Derbyshire v Tyne and Wear
As their season in division three of the BDO Inter County Championships reached the midway point, Derbyshire with four defeats in as many games were uncomfortably rooted at the foot of the table and their fifth game, a home tie with Tyne and Wear, the team just above them in the table with an eleven points advantage was one they just had to win if they were to have any chance of pulling away from their bottom spot.
The weekend began well as the ladies ‘B’ got their match underway with an opening 3-1 win from Dee Fenn over Michelle Iley followed by a 3-2 success for Holly Wright against Pat Coulson. Flo Kippen reduced the arrears for Tyne and Wear with her 3-0 win over Kerri Buckley but from there on in it was all Derbyshire.
On at number four was Emily Jones who handed her opponent Debra Waugh a straight 3-0 defeat, Emily taking the match award for her 16.89 average and at the same time ensuring her team mates of at least a share of the spoils. However on this occasion a draw was never going to be good enough as Sara-Jane Harrison took the score along to 4-1 with her 3-1 win over Marie Seago and with Terri Bellamy winning the final game against Toni Straughan 3-0 the result was a 5-1 win for Derbyshire ladies ‘B’ their best of the season so far.
Saturday then got even better as the men’s ‘B’ side emulated the ladies with wins in the opening two games, Andrew Gillott beating Jason Urwin 3-2 after Urwin had gone 1-0 and 2-1 up and Adrian Asprey defeated Dean Kippen by the same 3-2 margin, again after the away player had won the first leg.
The visitors bounced back with a 3-1 win for John Rutter against Stephen Paling and a 3-2 win for Jordan Thoms over an unlucky Henry Coates who missed his doubles after going 2-0 up.
For a second time Derbyshire took the lead this time thanks to a 3-1 win from Ryan Hassell over Darren Patton. Hassell was followed by Benjamin Homes who won his encounter with Tommy Nicholson 3-1 recording three seventeen darts legs in his win giving him a match award average of 28.81
Taking Derbyshire’s lead to 5-2 was Robert Hawker who had a very tidy 3-0 win over Philly Dunn before the away side pulled one back through John Kippen jnr who had a 3-0 win over Paul Williams.
Two more 3-1 wins supplied by Nigel Daniels and Gary Barker against respective opponents Norman Purvis and John Kippen snr saw the hosts reach their necessary target of seven winners to clinch the win.
Moving the score along to 8-3 was Keith Cooper a 3-1 win against Dan Mock before the visitors added their fourth winner in the shape of Callum Stokell who won 3-0 against Daniel Ford to give Derbyshire an 8-4 win and an overall lead of 13-5.
Rebecca Hoyland opened up for the ladies ‘A’ and put them one up when she defeated Maureen Purvis 3-1. Jackie Sweet (Derbyshire) was taken to a deciding leg by Ann-Marie Urwin after winning the first leg but it was the Tyne and Wear player who got the 3-2 result to level the game.
Tyne and Wear fell behind again in the third when Derbyshire’s lady of the match Jennifer McCormick beat Caz Dorothy 3-2 with a 17.85 average.
Alas that was to be the ‘A’ team’s final winner as Jean Stanley levelled the match for the away side with her 3-1 win over Rachel Ayres then Tracey Curry (Tyne and Wear) gave her team the lead for the first time in the penultimate game when she won 3-0 against Lauren Jackson and taking the result to 4-2 for Tyne and Wear was Laura Patton who won her tie with Louise Rawson 3-2.
The men’s ‘A’ team were looking for their first win since April 2016 when they won 8-4 away to Surrey and like their ‘B’ side were quick to take a 2-0 lead. First on was Nigel Daniels who got the better of Dean Kippen with a 4-3 verdict. Adding to the lead was Rob Smith, who handed out a 4-0 drubbing to Peter Kenny. The third game went to the away team when their David White won 4-1 in his tie with Ian Clarke but it was down to business once more for Derbyshire as Sean Lambert won 4-2 against Chris Vaughan and Lee Stanley after going one up against William Robson then found himself trailing 3-1. Nevertheless Stanley kept his nerve and fought back to seal a 4-3 win with three final legs of 18,17 and 20 darts for a very creditable 27.24 average.
Taking the advantage along to 4-2 at the halfway mark was Steven Soar who despite going 1-0 down to David Maitland went on to win 4-2.
As the second half got underway Tim Allcock (Derbyshire) opened leads of 2-0 and 3-1 over David Stokell but it was Stokell who got the 4-3 result. Nevertheless the hosts four games advantage was restored in the eighth when Gary Fenn beat Andy Chalmers 4-3 in what was a tough game foe Fenn as his opponent went 1-0 and 2-1 up and then took him to a decider after levelling in the sixth but with a tremendous 136 game shot in the seventh it was Fenn who came out the winner.
From 6-2 down Tyne and Wear roared back to 6-5, their best run of the match and all started by a 4-1 win from Geoffrey Murray when he beat Richard Hanson. Murray was followed by Paul Williams who added his 4-2 success against Tim Daniels. Taking the match to the final game was David Hatch who won 4-1 against Andrew Baker.
Anchor man for Derbyshire was Paul Baker and for Tyne and Wear Lee Rump. Baker went two up with his opponent failing to reach a double in either leg. Rump won the third but missed his doubles in the fourth allowing Baker to check out on 18. With 140 and 125 Rump left himself on 72 after twelve darts, meanwhile Baker was throwing for 124 which he promptly put to bed for a fifteen darts leg, a 4-1 win and a 7-5 much needed win for his team mates but more importantly an overall 22-14 win for Derbyshire. Could this possibly be the turning point? Let’s hope so!!
Full Results:Tyne and Wear v Derbyshire (22-14)🙁Tyne and Wear names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Nigel Daniels 4 Dean Kippen 3, Rob Smith 4 Peter Kenny 0, Ian Clarke 1 David White 4, Sean Lambert 4 Chris Vaughan 2, Lee Stanley 4 William Robson 3, Steven Soar 4 David Maitland 2, Ian Allcock 3 David Stokell 4, Gary Fenn 4 Andy Chalmers 3, Richard Hanson1 Geoffrey Murray 4, Tim Daniels 2 Paul Williams 4, Andrew Baker 1 David Hatch 4, Paul Baker 4 Lee Rump 1, Men’s ‘B’Andrew Gillott 3 Jason Urwin 2, Adrian Asprey 3 Dean Kippen 2, Stephen Paling 1 John Rutter 3, Henry Coates 2 Jordan Thoms 3, Ryan Hassell 3 Darren Patton 1, Benjamin Holmes 3 Tommy Nicholson 1, Robert Hawker 3 Philly Dunn 0, Paul Williams 0 John Kippen jnr 3, Nigel Daniels 3 Norman Purvis 1, Gary Barker 3 John Kippen snr 1, Keith Cooper 3 Dan Mock 1, Daniel Ford 0 Callum Stokell 3, Women’s ‘A’:- Rebecca Hoyland 3 Maureen Purvis 1, Kackie Sweet 2 Ann-Marie Urwin 3, Jennifer McCormick 3 Caz Dorothy 2, Rachel Ayres 1 Jean Stanley 3, Lauren Jackson 0 Tracey Curry 3, Louise Rawson 2 Laura Patton 3, Women’s ‘B’:- Dee Fenn 3 Michelle Iley 1, Holly Wright 3 Pat Coulson 2, Kerri Buckley 0 Flo Kippen 3, Emily Jones 3 Debra Waugh 0, Sara-Jane Harrison 3 Marie Seago 1, Terri bellamy 3 Toni Straughan 0.
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