Warwickshire County Darts Organisation began their new campaign in the Cosmo Darts Premier Division of the UKDA National League with three opening defeats but since then have chalked up four consecutive victories, the latest of which could not have been more morale boosting as it was a 20-16 away win over second in the division Yorkshire.
Yorkshire, whether home or away is never an easy fixture but the weekend began with the visitors taking a 4-2 lead by defeating the home team’s ladies ‘B’. After trailing 1-0 lady of the match Chloe McKivett-Saunders levelled the game with her straight 3-0 win over Lyn Horne and took the match award for her 19.27 average. Adding to Chloe’s win were Nina Bolt and Wendy Adams who in turn beat Jody Hancock and Sonia Porter. The hosts pulled one back in the fifth but a 3-1 win for Angela Jones over Ann Waslin in the final game gave Warwickshire the win.
Mark Carter gave the men’s ‘B’ the early lead when he won the opener against John Walton 4-2 after Walton had gone 2-0 up. Yorkshire then won the following four games before William Naylor reduced the arrears in the sixth with his 4-1 win over Ash Taylor to take the score to 4-2 at the halfway stage. As the second half got underway the hosts stretched their lead to 5-2, only to see Warwickshire’s man of the match Martin Tonks reduce the arrears in the eighth when he won 4-1 against David Calvert, Tonks chalking up a 29.39 average. Despite Yorkshire then taking an unbeatable 6-3 lead the result was not decided until the final game after Dave Hill won 4-1 against Adi Morris and Adam Hancock beat Jack Hill 4-0. Anchor-man Samuel Price looked all set to give Warwickshire a share of the spoils when he opened up leads of 2-0 and 3-1 against Graham Elvidge but it was not to be as Elvidge won the final three legs for a 4-3 win for him and a 7-5 success for his team.
Despite going 2-0 up with wins from Kirsty Hinchliffe and Marian Conway Warwickshire’s ladies ‘A’ team had to wait until the final game to salvage a share of the points when their Courtney Hine produced a lady of the match performance by beating Linda Porter 3-1 with a 21.61 average to give a final score of 3-3.
A win for the men’s ‘A’ would now secure an overall victory for the weekend and with wins from Jenson Walker, Nigel Heydon, Danny Lauby, Kevin Dowling and Samuel Whittaker they stormed into a commanding 5-0 lead. Dowling was taken to a deciding leg by Martin C. Atkins but won it in thirteen darts to not only give him the 4-3 verdict but also the man of the match award for his superb 31.44 average. Danny Lauby became the first-ever American to play for the Bears and he could not have got off to a better start winning 4-1 against Sam Spivey with a 31.20 average. Brian Hallas pulled one back for the home team in the sixth to take the score to 5-1 at the break. Further wins from Danny Dutson and Tom Sykes kept the hosts in the game but with a 4-3 win for Matty Washbrooke they then fell 6-3 behind. Although a win for Carl Wilkinson in the tenth kept hopes alive of a draw for Yorkshire further wins for Warwickshire from Steve Hine and Jack Wareing secured an 8-4 win and an overall 20-16 victory.
Despite the win Warwickshire remain fourth in the division, however they have a game in hand on third placed Glamorgan who are only four points ahead of them.
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In the Andy Wheeler Fisheries Championship Division West Midlands had an away game against Oxfordshire, the fixture vital to both teams as prior to the game the home side were lying next to bottom of the table and the away team just above them.
Saturday was not too bad a day for the West Midlands as the ladies ‘B’ shared the honours in a 3-3 draw with Shellbie Simmons their top player with a 17.95 average and 3-2 win over Babs Manning. The men’s ‘B’ had a superb 8-4 win over their counterparts winning all five of the opening five games thanks to Kevin Bambrick, Mark Craddock, Ian Stanton, Ryan Locker and Scott Baker who took the match award for his 4-1 win over James Green with a 27.81 average. Although the home team pulled one back in the sixth, by the eighth game the match was won after Kieran O’Mahoney and Adam Teasdale added their wins to the West Midlands tally and with a further win from Alex Simmons, the away side finished the day as 8-4 winners.
Sunday was not such a good day as the ladies ‘A’, after going one up with a 3-0 win from their lady of the match Jacqueline Trott who beat Nicola Curzon and averaged 15.99, the home side then won four of the five remaining games, Jacqueline Maiden the only other West Midlands winner, the 4-2 result going to Oxfordshire.
The men’s ‘A’ lost the opening game but cancelling out the hosts lead was West Midlands veteran player Ian Jones who beat Jon Jukes 4-0 with a 26.37 average to earn him his team’s match award. Jack Aldridge was the visitors only other winner of the first half as Oxfordshire opened up a 4-2 lead. And 4-2 was the difference between the two teams in the second half as Ash Khayat and Gavin Baker were the only two player to respond for the away team giving Oxfordshire’s men’s ‘A’ a final 8-4 win and an overall 19-17 victory for the weekend.
In spite of the defeat West Midlands actually moved up one place in the table to eighth but two teams directly below them Derbyshire and Oxfordshire both have a game in hand and could overtake them.
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Black Country began their season in the L-Style Division One with three straight wins but in the last three games they have lost, won and drawn to see them drop from a one-time pole position to now sixth in the table and although they have a game in hand on the current leaders Suffolk they are a huge forty-five points behind them.
Black Country’s latest fixture was a home game against seventh in the division Somerset. It was not a good weekend for the ladies as the ‘B’ side lost 4-2 and the ‘A’ 5-1. Winners for the ‘B’ team were lady of the match Grace Angell who won 3-0 against Sophia Smith with a 17.08 average and Lacey Hughes, for the ‘A’ team Chez Allcock was their sole winner beating Becky Taylor 3-2.
It was better news for the men as the ‘B’ side won 8-4 and the ‘A’ 7-5, Connor Whitehouse had a fantastic 32.67 average as he beat Lee Gregory 30 to take the ‘B’ award and Liam Kelly was on the mark for the ‘A’ side as he won 4-1 against Tony Snook with a 28.60 average. The final score for the weekend was an 18-18 draw.
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Game four in the Harborne and District League brought about no changes in the top four places with leaders Northfield Conservative Club extending their unbeaten run to ten games with a 9-0 home win over Avenue Social to keep them two points ahead of second placed Copper Fox ‘R’ who won 6-3 at Weoley Castle WMC. Third in the league Copper Fox ‘M’ are a further two points short of the leaders after their close 5-4 home win over Cock Inn and with fourteen points, six off the top after they won their home game with Lion Bar 6-3 is fourth placed Northfield Town.
Half a dozen maximums scored this week and they came from N.Hurst and L.Fox (Cock Inn), R.Hosey and D.Hill (Northfield Conservative Club) plus J.Hykin and T.Hykin (Copper Fox ‘R’).
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As in the Harborne League there was no change in the top four places of the Kings Norton League after completing game thirteen, Northfield holding on to pole position despite suffering their second defeat in thirteen when they lost heavily, 6-1 at home to Copper Fox who are second in the league, now on the same twenty-two points as Northfield with a game in hand. Third and fourth in the league Bournebrook and Thurlestone are both on eighteen points with the former having just a four legs of average lead on the latter. The latest fixtures saw Bournebrook win their home game with Kings Norton Ex Serviceman’s Club 5-2 and Thurlestone win 4-3 at home against Coppice.
There were 180’s for Cock Inn players P.Hughes and L.Fox with T.Cullen also finding the three treble twenties for Bournebrook. J.Fisher (Kings Norton Flights) chalked up a 160 break and recorded a nine darts game in his team’s 6-1 home win over Perfection.
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Just a handful of fixtures played in the Sheldon and District Winter League this week the most notable game being the premier league fixture between fourth in the division Banbury Club and their opponent’s leaders Langley Arrows who after fifteen games were undefeated. The result was a somewhat surprising 5-4 win for the home side Banbury Club which sees them move up one place in the table to third on sixteen points from fourteen games while Langley Arrows hold on to the number one spot with a four points lead on second placed Sheldon Marlborough Arrows who won 5-4 at Langley Flights leaving them with a game in hand on the leaders.
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The South West Birmingham Clubs League League played their Individual Doubles Competition this week at Stirchley United Club and from a starting line-up of 23 pairs taking the top prize were Tom Garfield and Dave Hill who beat fellow finalists Anthony Cullen and Mark Welsh.
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A 180 and 9 darts game from Dave Heighway helped to keep Tyseley Bears 100%win intact in the Camp Hill League, Tyseley beating Moseley Arms 4-3 to keep two points ahead of Cotterills Lane EBAHA Club who lost 4-3 at home to Wakefield Warriors, Wakefield being the only other unbeaten team in the league. James Taylor hit a maximum for the Warriors.
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Playing their Singles Knockout at four venues down to the last eight and making finals night in the Netherton Thursday Night League were Steve Tipper, Kurt Wright (Bulls Head), Jason Southall (Plough), Jon Colley, Phil Tonks, Bobby Carr (Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’), Jason Bland (Hill and Cakemore Ex Serviceman’s Club), Lee Beasley (Townsend Social Club).
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A 7-0 win at Bird in Hand took Old Liberal Club undefeated run to 16 games in the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League and gives them a six points lead on second and third placed Gate Hangs Well ‘B’ and Bird in Hand, Gate Hangs Well ‘B’ won 6-1 at Crestwood.
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A 6-3 home win over Beggars Bush keeps leaders Bishop Vesey two points to the good on second placed Beehive after they won 5-4 at Nomads in division one of the Four Oaks and District League.
No change at the top of division two with leaders Heartlands winning 8-1 at Plough and Arrows and second placed Walmley CSC Flights winning by the same margin at Drakes Drum.
After a 6-3 win at Rosey Mac’s Bar, St Thomas Arrows have drawn level on 12 points with division three leaders Pint Pot Flights who after their unbeaten run of seven games lost 5-4 at home to Deer’s Leap.
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Dudley Sports ‘A’ dropped their first points of the season in the Silver End Sunday Morning League when they were held to a 4-4 draw away to fifth placed Tenth Lock. Second in the league Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club had a 6-2 win at Three Crowns ‘A’ to reduce the deficit to just one point.
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Bell consolidated their top spot in the Rowley Monday Night League with a 9-0 home win over Rowley Bar and Grill to keep them two points ahead of both Romsley Cricket Club and Plough and Harrow who in turn won 5-4 against Rowley Labour Club and White Swan.
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A 4-1 defeat at Gilbert’s Bar ‘B’ has seen Dog and Partridge drop from pole position to fourth in the West Midlands Men’s Super League. Taking over at the top of the table is Kings Head ‘A’, their 5-0 home win over Three Crowns giving them a total of 35 points, one more than second placed Gilbert’s ‘B’ and two to the good on third placed Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club who won 4-1 at home against Chase Social.
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It was a catch-up week in the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League which saw Scott baker move up into second place in division one with 108 points from 15 games, four short of leader Wayne Jones and from two games more than him after Baker won 5-3 and 6-2 against respective opponents Chris Evans and Darren Williams.
With Kurt Wright not playing in division two Alan Melling has replaced him at the top of the table following his 7-1 win over Artur Lubkowski putting him on 92 points, eight more than Wright who has three games in hand.
An 8-0 win over Keogh Bate has seen Dave Thackeray return to the top of division three, replacing Thomas Hollowood who didn’t play this week. Thackeray has a two point’s lead plus a game in hand on Hollowood.
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