2021-12-03 – Alan Towe Darts

No change at the top of the UKDA Elite Premier Division with both of the top two teams winning 21-15 in fixture number four. Lancashire continue to lead the field with a total of 104 points after their home victory over Hampshire while their nearest rivals Warwickshire made the long trek to the south-west to take on Cornwall, their win keeping them within four points of the leaders and opening up a thirteen points advantage over third placed Yorkshire who won 20-16 playing away against London.

At the other end of the table Essex replace Northamptonshire in the bottom position despite earning an 18-18 draw at Cheshire and Northamptonshire losing their home tie with Devon 20-16.

In the AON Championship Division Staffordshire moved up two places to pole position following their 19-17 win over Cambridgeshire and after former leaders Sussex cancelled their game with Berkshire.

Dorset have replaced Gwent in second place after beating their hosts Oxfordshire 22-14, Gwent losing 20-16 at Kent sees them drop to third in the table. Staffordshire have amassed 91 points while Dorset and Gwent are both on 88 points.

Cleveland hold on to the number one spot in the L-Style Division One table, their convincing 24-12 win over Somerset extending their lead over second placed Gwynedd to a huge 23 points.

Third and fourth placed Worcestershire and Suffolk are both on 81 points, Worcestershire moving up one place after their close 19-17 home win over Merseyside, Suffolk meanwhile had a 21-15 win at home over Clwyd.

Surrey remain rooted at the foot of the table after they went down 20-16 at Derbyshire, Clwyd with 64 points are above them just two points better off.

County Durham continue to lead the Top Gun Promotions Division Two table, their win at Norfolk taking their points tally to 93. Bedfordshire climbed four places up the table to take over the number two position seven points behind the leaders after they chalked up a massive 29-7 home win over Montgomery and Radnor. West of England who formerly held the second place drop to fourth after going down 20-16 at home to Wiltshire.

Black Country have had a superb start to their inaugural season in county darts making it four straight wins with a 23-13 win at Wirral. The win keeps them top of the Darts for Windows Division Three table but they have had their lead reduced from five to four points after their nearest rivals Gloucestershire won their home game with Pembrokeshire 24-12.

Isle of Wight with 32 points are nine adrift of next to bottom Pembrokeshire after they lost 21-15 away to Shropshire.

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I would like to thank all contributors and readers of my various columns for all of their support throughout what has been yet another difficult year and wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year may the New Year bring you everything you hope for.

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Following their memorable 20-16 away win over the mighty Yorkshire, Warwickshire continued their fine start to the new UKDA Elite Premier Division season with another superb performance in their first home game against Essex.

Getting the weekend off to a fantastic start was the ladies ‘B’ who were in top form and setting the standard in the very first game was lady of the match Chloe McKivett. Playing against Leanne Peetoom Chloe was made to fight all the way as she trailed 1-0 and 2-1 but with two 24 darts legs in the fourth and fifth she wrapped up her 3-2 victory with a 20.61 average. Marian Conway and Denise Keyte had respective 3-1 wins against Kerry Rudd and Tracey Newman to guarantee at the worst a share of the spoils. However sharing the points was never on the agenda as Melanie Jones assured her team mates of a win when she beat Sharon Wakeling 3-2 in a game similar to Chloe McKivetts whereby Melanie trailed 1-0 and 2-1 and went on to clinch a 3-2 win.

Caroline Pike took the score along to 5-0 when she accounted for Ann Farmer with her 3-1 result and a whitewash was achieved in the final game when Wendy Adams beat namesake Wendy Collins. Warwickshire’s Wendy kicked off with a superb 117 game shot in the opening leg and although her counterpart cancelled out her lead on two occasions she went on to seal a 3-2 win and take the final score to 6-0 which together with their 5-1 success at Yorkshire is not a bad start to the new campaign.

Like their ladies team the men’s ‘B’ also added a second win in as many games as they began with three wins in the first three games. Matty Washbrooke got the proceedings underway going on to win 4-2 against Matt Garrett after Garrett had won the first leg. Doubling the home team’s advantage was Steve Giddings with another 4-2 win as once again he had to come from 1-0 down as his opponent Simon Monk won the opener. Taking the score along to 3-0 was Martin Tonks, and for a third successive game the home player trailed 1-0 but went on to win 4-2 as Tonks defeated Michael Pinnington.

Essex player Danny McIntyre was the man to stop the rot for the visitors as in the fourth game he chalked up their first stripe on the board when he won 4-3 against Wayne Mynard but he most certainly didn’t have it all is own way as Mynard, after being pegged back to 1-1 after winning the first leg then went 3-1 up but with winning legs of 21, 18 and 15 darts it was McIntyre who got the close 4-3 verdict.

By the halfway point Warwickshire had opened up a 5-1 lead as Dave Honey and Darren Swords in turn added their 4-3 wins over Adam Howard and John Costello. Strangely as in the home teams other winners Honey and Swords also had to come back from 1-0 down.

As the second half got underway the visitors added a second win to their tally as Darren Richardson beat Mark Carter 4-3. Jack Wareing guaranteed a draw in style as he handed out a straight 4-0 defeat to Wayne Gleed and with a further 4-1 win from Carl Green against Lennie Holmes the win was secured as the hosts were now 7-2 up.

Moving the score along nicely to 8-2 was Dave Hill, a 4-1 success against Tony Osborne before Essex gained a third winner in the shape of Bryan Margerison who despite leading 2-0 then fell behind 3-2 to Gareth Braham. Nevertheless Margerison fought back to win the last two legs and get the 4-3 result.

The very last game of the day produced Warwickshire’s man of the match in the form of Jamie Hughes. After going one up in 21 darts against Scott Lawrie Hughes added a 16 and then a 19 darts leg to his account and although he lost the fourth in 18 darts he wrapped up a 4-1 win in 17 to give him a 27.09 average.

Not a bad start to the weekend as after completing the ‘B’ games Warwickshire had a somewhat comfortable 15-3 lead.

The ladies ‘A’ team could not have wished for a better start as they romped to a 3-0 lead without conceding a single leg. Sue Gulliver with an average of 22.10 was first on beating Lynn Kelly in straight legs before Tammy Montgomery added her lady of the match win to the score. Tammy, playing against Stacey Ellis got better as the game went on as she followed up her opening 27 darts leg with a 22 darts leg and rounded off her win and her terrific 22.43 average with an 18 darts leg. Completing the hat trick of straight wins was Natalie Gilbert, once again a very creditable average of 20.31 in her win against Pauline Donat.

Victory was assured as early as the fourth game as Donna Pinch took the score along to 4-0 with her 3-1 success over Dawn Kennedy.

The final two games both finished with 3-0 scorelines and both going to Essex as their Donna Gleed and Karen Breen in turn won against Nina Bolt and Angela Jones.

So a 4-2 win for the ladies ‘A’, much needed relief after going down 5-1 at Yorkshire and hopefully the start of a winning run for them.

The men’s ‘A’ finished all square at six each in the Yorkshire fixture and once again that was going to be the result against Essex.

Tom Martin was involved in a nip and tuck game with Joe Russell as he went one up in 14 darts only to lose the second leg in 21 darts. He then opened up a 3-1 lead with further winning legs of 15 and 19 darts only to see Russell fight back again to level the score in 23 and 17 darts. The deciding leg could easily have gone either way but it was Tom Martin who won it in 19 darts and the game 4-3.

Phil Halls was the man that cancelled out Martin’s win as he won 4-2 against Ian Shaw and with a 4-3 win for Darren Peetoom against Kevin Dowling the away team had reversed the advantage and opened a 2-1 lead. Richie Howson increased that lead to 3-1 when he beat Ian McFarlane 4-2 after McFarlane had come from one down to lead 2-1.

Trailing 3-1 it was now down to the next two players, two Jamie’s, Jamie Atkins and Jamie Hughes to restore parity by the break. Atkins lost the first leg to Michael Hancocks but then went on to win 4-1 while Jamie Hughes was another 4-1 winner as he stormed to a 3-0 lead over Steve Haggerty in 11, 18 and 20 darts. Haggerty won the fourth in 17 only to see Hughes clinch his win in 14 darts to earn, for the second consecutive day the man of the match award, on this occasion for his superb 31.86 average.

Essex took the early lead as the second half got underway, Andrew Kateley winning 4-0 against Mark Strong.

Game number eight was a fiercely contested one as Brad Halls (Essex) with a 100 game shot went 1-0 up against Noel Grant and could have made it 2-0 but for finishing doubles but it was Grant who capitalised on this and levelled the game in 18 darts. Grant then went ahead in 17 with Halls levelling in the fourth in 21. For a second time Noel Grant took the lead, this time in 21 darts and for a second time Halls cancelled out his lead with a 13 darts leg to force a decider. With Halls requiring 118 Grant produced a tremendous 125 outshot to win the game 4-3 and level the game at four each.

Alan Collins took the first leg off Prakash Jiwa in 19 darts but Jiwa’s reply was four game winning legs in 24,17,19 and 16 to seal his 4-1 victory and give Warwickshire a 5-4 lead.

Essex then went within an ace of victory when Jamie Peetoom beat Steve Giddings 4-2 and in the penultimate encounter Paul March, with a similar 4-2 result accounted for Nigel Heydon. However the win for the away side was not to be as in a ding dong encounter between Steve Hine (Warwickshire) and Bryan Margerison it was Hine who got the 4-3 verdict, but it was not an easy win as Margerison levelled the score no fewer than three times before Steve Hine won the decider to give a 6-6 result.

A second fixture, a second win, on this occasion an overall 25-11 victory to see Warwickshire move up four places in the divisional table to second, just two points behind leaders Lancashire, a very promising start to the new campaign for the Bears.

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County newcomers Black Country are fast becoming favourites to take the UKDA National League Three title as in the follow up to beating Gloucestershire 22-14 at home in the opening game of the season they added a second win playing away against Shropshire.

Saturday’s games saw the advantage for the ladies ‘B’ sway one way then the other as Angie Carroll gave Black Country the early lead with her 3-1 win over Sophie Fawcett only to see Deana Sheldon and Jayne Downey reply for Shropshire by in turn winning 3-1 against Sophie Pinches and 3-0 against Sarah Tromans to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.

Parity was restored in the fourth when Shannon Hall (Black Country) won 3-0 against Kimberley Hewitt, but thanks to a lady of the match performance from Michele Pritchard (14.92) the home side went ahead once more with her 3-1 success over Stella Sims to see Shropshire move to within one more win for victory.

Anchor player for the home side was Kelly Haverson who won the first leg against Heather Wright. Heather levelled in style winning the second leg in just 17 darts, hitting 2×140’s in the process. The Black Country player then went ahead in the third with a 21 darts leg and wrapped up not only a 3-1 personal win in the fourth but also her team’s match award for her 20.71 average. The final score all square at three each.

Dave Bayton (Shropshire) was first on for the men’s ‘B’ side taking on James Hykin. Hykin with two 21 darts legs including a 130 finish in the second went into a 2-0 lead and although pegged back to 2-1 won the fourth in 18 darts for a 3-1 win. Doubling Black Country’s lead was Adam Edgar who like Hykin began with a 21 darts winning leg including a 108 outshot. Edgar’s opponent Mark Bayliss suffered on finishing doubles in the second and third legs, Edgar taking full advantage winning the legs in 24 and 22 darts for a straight 3-0 win.

Liam Kelly looked to be on the way to making it 3-0 for the visitors when he opened up leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Martin Riggs but the Shropshire man stuck to his task and with wins in the last two legs in 18 and 17 darts claimed the 3-2 result to give his team their first winner and for himself the match award for his 27.63 average.

The home team’s applause was short lived as Mark Rollinson and Lewis Law in turn handed out straight 3-0 defeats to Robert Pierce and John Simms to give their team a 4-1 advantage which was reduced to 4-2 by the midway point as Paul Bromley (Shropshire) closed the half with a 3-2 win over Tom Bissell.

The second session began with an award winning performance from Black Country’s Martin Price who was chased all the way for his 3-2 win by Andy Vellender. However with 21 darts wins in the first and third legs Price rounded off his win with a superb 12 darts leg with top scores of 180,121 and 140.

After going 1-0 up Dave Robbins then trailed 2-1 to Richard Bowen, but nevertheless he bounced back and in 22 and 19 darts won the last two legs and the game 3-2 to give Shropshire their third winner. Nathan Storar added to the win by Robbins beating Lewis Shaw 3-1 to reduce the arrears to a close 5-4 with just three to play.

Phil Clarke looked all set to square the tie when he kicked off with a 111 finish in 21 darts and then won the second leg in 20 darts against Matt Coleman. The win for Clarke was not to be as Coleman came fighting back to take the following three legs and win the game 3-2 giving Black Country an unbeatable 6-4 lead.

The away side got the vital seventh win in the penultimate encounter when Chris Hickman beat John Speed 3-0 and it then appeared as though they would add another win in the final game of the day as their Shane Sheridan opened up leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Rob Thompson but it turned out that it was Thompson who got the 3-2 result to give a final score of 7-5 to the Black Country.

Shropshire could not have had a better start to the ladies ‘A’ game as Marie Riggs fought back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to Doreen Hunt to go on and win 3-2 and in the process take the lady of the match award for her 16.70 average.

A 3-0 win for Grace Angell (Black Country) over Lynsie Evans cancelled out Marie’s win and with Steph Konya coming from 1-0 and 2-1 down to Becky Harris and going on to win 3-2, Black Country, from 1-0 down were now 2-1 up.

Taking the score along to 3-1 was the visitor’s lady of the match Tammy Chance. Playing against Clare Cunnington-Butler Tammy, after losing the third leg won the fourth for a 3-1 win which gave her an award winning average of 18.18.

Jenna Ball pulled one back for the home team as she won 3-0 against Lynne Reynolds, the final score then taken to 4-2 in Black Country’s favour when Chez Allcock won the last game against Kirsty Jenks 3-1.

Ben Johnson was in fine form for Shropshire as he opened up the ‘A’ team’s game with a 4-2 win over Rob Smith. Johnson having a 116 and 15 darts leg in the second, a 17 darts leg in the fourth and rounding off his win in 13 darts with a 28.30 average.

Martin Price, after winning the Black Country man of the match award in Saturday’s ‘B’ game was promoted to the ‘A’ for Sunday and did not disappoint as he won 4-0 against Reece Cooke-Lucas to level the score. Game three was another straight 4-0 win for the away team as an in form Paul Wells rattled off winning legs in 16,19,25 and 11 darts against Brian Hickman to earn him the match award for his 28.23 average.

Shane Price looked set to increase Black Country’s lead when with a 156 checkout in the first leg, he then went 2-0 and 3-1 up against Chris Fox, but it was Fox with wins in the final three legs taking 15,18 and 20 darts who got the 4-3 result to level the score at 2-2.

With a 4-0 win for Ben Hollowood over Sam Aitkens followed by a 4-2 success for Trevor Brennan against Chris Williams the visitors were 4-2 up at the halfway stage.

From leading 4-2 the Black Country team were pegged back to level terms as early as the second game of the second half as Connor Pickett won 4-2 against Mat Tedstone and Andy Jervis beat Gaz Johnston 4-1.

Despite a 131 finish in the third leg Andi Chatter went down 4-1 to Steve Jones to see the away team forge ahead once again but the lead lasted only to the very next game as Martin East beat Dan Nicholls. East, after winning the first leg in 17 darts fell 2-1 down as Nicholls replied with 18 and 15 darts legs. Two 16 darts legs saw Martin East take a 3-2 lead only to see his opponent force a decider when he won the sixth in 20 darts. A 100 finish in a 15 darts leg saw Shropshire’s Martin East claim not only the 4-3 result but also the man of the match award for his 28.96 average as he restored parity for a third time.

The penultimate game saw Shropshire take the lead for the first time since they won the opener, Richard Parker on the mark with a 4-2 win over Jamie Barrowman and with Parker’s team mate Justin Evans taking a 1-0 lead over Owen Maiden in the final game the hosts looked as though they could actually win the game. However it was Maiden that won the next three legs and although Evans pulled one back in the fifth a 15 darts leg in the sixth gave Owen Maiden the 4-2 win to salvage a share of the points for his team mates with the final score 6-6.

The overall result for the weekend was a 20-16 win for the Black Country to put them top of the divisional table with 48 points, but top only on average as Northumberland are on the same 48 points. Shropshire are in a mid-table fifth position with 33 points.

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Following their inaugural 19-17 win over local rivals Shropshire, Salopian embarked on their first ever away fixture in division three of the UKDA National League when they travelled north to take on Northumberland where they received a very warm North Eastern welcome.

Saturday’s games saw the ladies ‘B’ field the same team as in their previous encounter and unfortunately suffered a similar 5-1 defeat. Jan Wanless got the ball rolling for the home team with a straight 3-0 victory over Tammy Walmsley, the hosts lead doubled when Mary Pattison added her 3-1 success over Rachael Mooney to their tally and by the third game Northumberland were assured of a share of the points as Marie Silk beat Cheryl Owen 3-0.

It was game number four before Salopian got their first winner, and as it turned out it was to be their only stripe on the board as Lisa Wills handed out a straight 3-0 defeat to Debbie Waugh and being the sole winner Lisa took the match award for her 15.03 average.

Sara Higgins beat Helen Walmsley 3-1 in the fifth and although Salopian’s Julie Pugh went 1-0 up against Gemma Slipper, it was the home player who got the 3-2 verdict in the last game to give a final score of 5-1 to Northumberland.

The men’s ‘B’ were hoping to add to their previous 7-5 victory and were given the ideal start as Joe Higgins won 3-2 against Paul Keogh. The following two games both finished with 3-1 scorelines both going to the hosts as Kev McGarry won against Glyn Thomas and Gary Broadhead beat James Carter.

Parity was restored in the fourth when Andy Mullinder came from one down against Reece Aitman to win 3-1. It was a similar story for game five as James Mansell dropped the first leg to Dave Wallace and then with wins in the next three games won 3-1 to see Salopian take the lead once again.

At the halfway stage it was all square as Doug Thoburn (Northumberland) won 3-1 against Tony Middleton.

Northumberland went ahead for a second time in the game as the second half got underway, Liam Forster adding his 3-1 win over Mark Jones to their score before Danny Oman increased the lead to 5-3 when he accounted for Dave Bishop with a 3-0 result.

Andy Gilbert momentarily reduced the arrears as he, with a 3-1 result defeated David Wright, only to see Dan Hallowell win by the same margin against Dave Phillips to put the home team within an ace of victory with a 6-4 advantage.

The penultimate encounter produced Salopian’s man of the match as their Sacha Rothwell took on Gary Reed. Rothwell went one up in 21 darts but was pegged back to 1-1 when Reed won the second in 27 darts. A similar 27 darts leg for Rothwell saw him take the lead once again and with a 19 darts leg in the fourth wrapped up his 3-1 win with a 21.91 average.

Rothwell’s win kept the visitors hopes alive for a share of the spoils. Alas it was not to be a Mark Stephenson gave Northumberland the close 7-5 victory with his 3-1 win over Scott Towers.

The ladies ‘A’ began with a 3-1 win for Evonne Taylor over Casey Stephenson, but from 1-0 up Salopian found themselves 2-1 down as Ang Turnbull and Dawn Longstaff in turn won 3-0 against Sue Lane and Julie Griffiths.

Game number four was another straight 3-0 result, this time going to the away team as Steph Clarke defeated Linda Smith to level the score at 2-2.

Northumberland forged ahead once again in the fifth when Sara Gowens accounted for Allison Gallagher with a close 3-2 win after Gallagher had opened up leads of 1-0 and 2-1.

The result now hinged on the final game between Angela Best and Sarah Roberts. The game produced the fourth straight victory of the match as Salopian’s Sarah Roberts won 3-0 and in the process earned herself the lady of the match award for her 21.78 average.

A 4-1 win in the opening game of the men’s ‘A’ match for Jon Mansell over Simon Tate was added to by Ash Hilditch as he put Salopian 2-0 up when he beat Lee Harrison 4-1 after Harrison had gone one up. Hilditch was in fine form as he levelled the game in 24 darts and then in 18,17 and 12 darts romped to his 4-1 win and the team’s match award for a super 27.12 average.

The lead however didn’t last long as Phil Rickerby came back from 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 down to win 4-3 against Scott Dockerty, and following Rickerby was Micky Ord who was again taken the full distance but won the decider against Paul Rowley.

Salopian went ahead again in the fifth when Daniel Astbury beat Mick Stephenson 4-1 but at the midpoint of the match it was three each as Andy Parks (Northumberland) closed the half with a 4-2 win over Steve O’Callaghan.

For a third time it was the away side who took the lead as the second half opener Eddie Price beat Paul Bell 4-3 in a ding dong game which saw Price have his lead cancelled out no fewer than three times. The visitors looked as though they would extend their lead when Kacey Jones went 1-0 and 3-2 up against Steve Wanless, but with wins in the last two legs it was Wanless who got the 4-3 result to once again level the match.

Yet again in the ninth game the result went with the first throw advantage with the away side taking the lead, on this occasion it was Ben Bevan who gave his team mates the 5-4 advantage as he beat Dave Wilson 4-3. As had now happened so many times before Northumberland came bouncing back to level the game, Paul Richardson coming from two down against Paul Ashworth to win 4-2.

Amazingly for a fifth time in the game Salopian’s men’s ‘A’ team took the lead as Robert Paine, who had trailed 1-0 and 2-1 to Ian Dawson, went on to win 4-2 to leave the result hinging on the final encounter.

Anchor man for the hosts was Richard Gerry who opened up a 2-0 lead over Dan James and although James fought back to go 3-2 up it was Gerry who won the last two legs to win 4-3 and earn his team a 6-6 draw.

The overall result was a 21-15 win for Northumberland but it could easily have been much closer as Salopian put up a real fight for the points. Despite the defeat Salopian remain in the top half of the divisional table, placed fourth and only two points behind third in the league Gloucestershire.

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Derbyshire, as a follow-up to their 20-16 home win against neighbouring Nottinghamshire in their opening fixture in division one of the UKDA National League were hoping to add to that victory in their away game against Cleveland who had kicked off their season with a 24-12 win away to Merseyside.

It looked as though it would be a good start for the ladies ‘B’ as Katrina McAleney opened up a 2-0 lead over Sam Dixon but with wins in the next three legs it was Dixon who got the 3-2 result to put the host’s one up. Doubling Cleveland’s lead was Alison Wells when she beat Carol Western 3-1 and with the same scoreline Amy Thomas defeated Nicola Fletcher to put the home team within an ace of victory.

Ginny Whittaker (Cleveland) went one up against Sara-Jane Harrison only to see the Derbyshire player storm back and go on to win 3-1. Jenny McCormick was also a 3-1 winner for Derbyshire when she won against Melanie Holland to leave the onus on the last two players to decide if there would be a draw or win for Cleveland.

A 3-3 draw was how it turned out as Derbyshire produced their lady of the match in the final game in the shape of Sammie Marshall. Sammie went 1-0 up against Frances Elwick in 22 darts and with wins in the following two legs recorded a straight 3-0 win and took the match award for her 19.52 average.

The men’s ‘B’ began brightly as Mark Thompson, after trailing 2-0 to Peter Frewer roared to a 3-2 victory in 20,22 and 19 darts giving him at the end of the day an award winning average of 22.47.

From there on in it was one-way traffic, all in favour of Cleveland as Mick Evans, Rob Grundy and Collin Foxton in turn all won 3-1 against Mick Smith, Owen Thomas and Chris Grogan.

Allen Hurt (Derbyshire) looked as though he would put a halt to the home team’s charge as he opened up leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against John Watson. Alas it was not to be as Watson took the last two legs to seal a 3-2 win and put his team 4-1 up. Going into the halfway point Jordan Matthews added a 3-0 win over Alan Clegg to Cleveland’s tally to see them lead 5-1.

As the second session got underway it was the hosts who went further ahead as Tony Liddel beat Rob Stansbury 3-1, then making it a winning 7-1 lead was Ray Hutchinson who came from 2-0 down to Dan Ford to win 3-2.

Before Derbyshire were able to add their second winner Chris Bradley won 3-1 against Pete Hadfield to open up an 8-1 lead, game number ten seeing Ben Holmes win for the visitors when he accounted for Carl Small in three straight legs. However this was to be the away team’s only other winner as David Hunter won 3-2 against Will North and completing a 10-2 victory for Cleveland was Gary Hayes with his 3-1 success over Jay Witham to take the overall score for the day to 13-5 in Cleveland’s favour.

Sunday’s ladies game began with a straight 3-0 win for the home team as Zoe Holland defeated Rose Mort. Claire Stamper looked all set to double that advantage when she opened a 2-0 lead over Rachel Bird but it was Rachel Bird who got the final 3-2 result to level the game at one each.

Derbyshire went ahead in the third thanks to Rebecca Hoyland who won 3-1 against Mandy Stephens. However parity was restored for a second time in the fourth when Tonilee Bowstead beat Emily Jones 3-0 and then, again for a second time, the home team took the lead with a 3-1 win from Carla Boyes who had to come from one down against Rachel Ayres, to leave the result hinging on the final game.

Ann Marie Potts (Cleveland) won the opening leg of the last game but in 21, 25 and 21 darts it was Derbyshire’s Jackie Sweet who got the 3-1 verdict to not only give her team a share of the points but on a personal note the lady of the match award for her 21.11 average.

Derbyshire got the better start for the men’s ‘A’ game as Nigel Stanley opened up with a 4-1 win over Jonny Gardner, Ian Allcock making it 2-0 when he beat Craig Anderson 4-3 in a thrilling seven legs affair.

Gary Stephens got Cleveland’s first stripe on the board when in the third game he won 4-2 against Michael Ryall only to see the visitors restore their two games lead when their man of the match Lee Stanley defeated Sean Jowers. Stanley began with an 18 darts leg including a 119 game shot. He then made it 2-0 in 19 darts and with a 123 finish went three up. With scores of 140,140,100 and 98 he wrapped up his straight 4-0 win with a 23 outshot in what was his fastest leg of the tie, a 15 darts winner.

By the midway point Derbyshire had opened up a 4-2 lead, despite Kevin Naunton winning 4-1 against Paul Williams in the fifth Gary Fenn replied in the sixth with a straight 4-0 win over Cleveland’s Brian Henderson.

A win in the first leg and a leveller in the fourth by James Parkin was not enough to avoid a 4-2 loss at the hands of the home team’s Adam Atkinson as the second half got underway. Extending Derbyshire’s lead to 5-3 in the eighth was Matt Faulkner who despite losing the first, fourth and sixth legs to Paul Allen won 4-3.

Mark Busuttil pulled one back for the home side in the ninth when he won 4-1 against Sean Lambert after he had gone 1-0 down and with a similar 4-1 win for Barry Davies over Andy Houghton, for the first time since the game began the overall score was level.

Cameron Anderson (Cleveland) took the first leg off Henry Coates, however the young Derbyshire man hung on in there and went on to seal a 4-1 win with winning legs of 15,16,21 and 25 darts to guarantee the visitors a share of the spoils.

The final game of the weekend saw Cleveland take a 1-0 lead when Karl Coleman won the opening leg against Paul Redfern, then Redfern went 2-1 up in 20 and 14 darts. The game swung back in favour of the home team’s man of the match as he rounded off his 4-2 victory in 18,17 and 18 darts with a 26.99 average.

The final score for the men’s ‘A’ game 6-6, the overall result for the weekend 22-14 to Cleveland.

The win took Cleveland to the top of the division one promotion table with 52 points, Derbyshire residing in a fifth position with 37 points, 16 adrift of the victors but only six short of second in the table Suffolk.

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After a very disappointing 27-9 away defeat against Gwent in the AON Championship division opener, West Midlands recorded their first win of the campaign when in game number two they won their home tie with Humberside 21-15.

Three of the four teams chalked up wins with the ladies ‘A’ finishing all square at three each. The result sees the Midlanders move up two places from the foot of the table with a total of 33 points, 19 more than next to bottom Oxfordshire and 21 to the good on bottom placed Cambridgeshire.

With both of the men’s teams winning 7-5 the match awards went to, for the ‘A’ team Michael Baker (28.80) and for the ‘B’ Luke Griffiths (27.16). Jacqueline Maiden was the ladies ‘A’ top player with her 16.85 average while for the ‘B’ team it was Kelly Doleman (17.17) as they won 4-2.

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As the UKDA National League completed game three Warwickshire consolidate their number two spot in the Elite Premier Division by making it three wins in a row.

In their third fixture Warwickshire who were second from top had a home tie with Cheshire who were two places off the foot of the table. Saturday’s games went well for the hosts as the ladies ‘B’ began with a 3-0 win for Melanie Jones over Kerry Mundy. Adele Probin (Cheshire), with a 3-1 result against Denise Keyte levelled the score only to see the home team go ahead for a second time when lady of the match Marian Conway beat Liz Humphries 3-1 after the away player had won the first leg. With 40 outshots in the following three games Conway lifted the match award for her 18.09 average.

Chloe McKivett had a similar game to Marian Conway as she found herself trailing 1-0 to Sarah Goodwin then go on to win 3-1 to put a win beyond the reach of the away team.

Victory for the home side was assured in the penultimate encounter when Wendy Adams, despite trailing twice to Alex Foulds, won the tie 3-2.

The last game was a 3-0 result for Amy Evans over Caroline Pike to put the final score at 4-2 to Warwickshire making it three opening wins for the ladies ‘B’.

The men’s ‘B’ also made it a hat-trick of wins as they recorded a 7-5 result but they didn’t get the best of starts as their opener Luke Kennedy suffered a 4-2 defeat after leading Anthony Hall 2-0. Parity was restored in the very next game as Dave Hill came for one down to Jason Whitelegg and go on to win 4-1.

Game number three swayed one way then the other as the home player Matty Washbrooke took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Neil Gerrard before Gerrard went 3-2 up in the fifth. With 20 and 17 darts legs, Washbrooke went on to win 4-3. The next game was another one that went the full seven legs distance with Peter Boughey (Cheshire) winning the first leg then Wayne Mynard going 2-1 up. Boughey levelled in 16 darts only to see Mynard go within an ace of victory when he won the fifth. Keeping up the chase Boughey won the penultimate leg in 18 darts, however with a similar 18 darts leg Mynard claimed the 4-3 result.

Taking the hosts lead to 4-1 was man of the match Martin Tonks who in 18,14,15 and 19 darts beat Keith Croxford 4-2, Croxford winning the fourth and fifth in 19 and 21 darts. Tonks average, 28.01.

Going into the halfway point Cheshire reduced the arrears to 4-2 as Martin Kettle won 4-2 against Mark Carter after Carter had gone from 1-0 down to lead 2-1.

Dave Honey looked all set to restore Warwickshire’s four games lead when he went 3-0 up in 18,14 and 15 darts against Paul Goodwin, but with winning legs of 17,21,17 and 19 it was Goodwin who got the 4-3 result.

The game was squared at 4-4 in the eighth when Shaun Walshe added his 4-0 win over Carl Green to the visitors tally. Although Mike Warren (Cheshire) came from 1-0 and 3-1 to 3-2 down against Karl Reynolds he was unable to avoid a 4-2 defeat as Reynolds won the sixth leg to clinch his 4-2 win. Increasing the home teams lead to 6-4 was Jack Wareing who added a 4-1 success over Clive Lucking before Will Naylor sealed victory when he beat Colin Smith 4-3 in a close seven legs thriller.

The final score was taken to 7-5 for the hosts when Cheshire’s Darren Downey won 4-2 against his namesake Darren Swords in the last game of the day.

The ladies ‘A’ had a brilliant start when Natalie Gilbert opened up with her match award win over Bev Martin. Natalie romped to a straight 3-0 victory in 24,20 and 19 darts with her opponent unable to reach a finishing double in any of the legs. Natalie’s award winning average a superb 23.86.

The following two games followed the same pattern as Sue Gulliver and Tammy Montgomery in turn both won 3-1 against Heidi Williams and Ros Hemmings with both of the Warwickshire ladies winning the first leg, losing the second leg then both checking out on 110 in the third before winning in the fourth.

Cheshire got their first stripe on the board in the fourth when Andrea Hunt beat Nina Bolt 3-1 after Bolt had won the first.

Lyn Marsden (Cheshire) went one up against Angela Jones in the penultimate encounter but it was Jones who won the tie 3-1 to add the vital fourth win to the home side’s account.

Although Donna Pinch came from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 against Vicky Pruim in the final game it was Cheshire’s lady of the match Pruim who got the 3-2 result.

The overall 4-2 win for Warwickshire ladies ‘A’ made it two 4-2 wins for the ladies for the weekend.

With 6-6 draws in their first two fixtures the men’s ‘A’ team were looking for their first win and that’s exactly what they got as they emulated the ‘B’ team’s 7-5 victory.

Ryan Craddock gave Cheshire the early lead as in the opener he won 4-2 against Steve Hine. Noel Grant was quick to cancel out Craddock’s win as he beat Joe Rowland 4-1 in game number two. It was however the visitors who took the lead for a second time in the third when Shaun Wilkinson added his 4-1 result over Mark Strong to their score.

Games four and five saw Ian Shaw and Jamie Atkins in turn defeat Shaun Walshe and Steve Lomas. Shaw and Atkins both went one down, then 2-1 up, both of them saw their games levelled in the fourth and both went on to win 4-2.

Rounding off the first half Prakash Jiwa, who was taken to a deciding leg by Mal Barrow, won 4-3 to give the home side a somewhat comfortable 4-2 lead.

The advantage was reduced to 4-3 as the second half began, Tony Richardson adding Cheshire’s third win when he won 4-0 against Ian McFarlane.

Warwickshire’s two games buffer was restored with some first class finishing by Gareth Braham in the eighth when he beat Jeff Fisher 4-3. Fisher won the opener in 21 darts only to see Braham go 2-1 up in 17 and then 11 darts in which he hit two consecutive 180’s. Fisher made it 2-2 in 20 darts before Braham with a 120 game shot won the fifth. Once again the Cheshire man levelled, this time in 21 darts but with another three figure finish, this time 119, it was Braham who got the 4-3 result.

Reducing the deficit to 5-4 was Michael Haynes who after losing the first leg to Tom Martin won 4-1.

A draw at the worst was assured for Warwickshire in the tenth when Jamie Hughes accounted for Luke Littler with a 4-1 result. Hughes stormed into a 3-0 lead in 18,14 and 17 darts and although Littler won the fourth in 15 Jamie Hughes wrapped up his win with another 14 darts leg to give him the man of the match award for his tremendous 20.97 average.

The match win was not long awaited as Kevin Dowling beat Paul Philips 4-2 in game eleven and to end the weekend’s fixture it was Stuart Kellett who after losing 1-0 and 2-1 to Steve Giddings won 4-2 to give to Warwickshire a 7-5 win, the overall score for the weekend 22-14 to Warwickshire.

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Derbyshire’s third fixture in League One of the UKDA National League was an away tie with Merseyside, who prior to the fixture were two places and two points below them.

It was a weekend that saw the ladies come out on top with both teams winning 4-2. In Saturday’s game Derbyshire could not have wished for a better start or even a better player to open the proceedings than Jane Densley. Jane, winner of many, many Derbyshire match awards squared up to Viv Cullimore and in double quick time, in fact in 19,21 and 18 darts won 3-0, adding yet another award to her trophy cabinet for her tremendous 25.91 average.

Doubling the advantage for the visitors was Katrina McAleney who from 1-0 up went 2-1 down but finished the 3-1 winner against Tracy Morrison. Making sure of at least a share of the points was Sammie Marshall. Sammie recording a 3-1 win over Lynn Anderson before, and as early as the fourth game the match was won as Jenny McCormick added her 3-2 win over Janet Sorrell. However Jenny was made to fight all the way for her result as she won the first leg then added the second with a super 102 checkout, but she then fell down on the next two legs to level at 2-2, she then managed to recover and go on to win the decider, her game and ultimately the match as the score then stood at 4-0.

Although after taking a 2-0 lead against Emily Jones, Sandra Rule (Merseyside) was pegged back to level terms before winning the final leg after both players had thrown at a finishing double.

Taking the result to 4-2 and reducing the arrears for the hosts was Janet Hardman, an award winning game for her, beating Sara-Jane Harrison 3-0 with a 17.68 average.

Derbyshire’s ladies ‘A’ team were not able to emulate their ‘B’ side and win the first four games they did however win the opening three, Jackie Sweet kicking the game off with her 3-1 win over Julia Bain who had actually won the first leg. The second win was added in style as Jo Oldershaw handed out a 3-1 defeat to Laura Thompson, Jo with winning legs of 22,21 and 19 darts earned herself the match award for a super 23.66 average.

Completing the opening trio of wins was Rebecca Hoyland. Rebecca found herself trailing 2-0 to Claire New but she held her nerve and with wins in the following three legs ran out the 3-2 victor.

Emma Barlow (Merseyside) had her lead cancelled twice by Rachel Bird before going on to win 3-2 in a very close affair, the hosts then looked as though they would keep in the hunt for a share of the spoils when Sarah Kershaw opened up a 2-0 lead over Rachel Ayres, but it was not to be as Rachel had wins in the next three legs to give her the 3-2 result and at the same time give her team mates a match winning 4-1 lead.

The final ladies ‘A’ game went to Merseyside as Vicki Lloyd won 3-2 against Rose Mort, Rose winning the first and fourth legs.

The men’s ‘B’ were looking to bounce back from a heavy 10-2 defeat away to Cleveland in their previous game and it all began rather well as Michael Ryall won the opening game against Dan Nuttie in three straight legs and was then followed by Mick Smith who added his 3-1 success over Gary Welding to double the lead.

Unfortunately from 2-0 up the lead was then reversed and saw Merseyside open up a 3-2 advantage as Thomas Lockyer beat Jack Brooks 3-0, Jason Chisnall won 3-1 against Allen Hurt and making up the trio of wins was Danny Magee who defeated Alan Clegg 3-1.

It was level pegging by the break as Ben Holmes (Derbyshire) ended the half in style with a man of the match performance against Daniel Ennis. Ben won in straight legs, his 3-0 win consisting of 21,15 and 24 darts legs giving him a 25.05 average.

Derbyshire got the initiative as the second half kicked off Mark Thompson winning 3-0 against Kyle Crook, but by the same margin James Green beat Owen Thomas to level the score at 7-7.

The results for the following two games went with the first throw advantage as Will North gave Derbyshire the lead once again with his 3-2 win over Shawn Kemp and Paul Smith (Merseyside) cancelled out the lead with his 3-1 success against Dan Ford.

With just two to play the pressure was on the last four players and it was Merseyside’s Joseph Palfreyman who gave them a vital edge as he beat Pete Hadfield 3-1 to leave the result hinging on the final game. For the away team their anchor man was Andy Houghton who proved to be their saviour as he handed out a 3-0 whitewash to James Welding to earn a share of the 6-6 result.

The men’s ‘A’ team had won one and drawn one and were hoping to extend that unbeaten run, and it all began with great promise as opener Nigel Daniels won 4-1 against John Brammeld with winning legs of 26,16,14 and 22 darts which at the end of the day earned him the team’s match award for his 25.76 average.

James Parkin then moved the score nicely along to 2-0 when he won 4-3 against David Richards after Richards had gone 1-0 and 3-2 up. It then all went a little pear-shaped as Merseyside rattled off six consecutive wins. Michael Addison after losing the first and fourth legs to Matt Faulkner went on to win 4-2, Robbie Gorst trailed 3-0 to Paul Redfern but kept plugging away until he won 4-3, Steve Gow had a 4-2 win against Paul Williams and by the halfway stage the hosts were 4-2 up as Terry Roach added his 4-3 win over Sean Lambert.

The second carried on where the first had left off as Anthony Hitchmough beat Henry Coates 4-0 and Craig Winstanley won 4-2 against Gary Fenn to give the home team a 6-2 lead. That lead looked as though it would be increased even further as Kevin Lloyd took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Pete Burgoyne, however Burgoyne withstood the challenge and went on to seal a 4-3 victory.

It was all over by the tenth game as Andrew Rodger confirmed a Merseyside win when he beat Keith Lodge 4-1 giving the home side an unassailable 7-3 lead.

The final two games both went to the wire with Derbyshire’s Ian Allcock and Lee Stanley making the scoreline a little more respectable as they won 4-3 against respective opponents Dave Harnick and Kieran Stringer, the result a 7-5 win for Merseyside.

The overall score for the weekend was a draw which saw Derbyshire drop one place in the promotion table to sixth and Merseyside move up one place to seventh. Derbyshire are 21 points short of leaders Cleveland while Merseyside are 24 points off the top.

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Shropshire, with two defeats in their opening two fixtures in the Darts for Windows Division Three of the National League were hoping to chalk up their first win when in game three they played away against Breconshire.

The Ladies ‘B’ lost the opener when Sian Harris Beat Dianne Newton 3-0, however the hosts lead lasted only until the following game as Deana Sheldon won 3-1 against Lynne Layton and at the end of the day Deana received the match award for her 11.06 average.

From one each Breconshire stormed into a winning 4-1 lead with Sue Price beating Lisa Rea 3-0, Helen Thomas-Evans winning 3-1 against Kelly Haverson and Louisa Fox adding her 3-0 win over Kimberley Hewitt.

The final game saw Sophie Fawcett win 3-1 against Jayne Hossack to make the score a little more respectable at 4-2 in favour of the home team.

The men’s ‘B’ had the better start to their game as Rob Thompson started it all with his man of the match winning 3-1 victory over Joseph Salmon. Thompson won the first leg in 17 darts and although he lost the second he then went on to win in 18 and 26 darts to give him an award winning average of 24.24.

Brett Cooper doubled Shropshire’s lead when he accounted for John Brandon with a similar 3-1 success. However from 2-0 up the score went to 2-2 as Zak Griffiths beat Melvin Roberts 3-1 and Stuart Hossack with a similar result won against Nathan Storar.

The last two games of the first half went with the first throw advantage as Dave Robbins gave Shropshire a 3-2 lead with his 3-1 win over Geriant Goode and making all square at three each at the break was Steve Hales who beat Andi Chatter 3-0.

As did the first half, the second also began well for the away team as Brian Hickman won 3-2 against Jason Parnell and taking the score to 5-3 to Shropshire was Chris Hill with a 3-1 success against Darren Evans. Rob Price momentarily reduced the arrears for Breconshire when he won 3-0 against Jon Blakemore only to see the visitors then take the final three games for a sweet 8-4 victory, their first of the campaign. Chalking up the last three wins were Dave Bayton, Simon Mountford and Paul Bromley who in turn won 3-2 against Nathan Jenkins, 3-0 against John Gibson-Lapper and 3-2 against Chris Carey.

It all went a little pear-shaped for the ladies ‘A’ team as in all of the six games they only recorded one single winning leg.

Joy Toghill, Sharon Hill and Natalie Evans gave Breconshire a 3-0 lead without dropping a leg as they defeated Marie Riggs, Jayne Downey and Claire Cunnington-Butler.

Becky Harris won the second leg against Carol Bufton but lost 3-1 and Shropshire’s final two players Jenna Ball and Michele Pritchard in turn lost 3-0 to Kaye Hales and Chris Sheen to give the home team a clean sweep with a 6-0 victory

The men’s ‘A’, like their ‘B’ side won the opening two games and again like the ‘B’ had their man of the match in the opening game. Martin East was first on and although taken to a deciding leg by Mark Salmon won 4-3 with winning legs of 22,20,19 and 14 darts to give him a 24.14 award winning average.

Andy Jervis made it 2-0 when he beat Kevin Holvey with a straight 4-0 result and that was the margin by which Mark Layton reduced the deficit when he won against Justin Evans.

The two games buffer was restored for Shropshire in the fourth when Sam Aitkens came from 2-0 down against Wayne Glover to win 4-2.

Although Richard Parker (Shropshire) checked out on 129 in his first leg against Stuart Owens and then went 2-1 up in the third he finally lost 4-2, then with a 4-1 win for Andrew Kerry over Reece Cook-Lucas the score at the midway point was level at 3-3.

For the first time in the game Breconshire went ahead in the seventh as Richard Langlois beat Ben Johnson 4-1. Chris Williams (Shropshire) went one down against Ian Evans and although he then went 2-1 up was pegged back to level terms in the fourth, but with wins in the next two legs won the encounter 4-2.

The home side went ahead again in the ninth when Zak Turner handed Chris Fox a 4-0 defeat and although it was level pegging again in the tenth when Martin Riggs added his 4-2 win over Ralph Heaven-Richards, this was to be Shropshire’s final winner as Craig Lewis beat Andy Vellender 4-2 and Stephen Davidson won 4-0 against Dan Rickwood to give Breconshire men’s ‘A’ a 7-5 win and an overall victory of 21-15.

Despite three defeats in their first three games Shropshire, with a total of 48 points are in a respectable mid-table position.

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In division three county newcomers Black Country made it three wins in as many games when they added their 25-11 home win over Northumberland to keep them top of the division with 76 points and a lead of five over second in the division Gloucestershire.

Both of the men’s teams won 9-3 with match awards going to Reece Colley (33.40) for the ‘A’ and Liam Kelly (26.84 for the ‘B’.

The ladies ‘A’ had a 5-1 win with Steph Konya their top player with her 17.72 average while the ‘B’ team were the only losers as they went down 4-2 with Shannon Hall (17.58) taking their match award.

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In the same division three another newcomer to county darts Salopian recorded their second win in three games as they won their home tie with Wirral 20-16 to put them on 60 points and third in the table, eleven behind second placed Gloucestershire and 16 short of leaders Black Country.

The men’s ‘A’ finished all square at 6-6 with Daniel Astbury the man of the match with his 29.67 average. The men’s ‘B’ had great 8-4 win with Mark Jones (25.33) their top player.

It was honours shared for both the ladies teams as the ‘A’ and ‘B’ both ended in 3-3 draws. For the ‘A’ team Steph Clarke was lady of the match with a fine average of 20.04 while for the ‘B’ it was Julie Griffiths with a 14.88 average.

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In the AON Championship Division West Midlands after beating Humberside 21-15 they then lost by the same margin playing away to Dorset, their second defeat in three games leaving them just two places off the foot of the table.

The men’s ‘B’ side were the sole winners of the fixture as they won 7-5 with Richard Platt their top man with a 25.16 average. The men’s ‘A’ lost by the same 7-5 scoreline as Darren Williams (27-97) took their award.

There were respective 4-2 and 5-1 defeats for the ladies ‘A’ and ‘B’ and in turn the lady of the match awards went to Gemma Barrett (16.90) and Sophie Singh (16.37).

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I would like to add my congratulations to Neil Pritchard on completing 20 years as Chairman of Warwickshire County Darts Organisation, an absolutely fantastic feat.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Neil for all of the information and results he has furnished me with for this very column, not only for his beloved Warwickshire but also for other local counties when they haven’t sent me their results.

County Treasurer Linda Howe added this tribute to Neil in the recent Warwickshire home fixture programme against Essex.

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Congratulations to Andy Vellender who has become the very first player in the Stourbridge based Ashwood Premier League to record a perfect nine darts game of 501.

Playing against Danny Williams, Andy hit two consecutive 180’s and then checked out on 141 hitting treble twenty, treble nineteen and double twelve, a fantastic performance.

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At the other end of the table Essex replace Northamptonshire in the bottom position despite earning an 18-18 draw at Cheshire and Northamptonshire losing their home tie with Devon 20-16.

In the AON Championship Division Staffordshire moved up two places to pole position following their 19-17 win over Cambridgeshire and after former leaders Sussex cancelled their game with Berkshire.

Cleveland hold on to the number one spot in the L-Style Division One table, their convincing 24-12 win over Somerset extending their lead over second placed Gwynedd to a huge 23 points.

Surrey remain rooted at the foot of the table after they went down 20-16 at Derbyshire, Clwyd with 64 points are above them just two points better off.

Isle of Wight with 32 points are nine adrift of next to bottom Pembrokeshire after they lost 21-15 away to Shropshire.

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2021-12-03