Midlands Round Up
West Midlands brought the curtain down on their season in division two of the BDO Inter County Championships with a visit to the capital to take on London a team who were still in with an outside chance of promotion so it was never going to be an easy fixture for the Midlanders.
Although the home team began the ladies ‘B’ game with a 3-0 win from Andrea Walker over Claire Hobbs their lead was short lived as Jacqueline Maiden (West Midlands) won by the same 3-0 margin in her defeat of Jane Biggs.
West Midlands then went ahead for the first time when Wendy Waine beat Nikki Patten 3-1 and as early as the fourth game were assured of at least a draw when Sarah Roberts made it five consecutive lady of the match awards when she won 3-1 against Kelly Livett with a 21.23 average including winning legs of 21, 22 and 21 darts.
The win was not long awaited as in the very next game Sophie Singh, coming from 1-0 down against Dee Belcher, went on to win 3-2 and take the away team into an unassailable 4-1 lead.
The final game went to London, Carly Townsend beating Samantha Maiden 3-0 to give a result of 4-2 to the West Midlands and give them a total of three wins, four draws and two defeats for the season.
The men’s ‘B’ after losing the opening five games of the season were on a roll having won the last three but like the ladies ‘B’ the men also lost the opening game, Nick Cocks (London) recording a 3-2 win over Karl Hughes after Hughes had taken leads of 1-0 and 2-1.
Ashe Khayat leveled the score when he accounted for Spencer Ellis with a 3-1 result and with a 3-2 win from John Morris, who had trailed 2-0 to George Killington the West Midlands had taken a 2-1 lead. Glen Cullen (West Midlands) levelled his game with Matt Winzar twice before going down 3-2 then the home team went ahead for a second time when Michael Artiss beat Sam Guest 3-2, Guest having gone ahead in the first and third legs. At the halfway stage West Midlands found themselves trailing 4-2 after a further 3-1 win for London from Bradley Turrell over Robert Thompson.
Scott Artiss and Steve Day made things worse for the Midlanders when they both had 3-1 wins against respective opponents Gary Watts and Robert Smith to put them 6-2 up and within an ace of victory.
Jamie Barrowman was the player to turn things around for West Midlands as his 3-1 win over Stuart Patt was the beginning of their fight back. Next on was Matthew Dicken who with a straight 3-0 win and a 27.83 average not only beat Matthew Wilson but also won the man of the match award.
Chris Stanley (West Midlands) took the score along to 6-5 with a 3-2 win against Liam Curran and with a similar scoreline Mark Watkiss beat Jason Mortimer to put the final score all square at six each.
For the ladies ‘A’ it just wasn’t their day as they lost the opening four games, Leanne Topper started the rout as she beat Kim Fellows 3-1, Deb Watling was on next with a similar result over Gemma Barrett. At number three was Kerry Simmons who was held to a close 3-2 win by Debbie Loon and rounding off the four wins was Stephanie Stutley, a 3-0 success against Kath Jenkins.
The penultimate game saw West Midlands most consistent lady player of the season Lisa Astbury who stopped the rot, beat her opponent Su Holt 3-1 and clinched her seventh of a possible nine lady of the match trophies for the campaign with a 19.37 average.
Heather Wright (West Midlands) lost the first leg of her game with Tammy Mackenzie and then looked as though she would turn it around and go on to win as she went 2-1 up but it was not to be as the London player then won the last two legs for a 3-2 win and secure a 5-1 victory for her team.
The men’s ‘A’ team have had a reasonably good season with five wins, two draws and only one defeat in their eight games and actually got off to a good start when their most experienced and reliable player Ian Jones won 4-3 against Gene Hill despite Hill pushing him to a deciding leg. Shaun Carroll made it 2-0 with a man of the match show in his tie with Tony Hamit. Carroll won the opening two legs in 15 darts he then added a 20 darts leg and rounded off his 4-0 win with another 15 darts leg giving him a superb 30.83 average.
Steve Douglas was London’s first winner a 4-1 win over Paul Price but his win only momentarily reduced the arrears for the home side as Jonathon Platt took the score nicely along to 3-1 with his 4-2 win over Tommy Sanwell, Platt having checkouts of 105 in the first and 140 in the third.
Chris Evans (London) went one down to Avtar Singh but went on to win 4-1 before Mark Craddock made it 4-2 in West Midlands favour by the midway point with a straight 4-0 win over Lee Cocks.
The second half was not so good for the Midlands side as London won five in a row, Johnny Stefano began the run when he beat Matthew Dicken 4-3, a 4-2 win by Nicky Turner against Danny Coyle made it 4-4 and then Graham Rackstraw gave the hosts the lead for the first time in the match in game number nine when he accounted for Christopher Mason with a 4-2 result after Mason had taken the lead in the first and third legs. Steven Ferguson moved the score along to 6-4 with a 4-2 win over Michael Baker and with a 4-1 success from Lewis Venes against Richard Platt London had secured their victory.
In the final game of the weekend Keith Allman (West Midlands) was made to fight all the way to the seventh leg for his 4-3 win, he went 2-0 up and was pegged back to level terms, opened up a 3-2 lead only to see his counterpart Lewis McGurn draw level again for a second time and in the last leg it was McGurn who was first to a finishing double but his failure to find it gave Allman the chance to step in and check out with a 52 finish for a 4-3 win.
The win was not enough to earn London promotion as they finished six points behind runners up Derbyshire and the defeat left West Midlands in sixth place on 176 points but safe in division two to fight another day.
Full Results:Division Two:London v West Midlands (20-16):(London names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Men’s ‘A’:- Gene Hill 3 Ian Jones 4, Tony Hamit 0 Shaun Carroll 4, Steve Douglas 4 Paul Price 1, Tommy Sanwell 2 Jonathon Platt 4, Chris Stevens 4 Avtar Singh 1, Lee Cocks 0 Mark Craddock 4, Johnny Stefano 4 Matthew Dicken 3, Nicky Turner 4 Danny Coyle 2, Graham Rackstraw 4 Christopher Mason 2, Steven Ferguson 4 Michael Baker 2, Lewis Venes 4 Richard Platt 1, Lewis McGurn 3 Keith Allman 4, Men’s ‘B’:- Nick Cocks 3 Karl Hughes 2, Spencer Ellis 1 Ashe Khayat 3, George Killington 2 John Morris 3, Matt Winzar 3 Glen Cullen 2, Michael Artiss 3 Sam Guest 2, Bradley Turrell 3 Robert Thompson 1, Scott Artiss 3 Gary Watts 1, Steve Day 3 Robert Smith 1, Stuart Patt 1 Jamie Barrowman 3, Matthew Wilson 0 Matthew Dicken 3, Liam Curran 2 Chris Stanley 3, Jason Mortimer 2 Mark Watkiss 3, Women’s ‘A’:- Leanne Topper 3 Kim Fellows 1, Deb Watling 3 Gemma Barrett 1, Kerry Simmons 3 Debbie Loon 2, Stephanie Stutley 3 Kath Jenkins 0, Su Holt 1 Lisa Astbury 3, Tammy Mackenzie 3 Heather Wright 2, Women’s ‘B’:- Andrea Walker 3 Claire Hobbs 0, Jane Biggs 0 Jacqueline Maiden 3, Nikki Patten 1 Wendy Waine 3, Kelly Livett 1 Sarah Roberts 3, Dee Belcher 2 Sophie Singh 3, Carly Townsend 3 Samantha Maiden 0.
———————————
The Ripley Elite Darts Singles League have reached week eight in their season and at the time of going to print leading the way in the premier division is Daz Brown who has a ten points lead over the rest of the field. Daz was also a potential player of the week in week eight dropping just one leg in his two wins, hitting a maximum and recording the week’s joint highest finish of 130. Other contenders were Ady Asprey who again won his two fixtures, hit two maximums and chalked up two of the top ten averages, but the honour went to Chris Hill who had a straight 5-0 win against an unlucky Andy Marriott and a 4-1 success over Ady Asprey
In the Sleeping Beauty Beds division one a close 3-2 win over Steve Darcy took Tony Palfreyman’s unbeaten run to nine games and gives him a lead of four points over second in the table Lee Stanley whose latest game against Paul Croson saw him win 4-1.
———————————
The Riley’s Snooker Bar, Solihull is giving all darts players the opportunity to play for a chance of qualifying for the National Gala finals of the Darts Club Championship which carries a massive prize fund of £22,000.
Throughout June, July and August sixteen Riley’s clubs will host twelve weekly Club Championship qualifiers to produce twelve weekly winners, the winners will then battle it out for the title of Club Champion in an exclusive Club Final in the thirteenth week.
The top four players from each club will then take part in the Riley’s Darts Club Championships National Final in September 2015 to produce the Club GB champion!
The first of the qualifiers should take place week commencing Monday 1st June, with the last qualifier taking place week commencing 17th August.
The Club Final will take place in week commencing 24th August and the National Final then being staged in Wolverhampton on Saturday 5th September.
Each weekly qualifier carries a guaranteed prize fund of £100, the winner receiving £75 and the runner up £25. Players will pay £5 on the night to enter.
The National Final has a separate prize fund of £3140 broken down as follows, winner £1,000, runner up £500, losing semi finalists £100 each, losing quarter finalists £50 each, last sixteen £25 each and last thirty two £20 each.
———————————
The Forest of Arden / Riley’s Open was staged at the Solihull based Riley’s club and saw Shropshire county player Kevin Harris take the title with a final 5-2 win over Luis Barberan, Harris having beaten Pete Shipley 4-1 in the semi’s while Barberan won 4-2 against Rob Harris.
The Plate Competition was won by Chris Fox who defeated Shay Derby 3-1 in the final.
Harris and Fox both hit a maximum plus Fox recorded a 150 game shot.
———————————
On the local league front so close was the premier division title in the Sheldon and District Winter League that The Lyndon actually won the title with the very last leg of the very last game of the season. Playing away to Langley Hall Sports and Social Arrows who are in the bottom four of the table Lyndon won the tie 5-4 to give them 36 points two more than runners up Crown at Olton who won their home tie with George V 6-3 to finish with a far superior average than Lyndon, but it’s points that count.
Similarly the division one title could not have been any closer as a 6-3 win over Highwood KB’s gave Castle Vale Stadium the title with 30 points, the same number by which Banbury Club took the runners up prize after their 6-3 win against Marston Green Tavern.
In division two an 8-1 win at Ridgemere Social gave Crown-Forget-Me-Not 36 points and the title, the biggest battle was for the runners up spot which was won by Sheldon Marlborough Flights, their 6-3 win at Shirley RBL Misfits seeing them finish on the same 32 points as Maggies, who had a closer 5-4 win over Langley Hall Sports and Social Flights but Marlborough had the better average.
As the league draws ever closer to the end of the season cup finals have been the order of the day and in the Punchbowl semi finals The Raven who finished seventh in the premier division table produced a shock 6-3 win over premier division runners up Crown at Olton, the other last four game saw the premier division’s fifth placed team Saltley Amateur Gardeners beat division one runners up Banbury Club 5-4.
The all premier division final saw Saltley Amateur Gardeners beat The Raven 5-4 at least some consolation for the former divisional champions after losing out this season on the league title.
In the semi finals of the Sheldon Shield division two champions Crown-Forget-Me-Not went out 5-4 to Highwood Exiles who finished fourth in the same division, the second semi saw premier division’s Sheldon Dukes beat division one opponents Holy Souls 5-4.
The final produced another shock result as Highwood Exiles continued their good form beating Sheldon Dukes who are some fifteen places above them in the league 5-2.
———————————
The South Birmingham League played off their various finals and taking the Captains Cup title was J.Buttle (The Trident) with S.Kingdon (St John’s) runner up. D.Clinton (St.John’s) won the Secretary’s Cup with a close 3-2 verdict over B.Anderton (Poachers Pocket) in the final.
The final of the Roy Parry Cup was another close affair with Crown at Shard End just getting the 5-4 edge on St John’s, while the Roy Parry Consolation Cup final saw Coleshill Social beat Punchbowl 6-3.
———————————
The Kingstanding Double Top League Singles Knockout saw the honours go to Pat Koyce. Pat won his quarter final game against Steve Cain 3-1 and followed that with a close 3-2 verdict over John Morris jnr. From the other half of the draw Chris Turnbull took out Adam Gallett 3-1 in the last eight and then by the same scoreline defeated Barry Stephens to book his final place.
Koyce who had been in top form throughout continued in the same vein in the final as he wrapped up the title with a straight 3-0 victory over Turnbull.
———————————
A 6-1 win at Hillyfields ‘B’ secured the league title for Court Oak in the Kings Norton League as it put them six points ahead of second placed Toby Jug ‘A’ with one rearranged game against Navigation still to play.
———————————
The Small Heath League played off the final of their League Cup a contest between Wagon and Horses and Cobs Bar both sides looking to win some silverware after seeing the league title evade them
Wagon and Horses stormed into an unassailable 5-1 lead, Cobs Bar made the result a little more respectable 5-4 by winning the final three games.
The league completed its programme with the play off for their 501 Knockout, although entries for both the doubles and singles were higher this year the 501 event was a little depleted and only attracted 25 players, nevertheless it in no way detracted from the quality of darts and enjoyment on the night.
The first of the semi finals saw Neil Parsonage (Emerald Club) defeat Antony Fisher (Emerald Club) 3-0 despite a brave fight by Fisher. The second of the semi’s produced a 3-1 win for John Frost (Mitre) over Paul Webster (Emerald Flights).
The final saw Parsonage add yet another title to his ever increasing list when he defeated Frost 3-1.
———————————
The Camp Hill League staged their Mixed Doubles Knockout and taking the honours were Holy Souls duo Jules and Noreen Harris who had a final win over Arthur and Jean Forde from Devil’s Club.
———————————