Warwickshire County Darts star Jamie Hughes has put his home town Tipton on the map with a fantastic win in the inaugural Czech Darts Open at the PVA Expo in Prague which at the same time also saw him book his place in the Betfred World Matchplay.
Having won his first PDC Tour Card at only the second attempt Jamie reached the final of the £140,000 event and in Sunday’s last sixteen play-off kicked off with an opening 6-3 win over Ron Meulenkamp. In the quarter finals he had a close 6-5 result against Ian White before booking his final place with a more comfortable 7-3 success over Simon Whitlock.
From the other half of the draw it was winner of two ProTour events in 2014 and 2016 Stephen Bunting who emerged as the final hurdle for Hughes. Bunting had his close encounter in the last sixteen where he won 6-5 against Chris Dobey, he then had a little more relaxing 6-3 win against Daryl Gurney and with a 7-4 win over Keegan Brown booked his final encounter against Hughes.
With both of the final players making their debuts in a European Tour final it was Stephen Bunting who was first to settle down as he won the first leg against the darts and then went on to open up a 3-1 lead. However those three wins in the first four legs were to be the only wins that the world number 18 was going to achieve as Jamie Hughes struck a rich vein of form and rattled off the next seven legs without any sort of reply from his opponent to clinch his first senior title and claim the top prize of £25,000.
Jamie Hughes
Statistic wise Jamie Hughes outgunned Stephen Bunting all the way as he notched three maximums while Bunting failed to find the three treble twenties, he hit nine 140’s to Bunting’s three, 26 tons or more to Bunting’s 14, had a highest checkout of 120 to 95 and an overall average of 94.36 compared to his opponents 80.01.
Results:Last Sixteen:- Keegan Brown 6 Danny Noppert 4, Mensur Suljovic 6 Ted Evetts 3, Stephen Bunting 6 Chris Dobey 5, Daryl Gurney 6 Jermaine Wattimena 1, Ian White 6 Andrew Gilding 1, Jamie Hughes 6 Ron Meulenkamp 3, Mervyn King 6 Corey Cadby 4, Simon Whitlock 6 Gerwyn Price 3, Quarter-Finals:- Keegan Brown 6 Mensur Suljovic 2, Stephen Bunting 6 Daryl Gurney 3, Jamie Hughes 6 Ian White 5, Simon Whitlock 6 Mervyn King 4, Semi-Finals:- Stephen Bunting 7 Keegan Brown 4, Jamie Hughes 7 Simon Whitlock 3, Final:- Stephen Bunting 3 Jamie Hughes 8.
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After some ten years of hosting the Warwickshire County Darts Organisation home games the Bishopsgate Club, Foleshill Road, Coventry closed on the 27th July.
The Warwickshire players and officials have said “We would like to place on record our major thanks to Steve Crowther as manager of the club over the past ten years who has worked tirelessly to ensure so many things are ready for us to use within Warwickshire Darts events including County and Super League. We must also thank Steve for his many contributions to all local leagues within the city of Coventry where he has housed the leagues and put forward funds to assist the leagues in giving the dart players of Coventry the best facilities possible. Also the many open competitions that have taken place over the years where without the contribution from Steve they would not have been the major success that they have become, the Coventry Open, the Coventry Christmas Opens and the Warwickshire Invitational Event. We also wish to thank all the bar and catering staff along these years who have also worked tirelessly to keep everyone watered and fed. We wish to place on record our best wishes to Steve, Liz and all the staff at the Bishopsgate”.
In view of the news of the closure the county Executive Committee have had to move swiftly to ensure a venue for the forthcoming BDO Inter County Championships season which gets back underway in September, Warwickshire kicking off the season with a home tie against Yorkshire, and to that end the new home venue has been named as the Hen Lane and District Social Club and Institute, 6 Beacon Rd, Holbrooks, Coventry, CV6 4DS.
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The South Birmingham League has been very busy with their various knockout finals, no fewer than six of them. First the Roy Parry Cup in which division one champions C’s Top Guns beat divisional runners-up Coleshill Social 5-4. The Roy Parry Consolation Cup title went to division two champions C’s Hot Shots with a 7-2 result over The Dog.
Roy Parry Cup Winners C’s Top Guns
Roy Parry Consolation Cup Winners C’s Hot Shots
The final of the Jimmy Walker Cup produced an all division one clash between Banbury Arrows and The Gate with the former getting the close 5-4 verdict.
Jimmy Walker Cup Winners Banbury Arrows
Once again it was the C’s Top Guns who won the Knockout Cup, and yet again it was Coleshill Social who finished in second place losing 7-2.
Knockout Cup Winners C’s Top Guns.
The Divisional Cup finals saw C’s Top Guns make it the league title plus three cup wins when they beat, yes Coleshill Social once again, this time 6-3. The division two final was won by C’s Hot Shots who had a convincing 8-1 result over The Dog.
Division One Cup Winners C’s Top Guns.
Division Two Cup Winners C’s Hot Shots
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The Stourbridge and District Monday Night League staged their singles and doubles knockouts and taking the singles title after beating Mick Bayliss 2-0 in the semi’s and Brian Fitzgerald 3-2 in the final was Richard Bowen. Fitzgerals won his last four game against Keith Sprague 2-1.
In the doubles both of the semis finished with 2-0 scorelines, Robert Pierce and Sam Aitkens beating Steve Bills and Thomas Safe while Jeff Batham and Carl Penzer took out Phil Poulton and Mick Dangerfield. With the final extended to the best of five legs Pierce and Aitkens beat Batham and Penzer 3-0.
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The Stourbridge and District Wednesday Night League have completed their doubles knockout and winning the title with a 3-1 result over R,Pierce and J.Wrench were M.Flatman and J.Barrowman.
In the semi-finals Flatman and Barrowman won 2-0 against G.Moreton and M.Harper while Pierce and Wrench were taken to a decider by J.Pickett and C.Pickett.
The league have also played off the finals of their Singles Knockout and wrapping up the title with a final 3-1 win over Jamie Barrowman was Sam Aitkens. Both semi-finals finished with close 2-1 results Aitkens taking out Gav Moreton and Barrowman beating Matt Hadley.
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The Pip Club League are another league that has had cup fixtures on their agenda and in the division two singles knockout with a final win over Dave Aucote (Pip Club) was Mark Faulkner from the Globe, Wilnecote.
Losing semi-finalists were Dave Barker (Globe, Wilnecote) and Rosie O’Connr (Wigginton Arms).
The finals of the Divisional Belgrave Cup knockouts produced a win for odds on league winners Bombay Bob’s Boys who defeated Belgrave Club in the division one final.
The division two knockout was won by Globe, Wilnecote after beating Progressive Club in the final.
In the Belgrave Shadow Cup Birchmoor Club beat Old Liberal House to win the division one trophy while Wigginton Arms took the division two crown with a final win over Dolphin.
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The West Midlands Men’s Super League have got their new season underway and from last season’s eighteen finishers seven teams have dropped out Allen’s Sports Bar ‘D’, Cradley Sports and Social, Crown, Hill and Cakemore, King Arthur, Landywood and Victoria but there are five new teams Bell, ECC Club, Griffin, a second Horse and Jockey team and a second Yeltz Bar team to take the starting line-up to sixteen.
Beginning the new season where they left off are reigning champions Allen’s Sports Bar ‘A’ who with 33 wins from 34 games last season began with a 4-1 win over Staffordshire Knot thanks to wins from Dan Nicholls, Scott Baker, Nick Fullwell and Alfie Jacques.
Game number two saw Allen’s ‘A’ go one better winning 5-0 against Gunners Club thanks to Nick Fullwell, Scott Baker, Alfie Jacques, Adam Edgar and Dan Nicholls
The two wins have put Allen’s Sports Bar ‘A’ top of the table with 13 points, however they only lead on average as both Bridgtown Social and Woodside Inn are on the same thirteen points and last season’s runners-up Yelta Bar (this season Yeltz Bar ‘A’) are fourth and only one point behind the top three after their 4-1 wins over Cabin and Staffordshire Knot.
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