Darts News – From Around the West Midlands By Alan Towe
Alan Towe’s The Line On Darts
BDO Inter County Championships:Division Three:
Derbyshire v Merseyside
Fresh off the back of two consecutive wins in division three of the BDO Inter County Championships Derbyshire played a rearranged home tie with Merseyside, a game originally scheduled to be the season’s opening fixture.
Saturday’s ladies game did not have the best of starts for Derbyshire as Adel Mulligan gave the visitors first blood with a 3-1 win over Sara-Jane Harrison. Tracy Morrison doubled Merseyside’s lead with her 3-2 win over Louise Rawson after Louise had gone 2-0 up, and then with a 3-0 win for Janet Hardman against Emily Jones the away side were in an unbeatable position leading 3-0.
Rachel Ayres stopped the rot when in game number four she beat Sandra Rule 3-1 and with a lady of the match performance from Nicola Fletcher (16.97) when she won 3-1 against Julia Bain Derbyshire were still in with a shout for a draw.
Last on for the hosts was Marie Leahy and for Merseyside Viv Cullimore. Marie won the first leg but then lost the second she went ahead again in the third only to miss out on her finishing doubles in the last two legs allowing her opponent to go on and win 3-2 to give the visitors the 4-2 result.
The men’s ‘B’ like the ladies ‘B’ were also slow starters as John Crossley, Paul Ford and Dan Nuttie in turn all won 3-1 against Darron Brown, Benjamin Holmes and Dan Ford to give Merseyside a 3-0 lead.
In game four Paul Williams put Derbyshire’s first stripe on the board coming from one down against David Powell to win 3-1 and with a similar game whereby he lost the first leg and won the following three Ian Allcock defeated Ade Heathcote to reduce the deficit to 3-2.
By the end of the first half it was all even as Steve Thompson (Derbyshire) despite being pegged back to level terms twice by Mike Addison won the encounter 3-2 with winning legs of 16, 18 and 26 darts to give him a man of the match award winning average of 26.64.
The second half began with Merseyside taking the lead once again as David Harnick after trailing 1-0 to James Parkin and then being taken to a deciding leg won 3-2 and with a 3-1 win for Philip Bennett over Andy Cass the hosts men’s ‘A’ team found themselves 5-3 down.
Lee Cropper kept Derbyshire’s hopes alive when he won 3-1 against George Bell and with a further 3-2 success for Andrew Houghton who won his game against John Prescott with a 115 game shot it was all square at 5-5 with two to play.
In the penultimate game the home side took the lead for the first time in the match when Dale Gadsby beat Jason Chisnall 3-1 but with a final 3-0 win for Alan Magee (Merseyside) over Colin Rich the final score was levelled at six each.
The home teams ladies ‘A’ had a cracking start as Jackie Sweet kicked off proceedings with her 3-2 win over Sandra James after James had gone 1-0 up and drawn level in the fourth. Making it 2-0 to the hosts was Rose Mort who handed out a straight 3-0 defeat to her opponent Claire New. Taking the score nicely along to 3-0 was Rebecca Hoyland, Rebecca’s 3-1 win against Julie Whelan guaranteeing her team mates at the worst a share of the spoils.
Emma Barlow was Merseyside’s first winner as in game four she won 3-1 against Rachel Bird, however the all-important fourth and match winning game was put up in the fifth when Jane Densley added her clear-cut 3-0 win over Vicki Lloyd to the home team’s account. Jane making a most welcome return to Derbyshire this term went one up in 21 darts and rounded off her win in 17 and 18 darts to give her a superb award winning average of 26.84, her second award in the four games played so far.
The last game went to the visitors as Laura Thompson won 3-0 against Terri Bellamy after the home player had struggled on finishing doubles. The final score 4-2 to Derbyshire.
With two draws and one defeat the men’s ‘A’ are without a win so far this season. As the game got underway the first four games all went against the darts as Sean Lambert gave Derbyshire a win in the opener when he beat Craig Winstanley 4-1 then Lewy Williams cancelled out the win when he won 4-0 against Lee Stanley only to see the home side go ahead again in the third when Nigel Daniels not only won 4-2 against Clive Rule but also win his team’s match award for his 26.88 average in which he had winning legs of 20,21 and 16 darts before rounding off his win with a tremendous 14 darts leg hitting 22,140,180 and 99 before checking out on 60.
After losing the first leg to Steve Gow, Gary Fenn then went 2-1 up but with Gow winning the next three Fenn eventually went down 4-2. It was at this point that the sequence changed and Merseyside took the lead for the first time when Joe Palfreyman beat Ryan O’Connor 4-2, O’Connor like Gary Fenn coming from one down to 2-1 up before losing.
Lee Arkwright (Derbyshire) opened up leads of 1-0,2-1 and 3-2 against Robbie Gorst but he was unable to capitalise on his lead as Gorst won the last two legs for a 4-3 win giving his team a 4-2 lead at the break.
Michael Ryall reduced the arrears for Derbyshire when he began the second half with a straight 4-0 win over Kevin Lloyd and it looked as though the game would go to 4-4 when John Elliott went 2-0 up against Martin O’Boyle but it was O’Boyle who got the 4-2 verdict to take Merseyside’s advantage to 5-3.
Henry Coates had a similar game to John Elliott as he won the first two legs against Johnny Brammeld and then lost the following four to see the away team move to within an ace of victory.
A man of the match performance from Richard Hanson delayed any celebrations that the visitors may have had as he handed Kieron Stringer a 4-0 whitewash chalking up a 27.83 average as he checked out in 15,18,21 and 18 darts with a tremendous 154 game shot in the fourth.
The winning seventh game was added to Merseyside’s account when Anthony Hitchmough beat Connor Hodgkinson 4-0 and with another 4-0 result for Dave Richards over Matt Faulkner in the final game of the weekend Merseyside men’s ‘A’ won the match 8-4 giving them an overall 20-16 win for the weekend.
Despite the defeat Derbyshire moved up four places from the foot of the table, encouragement to go on and do better things in the five remaining games.
By Alan Towe Website: www.alantowedarts.co.uk
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Derbyshire v Middlesex Following the defeat in their rearranged home fixture with Merseyside in division three of the BDO Inter County Championships Derbyshire had another home tie when they took on Middlesex in what was their middle of the season fixture. Rachel Ayres opened up for the ladies ‘B’ and although she went 1-0 and 2-1 up against Leah Nelson it was the Middlesex player who got the 3-2 verdict. The visitors lead lasted just the one game as lady of the match Louise Rawson accounted for Sue Moore in three straight legs chalking up an award winning average of 18.79. There was another 3-0 result in game three when Jenny Sallans (Middlesex) won against Sara-Jane Harrison but again the away team’s lead was short lived as Jenny McCormick beat Coreen Loffler 3-1, and with a straight 3-0 win for Emily Jones in the penultimate game against Vanessa Keen the hosts took the lead for the first time in the match. The result was a 4-2 win for Derbyshire when their last player Nicola Fletcher secured the win with her 3-1 success over Lisa Kennedy. The men’s ‘B’ had one win, two draws and just the one defeat in their previous four games and they didn’t have the best of starts against Middlesex as Frankie Collopy beat Lee Cropper 3-2 and John Scott won 3-0 against Benjamin Holmes. Steven Hyatt looked to be on the way to making it 3-0 when he won the first leg against Paul Williams but a 121 finish in 15 darts saw Williams level the game and go on to win 3-1 in 12 and 19 darts, his 12 darts leg seeing him hit 180,140,140 and then check out on 41 giving him a tremendous 28.34 average which at the end of the day earned him the team’s match award. Levelling the score at two each was James Parkin who beat Anthony Cox in three legs but it was the away team who took the lead again in the fifth when Simon McGuinness won 3-2 against Richard Hughes after Hughes had recorded a fantastic maximum 170 outshot to go one up and then level in the fourth. At the halfway stage Middlesex had opened up a 4-2 lead after Jason Neville added his 3-1 win over Christian Broshaw to their account. As the second half got underway Ian Allcock momentarily reduced the arrears for the home team when he beat Andy Turnbull 3-1 only to see the visitors restore their two games buffer with a 3-0 win for Steve Dettmer over Brian Snell. With the score at 5-3 to Middlesex, Derbyshire had their best run of the game as Steve Thompson kicked off three consecutive wins when with a 102 game shot in the fourth leg he won 3-1 against Ian Bartlett. Henry Coates went two down to Luke Nelson but held his nerve and went on to win 3-2 to square the game at five each. In the penultimate encounter Andy Cass after trailing 2-0 to Joe Stone bounced back to win 3-2 to put Derbyshire’s noses in front for the first time in the match and at the same time ensure at least a share of the spoils. The final game went to Brian Green (Middlesex) who came from 1-0 down to Andrew Houghton to win 3-1 and take the final score to 6-6, Derbyshire men’s ‘B’ team’s third draw in five games. After a 4-2 win over Merseyside the ladies ‘A’ were on a high and that was quite apparent as they stormed into a 3-0 lead against their Middlesex counterparts. Jane Densley continued her impressive return to the county making it three lady of the match awards from five games when she opened up with a straight 3-0 win over Leanne Palmer, Jane settling back into life in Derbyshire colours with her averages getting better every game as she recorded a superb 23.48 average winning her third leg in just 14 darts with scores of 180,60,45,140 and a 76 finish. Making it 2-0 for the hosts was Terri Bellamy, another 3-0 win this time against Jennette Wells, then taking the score along to 3-0 was Jackie Sweet with her 3-1 success over Margaret Sutton. Rebecca Hoyland was unlucky not to make it 4-0 as she went 1-0 and 2-1 up against Lisa Brosnan but then lost the last two legs. Rachel Bird (Derbyshire) made her opponent Louise Grannell fight all the way for her close 3-2 win as she came from two down to level at two each. With the home team holding a 3-2 lead the outcome all depended on the final game which proved to be no concern for Derbyshire as their Rose Mort won 3-0 against Sindy Stiles to give them, for a second successive fixture a 4-2 victory. The men’s ‘A’ team with two draws and two defeats were still seeking their first win of the campaign and giving them the ideal start with a 4-0 win over Mick Seager was Michael Ryall. Nigel Daniels took the score along nicely to 2-0 with his 4-2 success over Tony Field before Middlesex got their first stripe on the board when Craig De Almeida won 4-2 against Ryan O’Connor. Parity was restored in the fourth when Jamie Davis (Middlesex) beat John Elliott 4-2 and despite Lee Stanley (Derbyshire) going 2-0 up against John Scott it was Scott who got the 4-2 result to give his team the lead for the first time in the match. It was all square by the break as Richard Hanson after taking leads of 1-0,2-1 and 3-2 against Gary Middleton went on to win the seventh and deciding leg for his 4-3 win. The second half began as did the first with a win for Derbyshire as Dale Gadsby won 4-1 against Jason Neville, Gadsby checking out on 127 in the fourth leg. Once again the match was levelled as Allen Bond added his 4-2 win over Gary Fenn to the Middlesex tally but for a third time it was Derbyshire who took the lead as Lee Arkwright accounted for George Wilkinson with a 4-2 result. Wilkinson won the first leg only to see Arkwright then go 3-1 up in 15,15 and 20 darts and although the Middlesex man won the fifth a 13 darts leg for Arkwright not only gave him the win but also the team’s match award for his 27.01 average. With the darts now well and truly going with the first throw advantage Chris Grannell made it 5-5 when he beat Matt Faulkner 4-1 with Faulkner down to a double in all but one of the legs. Two to play and both went to Derbyshire, Connor Hodgkinson beat Adam Finch 4-0 and with a 4-1 result for Sean Lambert against Brandonn Pearson the Derbyshire Men’s ‘A’ team had their first win of the season 7-5. The overall result was a terrific 21-15 to Derbyshire who after lying at the foot of the table for such a long time are now in the top half of the table. More of the same please!!---------------------------------
Cumbria v Derbyshire Derbyshire went into their sixth fixture of the season in division three of the BDO Inter County Championships on the back of three wins from their five games and sitting in a fifth position some 25 points short of a promotion place. Game number six was an away fixture against Cumbria who were four places and 14 points short of their visitors. The home side were quick off the mark in the ladies ‘B’ game racing into a 3-0 lead when Gillian Rumney beat Carol Western 3-0, Carole Wright won 3-1 against Dee Fenn and Hilary Kirkbridge defeated Rachel Ayres 3-1. Stopping the rot with a lady of the match performance was Jennifer McCormick who was made to fight for her 3-2 victory by Val Hargrave as the home player won the opening two legs. Nevertheless Derbyshire’s Jenny hung on in there and after levelling the game at 2-2 went on to seal her win in the fifth with a 16.76 average. Keeping Derbyshire in with a chance of a draw was Emily Jones who won 3-1 against Lesley Pattinson after Pattinson had gone one. The final game went the full five legs distance with Nicola Fletcher (Derbyshire) twice having her lead cancelled out by Leanne Howard before winning the decider to take the result to three each. With three draws, one win and only one defeat the men’s ‘B’ team were not having a bad season and kicking them off with a win in the first encounter was Andrew Houghton who beat Craig Lewthwaite 3-2. The game was brought back to level terms in the second with a 3-0 win for Wayne Smith over Dan Ford only to see Derbyshire then go 3-1 up when Henry Coates handed Derek Forster a 3-0 defeat and Chris Grogan won 3-1 against Garry Simpson after Simpson won the first leg. Adam Jenkinson momentarily reduced the arrears when he got a 3-0 result against David Allcock but by the midway point of the game Derbyshire were 4-2 up after Richard Hughes added his 3-1 win over John Murray to their account. The away team went further ahead as the second half got underway with Lee Cropper beating Mark Hird 3-1 but then Paul Williams after going one up against David Turnbull lost the next three legs to see Cumbria chalk up their third winner in the match. Lee Stanley did a proper captains job when after trailing 2-0 to John Wightman fought back to win the last three legs in 16,16 and 17 darts for not only a 3-2 win but also also an award winning result as he then took the man of the match award for his 27.61 average. Shaun Greatbatch took the running score to 6-4 when he won 3-0 against Christian Bradshaw but a 3-1 success for John Elliott over Brian Mandale secured the win for Derbyshire as they were then in an unassailable 7-4 position. The final game of the day also went to Derbyshire, a 3-1 win for Benjamin Holmes over Phil Hughes taking the result to 8-4 in the visitors favour. Derbyshire ladies ‘A’ had a fantastic start as they stormed into an unbeatable and winning 4-0 lead. Setting them on their way was Jackie Sweet who handed her opponent Michelle McGimpsey a 3-0 defeat as did Jane Densley in her tie with Barbara Greatbatch, Jane making it four out of six lady of the match awards with her 20.88 average. Moving the score along to 3-0 was Rebecca Hoyland who had a 3-1 win over Ann Scholey and with a third 3-0 win in the four games played Rachel Bird accounted for Jules Fisher to put up the match winning score of 4-0. The penultimate tie saw the host’s record their first and what turned out to be their only winner as Stacey Thame beat Terri Bellamy 3-0 before Rosemary Mort (Derbyshire) won the final game against Mary Paine 3-1 to give a final score of 5-1 to Derbyshire ladies ‘A’. Things have not been going too well for the men’s ‘A’ side as in their previous five games they had only won one and drawn two, however they did get off to a fine start as Steve Thompson won 4-3 against Colin Hargrave after Hargrave had won the first, fourth and sixth legs. Doubling Derbyshire’s lead was Ian Allcock who after going 2-0 and 3-1 down to Trevor Watters won the last three legs in 19,19 and 22 darts. Nigel Daniels opened up leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Ronnie Kirk but it was Cumbria’s Kirk who got the final 4-2 win after chalking up outshots of 101 and 120. Parity was restored in the fourth when Darren Armstrong won a seven legs affair against Dale Gadsby but it was the away side who went ahead again in the fifth when Lee Armstrong, in another seven legs affair defeated David Carr. Going into the break it was all square with Garry Simpson adding his 4-0 win over Andrew Houghton to the home team’s score. Cumbria actually took the lead for the first time in the game in the seventh when Neil Linford won 4-1 against Sean Lambert after Lambert won the first leg but once again it was all level in the eighth when Derbyshire’s man of the match Gary Fenn won 4-1 against Alan Armstrong. Armstrong won the first leg in 18 darts only to see Fenn produce a 15 darts leg including a tremendous 141 game shot in the second to draw level. Fenn then went 2-1 up in 19 darts and although Armstrong won the fourth in 18, Gary Fenn with two 17 darts legs clinched a 4-2 win with a super 28.08 average. From 4-4 Derbyshire slipped to 7-4 down as Andy Goodfellow came from 1-0 and 2-1 down to James Parkin to win 4-2, Mike Sowerby beat Richard Hanson 4-0 and Steven Jackson won 4-2 against Michael Ryall again after the Derbyshire man had opened up a lead of 1-0 and drawn level in the fourth. The final game of the weekend went to Derbyshire’s Connor Hodgkinson whose 4-2 win over Alan Carrick took the result to 7-5 but more importantly the overall result was a 21-15 win for Derbyshire which saw them reduce the arrears on second placed Merseyside from 23 points to 18 with three more fixtures to play.---------------------------------
By Alan Towe Website: www.alantowedarts.co.uk