2000-02-01

After two defeats and one draw in division two of the BDO Inter Counties Championships, West Midlands were desperate for a win and looking for something special to end the old millennium and that is exactly what they got. Playing at home at the Chubbs Sports and Social Club, Wolverhampton, West Midlands squared up to Buckinghamshire. The fixture did not get off to the best of starts when the ladies ‘A’, for the second consecutive match went down 5-1.
Resting at the foot of the table and still seeking their first win of the campaign, the ‘B’ side began their contest with Jean Denton losing 3-0 to Ann Wakefield. Brenda Phillips was another straight legs casualty when she took on Carole Parrin. Sue Smith was on at number three facing Jane Sobey. The Buckinghamshire player won the first leg after both members had failed on finishing doubles. Then, however, Sue fought back and went on to win the game 3-1 with a 15.38 average and reduce the arrears to 2-1.
Despite Sue’s win West Midlands failed to gain the necessary inspiration to build on her victory. Rose Sanders and Teresa Johnston both lost 3-0 in their encounters with counterparts Fiona Carmichael and Lesley Gibbs putting the visitors into an unassailable 4-1 lead.
Adding to the misery in the last game was Pam Hutson. Pam lost the opening leg to Penny Hooley, but bounced back to win 3-1 giving Buckinghamshire a convincing 5-1 victory, leaving the home side with an unenviable four straight defeats.
The men’s ‘B’ had not won since their curtain raiser against Cornwall back in September and they obviously were also keen to return to winning ways. They began in good form when Joe Biggs, despite being taken the full five legs distance by John McConnell, recorded a 3-2 win and with a 3-0 success for Frank Johnson over John Tucker the early signs were good. Game three saw the first upset. Martin Tibbetts was unable to overcome the challenge of Alby Carmichael, the latter dropping only the second leg as he roared to a 3-1 win. West Midlands two games buffer was restored again when Ron Johnson defeated Nigel Beaven after going ahead for the third time in the final leg.
The two games advantage did not last long as Kevin Hollyoak beat Steve Brindley 3-2 after Brindley had clawed his way back into the game from a 2-0 deficit. Mark Wellings put the halfway score at 4-2 in the hosts favour when he accounted for Matt Castle, Wellings taking the first two legs then clinching his win with a tremendous 143 game shot.
Steve Penwright was made to fight all the way for his 3-2 victory by Roy Prior, twice having to come from behind and could easily have lost the decided if his opponent had been sharper on his finishing. Nevertheless Penwright’s win gave West Midlands a 5-2 lead and a little breathing space. The following three games were almost identical. Adrian Hammersley, Bill Hadley and Jonathon Platt all won their first legs. Then, in turn Buckinghamshire’s Tony Moore, Les Charvill and Mark Leather each won the next three legs to give them 3-1 victories and bring the visiting team back to level terms at 5-5.
In the penultimate game Vic Lloyd, after giving his counterpart, Brendan Doherty a chance to win the opening leg, never looked back and raced to a 3-0 in in 14 and 18 darts which earned him the man of the match award with a 25.91 average. Vic’s win left the result hinging on the last game between Alan Bradburn (West Midlands) and Paul Minns. Kicking off with a maximum Minns, against the darts won the first leg in 16 darts. Bradburn replied in 19 darts, again against the throw. Maintaining the pattern Minns went in front once more, Bradburn having missed his opportunity to win the leg.
Leg number four saw the West Midlands man struggle again on doubles after he had built up a considerable lead with top shots of 100,140 and 119. Eventually however, he found the mark with a 16 game shot. The decider, from Bradburn’s point of view, was a cracker. He started with 45 then scored 140-60-60 and 180 to leave double eight which with his very next he put to bed to give him an invaluable 3-2 win and more importantly a 7-5 success for his team.
The ladies ‘A’ began Sundays clash superbly, Dianne Tolley, Dawn Holdcroft and Frances Allen all winning to give the Midlanders a 3-0 advantage. Tolley had a 3-1 win against Carole Parrin while Dawn Holdcroft (20.59) put on an award winning performance against Lesley Gibbs. With legs of 22-27 and 24 darts Holdcroft won 3-0 without her opponent reaching a finishing double. Unlike her team mates Frances Allen was made to fight for her win. Twice she fell behind to Annabelle Long and twice she squared the game. At two each Allen then sealed her victory with a 58 checkout leaving Long without a throw for double sixteen.
In a bid to keep her team in the game Dawn May with no fewer than nine scores of a ton or more defeated Janet Cox 3-1. Kate Drake (Buckinghamshire) looked set to claw back another game for the away team when she opened up a 2-0 lead against Angie Perry. But Angie stemmed the tide with a 17 darts leg and then won the fourth to set up a fifth and final leg. It was then that Angie’s luck deserted her. Although she made her way down to double twelve Kate denied her the opportunity to find it as she hit double four first dart for a 3-2 win and yet again leaving the result resting on the last game.
Jackie Hampshire (Buckinghamshire) won the final game 3-0 against an unlucky Gill Cook. In each of the three legs Gill was on a finishing double only to see Jackie shoot out on 4-16 and 40 to give a 3-3 result.
With the running total standing at 13-11 to Buckinghamshire, the men’s ‘A’ needed to win by at least 8-4 to clinch an overall win. A tall order maybe, but so far the ‘A’ side had followed up their first match draw with 7-5 and 9-3 wins, so an 8-4 win was not beyond the realms of possibility. David Platt rose hopes and spirits by getting the ball rolling with a man of the match performance against Paul Farnes. Farnes won the first in 18 darts, from there on in it was all Platt. He hit 2×140 and 100 to win the second in 14 darts, 2×100 plus 180 in his 17 darts third leg and wrapped up the issue with a 16 darts leg in which he hit 3×100 and 140, giving him a fabulous 31.68 average.
David Robbins pushed Dean Taylor all the way to the finishing line only to see Taylor win the tussle 3-1. Both Mick James and Ian Jones were in fine form to beat their respective opponents Phil Simpson and Graham McFarlane in three straight legs. Adrian Arnold was unable to build on the team’s 2-1 lead despite coming back from 2-0 adrift to Tony Moore. Moore failed on his first throw at a double but made no mistake when given a second chance and in the process reduced the arrears to 3-2.
Rounding off the first half Steve Parkes showed why his break from county darts, had been sorely missed by West Midlands when after winning the opener against Lee Rose in 17 darts he gained a 2-0 lead with a superb 11 darts leg, the fastest of the day. Parkes after TWO MAXIMUMS with his first two throws, was in line for a perfect nine darter. Unfortunately he failed, scoring a further 89. On his next visit to the board he did not fail, checking out on 52 for an electrifying leg of darts. Rose momentarily stopped the rot when in the third leg after scores of 140 and 180 he finished on 48. This, however, only delayed the inevitable as Parkes won the fourth leg and the match to give the home side a 4-2 advantage.
Damien Fyffe inflicted a rare defeat on Tom Aldridge when in a five legs thriller Fyffe rounded off a fine performance with a 15 darts leg in which he hit 2×140 and 100. Avtar Singh (West Midlands) recovered from a somewhat shaky start against Mark Day to record a 3-0 win. Paul Johnson was always struggling to keep pace with Charlie Doherty (Bucks) whose finishing was deadly as he chalked up outshots of 96-76 and 48 to put his team within one game of the home side, trailing 5-4.
Buckinghamshire needed just one more game to guarantee at least a draw, Terry Adolpho was not able to supply that win as he lost out 3-1 to Tony Walker after winning the first leg. Mick Carrick looked as though he would be the man to record the vital win when he went ahead twice against Colin Davies. But it was Davies who got the last laugh as he won the fifth leg, following up a score of 180 with a 61 finish with Carrick back on 145.
The last encounter was a real nail biting affair. Nick Cobb won the first in 19 darts. Gary Taylor, his West Midlands counterpart the second and third in 16 and 19 darts. Cobb levelled in 14 darts only to be left requiring 146 when Taylor checked out on 97 in the decider.
So from 13-11 down the men’s ‘A’ did the seemingly impossible to earn an overall 19-17 victory and at the same time maintain their unbeaten and put them top of their division with 30 points, two more than their nearest rivals Cumbria on 28.
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Sheldon Heath Social Club was the setting for the Forest of Arden Winter League singles competitions. In the men’s event Red Arrows had no fewer than four representatives at the quarterfinal stage. However, the four players were drawn out against each other thus guaranteeing that two would go forward to the semi’s. The winning duo were Rob South who beat Alan Price and Craig Hall who got through at the expense of Brian Allen. In the other two games Wayne Mathews (Hobs Meadow) beat team mate Mick Gorste and Jim Gilfoyle (Silver Wings) took out Hobs Meadow Mixes representative R.Taylor.
South and Mathews made their way to the final in which the latter took the first leg with a 118 finish. The Hobs Meadow man then went on to clinch the title when he won the second leg for a straight legs victory.
The ladies title went to Red Arrows Jeanette Mulholland. Jeanette faced Stechford Social’s Jeanette James in the final and beat her by the odd game of three. Losing semi finalists were Sylvia Hodge, who lost to Mulholland and Pat Hussey, both players coming from the Cocks and Hens.
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