Warwickshire v Yorkshire
Warwickshire began their eleventh consecutive season in the Premier Division of the BDO Inter County Championships with to no-one’s surprise a fixture against reigning champions Yorkshire, a team they have opened up against and unfortunately lost to every season in those eleven years.
Playing at home at their new venue Hen Lane and District Social Club, Beacon Road, Holbrooks, Coventry, CV6 4DS the weekend didn’t get off to the best of starts neither for the ladies or the men.
Saturday’s ladies game began with a win for Yorkshire as Paula Burgess got the better of Marian Conway with a 3-1 result. Kat Spanswick was quick to cancel out the visitors lead as she handed out a similar 3-1 defeat to Ann Waslin to level the score and take the team’s match award for her 12.43 average.
As it turned out Kat Spanswick was the only winner on the day as from 1-1 the game went more than a little pear shaped as the away side rattled off four wins in a row all begun by Linda Moorhouse who beat Helen Rigg 3-0.
The third and fourth games both went to a deciding leg as Yorkshire’s Lyn Horne and Anna Gale in turn won 3-2 against Nina Bolt and Chloe McKivett.
In the final ladies ‘B’ game Melanie Jones looked all set to make the scoreline a little more respectable for the hosts as she opened up a 2-0 lead over Sara Mortimer, unfortunately the win was not to be as Mortimer won the following three legs to give her a personal 3-2 win and take the final score to 5-1 in favour of the away team.
The men’s ‘B’ team suffered their heaviest defeat in seven years as Yorkshire stormed into a commanding 7-0 lead. 4-1 wins from Paul Moore and Tony Darlow over respective opponents Jack Wareing and Adam Paxton put the visitors 2-0 up. Carl Green (Warwickshire) won the opening leg against Steve Stacey and although Stacey won the next two legs Green restored his lead with wins in the fourth and fifth. Despite being within an ace of victory doubles then eluded Green and in stepped Stacey to wrap up a 4-3 win.
Carl Wilkinson made it 4-0 when he beat Gareth Braham 4-0 then a 4-2 win for Michael Ridge over Dave Hill, a further 4-0 win for Ady Newsholme against Thomas Ryan plus a 4-1 success for Michael Dawson over Mark Strong and the game was won with Yorkshire leading 7-0.
Karl Reynolds stopped the rot for Warwickshire when he handed out a 4-2 defeat to Simon Birkett and for his 20.76 average plus the fact he was the only winner on the day Karl Reynolds took the men’s ‘B’ match award.
Paul Bulmer got Yorkshire back on winning ways as he beat Mark Carter 4-1 and although James Hykin (Warwickshire) had outshots of 101 and 118 he lost 4-2 to Stephen Blower.
The last two games of the day went the full seven legs distance Wayne Mynard (Warwickshire) coming from 1-0 down against Derek Lumley to draw level then trail 2-1. Mynard then opened up a 3-2 lead but it was Lumley who won the last two legs for a 4-3 win.
Anchor man for the home side was Tom Martin who kicked off with an opening leg win against Anthony Molyneux only to see his opponent then go 2-1 up. With wins in the next two legs Martin was within one leg of winning the game but it was Anthony Moluneux who won the last two legs for a 4-3 win and an overall 11-1 victory giving Yorkshire a massive 16-2 lead on the day and leaving Warwickshire with what appeared to be an impossible task.
Sunday’s ladies ‘A’ game began similar to the ‘B’ the previous day as in the first encounter Giffy Khaosoi beat Donna Pinch 3-1 and once again the visitors lead lasted for just one game as Natalie Gilbert squared the match with her straight 3-0 win over Linda Moorhouse. As her game progressed Natalie just got better and better as she won the opener in 23 darts then went 2-0 up in 19 darts and clinched her win with a superb 16 darts leg hitting 125,60,81,99 and 96 to leave double twenty which she dispatched with her first dart on her next visit to the oche leaving her opponent back on 116. Natalie’s win gave her a tremendous 25.91 average which at the end of the day earned her the lady of the match award.
From one each Yorkshire went 3-1 up with 3-0 wins supplied by Rachel Brooks and Beau Greaves who in turn accounted for Caroline Pike and Angela Jones.
The visiting team’s win was assured in the fifth when Sally Whiting beat Wendy Adams 3-2 after Whiting had gone 1-0 up and leveled in the fourth.
The game although lost ended on a high for the home side as Sue Gulliver beat Ann Chilton 3-1 to take the final score to 4-2 to the away team.
The men’s ‘A’ team hadn’t won against Yorkshire since the 2008 – 2009 season and with three defeats so far over the weekend a win looked as though it could be something of a pipe dream, however that dream was one that did come true.
Warwickshire’s men’s ‘A’ almost replicated Yorkshire men’s ‘A’ feat of Saturday when they catapulted into a 5-0 lead as opener and man of the match Prakash Jiwa, after losing the first leg to Ash Taylor then won 4-1 with winning legs of 19,15,12 and 15 darts giving him a fabulous 30.45 average. Nigel Heydon added his straight 4-0 win over Garry Thompson to Warwickshire’s tally before Steve Giddings, Jamie Atkins and Kevin Dowling made it 5-0 when in turn they won 4-2 against Mark Lawrence, Keith Flint and Carl Hamilton, Jamie Atkins having two notable game shots of 123 and 130 in his win.
Steve Hine took the lead twice against Yorkshire’s John Walton but in the end went down 4-2 to see the visitors chalk up their first stripe on the board to take the running score to 5-1 at the midway point of the game.
The second half got off brightly for Warwickshire with them confirming their win as early as the eighth game as Charlie Symons came from 1-0 and 3-1 down to Darren Johnson to win 4-3 and Tom Aldridge adding the magical seventh win when he in a hard fought game with Mark Wilson he won 4-3. Wilson won the opening leg in17 darts only to see Aldridge then go 3-1 up with winning legs in 19,18 and 20 darts. The game was taken to a deciding leg when Wilson won the next two, both in 15 darts but it was Tom Aldridge with scores of 133,100,99,129 and double twenty with his thirteenth dart that got the 4-3 verdict.
Antony Allen looked all set to increase Warwickshire’s lead when he went two up against Carl Wilkinson but finishing doubles deserted him and Wilkinson went on to win 4-2.
Ian McFarlane was in fine form winning 4-2 against Martin C. Atkins to take the score along to 8-2 before Yorkshire added their third and final winner of the weekend as Peter Jacques won 4-3 against Rob Comben after Comben had come from one down to lead 2-1 and then level in the sixth before losing the decider.
Taking the final score to a tremendous 9-3 was Ian Shaw who handed Tony Hull a 4-1 defeat to make the overall result look a little healthier at 23-13 after trailing 16-2 on Saturday.
In the eleven consecutive seasons this was the first time the men’s ‘A’ team had beaten Yorkshire, they have had six draws and four defeats the biggest of which was 8-4 which makes the 9-3 win even more significant.
Full Results:Premier Division:Warwickshire v Yorkshire (13-23):Warwickshire names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Prakash Jiwa 4 Ash Taylor 1, Nigel Heydon 4 Garry Thompson 0, Steve Giddings 4 Mark Lawrence 2, Jamie Atkins 4 Keith Flint 2, Kevin Dowling 4 Carl Hamilton 2, Steve Hine 2 John Walton 4, Charlie Symons 4 Darren Johnson 3, Tom Aldridge 4 Mark Wilson 3, Antony Allen 2 Carl Wilkinson 4, Ian McFarlane 4 Martin C.Atkins 2, Rob Comben 3 Peter Jacques 4, Ian Shaw 4 Tony Hull 1, Men’s ‘B’:- Jack Wareing 1 Paul Moore 4, Adam Paxton 1 Tony Darlow 4, Carl Green 3 Steve Stacey 4, Gareth Braham 0 Carl Wilkinson 4, Dave Hill 2 Michael Ridge 4, Tom Ryan 0 Ady Newsholme 4, Mark Strong 1 Michael Dawson 4, Karl Reynolds 4 Simon Birkett 2, Mark Carter 1 Paul Bulmer 4, James Hykin 2 Stephen Blower 4, Wayne Mynard 3 Serek Lumley 4, Tom Martin 3 Anthony Molyneux 4, Women’s ‘A’:- Donna Pinch 1 Giffy Khaosoi 3, Natalie Gilbert 3 Linda Moorhouse 0, Caroline Pike 0 Rachel Brooks 3, Angela Jones 0 Beau Greaves 3, Wendy Adams 2 Sally Whiting 3, Sue Gulliver 3 Ann Chilton 1, Women’s ‘B’:- Marion Conway 1 Paula Burgess 3, Kat Spanswick 3 Ann Waslin 1, Helen Rigg 0 Linda Moorhouse 3, Nina Bolt 2 Lyn Horne 3, Chloe McKivett 2 Anna Gale 3, Melanie Jones 2 Sara Mortimer 3.
———————————