Shropshire v Middlesex

With one win and one draw from their previous eight division four BDO Inter County Championship fixtures, Shropshire, despite having home advantage in their final game of the season had no easy task as their opponents were Middlesex who were riding high in the top half of the table. Nevertheless the weekend got off to a pretty good start as Sue Lane opened up for the ladies ‘B’ and despite trailing 2-1 after winning the first leg went on to clinch a 3-2 victory. Sharon Harris doubled that lead when she accounted for Marlene Pope with a 3-1 result, Harris checking out on 120 in the fourth leg to seal her win.

At number three for the home side was Kirsty Jenks who was quick to open up a 2-0 lead over Sindy Stiles. Stiles fought back to level at two each but it was Jenks who got the 3-2 verdict and also the hosts lady of the match award for her 14.94 average.

Game number four saw Middlesex chalk up their first win when Dee Jules-Stock won 3-1 against Caron Minton but the Shropshire win was assured in the fifth as Cal Jones beat Coreen Loffler 3-2.

The final game went to the away side Sue Hicks winning 3-1 against Caroline Powell after Powell had taken a 1-0 lead. The final score 4-2 to Shropshire.

The men’s ‘B’ also had a good start as Neil Powell put them one up coming from 1-0 and 2-1 down against Tony Sedgwick to go on and win 3-2. Peter Eley made it 2-0 to Shropshire with a neat 3-0 win over Mark Haggerty.

Fortunes then changed and the home side went from two up to 3-2 down as Dickie Gregory beat Dan Boot 3-1, Adam Finch won 3-0 against Trevor Smith and Chris Moore with his 3-1 win over Sean Flynn put Middlesex in the lead for the first time in the match.

A 3-1 win from Robert Harris against Gary Middleton restored parity at three each but it was the away team who went ahead again in the seventh when John Power won 3-0 against Simon Pritchard. One again the game was levelled this time it was through a hard fought 3-2 win from Tim Eley (Shropshire) against Craig De Almeida.

For a third time Middlesex took the lead when Paul Hackett beat Andre Knox 3-0 and with a further 3-0 result from John Scott over Nathan Storar the visitors guaranteed themselves of at least a draw with a 6-4 lead. The spoils were not going to be shared however as in the penultimate game Scott Robertson won 3-1 against Robert Trumper and rounding off the day’s play Shropshire produced their man of the match in the form of Arthur Smart. Smart took the first leg off Nick Ellis in 18 darts and although Ellis won the second the Shropshire man went on to win the tie 3-1 with further legs of 20 and 21 darts for an award winning average of 24.63 taking the result to 7-5 for Middlesex.

Sunday’s ladies ‘A’ team were not able to emulate their ‘B’ team’s performance as Jennette Collins gave Middlesex first blood when she won 3-2 against Kat McLean, McLean drawing level in the second and fourth legs.

Marie Riggs has been the shining light for the Shropshire ladies ‘A’ this season having previously won five of the eight lady of the match awards and once again she didn’t disappoint as she made it six consecutive awards when she beat Jenny Sallans 3-1 with a 17.41 average.

Michele Pritchard twice pegged Margaret Sutton back to level terms before losing the decider and going down 3-2 then with 3-1 wins from Lisa Brosnan and Tina Moran over respective opponents Julie Griffiths and Sophie Fawcett, Middlesex were home and dry with a 4-1 advantage.

Vickie Kiely took the final score to 5-1 for the visitors when she won 3-0 against Becky Harris.

The first half of the men’s ‘A’ game was something of a disaster as Allen Bond gave Middlesex the early lead with his 4-3 win over Clive Lucking after Lucking had won the first two legs, then came a string of three 4-2 wins for the away team as Joshua Burksfield, Tony Andrews and Andy Turnbull in turn defeated Brian Hickman, Eddie Austin and Kevin Harris.

John Cooper was Shropshire’s first winner when in the fifth game he handed out a straight 4-0 defeat to Brian Green before Steven Hyatt and Paul Holloway added another two 4-2 wins to the Middlesex tally when they accounted for Andi Chatter and Richard Parker.

Trailing 6-1 Derek Coulson provided a ray of hope for Shropshire as he claimed his third man of the match award for the campaign with a 4-2 win over Mark Tiller and his 23.48 average. Unfortunately Coulson’s win only managed to delay what had appeared to be the inevitable as Roy Peacock got the better of Matt Williams to put the visitors into an unassailable 7-2 lead with yet another 4-2 win.

Mick Seager took the score along to 8-2 when he beat Scott Meyrick 4-3 after Meyrick had gone 3-2 up. The final two games of the weekend produced Shropshire’s best run in the game as Danny James and Neville Quinton both chalked up 4-3 wins against respective opponents Terry Andrews and Ben Stevenson to put the final score at 8-4 to Middlesex and the overall result for the weekend at 22-14 again to Middlesex which leaves Shropshire finishing the season next to bottom of the table on 132 points, 31 more than bottom team Isle of Wight and 24 short of Pembrokeshire the team just above them.

Full Results:Division Four:Shropshire v Middlesex (14-22)🙁Shropshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Clive Lucking 3 Allen Bond 4, Brian Hickman 2 Joshua Burksfield 4, Eddie Austin 2 Tony Andrews 4, Kevin Harris 2 Andy Turnbull 4, John Cooper 4 Brian Green 0, Andi Chatter 2 Steven Hyatt 4, Richard Parker 2 Paul Holloway 4, Derek Coulson 4 Mark Tiller 2, Matt Williams 2 Roy Peacock 4, Scott Meyrick 3 Mick Seager 4, Danny James 4 Terry Andrews 3, Neville Quinton 4 Ben Stevenson 3, Men’s ‘B’:- Neil Powell 3 Tony Sedgwick 2, Peter Eley 3 Mark Haggerty 0, Dan Boot 1 Dickie Gregory 3, Trevor Smith 0 adam Finch 3, Sean Flynn 1 Chris Moore 3, Robert Harris 3 Gary Middleton 1, Simon Pritchard 0 John Power 3, Tim Eley 3 Crag De Almeida 2, Andre Knox 0 Paul Hackett 3, Nathan Storar 0 John Scott 3, Robert Trumper 1 Scott Robertson 3, Arthur Smart 3 Nick Ellis 1, Women’s ‘A’:- Kat McLean 2 Jennette Collins 3, Marie Riggs 3 Jenny Sallans 1, Michele Pritchard 2 Margaret Sutton 3, Julie Griffiths 1 Lisa Brosnan 3, Sophie Fawcett 1 Tina Moran 3, Becky Harris 0 Vickie Kiely 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Sue Lane 3 Sue Hinks 2, Sharon Harris 3 Marlene Pope 1, Kirsty Jenks 3 Sindy Stiles 2, Caron Minton 1 Dee Jules-Stock 3, Cal Jones 3 Coreen Loffler 2, Caroline Powell 1 Sue Hicks 3.

———————————

2017-06-01