2003-01-01

West Midlands third fixture of their campaign in division four of the BDO Inter Counties Championships was a home game against the Isle of Wight. With two wins in their previous two outings, expectations were high and confidence even higher.
The women’s ‘B’, fresh from their fabulous 5-1 win over Gloucestershire, were keen to add to their tally. Sue Smith opened up and set the mould for the match as she registered a 3-1 win over Sally Spragg. Next to the oche was Sara Jukes who squared up to Betty Oddy. Sara was pushed all the way by her Isle of Wight counterpart, but she proved equal to the task as she went on to win 3-2 and give the home team a 2-0 lead.
Game three saw the visitor’s record their first win as Sam Pink beat Teresa Johnston 3-1, but the away teams cheers were short lived as Kath Jenkins (17.12) turned on a lady of the match performance to defeat Donna Askew 3-1 and put the hosts 3-1 up and within an ace of victory. Chris Brading (Isle of Wight) kept her team in the game when she won 3-1 against Debi Hackett. Brading’s win gave her team mates a lifeline to secure a share of the points and Mandy King looked as though she was going to take full advantage of that opportunity when she won the first leg against Jean Tibbetts. Jean was quick to reply and with a 60 outshot levelled the game at one each. In the following leg Mandy forged ahead again, piling the pressure on her opponent as she moved to with one leg of her much needed win. Against the first throw advantage Tibbetts won the penultimate leg. Everything now rested on the last leg of the last game of the match. The West Midlands player kept her cool as she worked her way down to a finishing double. King was now left on 72 as Tibbetts was about to throw for 38. Jean calmly stepped up to the board and with two darts claimed her 3-2 win and confirmed her team’s 4-2 victory.
The men’s ‘B’, top of their table with two 9-3 wins were obviously keen to extend that run. However, they did not have the best of starts as Kevin Spragg gave the away team the early lead when he defeated Paddy Johnson 3-1. In double quick time John Pountney erased that lead, a straight three legs win over Wayne Sheath. Easing the Midlanders into a 2-1 lead was Frank Johnson. Frank lost the opening leg to Gary Ashley he then took the next three to win 3-1. Fred Parsons was unable to build on the lead as he finished on the wrong side of a 3-2 result against Andy McQuillan. Two neat 3-0 wins, supplied by Paul Johnson and Adrian Hammersley, at the expense of Colin Saunders and Paul Monaghan took the match into the break with the home team leading 4-2.
Matt Warne looked all set to reduce the arrears when he raced into a 2-0 lead against Allan Cockayne. The home player refused to surrender and after drawing back to level terms went on to win the decider with Warne way back on 169.Mervyn Field stuttered just once in his encounter with Ivan Smith, Field winning 3-1 to at the worst guarantee a draw for his team. Viv Gould, at 2-0 up against Pete Shaw, appeared to be odds on to put up the winning stripe for the West Midlands, but Shaw battled on to win the next two legs and force a fifth and final leg. It was a very close affair with nerves getting the better of both players when they reached a double. With two clear throws at doubles the Isle of Wight man failed on both visits to the board. Gould now requiring 7, hit single three and double two for a 3-2 success and moving the score along to 7-2.
Joe Biggs came from 2-1 down to Brian Meszynski to beat him 3-2, then a 3-1 success from Jamie Parsons over Colin Newman gave the Midland side another two wins. Despite leading 9-2 West Midlands best came in the final game. Dave Evans gave Lee Briffett little to no chance as he won the tussle 3-0 with a 24.64 average. Final score 10-2, the West Midlands ‘B’ team’s best so far this season and stretched their 100% record to three games.
The women’s ‘A’ side with two previous defeats were out to better their record and they could not have asked for a better start as Angie Perry (17.48) got them off the mark with her lady of the match performance, a 3-0 win over Lynne Walker. From 1-0 up the home county were soon trailing 3-1. Tricia Davies won 3-2 against Claire Hobbs, Brenda Dyer beat Rose Mycock 3-1 and Kathy Rust completed a hat trick of wins with her straight legs victory over Ann Jones.
Janet Hubbard fought hard to keep West Midlands in the game, twice she trailed to Michelle Strickland, but nevertheless she hung on in there and returned with a 3-2 win. Claire Downing (West Midlands) very rarely looked troubled by the challenge of Darrell Coombs, her 3-1 win putting the final score at 3-3 and earning a share of the spoils for her team.
At 17-7 the men’s ‘A’ had had the majority of the pressure removed for them for an overall win, but even so they were well aware that the bigger the win the more points they would accrue and at the end of the season that would be vital to their promotion hopes.
It was all West Midlands in the first half as they stormed into a 6-0 lead. Gary Taylor and Mick James both won 3-2 in their respective games with Ian McDonouan and Bob Anderson. Richard Foster and Ian Hartland added another couple of wins as they brushed aside the challenges of Jon Bramble and Dave Robinson. At number five was Chris Hickman. Chris took on Bernie Adcock and hit a maximum plus eleven three figure scores in his 3-1 win, his 28.93 average giving him the man of the match award. Ian Jones rounded off the first half with a clinical 3-0 win over Jordy Crews.
The first of the second spell saw the Isle of Wight gain their first win, Jason Simpkins accounting for Avtar Singh with a 3-1 verdict. Darren Williams got the hosts back on course with his 3-0 win against Ian McLean. Darren was followed by Steve James and then Steve Brindley who in turn beat Bob Aldous and Trevor Smith. Colin Davies did everything right apart from finishing. Twice he went ahead against Terry Payne, but failed at the final hurdle and lost 3-2. Anchor man Martin Tibbetts was winning 1-0, losing 2-1 and finally won 3-2 to give another 10-2 win for the West Midlands and an overall 27-9 victory, their best since November 1997 when they won by the same margin playing away to Nottinghamshire in division three.
West Midlands three wins see’s them top of the promotion table with 77 points, six more than their nearest rivals Gwynedd and fourteen more than third placed Oxfordshire.