2012-06-01

Since last going to print West Midlands have completed two more of their scheduled nine fixtures in division one of the Riley’s BDO inter County Championships, two home ties the first against Dorset and second a rearranged game against Staffordshire, that was called off due to inclement weather in March.
Saturday’s games against Dorset had mixed results. The ladies suffered their heaviest defeat of the season so far, a massive 5-1 reversal with Heather Wright the sole winner. Valerie Griffiths and Peri Morris started Dorset’s day with wins over Shellbie Simmons and Kim Fellows before West Midlands only winner took to the oche. Heather had a 3-1 win over Trina Perry and her 16.41 average coupled with the fact that there were no other winners for the home side earned the lady of the match award for the fifth time in seven games.
Dorset then ran away with the match, Donna Mabbatt, Sally Old and Linda Bellingham in turn beating Jacqueline Maiden, Diane Tolley and Lisa Maiden to win 5-1.
It was better news for the men’s ‘B’ team as they recorded their second win of the campaign and their second consecutive 8-4 result. However, the game didn’t get off to the right start as Steven Earley won 3-0 against Simon Meredith to give the visitors the “Earley” lead. Fortunately for the West Midlands their opponents lead didn’t last too long as man of the match Richard Platt levelled the game with a 3-1 win over John Clark. Platt went one up against Clark in 18 darts, Clark winning the second in 19. Platt took the lead again with another 18 darts leg before sealing his 3-1 win with a super eleven darts leg hitting 140, 180 and 135 and checking out on 46. Christopher Stanley then had a similar 3-1 win against Mark Porter to put the hosts into a 2-1 lead. Glen Cullen added his 3-0 win over Graham Knight to the tally and with another 3-1 success from Martin Angell against Dean Morris, West Midlands were looking a little more comfortable at 4-1 up.
Mark Bowden (Dorset) had a 3-1 win over Jonathon Platt to keep his side in the match, but West Midlands three games advantage was restored when Gary Watts beat Thomas Chant in a close 3-2 affair. Taking the score along to 5-3 was Dorset’s Robby Morris, his straight 3-0 win over John Mycock another brief break in the West Midlands charge to victory.
Mark Watkiss made sure that the home team got at least a share of the spoils taking the lead to 6-3 with a 3-0 win over Richard Perry. However, the winning game was left on hold as Kevin Penney pulled one back for Dorset, a 3-1 success in his tie with Avtar Singh. The vital seventh win came in the penultimate encounter, Kevin Jones beating John Bothamley 3-2 and to make it a more convincing 8-4 verdict Paul Price won the last game of the day against Robert Martin 3-1.
Sunday’s games got underway with the overall score all square at 9-9, both teams with everything to play for. Unfortunately the ladies, without a win in their previous six fixtures were unable to put a halt to that run. Gemma Barrett gave them a very promising start when she produced a cracking 3-0 win over Cathryn Campbell. Gemma began with a 17 darts leg including scores of 2×100 plus 140. She then went one better with a 16 darts leg in which she scored 100, 140, 85, 120, 16 and double twenty first dart. She rounded off her win with a 24 darts leg and took the lady of the match award with her 26.37 average.
West Midlands next winner didn’t come until the fourth game after Dorset had gone in front through Julie Boggust and Suzanna Trickett, who beat respective opponents Sarah Thornbury and Claire Hobbs. Jackie Crew pulled one back for the home side when she won 3-0 against Felicia Blay, but the last two games went in Dorset’s favour, Sarah Chick and Carol Llewellyn beating Lisa Astbury and Katherine Jenkins to give the away side a 4-2 win.
The men’s ‘A’ were fresh from a 12-0 win in their away game with Cambridgeshire and confidence riding high. The confidence however took a severe knock when Dorset won the opening three games. Nigel Lamb beat Ian Stanton 4-0, Graham Platt also won 4-0 against John Roberts and completing the trio was Mark Grimes with a 4-1 success over Neil Pointon.
West Midlands in form man Jamie Hughes stopped the rot, a 4-1 win over Tim Clothier with a fine 29.60 average momentarily reduced the arrears before Michael Bowden took the score along to 4-1 with his 4-1 win against Richard Platt.
West Midlands then had their best run in the match, two consecutive wins supplied by Peter Wyse and Ian Jones, who in turn accounted for Richard Gomm and Stephen Penney to bring the home team within one game of their opponents at 4-3. It then looked as though the match would be levelled as Michael Baker went 1-0 up against Tony Dunning, but Dunning fought back
to go 3-1 up. Baker won the next two to force a seventh and deciding leg, but missed double twenty for a 4-3 win, Dunning made no mistakes checking out on the same double twenty to win 4-3 and put his side 5-3 up.
West Midlands number nine was Andy Forrester, who was in top form against Christopher Martin. Forrester won the first leg in 15 darts, he then added a 13 darts leg before Martin won his only leg of the game in 17 darts. Forrester then won the following two legs in 18 darts for a 4-1 win and an award winning average of 31.08.
At 5-4 down with three to play West Midlands were not out of the hunt, although they hadn’t been in the lead at any stage of the game. Any thoughts of a win or even a draw were quickly dismissed as Dale Masterman and Scott Mitchell, with wins against Jake Jones and Danny Coyle gave Dorset a winning 7-4 margin.
The final game went to West Midlands Dean Stewart, a straight 4-0 success over Kevin Smith to put the final score at 7-5 and the overall weekend score at 20-16 to Dorset.
The rearranged fixture against Staffordshire was another home game and one West Midlands were really expected to win as their local rivals were in the unfortunate bottom place in the league table.
The ladies ‘B’ still seeking a win this season were unable to pull one out of the hat again on this occasion, Julie Robinson and Maria Pickering, with wins over Samantha Maiden and Jacqueline Simmons put Staffordshire two up and although Heather Wright halted the visitors run when she beat Stephanie Emberton 3-0, it was only a brief reprieve as Nikki Meadows and Deborah Upton put the game beyond West Midlands reach when they defeated Shellbie Simmons and Claire Hobbs.
Long serving West Midland player Diane Tolley was last on against Stephanie Thompson and it was a case of keeping the best till last as Diane rattled off a 3-0 win and clinched the lady of the match award with her 18.33 average. The final score 4-2 to Staffordshire.
Like the ladies the men’s ‘B’ also went 2-0 down, Steven Shenton and Mark Smallman the victors against Viv Gould and Kevin Jones both losing 3-0. Thanks to wins from Jordan Singh and Jonathon Platt over John Tatters and Robert Henderson the away teams lead was erased, but only for the time it took to play the next game in which Karl Merchant (Staffordshire) beat Avtar Singh 3-1.
Paul Price was West Midlands next winner, a 3-1 win over Frazer Hill taking the running score to 3-3, but yet again, for the third time Staffordshire took the lead, this time it was Jamie Landon with a 3-0 result against Mark Watkiss that edged the away team into the lead. It was then down to Martin Angell to cancel out Staffordshire’s lead, which he did quite efficiently with a 3-0 win over Peter Challinor.
The pattern whereby Staffordshire took the lead and West Midlands cancelled it out continued as Daniel Allsop beat Richard Platt 3-2, but that was where the mould was broken as the last three games all went to the hosts to finish as 7-5 winners. Glen Cullen started the trio of wins with a 3-2 success against Dave Moors, Doug Thompson added his 3-0 win over David Fairlie and Gary Watts completed the hat trick with a 3-2 win over David Richards.
After Susan Sherratt and Sarah Cope had put Staffordshire ladies ‘A’ 2-0 up at the expense of Gemma Barrett and Lisa Astbury, Sarah Thornbury (22.77 lady of the match) and Katherine Jenkins replied with wins over Terry Selman and Michelle Colclough. Joanna Ashby put the away team within an ace of victory when she defeated Kim Fellows 3-0, but a draw was slavaged by Jackie Crew, a 3-1 win in her tie with Colette Duffield putting the result at 3-3.
The men’s ‘A’ began in the same manner as the three teams before them, trailing 2-0. Steve Clews and John Burgess were the Staffordshire players to open up the lead when they beat respective opponents Jake Jones and Danny Coyle and again as in the men’s ‘B’ and ladies ‘A’ games the lead was cancelled out. Obliging for the men’s ‘A’ were Mark Rollinson and Ian Jones, Rollinson beating Martin Homer 4-3 and Jones winning 4-2 against Paul Wright. Ian Jones in 17 and 15 darts went 2-0 up, Wright won the next two legs in 18 darts, but Jones then went within one leg of victory with a 15 darts leg and rounded off his win with a superb 13 darts leg hitting 180, 100, 123, 74 and double twelve giving him an award winning average of 29.81.
From 2-2 Staffordshire never really looked back, Andy Beardmore, Martin Wheawall and James Hughes had win s over Neil Pointon, Peter Wyse and John Roberts to go 5-2 up and although they lost the next two to Michael Baker and Dean Stewart over their Neil Alcock and Edward Brookes, they forged further ahead with wins from Mark Bloor and Steven Mason, Bloor handing out a rare defeat to West Midlands Jamie Hughes who has been in scintillating form this season and Mason beating Martin Angell, both scorelines 4-1.
Taking the final score to 7-5 in Staffordshire’s favour, Andy Forrester (West Midlands) won 4-3 against Trevor Carter.
This result for the West Midlands was really a disaster as it has thrown them well and truly into the relegation zone. Now with 141 points West Midlands are third from bottom of the division one table. Following their win Staffordshire have moved up one place from the foot of the table and are now just one point behind West Midlands. Derbyshire drop into the bottom spot on 137 points.
With just one remaining fixture at the time of going to print any of the bottom five teams could be relegated, Dorset 148, County Durham 144, West Midlands 142, Staffordshire 141, Derbyshire 137. The last weekend should be quite exciting and for some teams very disappointing.