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Article: Alan Towe's BICC Reports

Alan Towe's BICC Reports

Warwickshire v Glamorgan Warwickshire’s final Premier Division game in the BDO Inter County Championships was a rearranged home fixture against Glamorgan, a game they lost 20-16 playing away last season and the latest one didn’t have the best of starts. Opener for the ladies ‘B’ was Chloe McKivett who was quick to open up a 2-0 lead over Sue Powell before Powell won the third leg, however this turned out to be just a minor setback as McKivett then won the fourth leg for not only a 3-1 victory but at the same time she also won the lady of the match award for her 17.71 average. After such a great start it then went more than a little pear shaped as Glamorgan’s Paula Clemett and Michelle Jones in turn both won 3-1 against Melanie Jones and Helen Rigg. A 3-0 win for Alannah Waters against Donna Pinch in the fourth put the visiting team in an unassailable 3-1 lead and although Warwickshire’s Lisa Deslandes took Sandra Quinn to a deciding leg in the penultimate game it was Quinn who won it to assure the away side of a win. The final score was taken to 5-1 when in the last game Eve Watson beat Angela Jones 3-0 to hand Warwickshire’s ladies ‘B’ their fourth defeat of the campaign. The men’s ‘B’ team were in terrific form recording their biggest win of the season which was all started by man of the match Mark Strong when he beat Clayton Williams 4-2 in the opening game. Strong went two up in 14 and 16 darts before Williams pulled one back in the third. Strong re-established his two legs lead in the fourth in 19 darts and although Williams won the fifth the home player with an outstanding 161 checkout in a twelve darts leg won the tie and the match award for his 27.98 average. Despite Strong’s win the tables were quickly turned as Ray Johnson (Glamorgan) came from 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 down against Tom McGlone to go on and win 5-3 and Dai Powell who was twice pegged back to level terms by Robert Comben went on to win 4-2 to give Glamorgan a 2-1 advantage. Parity was restored in the fourth when Ashley Hykin beat Lee Richard 4-1 and even though David Neads added a third win for the visiting team in the fifth when he won 4-2 against Karl Reynolds, who had a better average than his victor, the score at the break was all square at 3-3 after Ian Shaw added his 4-1 win over Chris Thomas to the home team’s tally. The second half began as did the first with a win for Warwickshire as Jack Wareing handed out a straight 4-0 defeat to James Richards. The eighth game swayed one way then the other as Ron Morgan (Glamorgan) went 1-0 up against Richard Foster, then Foster took a 2-1 lead only to see Morgan win the following two legs to go 3-2 up. Both of the last two legs could easily have gone to either player but it was Richard Foster who was first to find the doubles for a final 4-3 win. Dave Hill had a much more comfortable 4-1 win over Wayne (Sid) Davies and with a 4-2 success for Gareth Braham over Sean Fisher Warwickshire had wrapped up their win as early as the tenth game. James Hykin (Warwickshire) was taken the full seven legs distance by Paddy Murphy before adding his 4-3 win to the home team’s account and with a 4-2 win for Antony West against Jeff Thomas in the last game of the day Warwickshire men’s ‘B’ won 9-3 to give an overall lead for the day of 10-8. The ladies ‘A’ began with a fighting performance from Kat Spanswick who clawed her way back from 1-0 and 2-1 down against Sam Bowen to go on and win 3-2. Glamorgan levelled in the second as Nicky Biddick won 3-0 against Marian Conway. With six match awards from the first eight games of the season Sue Gulliver was on at number three and once again she didn’t disappoint. Sue opened up a 2-0 lead over Rhian O’Sullivan and although O’Sullivan then took the game to a deciding leg, Gulliver with a superb 129 game shot not only won the game 3-2 but also the award for her 23.10 average, her seventh lady of the match award for the nine games season. Nina Bolt went 1-0 up and then trailed 2-1 to Joanne Pugh, but with wins in the last two legs she won the tie 3-2 to put her team into an unbeatable 3-1 position. Claire Crocombe reduced the arrears for Glamorgan with a 3-0 win over Caroline Pike in the fifth and looked all set to finish the game all square as Donna Thomas won the opening leg against Wendy Adams, but Adams showed her skill and determination as she went on to win 3-1 to give her team a well-deserved 4-2 victory. With six wins and one draw the men’s ‘A’ team had only suffered one defeat throughout the season so far and things began well for them as they chalked up wins in the first two games against Glamorgan. Dean Stewart was first to the oche, playing and winning 4-3 against Wayne Davies who had made Stewart fight all the way after he had taken leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before Stewart won the last two legs for his win. Following Stewart was Noel Grant who again was taken the full seven legs distance as he went 2-0 up then 2-2 after his opponent Daniel Thomas won the third and fourth legs. Grant went 3-2 up with an 18 darts leg only to see Thomas level once more in 22 darts. The final leg saw both players finish on 40 but with Grant to throw he took just two darts to seal his win. Simon Power (Warwickshire) went one up against Dale Hughes but Hughes won the next four legs for Glamorgan’s first win. David Rogers (Glamorgan) won the first leg against Jamie Hughes and despite a spirited performance from Hughes whereby he then went 3-1 up it was Rogers who won the last three legs for a 4-3 win to level the game at 2-2. Restoring Warwickshire’s lead was Kevin Dowling in the fifth when he began his tie with Graham Brooks with a 15 darts leg and a 106 outshot. In 14 and 21 darts Brooks reversed the advantage but a further three wining legs from Dowling saw him win the game 4-2. By the midway point of the game the score was level at three each after Dai Caller won 4-2 against Mark Carter. With six games to play Warwickshire needed just two from those six for an overall win but the odds on that happening were reduced as their opponents won the next three games. Jeff Bass won 4-2 against Carl Green, Shaun Dibbs beat Tom Aldridge by the same 4-2 scoreline and with a 4-3 win for Tim Jones over Anthony Allen the away team were 6-3 up. Stopping the Glamorgan charge was Charlie Symons but he didn’t have it all his own way as his rival Lloyd Browning won the first leg in 13 darts and levelled in the fourth in 17 darts after Symons had won the second and third in 17 and 20 darts. A 14 darts leg saw Symons take the lead for a second time and with a win in the sixth leg Symons clinched a 4-2 victory plus the man of the match award for his 27.13 average. A 120 game shot in the first leg for Mark Westgarth was not enough to avoid a 4-1 defeat to Clive Langford and although anchor man Nigel Heydon reduced the arrears from 3-0 to 3-2 in his game against Keiron Carter it was Carter who got the 4-2 verdict to take the final score to 8-4 in favour of Glamorgan. The overall 18-18 draw was enough to see Warwickshire finish fifth in the table equaling last season’s position but with eight points more as they amassed a total of 176 points compared to last season’s 168. The overall results for the season produced three wins, two draws and four defeats. Full Results:Warwickshire v Glamorgan (18-18):(Warwickshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Dean Stewart 4 Wayne Davies 3, Noel Grant 4 Daniel Thomas 3, Simon Power 1 Dale Hughes 4, Jamie Hughes 3 David Rogers 4, Kevin Dowling 4 Graham Brooks 2, Mark Carter 2 Dai Caller 4, Carl Green 2 Jeff Bass 4, Tom Aldridge 2 Shaun Dibbs 4, Anthony Allen 3 Tim Jones Charlie Symons 4 Lloyd Browning 2, Mark Westgarth 1 Clive Langford 4, Nigel Heydon 2 Keiron Carter 4, Men’s ‘B’:- Mark Strong 4 Clayton Williams 2, Tom McGlone 3 Ray Johnson 4, Robert Comben 2 Dai Powell 4, Ashley Hykin 4 Lee Richards 1, Karl Reynolds 2 David Neads 4, Ian Shaw 4 Chris Thomas 1, Jack Wareing 4 James Richards 0, Richard Foster 4 Ron Morgan 3, Dave Hill 4 Wayne (Sid) Davies 1, Gareth Braham 4 Sean Fisher 2, James Hykin 4 Paddy Murphy 3, Antony West 4 Jeff Thomas 2, Women’s ‘A’:- Kat Spanswick 3 Sam Bowen 2, Marian Conway 0 Nicky Biddick 3, Sue Gulliver 3 Rhian O’Sullivan 2, Nina Bolt 3 Joanne Pugh 2, Caroline Pike 0 Claire Crocombe 3, Wendy Adams 3 Donna Thomas 1, Women’s ‘B’:- Chloe McKivett 3 Sue Powell 1, Melanie Jones 1 Paula Clemett 3, Helen Rigg 1 Michelle Jones 3, Donna Pinch 0 Alannah Waters 3, Lisa Deslandes 2 Sandra Quinn 3, Angela Jones 0 Eve Watson 3.
Derbyshire v Wiltshire   What can I say about Derbyshire and their results in the BDO Inter County Championships? They go fifteen games without a single win and begin their season in division three, after being relegated last season from division two with four consecutive defeats and were firmly rooted at the foot of the table with relegation to division four a major reality but then, WELL they returned to the form they showed in the 2014 – 2015 season which saw them promoted to division one as they chalked up three wins and a superb draw with promoted Berkshire leaving just one more game to play, that final game of what has been a somewhat challenging season was a rearranged home fixture with Wiltshire. Despite their revival Derbyshire were still well and truly in the relegation zone with 151 points, just one more than bottom of the table Leicestershire, but their destiny was in their own hands as their opponents were just two points ahead of them with 153 points so a win for Derbyshire would see them preserve their division three status. The weekend did not begin well but definitely got better as the fixture progressed. Wiltshire opened the ladies ‘B’ game going 2-0 up with wins from Linzi Holton and April Polden who in turn defeated Emily Jones and Jennifer McCormick 3-2 after both of the home players had won the first leg. Sara-Jane Harrison stopped the rot when she beat Sue Lane 3-2 after Lane had won the first two legs. Levelling the score at two each was lady of the match Carol Western who after leading 2-0 was pegged back to 2-2 by Erica Hartnett before sealing her win in the final leg, her average 17.13. Derbyshire took the lead for the first time in the fourth when Emma Varnam won 3-2 against Debbie Hughes and with a further straight 3-0 win from Dee Fenn over Jill Little the 4-2 result went in favour of the hosts. The men’s ‘B’ in their wildest dreams could not have imagined what the result of their game was going to be as they not only recorded their best win of the season but the best possible win any team could have as they handed out a massive 12-0 whitewash. Setting the men’s ‘B’ on their way was opener and man of the match Robert Hawker who came from 1-0 and 2-1 down to beat Carl Savory 3-2 with winning legs of 19,13 and 18 darts for a superb 30.01 average. Doubling the lead was Connor Hodgkinson with his 3-1 success over Steve Lane and taking the score along to 3-0 was Timothy Rippon with a straight 3-0 win against Kevin Barefoot. Although James Clifton (Wiltshire) pulled Benjamin Holmes back to level terms after trailing 2-0 it was Holmes who won the last leg for his 3-2 victory and by the halfway stage it was 6-0 to the home team as Andrew Gillott added his 3-1 win over Martin Williams and Paul Williams beat Mo Morris 3-2. It was more of the same in the second half as Steven Soar kicked it off with a 3-1 win over Jonathan Gillingham-Smithers to make it an unassailable 7-0 lead, a winning margin from the least amount of games. Following Soar was Adrian Asprey with his 3-2 win against Lee O’Neill and then Gary Fenn with a fine 3-0 win over Andrew Southam. Taking the home side’s lead into double figures was Steve Thompson when he accounted for Garth Hodgkiss with a 3-2 result after Hodgkiss had gone 2-0 up. With only two to play the pressure was now mounting on the home players as they now didn’t want to break the winning sequence or actually be the sole loser, that was not going to be a problem as Henry Coates beat Mark Motti 3-1 and anchor man Ian Allcock won 3-0 against Roy Pryor, An outstanding team performance and a tremendous and much needed 12-0 win. The ladies ‘A’ like the overall county squad had come to life in the second half of the season as after the first five games of the season they were without a win but were now going into the Wiltshire fixture on the back of three consecutive wins, however it was the visiting team who got the first stripe on the board as Stacey Day stepped in when Samantha Marshall struggled on finishing doubles to win 3-0. Jackie Sweet cancelled out Day’s win when she beat Shirley Castle 3-1 and with a further 3-1 win plus a lady of the match performance, Terri Bellamy defeated Joey Hooke, Terri winning the third leg in just thirteen darts hitting 140,128,85,142 and checking out on double three first dart to give her a 20-71 average. Assuring Derbyshire of at least a share of the points was Rebecca Hoyland when she accounted for Tina Rowlands with a 3-2 win, Rowlands having gone 1-0 and 2-1 up, Tina checking out on 121 in the second leg. Louise Rawson looked all set to chalk up the fourth and match winning game when she opened up a 2-0 lead over Julie Newman but Newman fought back to win the tie 3-2 and put the onus on the last two players Rachel Ayres (Derbyshire) and Linzi Holton. The outcome of the final game was never really in doubt as Rachel Ayres won 3-0 with her opponent only reaching a finishing double in the final leg. The team result was 4-2 to Derbyshire ladies ‘A’ which meant that without the men’s ‘A’ result added the home team had won the tie as they had a lead of 20-4. With just one win from their previous eight games the men’s ‘A’ have not enjoyed the best of seasons but they were given a winning start by Tim Daniels when he won 4-1 against Dave Wicks. The second game swayed one way then the other as Derbyshire’s Lee Stanley went one down to Dion Newman and then 2-1 up. Newman then won the next two legs and although Stanley took the game to a deciding leg it was the Wiltshire man who got the 4-3 verdict. Richard Hanson (Derbyshire) was also taken the full seven legs distance by Luke Yates but it was Hanson who got the 4-3 result to restore the home team’s lead. Peter Burgoyne lost the first two legs to James Clifton but fought back magnificently to win the tie 4-2 and increase is team’s lead to 3-1. Game number five saw Paul Baker win his second ‘A’ team man of the match award for the season beating Anthony Moulden 4-1 with wining legs of 14, 21,16 and 20 darts giving him a 27.06 average. By the halfway stage Wiltshire had reduced the arrears to 4-2 as Scott Millin beat Keith Cooper 4-2 after Cooper had gone from one down to 2-1 up. An opening 4-2 win for David Fritchley against Mo Morris took Derbyshire’s lead to 5-2 before their opponents had their best run of the match as they won two in a row, Paul Boulton beating Sean Lambert 4-2 and Gary Court winning 4-3 against Nigel Daniels, the run however came to a halt when Ryan Hassell added his straight 4-0 win over Bob Phillips to the home team’s account to put them within an ace of victory and that victory looked to be on the cards when penultimate encounter Benjamin Holmes went 2-0 up against Juan Hopkins but it was Hopkins who won the following four legs to run out a 4-2 winner and leave the result hinging on the final game of the weekend. The anchor men for both teams were Ian Clarke Derbyshire and Ryan Furness Wiltshire, the result of the game was 4-0 to Clarke to give Derbyshire men’s ‘A’ team a 7-5 win. The win for the men’s ‘A’ meant that all four Derbyshire teams had won over the weekend and the overall result of 27-9 was their best result since the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of November 2014 when they won 28-8 at home when once again their opponents were Wiltshire. The massive win saw Derbyshire move out of the bottom two where they had languished for the majority of the season, and up five places in the table to finish in a very respectable fourth position. It is to be hoped that the late season form can be carried into the new 2018 – 2019 campaign and Derbyshire will once again climb back up the divisions. Full Results:Derbyshire v Wiltshire (27-9) ):(Derbyshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Tim Daniels 4 Dave Wicks 1, Lee Stanley 3 Dion Newman 4, Richard Hanson 4 Luke Yates 3, Peter Burgoyne 4 James Clifton 2, Paul Baker 4 Anthony Moulden 1, Keith Cooper 2 Scott Millin 4, David Fritchley 4 Mo Morris 2, Sean Lambert 2 Paul Boulton 4, Nigel Daniels 3 Gary Court 4, Ryan Hassell 4 Bob Phillips 0, Benjamin Holmes 2 Juan Hopkins 4, Ian Clarke 4 Ryan Furness 0, Men’s ‘B’:- Robert Hawker 3 Carl Savory 2, Connor Hodgkinson 3 Steve Lane 1, Timothy Rippon 3 Kevin Barefoot 0, Benjamin Holmes 3 James Clifton 2, Andrew Gillott 3 Martin Williams 1, Paul Williams 3 Mo Morris 2, Steven Soar 3 Jonathan Gillingham-Smithers 1, Adrian Asprey 3 Lee O’Neill 2, Gary Fenn 3 Andrew Southam 0, Steve Thompson 3 Garth Hodgkiss 2, Henry Coates 3 Mark Motti 1, Ian Allcock 3 Roy Pryor 0, Women’s ‘A’:- Samantha Marshall 0 Stacey Day 3, Jackie Sweet 3 Shirley Castle 1, Terri Bellamy 3 Joey Hooke 1, Rebecca Hoyland 3 Tina Rowlands 2, Louise Rawson 2 Julie Newman 3, Rachel Ayres 3 Linzi Holton 0, Women’s ‘B’:- Emily Jones 2 Linzi Holton 3, Jennifer McCormick 2 April Polden 3, Sara-Jane Harrison 3 Sue Lane 2, Carol Western 3 Erica Hartnett 2, Emma Varnam 3 Debbie Hughes 2, Dee Fenn 3 Jill Little 0.
By Alan Towe Website: www.alantowedarts.co.uk

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