1999-08-01

This year’s Midland Counties Invitational Open was staged at the idyllic Bridley Moor and Batchley Social Club, Redditch. Class players, men and women, from the surrounding counties turned out chasing the top prizes of £500 and £200 respectively.
Making the last four in the men’s competition were Mark Frost (Staffordshire) who had taken out C.Murphy (Leicestershire) 3-2, Mick Hill (Worcestershire) 3-0, Steve Penwright (West Midlands) 3-2 and Mark Wilson (Nottinghamshire) 3-2 to reach the semi’s. Mark’s opponent in the first of the semi finals was Nottinghamshire’s Tony Pegg. Pegg made his way to the final stages at the expense of Carl Pitches (Leicestershire) 3-0, Dave Walker (Nottinghamshire) 3-2, Stuart Lilley (Leicestershire) 3-2 and Wayne Jones (West Midlands) 3-1.
The best of seven legs semi final got off to a rather slow start. Frost won the opening two games in 27 and 24 darts before both players began to settle down. Pegg then fought back, checking out on double four, leaving his counterpart nursing double eighteen. The match was levelled in the fourth leg when Pegg, in seventeen darts won the encounter, Frost way back on 138. Then for the first time in the match Pegg took the lead. A double ten outshot put him 3-2 up, Frost again unable to reach a finishing double.
After a great recovery Pegg then slipped again. Despite seven visits to the oche he still required 166. Frost meanwhile had worked his way down to double twenty. He made no mistake, levelling the game and forcing a decider.
Tony Pegg had first throw advantage in the seventh leg. After four visits to the board he required 173, Mark Frost was right there with him on 192. Pegg hit 99 to leave 74, Frost applied the pressure by scoring 156 leaving double eighteen. Pegg failed to check out, Frost took full advantage and booked his place in the final.
From the other half of the draw Tom Aldridge (West Midlands) and Kev Tomlinson (Nottinghamshire) emerged. Aldridge had a close 3-2 win in the preliminary round against P.Harvey (Nottinghamshire), but then had a relatively smooth passage to the quarter finals winning 3-1 against L.Saville (Leicestershire), Rob Hemming (Worcestershire) and Neill Birkin (Nottinghamshire). In the last eight Worcestershire’s Mick Marshall provided the opposition. Although the match went to the deciding fifth leg it was Aldridge who won through.
Kev Tomlinson began his challenge with a 3-1 success over M.Bayliss (Worcestershire) and followed that with two 3-2 wins against Ricky Sudale (Leicestershire) and Colin (Zippy) Davies (West Midlands). Drew Smith (Leicestershire) and Paul Brookes (Worcestershire) were 3-1 victims for Tomlinson as he guaranteed himself a place in the last four.
Both players got off to a good start. Tomlinson had first throw and after only fifteen darts was down to 74. Aldridge however with scores of 60-100-95 and 140 was throwing for a 106 finish on his fifth visit to the board and finish was exactly what he did to go 1-0 up. The second leg was another close affair, Tomlinson had top shots of 140 and 2×100, once more leaving a two darts finish, this time 81, after fifteen darts. However, as in the previous leg, Aldridge did not allow his rival a further throw. Two 140’s and a 74 outshot saw Aldridge go two up in seventeen darts. At 2-0 down Tomlinson responded in fine style. He kicked off the third leg with 140-140-100 and with a further 23 then won the leg on double twelve for a sixteen darts game, Aldridge without a throw at 78. The Nottinghamshire man then really turned up the heat hitting 180-140 and 140, missed his finish on 41 but made sure of the leg on double sixteen for a tremendous thirteen darts leg and the equaliser and that was after Aldridge had also hit a maximum with his first throw.
The penultimate leg could have swung either way. Aldridge throwing first missed his chance of taking the leg off a 102 finish, giving Tomlinson another throw at 20 which he accepted with open arms to go 3-2 up. Tom Aldridge should have or at least could have won the decider. After scoring 137 off 157 he then had another set of darts at 20 but again failed allowing Kev Tomlinson to step in with a 74 game shot in 18 darts plus more importantly a 4-2 victory.
The final, like the semi’s went the full seven legs distance. Mark Frost got the better start 180-122-97-62 and a double top finish in sixteen darts to go one up. Despite another maximum in the second leg Frost missed his finish and Tomlinson with double ten claimed the leg in nineteen darts. From here on in the pattern was set, whoever had first throw advantage, won the leg. Frost won the third leg in 22 darts, both players hit 2×100 and 140 in the fourth with Kev Tomlinson winning it in 19 darts. Fifteen darts was all that Frost needed to regain the lead. He scored 100-100-123-100 plus a game shot of 78. True to form the Nottinghamshire player drew level, this time in 17 darts to push the match to the seventh leg and bitter end. Tomlinson’s only three figure score was a maximum in comparison to his opponent’s 4×100 which gave him the edge he required to have first shot at a double. Frost wrapped up the leg with a 41 outshot giving him, not only the leg but also, the match 4-3, the title and the £500 first prize.
The ladies tournament was played the best of five legs throughout. Worcestershire provided half of the line up for the semi finals in the shape of Janet Hill and Jackie Jenkins. Fortunately the two players came from separate groups in the draw and so were kept apart in the last four play off. Hill was first on against Leicestershire’s Louise Hathaway. With 3×100 Hill took the opening leg with her twenty fourth dart, Hathaway who had scored 2×100 and 135 had also missed doubles ten and five. She made amends in the second leg, which she won in 24 darts to draw level. Unfortunately for the Leicestershire player the following two legs were as the first, whereby she again missed her doubles and Hill took both to win the match 3-1.
Staffordshire’s Sarah Hall was Jackie Jenkins obstacle to the final, but as it turned out no too much of an obstacle. Sarah was guilty of missing her doubles in the first leg but that proved to be the only chance of winning she had. Jenkins after taking the first leg on 38 romped to a straight legs victory with further wins in 18 and 17 darts to set up an all Worcestershire final.
The darts advantage yet again proved to be decisive, with all of the legs going in favour of the first thrower. Jackie Jenkins took the lead three times before claiming the ladies crown. She went one up in 26 darts, Janet Hill cancelling out the lead in 25 darts. Jackie went ahead again, this time in 23 darts, Janet on this occasion taking a similar 23 arrows to keep in the hunt. In the fifth and final leg Hill left double twenty after 21 darts only to be denied the opportunity of checking out as her team mate decided the issue in 24 darts to win 3-2.
Results:Mens Preliminary Round:- N.Malkin Bye, T.Randell 1 V.Lloyd 3, D.Platt 2 D.Routledge 3, I.Warhurst 2 D.Homer 3, H.Tebble 3 P.Evans 1, Round One:- N.Malkin 1 V.Lloyd 3, D.Routledge 1 D.Homer 3, H.Tebble 2 M.Wilson 3, J.Ainsworth 3 B.Hadley 1, S.Brindley 1 M.Wellings 3, J.Thompson 2 S.Penwright 3, M.Frost 3 C.Murphy 2, N.Fullwell 2 M.Hill3, Round Two:- V.Lloyd 0 D.Homer 3, M.Wilson 3 J.Ainsworth 1, M.Wellings 1 S.Penwright 3, M.Frost 3 M.Hill 0, Round Three:- D.Homer 2 M.Wilson 3, S.Penwright 2 M.Frost 3, Group Two:Preliminary Round:- S.Cheadle 0 R.Hemming 3, N.Peach 0 S.Jones 3, P.Harvey 2 T.Aldridge 3, L.Saville 3 M.Tibbetts 2, G.Fenn 1 N.Birkin 3, Round One:- R.Hemming 1 S.Jones 3, T.Aldridge 3 L.Saville 1, N.Birkin 3 T.Carter 2, S.Roberts 3 T.Ward 1, B.Cox 3 M.Penlington 2, W.Lee 3 P.Spendlove 1, B.Yeomans 0 M.Marshall 3, A.Hammersley 2 E.Hancox 3, Round Two:- R.Hemming 1 T.Aldridge 3, N.Birkin 3 S.Roberts 0, B.Cox 2 W.Lee 3, M.Marshall 3 E.Hancox 2, Round Three:- T.Aldridge 3 N.Birkin 1, W.Lee 2 M.Marshall 3, Group Three:Preliminary Round:- F.Hill 3 T.Jenkins 0, R.Dudley 3 T.Mahony 1 A.Carrington 3 R.Bishop 1, L.Smith 3 G.Taylor 0, E.Leamar 0 K.Cotter 3, Round One:- F.Hill 1 R.Dudley 3, A.Carrington 3 L.Smith 2, K.Cotter 1 W.Jones 3, F.Johnson 0 I.Jones 3, T.Pegg 3 C.Pitches 0, D.Preece 1 D.Walker 3, D.Emery 1 S.Lilley 3, D.King 3 C.Pitcher 1, Round Two:- R.Dudley 3 A.Carrington 1, W.Jones 3 I.Jones 2, T.Pegg 3 D.Walker 2, S.Lilley 3 D.King 1, Round Three:- R.Dudley 0 W.Jones 3, T.Pegg 3 S.Lilley 2, Group Four:Preliminary Round:- M.Bayliss 1 K.Tomlinson 3, J.Palmer 1 R.Sudale 3, C.Fowler 0 L.Capewell 3, C.Cooper 2 C.Davies 3, W.Levars 3 I.Humphries 2, F.Boddy 2 J.Beardsmore 3, Round One:- K.Tomlinson 3 R.Sudale 2, L.Capewell 2 C.Davies 3, W.Levars 3 J.Beardsmore 1, C.Hill 1 D.Smith 3, J.Platt 3 J.Routledge 1, P.Johnson 3 A.Cockayne 0, P.Brookes 3 G.Bennett 1, D.Cox 1 A.Singh 3,Round
Two:- K.Tomlinson 3 C.Davies 2, W.Levars 1 D.Smith 3, J.Platt 3 P.Johnson 2, P.Brookes 3 A.Singh 0, Round Three:- K.Tomlinson 3 D.Smith 1, J.Platt 1 P.Brookes 3, Quarter Finals:- M.Wilson 2 M.Frost 3, W.Jones 1 T.Pegg 3, K.Tomlinson 3 P.Brookes 1, T.Aldridge 3 M.Marshall 2, Semi Finals:- M.Frost 4 T.Pegg 3, K.Tomlinson 4 T.Aldridge 2, Final:- M.Frost 4 K.Tomlinson 3. Ladies:Group One:Preliminary Round:- S.Dodd 3 G.Guest 0, M.McEntee 3 Z.Withnall 1, J.Clarke 0 L.Hathaway 3, H.Richards 3 I.Carr 2, B.Murdoch 1 L.Farlam 3, M.Latham 3 D.Fenn 0, M.Osland 1 Z.Edmond 3, B.Sinnett 1 S.Rose 3, V.Byrne 1 J.Johnson 3, Round One:- S.Dodd 3 M.McEntee 0, L.Hathaway 3 H.Richards 1, L.Farlam 1 M.Latham 3, Z.Edmond 0 S.Rose 3, J.Johnson 1 M.Ireson 3, S.Jones 0 J.Hill 3, D.Bell 2 S.Sellars 3, J.Robinson 3 C.Jones 2, Round Two:- S.Dodd 1 L.Hathaway 3, M.Latham 1 S.Rose 3, M.Ireson 1 J.Hill 3, S.Sellars 0 J.Robinson 3, Group Two:Preliminary Round:- L.Aspinall 3 T.Roberts 2, M.Bell 0 S.Hall 3, C.Bywaters 3 H.Tipple 0, K.Leese 3 R.Hoyland 2, B.Buxton 0 G.Fullthorpe 3, J.Felton 3 D.Buckley 1, B.Smith 3 M.Blinco 0, M.Davies 1 D.Tolley 3, J.Jenkins 3 D.Holdcroft 2, B.Powell 3 J.Johnson 1, Round One:- L.Aspinall 0 S.Hall 3, C.Bywaters 0 K.Leese 3, G.Fullthorpe 3 J.Felton 2, B.Smith 3 D.Tolley 0, J.Jenkins 3 B.Powell 1, K.Botham 3 T.Bishop 2, J.Bell 3 K.Staton 1, A.Potter 3 B.Smallwood 0, Round Two:- S.Hall 3 K.Leese 1, G.Fullthorpe 0 B.Smith 3, J.Jenkins 3 K.Botham 2, J.Bell 0 A.Potter 3, Quarter Final:- L.Hathaway 3 S.Rose 2, J.Hill 3 J.Robinson 0, S.Hall 3 B.Smith 1, J.Jenkins 3 A.Potter 0, Semi Finals:- L.Hathaway 1 J.Hill 3, S.Hall 0 J.Jenkins 3, Final:- J.Hill 2 J.Jenkins 3.
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On the local league scene its congratulations to the Three Horseshoes who with a 3-2 result defeated E.B.A.H.A. in the final of the Denis Houlders Trophy in the Sheldon and District League. Horseshoes had won 5-0 in the semi’s against Great Western and with a close 3-2 verdict Shard End Social lost out to the runners up.
Both K.Moloney (E.B.A.H.A) and J.Sabell (Shard End) had 160 breaks in the semi finals. Horseshoes Craig Hall was named player of the final.
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In the Harborne and District Winter League Midland Red with a close 5-4 success over the Bell Inn lifted the Wadsworth Cup. M.James (Bell) taking the man of the final accolade with his nine darts game. The Wadsworth Consolation Cup was won by Red Lion again a 5-4 result. The Brook were the unlucky runners up.