Daniel Ayres 2 Kevin Dowling 4, Patrick Lynskey 4 Dean Stewart 1, Peter Boughey 4 Ian Shaw 0, Men’s ‘B’:- Ross Gilder jnr 2 Ashley Hykin 4, Joe Rowland 4 Richard Foster 1, Andrew Rose 3 Tom Martin 4, Robert Paine 1 Jack Wareing 4, Karl Windisch 3 Karl Reynolds 4, Shaun Walshe 1 James Hykin 4, Christopher Gibson 4 Carl Green 3, Paul Blythe 0 Anthony West 4, Jeff Fisher 4 Mark Carter 1, Andrew Green 1 Robert Comben 4, Gareth Owen 1 David Hill 4, Paul Goodwin 1 Tommy Ryan 4, Women’s ‘A’:- Emma Pearce 3 Kat Spanswick 0, Anastasia Dobromyslova 3 Wendy Adams 0, Jane Stubbs 1 Natalie Gilbert 3, Mandy Smith 3 Sue Gulliver 0, Ros Davies 2 Nina Bolt 3, Chrissie Halliday 0 Caroline Pike 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Andrea Hunt 2 Chloe McKivett 3, Jane Robson 3 Angela Jones 2, Tess Yates 3 Helen Rigg 1, Adele Probin 3 Marian Conway 1, Beverley Martin 2 Melanie Jones 3, Heidi Williams 3 Donna Pinch 1
By Alan Towe Website: www.alantowedarts.co.uk
Northumberland v Derbyshire Derbyshire’s third fixture in division three of the BDO Inter County Championships was an away game against Northumberland and they returned from the north with their best result of the season so far. The ladies ‘B’ game got underway with a straight 3-0 win from Sara-Jane Harrison who defeated Christine Caldow. A Sara-Jayne with a “Y” this time Sara-Jayne Gowens squared the match for Northumberland when she won by the same 3-0 margin against Dee Fenn. Derbyshire went ahead again in the third when Carol Western (Derbyshire) not only beat Rachael Brown 3-1 but also took her team’s match award for her 15.33 average. A third 3-0 result and the second for Derbyshire was provided by Jennifer McCormick who accounted for Lilian Frost to put the away team 3-1 up. Unfortunately a win was not to be as Louise Kidd and Gemma Slipper in turn won 3-0 against Katrina McAleney and Dawn Buckley to take the final score to three each. The honours were even after the first two games of the men’s ‘B’ match as Sean Lambert put Derbyshire ahead with a 3-1 win over Drew Mole and Lee Harrison replied for Northumberland with a similar 3-1 win against Steve Thompson. From there on it was all change as Derbyshire romped to a 5-1 lead by the break. Timothy Rippon won 3-2 against Ian Cooper, Keith Cooper beat Joseph Reed 3-1, Michael Ryall won 3-2 against Elliott French and taking the visitors advantage to five games was Benjamin Holmes with his 3-1 win over Dave Wallace. The start of the second half saw the hosts chalk up their second winner when Rikki Oversby won 3-1 against Darren Webster before Derbyshire’s man of the match was found in the form of Andrew Houghton who was another 3-1 winner in his tie with David Wilson, Houghton recording winning legs of 14, 20 and 28 darts to give him an average of 25.93. The next game saw the visitors get their win as Scott McCabe beat Jamie Martin 3-2 to open up a 7-2 lead and with Henry Coates coming from two down to Reece Aitman and then win 3-2 that lead moved along to 8-2. The final score was a tremendous 10-2 to Derbyshire with Robert Needham adding his 3-1 win over Simon Ward and Gary Fenn rounding off the day’s play with a 3-2 success against Bob Smith. First on for Derbyshire ladies ‘A’ was Jackie Sweet who after leading 1-0 against Ang Turnbull then trailed 2-1 but fought back magnificently to win the game 3-2. Sammi Marshall lost her first leg against Marie Silk but again the away player stormed back to go on and win 3-1. For a third time in the opening three games the visiting player fell behind, on this occasion it was Louise Rawson who went 1-0 down, 2-1 up then 2-2 but won the fifth leg for a 3-2 win to put Derbyshire into a commanding 3-0 lead. Ashley Halliday was Northumberland’s first winner, a 3-1 victory over Terri Bellamy before lady of the match Rebecca Hoyland put up the winning strike for Derbyshire when she beat Dawn Longstaff 3-0 to take the award for her 19.78 average. The final game saw Joy Wanless make the score a little more respectable for the hosts when she won 3-1 against Rachel Ayres to give a final score of 4-2 in favour of Derbyshire. What better way could there be to start the men’s ‘A’ game than to see your captain hand out a 4-0 defeat to his opponent and in the process win the man of the match award. That is exactly what happened as Lee Stanley opened up for Derbyshire and beat Christopher Bewick in 18,14, 22 and 18 darts for a superb 27.83 average. Robert Hawker came from 2-0 and 3-1 down to Ian Dawson to level his game at 3-3 but then lost the decider in 15 darts to see Northumberland square the game at one each. The away side then strung together three successive wins as Ian Allcock beat Shaun Brown 4-1, Richard Hanson won 4-3 against Christopher Harvey and with a 4-2 win for Michael Ryall over Sam Gibson Derbyshire were 4-1 up. David Fritchley looked all set to make it 5-1 at the midway point when he opened leads of 1-0 and 3-2 against Micky Ord but it was Ord who went on to win the game 4-3. Tim Daniels began the second half for Derbyshire in style as he won the first leg against Richard Gerry with a fantastic 143 game shot in 15 darts. He then went 3-0 up with further legs of 22 and 17 before Gerry came back with three winning legs to take the game to a seventh and deciding leg. Both players struggled with high scores in the last leg but it was Daniels with a 76 finish that won it and the game 4-3. Two successive 4-1 wins from Paul Williams and Ian Clarke over respective opponents Paul Bell and Lee Harbottle secured the win for Derbyshire as their successes took the score along to 7-2. Jimmy Blakey (Northumberland) trailed 2-0 to Lee Arkwright, he then went 3-2 up but was taken to a final leg before securing his team’s third win of the match and with a 4-2 win for Simon Tate over Connor Hodgkinson Northumberland had reduced the arrears to 7-4. The final game of the weekend saw Stephen Paling (Derbyshire) go one up against his namesake Stephen Wanless but then trail 2-1. Paling went on to win the last three legs in 21, 21 and 24 darts to win 4-2 and take the final score to 8-4 for Derbyshire. Derbyshire’s 25-11 win has seen them climb the league table and take over in second place with 70 points just seven short of current leaders Somerset. Full Results: Division Three:Northumberland v Derbyshire (11-25):(Northumberland names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Christopher Bewick 0 Lee Stanley 4, Ian Dawson 4 Robert Hawker 3, Shaun Brown 1 Ian Allcock 4, Christopher Harvey 2 Richard Hanson 4, Sam Gibson 2 Michael Ryall 4, Micky Ord 4 David Fritchley 3, Richard Gerry 3 Tim Daniels 4, Paul Bell 1 Paul Williams 4, Lee Harbottle 1 Ian Clarke 4, Jimmy Blakey 4 Lee Arkwright 3, Simon Tate 4 Connor Hodgkinson 2, Stephen Wanless 2 Stephen Paling 4, Men’s ‘B’:- Drew Mole 1 Sean Lambert 3, Lee Harrison 3 Steve Thompson 1, Ian Cooper 2 Timothy Rippon 3, Joseph Reed 1 Keith Cooper 3, Elliott French 2 Michael Ryall 3, Dave Wallace 1 Benjamin Holmes 3, Rikki Oversby 3 Darren Webster 1, David Wilson 1 Andrew Houghton 3, Jamie Martin 2 Scott McCabe 3, Reece Aitman 2 Henry Coates 3, Simon Ward 1 Robert Needham 3, Bob Smith 2 Gary Fenn 3, Women’s ‘A’:- Ang Turnbull 2 Jackie Sweet 3, Marie Silk 1 Sammie Marshall 3, Angela Best 2 Louise Rawson 3, Ashley Halliday 3 Terri Bellamy 1, Dawn Longstaff 0 Rebecca Hoyland 3, Joy Wanless 3 Rachel Ayres 1, Women’s ‘B’:- Christine Caldow 0 Sara-Jane Harrison 3, Sara-Jayne Gowens 3 Dee Fenn 0, Rachael Brown 1 Carol Western 3, Lilian Frost 0 Jennifer McCormick 3, Louise Kidd 3 Katrina McAleney 0, Gemma Slipper 3 Dawn Buckley 0
Shropshire v West of England Shropshire began their campaign in division four of the BDO Inter County Championships with an encouraging 18-18 draw away to Tyne and Wear, their second fixture of the nine match season was a home tie with West of England, last season’s away fixture ending with a 24-12 win for the home team. The ladies ‘B’ got the weekend off to a fine start as Cally Jones opened up their account with a straight 3-0 win over Yvonne Savery, Cally taking her team’s match award for her 17.89 average. Doubling Shropshire’s lead was Tracey Knox, who despite being taken to a deciding leg by Alison Golding won the game 3-2. West of England chalked up their first winner in game number three when Laura Phillips won 3-0 against Suzie Barnham only to see the home side have their two games buffer restored when Debbie Davies beat Sue Brown with the third 3-0 win of the game. Julie Griffiths began her encounter with Louise Ballatyne by checking out on 113, she then went 2-0 up and although Ballatyne won the third the 3-1 win went to Julie Griffiths in the fourth to give Shropshire a 4-1 lead and put the result beyond their opponents reach. The final game was won by Millie Hooper, a 3-2 win over Jenna Ball after Ball had twice cancelled her lead. The final score 4-2 to Shropshire. Mike Hampson was first on in the men’s ‘B’ game and with a 3-0 result beat Dom Taylof to put the home team one up. The lead was quickly erased as Paul Meyer, with a similar 3-0 scoreline accounted for Adam Thackray. The hosts took the lead again in the third when Steve Blewitt won 3-1 against Rory Bisp but again in the fourth the result went against the darts advantage and West of England drew level when Luke Durham had a 3-1 win over Shane Knight. Game number five was the first one in which a player won with the first throw advantage, Liam Dawe putting the away team ahead for the first time when he beat Rob Trumper 3-2, Trumper having come from two down to level terms before losing the decider. By the halfway stage the visitors had opened up a 4-2 lead, Simon Lloyd extending their advantage with a 3-1 win over Chris Hill, Lloyd checking out on 151 in the second leg after Hill had won the first. Rob Henderson momentarily reduced the arrears for Shropshire when in the opening game of the second half he won 3-1 against James Cook only to see Darren Purnell win 3-1 against Richard Parker and Paul Smith beat Simon Pritchard 3-2, Pritchard taking him to a decider after trailing 2-0. Neville Quinton delayed the away team’s celebrations as he won the tenth game against Alan Thatcher 3-2. However it was all over in the penultimate game as Ryan Cox got the better of Scott Meyrick with a 3-0 result to take his team’s lead to an unbeatable 7-4. The final game of the day saw Reece Cook-Lucas with a 3-1 result defeat Chris Manning to take the final score to 7-5 in favour of West of England but the overall score for the day was 9-9 with both teams having it all to play for. The ladies ‘A’ had a similar start to the ladies ‘B’ as they won four of the opening five games. Stephanie Clarke, like Cally Jones for the ‘B’ team kicked the game off with a lady of the match performance as she swept aside the challenge of Mev Kelly to win 3-0 with a super 21.17 average. Michele Pritchard lost the first leg of her game to Emma Bowles but responded in tremendous fashion as she won the second leg with a 101 finish. Michele then went ahead in the third leg and despite losing the fourth went on to clinch her 3-2 win in the final leg to put the hosts 2-0 up. Once again it was Laura Phillips to the rescue for the West of England as she followed up her match award for the ‘B’ team the previous day with her second award of the weekend when she came from 1-0 and 2-1 down to Sophie Fawcett to go on and win 3-2. Sue Lane assured the home team of a share of the points when she beat Maria Barker 3-1 and with a 3-2 success for Allison Gallagher over Jane Fitzgerald Shropshire had won the game as they led 4-1. The last game for the ladies went to the home team as Tracey Webb lost 3-0 to Marie Riggs to give a final score of 5-1 to the Shropshire ladies. The men’s ‘A’ team didn’t have the best of starts as Andy Jervis lost by the odd leg to Wayne Allen (4-3) and Lee Hodgkiss went down 4-2 to Jerry Abbott. Dan Astbury put a temporary halt to the visitors charge as he beat Robbie Long in straight legs 4-0 but it was West of England who then got back on track as Kieran Grimmitt beat Danny James 4-2 and Darren Purnell won 4-1 against Martin Price before the score was taken to 4-2 at the midway point when Jamie Barrowman won 4-1 against Gary Grimmitt. Barrowman took the first leg in 15 darts with a superb 167 outshot, Grimmitt then levelled in 19 darts only to see the Shropshire man romp to his win with further winning legs of 22, 23 and 21 darts. Two 4-1 wins in the opening two games of the second half from Dom Taylof and Ricky Harding over Derek Coulson and Luke Griffiths took West of England into a 6-2 lead. A 4-2 win from Justin Evans (Shropshire) against Josh Allen only delayed the visitors their win as in the very next game Andrew White’s 4-1 success over Clive Lucking took them into an unassailable 7-2 lead. Sam Hamilton (Shropshire) came from 2-0 and 3-1 down to Martyn Lansdown to square the game in the sixth with a 109 finish but unfortunately he lost the decider and went down 4-3 in what was a very close game. The last game of the weekend produced the home team’s man of the match as Keith Allman, making his return from a spell with the West Midlands, won 4-2 against Phil O’Connell. Allman actually lost the first leg to O’Connell but squared the game in 17 darts. He then went ahead in 16 and although after 15 darts in the fourth he lost to O’Connell who levelled the game for a second time, a fantastic 145 game shot saw him creep ahead again in15 darts before he wrapped up a great 4-2 win in 17 darts to give him a 28.33 average. The final score after all games had been played was 18-18 but it transpired that West of England had played an ineligible player on Sunday and because of that had points deducted and the result amended to a 19-17 win for Shropshire. Full Results: Division Four:Shropshire v West of England (19-17):(Shropshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Andy Jervis 3 Wayne Allen 4, Lee Hodgkiss 2 Jerry Abbott 4, Dan Astbury 4 Robbie Long 0, Danny James 2 Kieron Grimmitt 4, Martin Price 1 Darren Purnell 4, Jamie Barrowman 4 Gary Grimmitt 1, Derek Coulson 1 Dom Taylof 4, Luke Griffiths 1 Ricky Harding 4, Justin Evans 4 Josh Allen 2, Clive Lucking 1 Andrew White 4, Sam Hamilton 3 Martyn Lansdown 4, Keith Allman 4 Phil O’Connell 2, Men’s ‘B’:- Mike Hampson 3 Dom Taylof 0, Adam Thackray 0 Paul Meyer 3, Steve Blewitt 3 Rory Bisp 1, Shane Knight 1 Luke Durham 3, Rob Trumper 2 Liam Dawe 3, Chris Hill 1 Simon Lloyd 3, Rob Henderson 3 James Cook 1, Richard Parker 1 Darren Purnell 3, Simon Pritchard 2 Paul Smith 3, Neville Quinton 3 Alan Thatcher 2, Scott Meyrick 0 Ryan Cox 3, Reece Cook-Lucas 3 Chris Manning 1, Women’s ‘A’:- Stephanie Clarke 3 Mev Kelly 0, Michele Pritchard 3 Emma Bowles 2, Sophie Fawcett 2 Laura Phillips 3, Sue Lane 3 Maria Barker 1, Allison Gallagher 3 Jane Fitzgerald 2, Marie Riggs 3 Tracey Webb 0, Women’s ‘B’:- Cally Jones 3 Yvonne Savery 0, Tracey Knox 3 Alison Golding 2, Suzie Barnham 0 Laura Phillips 3, Debbie Davies 3 Sue brown 0, Julie Griffiths 3 Louise Ballatyne 1, Jenna Ball 2 Millie Hooper 3
Clwyd v Shropshire Following a draw and a win in their first two fixtures Shropshire’s third encounter in division four of the BDO Inter County Championships was an away game against Clwyd, a game they lost 21-15 at home last season. The hosts got off to the better start in the ladies ‘B’ game as Becky Jones and Del Stapley handed out 3-0 defeats in turn to Jenna Ball and Sophie Fawcett. Lyn Chadwick looked to be on the way to making it 3-0 when she opened leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Debbie Davies however Debbie stuck to the task and with wins in the last two legs won the tie 3-2. Game four was another 3-0 win to Clwyd as Jackie Brighton beat Tracey Knox, but keeping Shropshire in with a chance of a draw was Cally Jones who for the second successive fixture won the ladies ‘B’ match award. Cally lost the first leg to Jo Toye but won the next two. Toye won the fourth to force a decider but it was Cally Jones who won it and the game 3-2 with a 17.10 average. The final game saw Clwyd record their fourth 3-0 win when Abi Hamilton took the score to a final 4-2 to Clwyd when she defeated Cloey Davies, this being Shropshire ladies ‘B’ team’s first defeat in three. Craig Billingsley was the hosts first winner in the men’s ‘B’ game as he came from one down against Neville Quinton to win 3-1. The home team’s lead was cancelled out in the best possible way by the visitors as their man of the match Clive Lucking won 3-1 against Paul Gillam, once again it was the player who won the first leg that lost 3-1 as Lucking came from one down to win with a respectable 24.47 average. Scott Towers added to Lucking’s win when he beat Daniel Reeves 3-2 to give Shropshire their first lead with the score at 2-1. Now trailing the home side then won the following three games as David Davies kicked off the trio of wins when he beat Luke Griffiths 3-1, then with 3-0 wins from Pete Watkins and Josh Robinson over their respective opponents Nik Bloor and Scott Meyrick, Clwyd went into the break with a 4-2 advantage. As the second half got underway Shropshire reduced the deficit with a 3-1 win from Mike Hampson who accounted for Phil Wilcock but the hosts two games advantage was restored when Jon Darlington won a hard fought five games affair against Simon Pritchard. Game number nine was another one that went the full distance as Richard Parker (Shropshire) won by the odd leg against Aaron Argyle to take the running score to 5-4 in Clwyd’s favour with both counties still having everything to play for. The home side moved to within an ace of victory in the tenth when their Simon Roberts won 3-1 against Adam Thackray and looked all set to celebrate their win when Colin Snead opened up a 2-0 lead over Chris Hill, but it was not to be as Hill won the next three legs for a 3-1 win and at the same time take the contest to the final game of the day. Anchor man for Clwyd was John Thomas and for Shropshire Andre Knox. Thomas won the first leg in 19 darts and could have lost the second as Knox had failed darts at a finishing doubles, but Thomas eventually won it with a 15 game shot to give Clwyd a very close 7-5 win. Shropshire’s ladies ‘A’ team, like their ‘B’ side had drawn and won and got this their latest fixture off with a win from Marie Riggs. Marie won the first leg but then lost the next two to Rachel Kingdon. After levelling her game in the fourth Marie then went on to win 3-2 with a final 21 darts leg. Natalie Davey was Clwyd’s first winner, a 3-1 success against Michele Pritchard who with a little more luck on finishing doubles could easily have won the tie. The away team took the lead again in the third when Sue Lane won in three straight legs against Glad Davies. Julie Griffiths (Shropshire) went one up against Izzy Thomas only to see Thomas fight back and win 3-1, and with a further 3-1 win for Paula Collins over Allison Gallagher Clwyd were 3-2 up with one to play. A win looked on the cards for the hosts as their Bethan Jones went 2-0 up against Stephanie Clarke, but with her never say die attitude Stephanie fought back and went on not only to win 3-2 but make it two consecutive match award wins with her 20.42 average as she won the final three legs in 19,23 and 22 darts to give a final result of 3-3.Sam Hamilton was Shropshire’s opener in the men’s ‘A’ game and although he won the first leg against Paul Hughes he then found himself trailing 3-1. With a 112 outshot Hamilton reduced the arrears and then levelled the game in 17 darts before recording the best leg of the day an eleven darts game in which he hit 180,85,140 and checked out on 96 in two darts for a super 4-3 win. The visitors lead was short lived as Dafydd Edwards beat Martin Price 4-1 and Dave Roberts won 4-2 against Rob Henderson. Dan Astbury restored parity as he handed out a 4-0 whitewash to Steve Gilbert and the away team looked all set to take the lead for a second time when Jamie Barrowman went 3-0 up against Craig Spriggs, however it was the home layer that got the 4-3 result as he went on to win the last four legs. Clwyd were 4-2 to up at the halfway mark as Mike Warburton added his 4-1 win over Derek Coulson to their tally. Derek Williams extended the home team’s lead to 5-2 when he began the second half with a 4-0 win over Reece Cook-Lucas and with leads of 1-0 and 2-1 David Routledge looked as though he would make it 6-2 with a win against Andy Jervis but Jervis bouned back and after levelling the game in the six in 16 darts won 4-3 when he checked out in 17 darts in the final leg. David Harrold opened up a 3-0 advantage over Keith Allman and despite Allman reducing that to 3-2 Harrold went on to win the encounter 4-2. Shropshire’s hopes of a draw were kept alive when Steve Blewitt added his 4-2 win over Chris Ware to their account and those hopes were increased when in the penultimate game Justin Evans laid on a man of the match performance for Shropshire as he won 4-1 against Paul Reilly. Evans began in style when he won the opening leg in 15 darts with a tremendous game shot he then won the next legs in 18 and 14 darts before Reilly pulled one back when he won the third leg in 21 darts. Evans wrapped up his win in the fifth with an 18 darts leg giving him a superb 29.31 average and leaving his opponent still requiring 146. The final game of the weekend and indeed the one to decide the outcome of the men’s ‘A’ game was between Jason Wilcock (Clwyd) and Lee Hodgkiss. Hodgkiss opened leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but with wins in the last three legs it was Wilcock who got the 4-2 verdict to take the final score to 7-5 to Clwyd. The overall scoreline for the weekend was a 21-15 win for Clwyd but despite the defeat Shropshire only drop one pace in the table to sixth on 56 points. Full Results: Division Four:Clwyd v Shropshire (21-15):(Clwyd names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Paul Hughes 3 Sam Hamilton 4, Dafydd Edwards 4 Martin Price 1, Dave Roberts 4 Rob Henderson 2, Steve Gilbert 0 Dan Astbury 4, Craig Spriggs 4 Jamie Barrowman 3, Mike Warburton 4 Derek Coulson 1, Derek Williams 4 Reece Cook-Lucas 0, Dave Routledge 3 Andy Jervis 4, David Harrold 4 Keith Allman 2, Chris Ware 2 Steve Blewitt 4, Paul Reilly 1 Justin Evans 4, Jason Wilcock 4 Lee Hodgkiss 2, Men’s ‘B’:- Craig Billingsley 3 Neville Quinton 1, Paul Gillam 1 Clive Lucking 3, Daniel Reeves 2 Scott Towers 3, Dave Davies 3 Luke Griffiths 1, Pete Watkins 3 Nik Bloor 0, Josh Robinson 3 Scott Meyrick 0, Phil Wilcock 1 Mike Hampson 3, Jon Darlington 3 Simon Pritchard 2, Aaron Argyle 2 Richard Parker 3, Simon Roberts 3 Adam Thackray 1, Colin Snead 2 Chris Hill 3, John Thomas 3 Andre Knox 0, Women’s ‘A’:- Rachel Kingdon 2 Marie Riggs 3, Natalie Davey 3 Michele Pritchard 1, Glad Davies 0 Sue Lane 3, Izzy Thomas 3 Julie Griffiths 1, Paula Collins 3 Allison Gallagher 1, Bethan Jones 2 Stephanie Clarke 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Becky Jones 3 Jenna Ball 0, Del Stapley 3 Sophie Fawcett 0, Lyn Chadwick 2 Debbie Davies 3, Jackie Brighton 3 Tracey Knox 0, Jo Toye 2 Cally Jones 3, Abi Hamilton 3 Cloey Davies 0.
Cheshire v Warwickshire After their very close 19-17 opening day defeat away to Yorkshire reigning champions of the premier division of the BDO Inter County Championships, Warwickshire have stormed back to winning ways chalking up two 22-14 victories the latest of which was an away game against Cheshire. The ladies ‘B’ had a bright start when Chloe McKivett came from the brink of defeat trailing 2-0 to Andrea Hunt to go on and win 3-2. Chloe not only won her game but also the lady of the match award for her 18.94 average. Jane Robson like her team mate Hunt also won the opening two legs in her game against Angela Jones but unlike her fellow Cheshire player she went on to win 3-2 after Jones had levelled the game in the fourth leg. Cheshire went ahead for the first time in the third when Tess Yates won 3-1 against Helen Rigg and with a further 3-1 win for Adele Probin over Marian Conway the hosts were in an unbeatable position leading 3-1. Beverley Martin appeared to be on her way to winning the game for the home side when she opened leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Melanie Jones but Jones made it 2-2 with a 120 finish in the fourth and then went on to win the decider for a 3-2 win. The last game for the ladies ‘B’ saw Cheshire’s Heidi Williams win 3-1 against Donna Pinch to give her team a 4-2 win. With a 7-5 win away to Yorkshire followed by a 9-3 win over West Midlands, Warwickshire men’s ‘B’ team were full of confidence and that showed against Cheshire as by the halfway point they had opened up a 5-1 lead. Ashley Hykin got the ball rolling for the visiting team as he beat Ross Gilder jnr 4-2 however the lead was short lived as Joe Rowland won his game against Richard Foster 4-1 to square the game at one each. Tom Martin put Warwickshire’s noses in front again in the third with a 4-3 win over Andrew Rose, the advantage then taken to 3-1 when Jack Wareing beat Robert Paine 4-1. Karl Reynolds (Warwickshire) had a tough seven legs battle with his namesake Karl Windisch as Windisch went 2-0 and then 3-1 up but Reynolds held his nerve and won the next three legs for a close 4-3 win. As the first half of the game came to an end Warwickshire’s James Hykin finished the half in superb fashion as he went one up against Shaun Walshe with a 116 checkout and although he lost the second leg he went on to win 4-1 with winning legs of 18,18 and 17 darts for an award winning average of 29.21. The hosts got their second winner and their man of the match in game seven as Christopher Gibson (24.42) won 4-3 against Carl Green who had throws to win the game. Anthony West put the sixth win on the board in the eighth as he accounted for Paul Blythe with a straight 4-0 win. The arrears were reduced to 6-3 for the home team when Jeff Fisher won his game against Mark Carter 4-1 after Carter had won the first leg. Robert Comben (Warwickshire) lost his first leg to Andrew Green but came fighting back to seal a 4-1 win and assure his team mates of a win with the score at 7-3. The final score was taken for a second successive fixture to 9-3 for Warwickshire’s men’s ‘B’ team when the last two players David Hill and Tommy Ryan, after trailing 1-0 against respective opponents Gareth Owen and Paul Goodwin both went on to win 4-1. The ladies ‘A’ team are fast becoming the draw specialists in the division as for a third successive fixture they finished all square at 3-3, but the early signs didn’t suggest that would be the case. Emma Pearce and Anastasia Dobromyslova put Cheshire two up when in turn they won 3-0 against Kat Spanswick and Wendy Adams. Jane Stubbs took a 1-0 lead against Natalie Gilbert but it was Gilbert who got the 3-1 verdict plus the match award for her 21.13 average. Warwickshire fell further behind in the fourth, Mandy Smith taking the home teams lead to 3-1when she handed out a rare defeat to Sue Gulliver, the score 3-0. After going 1-0 up Nina Bolt found herself trailing 2-1 to Ros Davies but she went on to win the game 3-1 and with a superb 3-0 win for Caroline Pike against Chrissie Halliday in the last game Warwickshire had sealed a draw. As the men’s ‘B’ team made it two consecutive 9-3 wins the ‘A’ side made it two 8-4 wins and again like the ‘B’ team the ‘A’ opened up a 5-1 lead at the halfway stage. The ‘A’ side were in terrific form with no fewer than four players averaging over 30.00 First on for Warwickshire was Charlie Symons (30.48) who with a great 140 checkout in the fourth leg went on to beat David Bird 4-1.Mark Strong went 1-0 and 3-2 up against Mick Haynes but with defeats in the last two legs went down 4-3. Back to county duty Jamie Hughes (30.50) trailed 1-0 and 2-1 to Sean Bell but levelled at 2-2 with a 106 outshot in 12 darts and then got his 4-2 win with 15 and 20 darts legs. Jeff Fisher (Cheshire) was another player to go 1-0 and 2-1 up in his game against Tom Aldridge but like Bell he also went down 4-2. Nigel Heydon (Warwickshire) was reduced to level terms twice by Carl Dennel but won the game 4-2 in 14 and 17 darts in the last two legs. Noel Grant got off to a fine start against Mal Barrow going 2-0 up and although Barrow managed to draw level at two each Grant went on to win 4-2. Ian McFarlane (Warwickshire) was involved in a seven legs affair with David Smith as the second half got underway, Smith winning the first, fourth and sixth legs while McFarlane finished the 4-3 winner with wins in the second, third, fifth and seventh giving him a 31.70 average. As early as the eight game Warwickshire had achieved their win, Antony Allen chalking up the necessary seventh win when he defeated Tony Richardson 4-1. Cheshire gained their second win in the ninth when Steve Lomas won 4-0 against Colin Laffar only to see Kevin Dowling beat Daniel Ayres 4-2. Dowling lost the first leg as Ayres went out in 13 darts but he then drew level in 16 and opened up a 3-1 lead with further winning legs of 13 and 18 darts. With a 158 finish Ayres won the fifth in 15 darts but with a 180 and 137 Dowling went on to win the sixth leg in 16 darts, the game 4-2 and the man of the match for a tremendous 31.97 average. The last two games of the match and the weekend both went to the hosts as Patrick Lynskey with a 28.10 average beat Dean Stewart 4-1 and take his team match award, then taking the final score to 8-4 was Peter Boughey who won 4-0 against Ian Shaw. The 22-14 win for the weekend took Warwickshire’s points to 67 and consolidated their fourth place in the table. Full Results: Premier Division Cheshire v Warwickshire (14-22):(Cheshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- David Bird 1 Charlie Symons 4, Mick Haynes 4 Mark Strong 3, Sean Bell 2 Jamie Hughes 4, Jeff Fisher 2 Tom Aldridge 4, Carl Dennel 2 Nigel Heydon 4, Mal Barrow 2 Noel Grant 4, David Smith 3 Ian McFarlane 4, Tony Richardson 1 Antony Allen 4, Steve Lomas 4 Colin Laffar 0, Daniel Ayres 2 Kevin Dowling 4, Patrick Lynskey 4 Dean Stewart 1, Peter Boughey 4 Ian Shaw 0, Men’s ‘B’:- Ross Gilder jnr 2 Ashley Hykin 4, Joe Rowland 4 Richard Foster 1, Andrew Rose 3 Tom Martin 4, Robert Paine 1 Jack Wareing 4, Karl Windisch 3 Karl Reynolds 4, Shaun Walshe 1 James Hykin 4, Christopher Gibson 4 Carl Green 3, Paul Blythe 0 Anthony West 4, Jeff Fisher 4 Mark Carter 1, Andrew Green 1 Robert Comben 4, Gareth Owen 1 David Hill 4, Paul Goodwin 1 Tommy Ryan 4, Women’s ‘A’:- Emma Pearce 3 Kat Spanswick 0, Anastasia Dobromyslova 3 Wendy Adams 0, Jane Stubbs 1 Natalie Gilbert 3, Mandy Smith 3 Sue Gulliver 0, Ros Davies 2 Nina Bolt 3, Chrissie Halliday 0 Caroline Pike 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Andrea Hunt 2 Chloe McKivett 3, Jane Robson 3 Angela Jones 2, Tess Yates 3 Helen Rigg 1, Adele Probin 3 Marian Conway 1, Beverley Martin 2 Melanie Jones 3, Heidi Williams 3 Donna Pinch 1
By Alan Towe Website: www.alantowedarts.co.uk