2015-07-01

West Midlands brought the curtain down on their season in division two of the BDO Inter County Championships with a visit to the capital to take on London a team who were still in with an outside chance of promotion so it was never going to be an easy fixture for the Midlanders.
Although the home team began the ladies ‘B’ game with a 3-0 win from Andrea Walker over Claire Hobbs their lead was short lived as Jacqueline Maiden (West Midlands) won by the same 3-0 margin in her defeat of Jane Biggs.
West Midlands then went ahead for the first time when Wendy Waine beat Nikki Patten 3-1 and as early as the fourth game were assured of at least a draw when Sarah Roberts made it five consecutive lady of the match awards when she won 3-1 against Kelly Livett with a 21.23 average including winning legs of 21, 22 and 21 darts.
The win was not long awaited as in the very next game Sophie Singh, coming from 1-0 down against Dee Belcher, went on to win 3-2 and take the away team into an unassailable 4-1 lead.
The final game went to London, Carly Townsend beating Samantha Maiden 3-0 to give a result of 4-2 to the West Midlands and give them a total of three wins, four draws and two defeats for the season.
The men’s ‘B’ after losing the opening five games of the season were on a roll having won the last three but like the ladies ‘B’ the men also lost the opening game, Nick Cocks (London) recording a 3-2 win over Karl Hughes after Hughes had taken leads of 1-0 and 2-1.
Ashe Khayat leveled the score when he accounted for Spencer Ellis with a 3-1 result and with a 3-2 win from John Morris, who had trailed 2-0 to George Killington the West Midlands had taken a 2-1 lead. Glen Cullen (West Midlands) levelled his game with Matt Winzar twice before going down 3-2 then the home team went ahead for a second time when Michael Artiss beat Sam Guest 3-2, Guest having gone ahead in the first and third legs. At the halfway stage West Midlands found themselves trailing 4-2 after a further 3-1 win for London from Bradley Turrell over Robert Thompson.
Scott Artiss and Steve Day made things worse for the Midlanders when they both had 3-1 wins against respective opponents Gary Watts and Robert Smith to put them 6-2 up and within an ace of victory.
Jamie Barrowman was the player to turn things around for West Midlands as his 3-1 win over Stuart Patt was the beginning of their fight back. Next on was Matthew Dicken who with a straight 3-0 win and a 27.83 average not only beat Matthew Wilson but also won the man of the match award.
Chris Stanley (West Midlands) took the score along to 6-5 with a 3-2 win against Liam Curran and with a similar scoreline Mark Watkiss beat Jason Mortimer to put the final score all square at six each.
For the ladies ‘A’ it just wasn’t their day as they lost the opening four games, Leanne Topper started the rout as she beat Kim Fellows 3-1, Deb Watling was on next with a similar result over Gemma Barrett. At number three was Kerry Simmons who was held to a close 3-2 win by Debbie Loon and rounding off the four wins was Stephanie Stutley, a 3-0 success against Kath Jenkins.
The penultimate game saw West Midlands most consistent lady player of the season Lisa Astbury who stopped the rot, beat her opponent Su Holt 3-1 and clinched her seventh of a possible nine lady of the match trophies for the campaign with a 19.37 average.
Heather Wright (West Midlands) lost the first leg of her game with Tammy Mackenzie and then looked as though she would turn it around and go on to win as she went 2-1 up but it was not to be as the London player then won the last two legs for a 3-2 win and secure a 5-1 victory for her team.
The men’s ‘A’ team have had a reasonably good season with five wins, two draws and only one defeat in their eight games and actually got off to a good start when their most experienced and reliable player Ian Jones won 4-3 against Gene Hill despite Hill pushing him to a deciding leg. Shaun Carroll made it 2-0 with a man of the match show in his tie with Tony Hamit. Carroll won the opening two legs in 15 darts he then added a 20 darts leg and rounded off his 4-0 win with another 15 darts leg giving him a superb 30.83 average.
Steve Douglas was London’s first winner a 4-1 win over Paul Price but his win only momentarily reduced the arrears for the home side as Jonathon Platt took the score nicely along to 3-1 with his 4-2 win over Tommy Sanwell, Platt having checkouts of 105 in the first and 140 in the third.
Chris Evans (London) went one down to Avtar Singh but went on to win 4-1 before Mark Craddock made it 4-2 in West Midlands favour by the midway point with a straight 4-0 win over Lee Cocks.
The second half was not so good for the Midlands side as London won five in a row, Johnny Stefano began the run when he beat Matthew Dicken 4-3, a 4-2 win by Nicky Turner against Danny Coyle made it 4-4 and then Graham Rackstraw gave the hosts the lead for the first time in the match in game number nine when he accounted for Christopher Mason with a 4-2 result after Mason had taken the lead in the first and third legs. Steven Ferguson moved the score along to 6-4 with a 4-2 win over Michael Baker and with a 4-1 success from Lewis Venes against Richard Platt London had secured their victory.
In the final game of the weekend Keith Allman (West Midlands) was made to fight all the way to the seventh leg for his 4-3 win, he went 2-0 up and was pegged back to level terms, opened up a 3-2 lead only to see his counterpart Lewis McGurn draw level again for a second time and in the last leg it was McGurn who was first to a finishing double but his failure to find it gave Allman the chance to step in and check out with a 52 finish for a 4-3 win.
The win was not enough to earn London promotion as they finished six points behind runners up Derbyshire and the defeat left West Midlands in sixth place on 176 points but safe in division two to fight another day.
Full Results:Division Two:London v West Midlands (20-16):(London names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Men’s ‘A’:- Gene Hill 3 Ian Jones 4, Tony Hamit 0 Shaun Carroll 4, Steve Douglas 4 Paul Price 1, Tommy Sanwell 2 Jonathon Platt 4, Chris Stevens 4 Avtar Singh 1, Lee Cocks 0 Mark Craddock 4, Johnny Stefano 4 Matthew Dicken 3, Nicky Turner 4 Danny Coyle 2, Graham Rackstraw 4 Christopher Mason 2, Steven Ferguson 4 Michael Baker 2, Lewis Venes 4 Richard Platt 1, Lewis McGurn 3 Keith Allman 4, Men’s ‘B’:- Nick Cocks 3 Karl Hughes 2, Spencer Ellis 1 Ashe Khayat 3, George Killington 2 John Morris 3, Matt Winzar 3 Glen Cullen 2, Michael Artiss 3 Sam Guest 2, Bradley Turrell 3 Robert Thompson 1, Scott Artiss 3 Gary Watts 1, Steve Day 3 Robert Smith 1, Stuart Patt 1 Jamie Barrowman 3, Matthew Wilson 0 Matthew Dicken 3, Liam Curran 2 Chris Stanley 3, Jason Mortimer 2 Mark Watkiss 3, Women’s ‘A’:- Leanne Topper 3 Kim Fellows 1, Deb Watling 3 Gemma Barrett 1, Kerry Simmons 3 Debbie Loon 2, Stephanie Stutley 3 Kath Jenkins 0, Su Holt 1 Lisa Astbury 3, Tammy Mackenzie 3 Heather Wright 2, Women’s ‘B’:- Andrea Walker 3 Claire Hobbs 0, Jane Biggs 0 Jacqueline Maiden 3, Nikki Patten 1 Wendy Waine 3, Kelly Livett 1 Sarah Roberts 3, Dee Belcher 2 Sophie Singh 3, Carly Townsend 3 Samantha Maiden 0.