For the third consecutive season West Midlands will play in division two of the BDO Inter County Championships and their first fixture of the new season will not be an easy one as they square up to local rivals Staffordshire. Games against local teams are never a walkover and an away tie against Staffordshire who are newly relegated from division one will be a difficult one.
The last time the two teams played each other was on the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd March 2013, a division one game with West Midlands playing hosts, but despite the home advantage it was the visitors who got the 19-17 verdict and it was that very season that saw West Midlands finish bottom of the division one table with 158 points, Derbyshire were also relegated with them having 160 points and Staffordshire narrowly avoiding relegation having the same 160 points as Derbyshire but with a slightly better average.
Full Fixtures for the new season:
| 2015-09-5/6 | Staffordshire | Away |
| 2015-10-3/4 | Somerset | Home |
| 31/10 & 01/11 | Sussex | Away |
| 2015-11-28/29 | Berkshire | Away |
| 2016-01-16/17 | Worcestershire | Home |
| 2016-02-6/7 | Suffolk | Away |
| 2016-03-5/6 | Northamptonshire | Home |
| 2016-04-02/3 | Cumbria | Away |
| 2016-04-23/24 | London | Home |
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At the time of going to print Riley’s Snooker Bar Solihull have completed ten of their scheduled twelve qualifiers for the Darts Club Championship which carries a total prize pot of £22,000.
Players through to the club play off so far are Mike Green, Tony Randell, Luis Barberan, Rob Singleton, Wayne Mynard, Dean Sanders, Graham Hall, Tom White, Jamie Robinson and the latest one to join them is Michael Smith-Neale who won his final game against Martin Partridge in four straight legs.
Martin Partridge (Runner Up) and Michael Smith-Neale (Winner)
Once the final two week’s knockouts have been completed the twelve players will then compete for the title Club Champion. The top four players from each of the sixteen clubs participating will then take part in the Riley’s Darts Club Championships National final in early September to produce the Club GB champion!
Each of the weekly winners have so far received £75 and the runners up £25, there is a separate prize fund of £3,140 for the national final with the eventual winner receiving £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.
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Riley’s Solihull was also the setting for the Pub Players Darts Competition which saw Mike McFall win the final against Trevor Frost 4-1, the same scoreline by which McFall had taken out Mike Smith in the semi’s, Frost had booked his final spot with a very close 4-3 result against Marr Gallett in his last four game.
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As the Ripley Elite Darts Singles League reaches week sixteen in its season Daz Brown leads the way in the premier division with an impressive eighteen consecutive wins after losing his opening game of the season. From his nineteen games Brown has amassed a total point’s of 97 points which is nineteen more than his nearest rival Paul Baker but Baker has played one game fewer than Brown. The latest round of fixtures saw the divisional leader record 4-1 wins against Ian Richardson and Ian Allcock while Baker chalked up a 5-0 win over Dave Fritchley.
Best individual performance of the week went to Daz Brown with two maximums and a thirteen darts leg while Ty Ward had a 117 finish.
In division one Lee Stanley leads the way with 72 points from eighteen games but hot on his heels comes second placed Ian Clarke who is only two points adrift and has a game in hand, these two players have opened up a five points gap between themselves and the rest of the field.
Player of the week was Martyn Wood who after a lengthy lay off has started playing darts again this season, he won 5-0 against Dave Slater and followed that with a 4-1 success against Tony Jacklin.
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In the very last fixture of the season reigning Tamworth League champions Fox and Dogs lost their chance of holding on to the title when they went from the number one spot to finish third after losing 4-3 away to second placed Dolphin ‘A’, but Dolphin ‘A’ didn’t do enough to win the title either as they finished as runners up to Belgrave Club who won their final game against Mile Oak Rovers 7-0 to end with 192 points one more than Dolphin ‘A’ and three to the good on Fox and Dogs.
The Players League title went to Fox and Dogs man Martin Edwards who won all twenty two of the games he played and finished with 66 points 15 more than runner up Adam Williams (Belgrave Club).
In the semi finals of the Mile Oak Challenge Cup Fox and Dogs won 4-1 against Old Liberal House and joining them in the final after a 4-0 win against Globe Inn (Wilnecote) was Dolphin ‘A’.
The final saw Fox and Dogs beat Dolphin ‘A’ 4-0 the same scoreline by which they had previously defeated Dolphin ‘B’ in the final of the Paul Caswell Memorial Cup, not really been a good time for the Dolphins!!
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The South Birmingham League played off their doubles knockout and claiming the crown with a final 2-0 win over Richard Liggins and Carl Winters were Martin Heaven and Neil Parsonage.
In the last four games the champions reached the final with a close 2-1 verdict over Chris Millward snr and Chris Millward jnr while Liggins and Winters had a more comfortable 2-0 success against Nigel Groves and Dave Downes
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Ashwood won the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League with a total of 68 point’s, Ten Arches finishing as runners up with 64 points, the Shadow League title went to Quarry Bank Conservative Club who finished two points ahead of New Inns.
The league played off their singles and doubles knockouts and the winner on the night in the singles was Britannia Inn representative Dave Simpson who beat team mate Craig Slater in the final.
The losing semi finalists were both supplied by Ten Arches and were S.Bills and M.Rollinson.
The doubles knockout title went to Ten Arches duo M.Rollinson and S.Mills who beat V.Mitchell and A.Moreton (Bird ‘A’, Stourbridge) in the final.
Losing semi finalists were J.Batham and M.Pritchard (Cat Inn, Wordsley) and R.Tipper and N.Cooper (Brickmakers Arms).
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Sheldon Marlborough Cricket Club staged their Ladies Darts Night Knockout and the final produced a closely fought contest between Gill Lynch (Crown-Forget-Me-Not) and Debbie Derbyshire (Sheldon Marlborough Arrows) with the former getting the 2-0 verdict to clinch the title and winner’s trophy.
Both of the semi finals were 2-0 Gill beating Deborah Flynn and Debbie wining against Tracey Howard. Losing quarter finalists were Norma Rughani, Sue Cox, Marie Jenkins and Karen Bevington.
The evening raised a terrific amount of £130 which will go to the Edwards Trust.
Gill Lynch (Winner) and Matt Murrin
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The Brierley Hill Friday Night League’s League Cup was won by Netherton Cricket Club who had a 5-3 victory over Dudley Sports ‘B’ in the final.
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The Pip Club League staged their Open Cup Knockout and winning the title were Old Liberal House who accounted for Tamworth Motor Spares in the final. In the last four play-offs Old Liberal beat Two Gates Club and Motor Spares won against division one table toppers Bulls Head ‘A’ (Polesworth).
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Winner of the Parkfield Central Bar Knockout’s top prize of £100 was Mick Baker, Baker was in top form throughout the event chalking up 2-0 wins over J.Parkes, P.Baker and R.Colley before meeting John Morris in the final and that was when he dropped his first leg of the competition. Morris won the opener only to see Baker reply with wins in the second and third to win the title. John Morris received £40 as runner up.
Full results: Round One:- L.Marson 0 J.Barrowman 2, L.Baker 0 A.Wilkinson 2, R.Hossey 2 A.Brace 0, S.Homer 1 M.Angell 2, S.Whittaker 0 D.Walker 2, K.Breeze 1 N.Durnall 2, C.Nicholls 2 M.Musto 0, M.Rowley 0 R.Colley 2, Chammi 0 L.Frazer 2, D.Elcock 2 N.Whitehouse 1, B.Billingham 0 A.Colley 2, Lank 2 N.Cope 0, J.Lengyel 1 M.Lewis 2, M.Baker 2 J.Parkes 0, J.Morris 2 R.O’Connor 0, L.Craig 0 P.Baker 2, Round 2:- R.Hosey 2 J.Barrowman 0, N.Durnall 0 L.Frazer 2, P.Baker 0 M.Baker 2, J.Morris 2 A.Wilkinson 0, C.Nicholls 2 Lank 0, D.Walker 0 R.Colley 2, A.Colley 0 M.Angell 2, M.Lewis 2 D.Elcock 1, Quarter Finals:- M.Angell 0 J.Morris 2, R.Hossey 1 M.Lewis 2, R.Colley 0 M.Baker 2, L.Frazer 2 C.Nicholls 1, Semi Final:- M.Lewis 0 J.Morris 3, L.Frazer 0 M.Baker 3, Final:- J.Morris 1 M.Baker 3.
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