Derbyshire v Norfolk
What a fantastic weekend it turned out to be for Derbyshire in their latest Riley’s BDO Inter County Championship fixture when they played hosts to Norfolk.
Saturday’s games saw the ladies go 1-0 down when Marie Stopher beat Louise Rawson 3-1, but Derbyshire reversed the advantage with two in a row from Lynda Gilbert and Rachel Ayres. Mandy Gray restored parity for the visitors before the home teams lady of the match, Sara-Jane Harrison stepped up to the oche and beat Linda Simmons 3-2 with a 16.10 average.
The final game went to the away team, Sandra Page beating Beverley Worthington to put the final score at 3-3.
The men’s ‘B’ team, like the ladies also lost the opening game, Robert Ellis winning 3-2 against Ian Byard. The defeat appeared to spur the home team on as in double quick time they rattled off seven consecutive wins thanks to Jim Beardmore, Michael Smith, Adrian Asprey, Alan Statham, Steven Homer, Darran Sinfield and man of the match Drew Smith (27.01), who beat Jason Cains 3-2 with winning legs of 19, 15 and 26 darts, putting Derbyshire into an unassailable 7-1 lead.
Norfolk stopped the rot through Jimmy Warner, who came from 2-0 down against Anthony Palfreyman to win 3-2. Following Warner was Martin Sheldon, he took advantage of missed doubles by Richard Rawding in the first leg and checked out on 102. Sheldon then went 2-0 up in 20 darts, with Rawding reducing the arrears with his winner in the third. By the fourth leg it was all over, Sheldon, in 24 darts confirming his 3-1 win.
The penultimate game saw Derbyshire come back on track, Robert Wood recorded a straight legs 3-0 win against Terence Stanmore and with a final 3-2 win by David Allcock, who at one stage trailed 2-1 to Jack Holmes, the final score was a terrific 9-3 to the home side, their second successive 9-3 win.
After two opening 5-1 wins at the beginning of the season the ladies ‘A’ side lost their last fixture away to Wiltshire 4-2 and unfortunately their tie with Norfolk ended the same way. Stephanie Allerton took Dawn Standley the full five legs distance but lost the decider before Joanne Oldershaw took the stage. Joanne had previously won all three of the ladies ‘A’ match awards this season and was in tremendous form. Once again she did not disappoint, a straight 3-0 win over Nikki Goldsmith and a 20.88 average making it four awards in a row.
Norfolk took the lead again in the third when Kerry Jobson beat Kirsty Handford 3-1, but Jackie Sweet looked all set to square the match once again when she opened a 2-0 lead over Rosalyn Bulmer, before it all went wrong and she lost 3-2 to ensure at least a share of the spoils for the visitors.
Mary Jolly (Norfolk) was unable to add to her 1-0 lead against Kelly Dean as the Derbyshire player fought back to earn a 3-1 win.
In the final game Dawn Buckley (Derbyshire) was unlucky with her finishing doubles and Stephanie Mudd went on to win 3-0 to give a final score of 4-2 to Norfolk.
Five winning games was all that was required from the men’s ‘A’ team and although they got off to a little bit of a shaky start when they twice trailed in the opening three games they did after that get their act together.Stephen Pashley lost 4-1 to Richard Waller in the first game and although Reece Spurr erased Norfolk’s lead when he won 4-1 against Kevin Walpole, Jason Lovett was the man who put the visitors ahead again in the third with a 4-0 win against Paul Baker.
Then came three in a row for the hosts and leading the way was man of the match from the previous day Drew Smith. Smith handed out a 4-0 whitewash to his opponent Ian King and was followed by a 4-1 win by Paul Mellor against William Walpole. Completing the first half of the match was David Smith-Hayes and for Norfolk Mark Easter. The Derbyshire man went one up in 20 darts and doubled that lead with a superb 12 darts leg including a great 153 game shot. Another 20 darts leg put Smith-Hayes within an ace of victory, but he was made to wait until the fifth leg before sealing that win as Easter won the fourth in 28 darts after the home player had missed his doubles. Kicking off the fifth leg with a maximum Smith-Hayes went on to win the leg in 18 darts, the game 4-1 and the man of the match award with a 25.66 average.
At 4-2 up with six to play, the men’s ‘A’ required just one more winner for an overall victory. Doug Walker was unable to add that win as he lost 4-1 to Vincent Mudd, but Gary Fenn did get the win when he beat Kevin Rudling in a ding dong battle. Rudling won the first in 16 darts, he then went 2-1 down when Fenn won the next two in 16 and 17 darts. Rudling levelled the game with a 26 darts leg only to see Fenn forge ahead again in 21 darts. A 100 finish from Rudling saw the game levelled for the third time to force a seventh and deciding leg. One dart, his nineteenth of the leg saw Fenn hit double twenty for a 4-3 win to put the running score at 5-3 to Derbyshire.
Hamish Varnon made it 5-4 with a 4-0 win over Daniel Thomas, but Nigel Daniels guaranteed a share of the points with his 4-1 win against Wayne Wall. And a share of the points is what the men’s ‘A’ got as Charles Wilson and Paul Daniels i turn defeated Steven Homer and Peter Slater to give a final score of 6-6, but more importantly an overall 20-16 win for Derbyshire, which takes them to the top of the division two promotional table with 91 points. However, it is very tight at the top of the table as both Somerset and Cleveland are also on the same 91 points and West Midlands and Berkshire not far behind on 83.
Full results:Men’s ‘A’:- Stephen Pashley 1 Richard Waller 4, Reece Spurr 4 Kevin Walpole 1, Paul Baker 0 Jason Lovett 4, Drew Smith 4 Ian King 0, Paul Mellor 4 William Walpole 1, David Smith-Hayes 4 Mark Easter 1, Doug Walker 1 Vincent Mudd 4, Gary Fenn 4 Kevin Rudling 3, Daniel Thomas 0 Hamish Varnon 4, Nigel Daniels 4 Wayne Wall 1, Steven Homer 1 Charles Wilson 4, Peter Slater 0 Paul Daniels 4, Men’s ‘B’:- Ian Byard 2 Robert Ellis 3, Jim Beardmore 3 Trevor Pearse 2, Michael Smith 3 Peter Taylor 0, Adrian Asprey 3 Julian Ray 2, Alan Statham 3 Peter manning 0, Steven Homer 3 Neil Horn 0, Darran Sinfield 3 Simon Rudling 0, Drew Smith 3 Jason Cains 2, Anthony Palfreyman 2 Jimmy Warner 3, Richard Rawding 1 Martin Sheldon 3, Robert Wood 3 Terence Stanmore 0, David Allcock 3 Jack Holmes 2, Ladies ‘A’:- Stephanie Allerton 2 Dawn Standley 3, Joanne Oldershaw 3 Nikki Goldsmith 0, Kirsty Handford 1 Kerry Jobson 3, Jackie Sweet 2 Rosalyn Bulmer 3, Kelly Dean 3 Mary Jolly 1, Dawn Buckley 0 Stephanie Mudd 3, Ladies ‘B’:- Louise Rawson 1 Marie Stopher 3, Lynda Gilbert 3 Thelma Gosling 1, Rachel Ayres 3 Claire Broom 2, Dee Fenn 1 Mandy Gray 3, Sara-Jane Harrison 3 Linda Simmons 2, Beverley Worthington 0 Sandra Page 3.
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