With just one home game and one away game remaining and only one win so far this season, time is running out for the West Midlands in division three of the BDO Inter Counties Championships. Wins are now top of the agenda for the Midlands outfit in order to avoid the big drop.
The latest of the fixtures saw West Midlands play at their home venue, Club 99, Oldbury and take on Bedfordshire. The ladies ‘B’ side, with one draw and five defeats from their previous six games began with Lilian Tonks winning the opening leg against Sylvia Critcher. Critcher won the next two legs, with Tonks drawing level in the fourth. The home player had chances to win the decider but failed on her doubles, that was not the case for her opponent as she wrapped up the leg and the game on double eighteen. At number two was Teresa Johnson, a three times match award winner so far this season. Teresa made short work of her opponent Margaret Nash as she raced to a straight 3-0 victory, in the process recording a 19.03 average, which at the end of the day earned her match award number four.
With the score at one each the third game was vital to both teams. Bedfordshire’s Lorraine Martin made sure that it went to the visitors as she chalked up a 3-0 success against Nell Bryant to give her team mates the lead for the second time in the match. Sheila Vintner (Bedfordshire) extended that advantage to 3-1 when she beat Sue Smith 3-2. Smith made her counterpart work hard for her win, taking the lead in the first leg and then squaring the game in the fourth. Unfortunately she was unable to sustain her challenge, missed doubles costing her the game as Vintner claimed the 3-2 verdict with a 52 game shot.
Requiring just one more result for a team win, Bedfordshire did not have long to wait. Angela King put up the unassailable fourth win when she beat Val Arnold 3-0, Val not reaching a double in any of her three legs. The final game went to the hosts, Teresa Johnston their 3-2 winner against Michelle Lee, after Lee had opened up a 2-0 lead. The final score 4-2 to the visitors.
Following two consecutive defeats the men’s ‘B’ were hoping to bounce back to winning ways. Adrian Hammersley got them off to a winning start. He lost the first leg to Chris Wooton, levelled in style with a 140 outshot and then went on to win 3-1. Jonathon Platt was not able to increase that lead as he lost 3-1 to Darren Knight. West Midlands then began to turn up the heat. Fred Parsons had a comfortable 3-0 win over Mick Battams, Joe Biggs came back from one down to win 3-1 against Stephen King and moving the score along nicely to 4-1 was Paul Johnson with another 3-1 success, this time Kevin Mansfield was on the receiving end. Moving into the break the away team reduced the arrears to 4-2. Jimmy Wilson beat Frank Johnson again the score was 3-1.
Three wins in the first three games of the second half extended West Midlands lead to an unbeatable 7-2. Viv Gould won 3-1 against Vince Whittaker, Andrew Milton took the lead three times against Paul Anthony before securing his 3-2 win and Jamie Parsons completed the trio with his straight legs win over John Quigley.
Mick Garrett pulled one back for Bedfordshire with his 3-0 victory over Roger Kinsella. His win however was the away teams last win as Vic Lloyd won 3-1 against Bob Taylor and Steve Penwright rounded off an emphatic 9-3 victory when he, with a 3-0 result accounted for Peter King.
In the most horrible nightmares the ladies ‘A’ could not have had a worse start. Claire Downing, Ann Jones and Janet Hubbard lost in turn to Diane Nash, Julie Newman and Paula Smith without winning a single leg between them. However, as the old saying goes, “It’s never over until the fat lady sings” and this proved to be exactly the case on this occasion. Angie Perry extended her five-match award-winning feat with a 3-0 win over Pauline Ennis, her 18.56 average justifying her sixth consecutive lady of the match awards. In the penultimate encounter Claire Hobbs took on Lisa Perkins, again the result was a straight legs victory for the West Midlands player to leave the result hinging on the last game. On at number six for the hosts was the seasoned campaigner Rose Mycock. If ever a team needed an experienced player for such a vital game, Rose was their lady. Playing against Lyn Bailey, Rose won the first two legs and narrowly missed the third as she failed on her doubles. Lyn stepped in and won the leg on double five and then forced a decider when she won the fourth on double ten. The fifth leg could have swung either way, but it was Rose who got the all important finishing double to win 3-2 and give her team mates a share of the spoils.
With the overall score standing at 14-10 in favour of the home team a win was now most definitely on the cards. Adrian Arnold and Martin Tibbetts were the first two players for the Midlands side, taking on in turn Darren Knight and Derek Hunt. Both Arnold and Tibbetts fell behind but came back successfully to claim 3-2 wins. Bedfordshire fought back in the shape of Bill Wenglarick and Mick Carbin, eachof them winning 3-1 against respective opponents Darren Williams and Avtar Singh to level a 2-2.
Joe Biggs (West Midlands) was pegged back from 2-0 up to 2-2. But he won the decider in style in thirteen darts hitting 140,140,97 and 116 and double four for a 3-2 win. To close the first half Nick Walters added his 3-1 win over Tracey Pearson to give the Midlanders a 4-2 advantage.
Ian Jones got the second half to a great start when he twice came from behind against Bob Clarke to win 3-2, his 28.29 average earning him the man of the match trophy. With a further 3-2 win from Tom Aldridge, at the expense of Stuart Walton, West Midlands now had a 6-2 lead, the win appearing a mere formality.
Ian Hartland and Paddy Johnson, after trailing 1-0 to Adam King and Paul Butcher, both went 2- 1up. Unfortunately they also both then lost 3-2 to bring the away team back into the match at 6-4. A convincing 3-0 win from Paul Warwick against Steve Brindley reduced the arrears even further and with Lee Beesley’s 3-1 success against Mick James in the last game of the weekend the result was squared at six each. Nevertheless the overall result was a satisfying and much needed 20-16 victory for the West Midlands. A couple more results like this are now what are required in the two closing fixtures of the season against Wiltshire and Breconshire.
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Congratulations to Warwickshire county player Mark Hollyoake, who in his first season in the Minworth Social Individual League has won the title by seven clear points. Mark had a great opening season winning 27 of his scheduled 30 fixtures chalking up 72 legs for and only dropping 18. Tony Randall finished as runner up on 119 points, with Peter Allen third a further three points adrift.
In the league’s singles competition Peter Allen compensated for his third in the table with a final 7-4 victory over John Ainsworth to clinch the title. Allen had defeated Mark Hollyoake 4-2 in the second round. In the doubles Peter Allen teamed up with Derek Fardon and was unlucky not to make it a double as they made their exit in the semi finals, losing 4-3 to the eventual winners Steve Cain and Gordon Clinton. Richie Shenton and E.McCormack were runners up.
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Tim Porter, Managing Director of Hollybush Garden Centre, just off junction 11 of the M6 has now been sponsoring me for more than eight years and obviously I owe a big vote of thanks for all of his help over those years.
Recently Tim came to my aid when I rang him with a cry for help. On the eve of the Easter break, when most people are closed for the holiday, the pump in my pool packed up. I was desperate, with around twenty fish in my pond and no oxygen being pumped in, I had visions of losing all of them. Tim was very reassuring and confirmed that by whatever means he would resolve the problem. A company as large as Hollybush, with the huge stock and resources they have at their disposal, there was obviously none better to speak to about my predicament.
Before the end of the day Tim had organised someone to visit my home, equipped with a new pump, which he promptly fitted and the problem was solved, but more importantly the fish were saved.
My relationship with Tim and his company has been one of success over the years and I sincerely hope that my connection with what is one of the country’s major garden centres continues for many years to come.
Many thanks Tim and Hollybush.
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The finals of the Harborne and District Winter League’s Individual knockout produced a brilliant night of darts, which included two six darts games by P.Hewitt and M.Powell. The title went to E.Simpson from the George. Simpson beat K.McKeown 2-1 in the final.
The George were also successful in the league’s Larner Shield as they defeated Bartley Green Social Club in the final.
At the end of this current season the league are about to lose three very valuable and loyal officials. Joe Holloway, league secretary for the past 37 years, Arthur Woollaston, match secretary for 32 years and John Aulton, treasurer for 16 years, are all retiring from league duty. The three of them have not only been officials of the league but also players.
I’m sure all Harborne Summer and Winter League members will join me in saying a big thank you to all three of them for the hard work and effort they have put in to make the two league’s the success they are today. In my own experience Arthur Woollaston has always been a reliable source of information, providing weekly reports for both league’s for Darts World and the Birmingham Evening Mail.
Another member of the league that I would like to mention is Les Evans. Les currently playing for the Village Stump, has played in the league since it’s inauguration, some 54 years ago. What a fabulous achievement. Could Les be a record breaker? Let me know, if you know of anyone who has played in a league for longer than Les. Ring / fax me on 01902-883387 or e-mail me on [email protected]
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In an exhibition game at the Hardy Spicer Club, Erdington, between the Ace of Clubs and Gulp versus the Aston Manor League and Hardy Spicer, the Ace of Clubs and Gulp won 9-5. The event raised a tremendous amount of £270, which at the end of the year will be handed over, together with any other proceeds to the Princess Diana Birmingham Childrens Hospital.
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Finally congratulations to Hobs Meadow Mixes, who after trailing 4-2 to the Red Arrows in the final of the Forest of Arden Winter League’s Presidents Cup, bounced back to win 5-4.
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