Round one of the Bedworth Open Men’s Championship produced a fascinating draw that bought together the Fishermead Social Club, Milton Keynes and the reigning champions Chase Inn, Brownhills. With either team capable of taking this year’s title prospects were high for a top class encounter. The followers of the teams were not disappointed as they witnessed a tremendous battle for the result.
The first two players to the oche were Steve Sherrock (Fishermead) and Joe Biggs. Both players got off to a somewhat shaky start, Biggs not hitting a three figure score in the opening leg. Sherrock, meanwhile hit 100 and 105 which gave him the advantage and the first leg in 26 darts. Biggs had the darts advantage in the second leg but was unable to make it pay. His one and only top shot was in his third throw where he notched a maximum. Sherrock kicked off with 135 and later followed that with 137, together with some steady throws around the 60 mark Sherrock then went on to win the leg and the game in 20 darts to give first blood to the hosts.
The second game was the highlight of the night, for the home team, England captain, Martin Adams and for the visitors Ian Jones. Adams had first throw and scored 60-100-100-100 and 95 to leave 46. Jones was magnificent, down to double twelve in just twelve darts after scores of 60-100-180 and 137. Jones missed doubles twelve, six and three to leave three to work, Adams made sure his opponent would not have another chance as he wrapped up the leg with a 46 checkout in 17 darts. Adams now stepped up a gear hitting 100-140-140 and 57 to put himself on a 64 finish, a finish which he executed to perfection with his next three darts for a 15 darts leg and a 2-0 win. Jones again had put on a brave show with scores of 100-100-60-100 to give him an overall average of 31.77, and he lost 2-0, Adams average 31.31.
Confidence was now riding high for the home team as Paul Warwick stepped up to play Dave Robbins. Warwick with a 41 outshot won the first leg after Robbins had failed on his doubles. That was not the case in the following leg, the Chase man checking out on 16 as Warwick had left double eighteen. 140 and 2×100, as opposed to 2×100 by Robbins, gave the Fishermead player the necessary lead to clinch the leg in 17 darts and the game 2-1 putting the home team in what appeared to be an unbeatable 3-0 lead, needing just one more win to secure an overall victory.
Dean Taylor looked all set to win the opening leg against Tom Aldridge when after fifteen darts he was throwing for 88, Aldridge after the same number of darts was back on 161. Taylor missed his finish and also failed on two further visits to the board. Aldridge had scores of 46 and 59 leaving 56, which with a sigh of relief he finished with his next two darts. The second leg was a similar affair, Taylor this time was down to 25 after fifteen darts, Aldridge required 80. The Milton Keynes man after another six darts was unable to secure the leg and again his opponent did the necessary to wrap up a 2-0 win and keep the Chase in the chase.
David Platt (Chase) found the big scores against Lee Rose but was unable to find his doubles and allowed Rose to win the leg in 24 darts with a 55 finish. The next leg was the complete reverse, Rose with 180-199 and 136 left 25 after only a dozen darts, a further nine darts and he still required double two. Platt, who also by this time had thrown for a double won the leg with a 19 game shot. Both players started the decider with a 100 but it was Platt who hit another couple of tons and was first to a finish. Finish was exactly what he did, an 81 checkout reducing the arrears to 3-2.
In the penultimate game it was the Fishermead player John McConnell who forged ahead of Avtar Singh. Singh levelled the game in 18 darts with an 81 finish to set up another deciding leg. Strangely neither player hit a three figure score in the last leg, McConnell recording no fewer than six shots of 41. With the higher score rate Singh won the tie 2-1 with a 40 finish to bring the running score to three each after the Chase at 3-0 down looked dead and buried.
After six pulsating games the result now hinged on the very last game of the fixture between Tony Moore (Fishermead) and Paul Johnson. Of the two Moore had the two highest scores of the first leg, nevertheless it was Johnson who took the leg in 24 darts. Moore won the following leg after Johnson had muffed his chance of a 2-0
win, thus taking the match to the last possible leg of the encounter. Johnson won the bull for first throw advantage. Despite hitting 83 he soon found himself trailing to scores of 60-100-140 and 100 from Moore and it was Moore who was to throw for 60 to win his game and the match. He hit single twenty, single twenty and by the width of the wire missed double ten giving Johnson a throw at 90. Johnson found treble eighteen with his first dart, missed double eighteen but made no mistake with double nine for a 2-1 win and an overall 4-3 victory for the Chase. They don’t come any closer than that!!
Other highlights from the round saw last seasons runners up the Six in Hand from Gwent lose 5-2 to the Rodbourne Cheney (Wiltshire). The Locomotive ‘A’ from Wisbech recorded a similar victory over the Granville Arms, Nottinghamshire. Erwood Inn (Powys), winners of the competition three years ago progressed to the next round as a result of their away win over the Prince of Wales. There was also success for Bristol teams Royal Archer and Three Crowns who in turn defeated Greaves Social Club, Leamington Spa 6-1 and Wyke Smuggler, Weymouth 4-3.
The Air Balloon Tavern, Bristol, reigning ladies champions won their tie at the Royal Victoria Hotel ‘B’, Weymouth by 6-1. Joining Air Balloon in the next round will be the Bakers Arms from Swindon who beat a very strong Six in Hand team from Gwent 4-3. Bakers Arms also have no less than three teams through in the men’s competition.
Round two of the men’s knockout has paired Rodbourne Cheney with reigning champions Chase, it should be quite a battle.
Full draw for round two: Men: FIXTURES TO BE PLAYED ON OR BEFORE SATURDAY OCTOBER 16:- Walnut Tree (Leamington Spa) v Stockingford Sports Club (Nuneaton), Highfield Social Club ‘B’ (Blackpool) v Halesowen RBL (West Midlands), Royal Archer (Bristol) v Erwood Inn (Powys), White Lion (Fewcott) v Nags Head ‘A’ (Peterborough), Liberal Club ‘A’ (Skegness) v Queens Head (West Midlands), Royal Victoria Hotel ‘A’ (Dorset) v Red Admiral ‘B’ (Birmingham), Barras Social Club ‘A’ (Coventry) v Fosters Arms ‘A’ (Salop), Stopsley WMC (Bedworth) v Stirchley United WMC (Birmingham), Nags Head ‘B’ (Peterborough) v Kibworth WMC ‘A’ (Leicester), Golden Lion ‘A’ (Devon) v Londonderry (West Midlands), Beauford Social Club (Cheltenham) v Park Inn (West Midlands), Post Office Social Club (Milton Keynes) v Five All’s (Cambridgeshire), Bakers Arms ‘B’ (Swindon) v Fosters Arms ‘B’ (Salop), Rodbourne Cheney Social Club (Swindon) v Chase Inn (Staffordshire), Duple Social Club ‘C’ (Blackpool) v Waggon and Horses (West Midlands), Three Horseshoes (Coventry) v White Horse (Walsall), Royal Victoria Hotel ‘B’ (Dorset) v Sun Inn (West Midlands), Hollybush Inn ‘B’ (Crewe) v Rockvilla Social Club (Merseyside), Duple Social Club ‘B’ (Blackpool) v Kingstanding Ex Service Club (Birmingham), Black Horse (Rugby) v Stag Inn (Coventry), Liberal Club ‘B’ (Skegness) v Hailstones ‘A’ (West Midlands), Wyke Smuggler ‘B’ (Weymouth) v Norfolk Arms (West Sussex), Samson and Lion (West Midlands) v Blackcountryman (West Midlands), Golden Lion ‘B’ (Devon) v Bakers Arms ‘A’ (Swindon), Three Crowns (Bristol) v Staffordshire Knot (West Midlands), Locomotive Inn ‘A’ (Wisbech) v Askern Hotel (Doncaster), Plough Inn ‘B’ (Essex) v Kings Cliffe Social Club (Peterborough), Blue Gates Hotel ‘B’ (Birmingham) v Sportsman Social Club (Cambridgeshire), Railway Inn ‘B’ (Cambridgeshire) v Locomotive Inn ‘B’ (Wisbech), Bakers Arms ‘C’(Swindon) v Paddys Bar (Weston Super Mare), Barras Social Club (Coventry) v Rowley Labour Club ‘B’ (West Midlands), Jenny Wren (Wiltshire) v Cosby WMC (Leicester), New Inn ‘B’ (Worcester) v Woodman Inn (West Midlands), West End WMC (Leicester) v Brunswick (West Midlands), Liberal Club (Skegness) v Plough Inn ‘A’ (Essex), Ladies: FIXTURES TO BE PLAYED ON OR BEFORE SATURDAY OCTOBER 30:- Air Balloon Tavern (Bristol) v Erwood Inn (Powys), Golden Lion ‘B’ (Devon) v Bakers Arms (Swindon), Angel Inn (Bicester) v White Horse (Coventry), Royal Victoria Hotel (Dorset) v Bull Inn (Exhall), Rugby Workers Club (Rugby) v Prince of Wales (West Midlands), New Inn (Storr-Worcester) v Fosters Arms (Salop), Liberal Club ‘B’ (Skegness) v Locomotive Inn (Wisbwch), Whitesmith Arms (Gloucester) v Biggleswade Liberal Club (Bedford), Norton Social Club (Worcester) v New Inn (Malvern-Worcester), Boston Shodfriars Social Club (Boston) v Liberal Club (Skegness) or Corby RBL (Northampton), Dove (Milton Keynes ) v Irish Centre (Birmingham).
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The Belgrave Sports and Social Club, Tamworth was the setting for the Midlands Area Finals of the BDO Champions Cup. In the first round of the men’s event Buckinghamshire went down 6-3 to Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire beat Bedfordshire 5-4 and Warwickshire with an 8-1 scoreline crushed Hertfordshire. West Midlands had a bye.
In the semi’s West Midlands beat Oxfordshire 6-3 and to set up a local final Warwickshire won 7-2 against Northamptonshire. Going into the next round will be Warwickshire (Coventry Howitzers) who finished as 7-2 winners.
West Midlands made an early exit in the preliminary round of the ladies knockout losing 4-3 to Buckinghamshire. Warwickshire quickly followed them as they lost in the next round, the last four, to Hertfordshire by the same margin. Bedfordshire beat Buckinghamshire by 5-2 to book their final place but then lost by the same score to winners Hertfordshire.
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I find it absolutely amazing that a number of Birmingham ladies have been banned from the Bromsgrove Ladies League. Joyce Webster, 73 years young, for numerous years has been a real ambassador for the sport, she is just one of the banned ladies. The silly reason that the Bromsgrove league has given for their decision is that they reckon the ladies are semi professionals. The league base this on the fact that the players all play in the Irish Centre Four a Side Ladies and the Birmingham Ladies Double Top Leagues, which are both sponsored by the Irish Centre, Digbeth. However it is the leagues that are sponsored not the individual ladies and personally I cannot understand how that can make the ladies semi professionals. The vast majority of leagues, mens and women’s have sponsors of some kind, does this mean that all players in those leagues are also semi professionals? I don’t think so!!!
Some of the ladies are also members of the Mercury Ladies Charity team. Funding the majority of the expense themselves they travel around the Midlands raising cash for the Give a Child Health Fund. The Sunday Mercury help towards the ladies travelling expenses, again this has also been criticised and classed as a payment for professionalism. Absolutely ridiculous!!!
Many would be darts players just cannot afford to play darts every night and as a result a lot of local leagues have folded due to lack of support. Surely players with the dedication and devotion that Joyce and her team-mates have should be appreciated and welcomed with open arms, not used as a tool to ban them from playing. But are we again looking at a minority of influencial people who are afraid of competition and concerned that it may not be their team that wins the league title? Possibly so!!!
I would be very interested to hear other people’s views on this subject. Perhaps they could even be printed in this column. I’m sorry but I truly believe that it is people with blinkered views, such as those in the Bromsgrove League, that are helping to bring our sport to its knees.
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Back in the July edition of Darts World I wrote an article about West Midlands Dot Harvey. In that article I asked the question ‘What does Dot do in her spare time?’ In addition to all the numerous tasks already mentioned, she goes to college each week, works from home in the family business with her husband Rod, writes about the West Midlands in a local paper and also she tells me does the odd bit of upholstery. So now I know!!
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I am pleased to say that my connection with Hollybush Aquatics at Shareshill, Nr Wolverhampton, one of the countries biggest and leading garden centres is continuing. Director Tim Porter has confirmed that after seven mutually beneficial years he is to carry on his sponsorship. Earlier in the year Tim announced that for the third consecutive season he would again sponsor the Hare and Hounds in the local Dudley Monday League and supplied the team with new playing shirts.
Every time I visit the Hollybush Centre, which is just off junction 11 of the M6, I just can’t help being amazed at the wide selection and variety of gardening and home products on offer. It is most certainly a place to visit and I personally can recommend the food, it well and truly comes up to the very high standard set by Hollybush.
Once again on behalf of the Hare and Hounds team and myself I would like to thank Tim and his company for helping to keep the sport of darts alive.
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In the second Selworthy Knockout proved to be yet another success with Paul Burnham taking the title with a very close win over Alan Blythe in the final. Paul defeated competition host Alan Mayell in his semi, while Alan accounted for Graham Stych.
A big thank you goes to Cath and Alan Mayell for not only staging the event but also for putting on a fabulous barbecue and quiz in the evening.
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The new champions of the Sheldon and District League’s Mrs F.Richman Trophy are E.B.A.H.A., who with a 4-3 result defeated Smiths Wood in the final staged at Lea Hall RBL. Losing semi finalists were Shard End Social, who lost 4-3 to the champions and Stechford Social, who by the same scoreline went out to Smiths Wood
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