Warwickshire’s penultimate fixture in the Cosmo Darts Premier Division of the UKDA National League was a home tie against Essex. Going into the game Warwickshire were lying fourth in the table on 165 points and their visitors seventh on 148 points. A win, to move the home side further up the table was what was expected but it didn’t turn out like that.
Saturday’s games saw the ladies ‘B’ chalk up a 4-2 victory with wins from Chloe McKivett-Saunders, Donna Pinch, Jodie Rigg and lady of the match Courtney Hine. Courtney was on last and secured the win with her 3-2 success over Kayleigh Brown and 18.24 average. It was not a good weekend for the men’s ‘B’ as they went down 8-4, their four winners being Jnr Joyce, Ryan Jackson, Martin Tonks and Dave Hill. Topping the averages for the men’s ‘B’ was Ryan Jackson who had a 24.58 average in his 4-2 win over Paul Marsh.
Going into Sunday’s games Essex were holding a 10-8 lead and that deficit didn’t change when the ladies ‘A’ finished all-square at 3-3, the winners being Marian Conway, Wendy Adams and Natalie Gilbert with the match award going to Wendy Adams for her 3-1 win against Kerry Rudd and 19.45 average. A 7-5 win was now the least required from the men’s ‘A’ to secure even a share of the spoils but with only six winners the result was a draw and Essex were the overall 19-17 victors. Winners for the men’s ‘A’ were Matty Washbrooke, Gareth Braham, Nigel Heydon, Sam Whittaker, Danny Lauby and Wayne Mynard with Sam Whittaker the man of the match for his 30.15 average and 4-1 win over Brad Halls.
The defeat sees Warwickshire still in fourth place with 182 points and with second and third placed Lincolnshire and Lancashire playing each other in the final fixtures of the season and Warwickshire playing away to bottom of the table London, they could still move further up the table.
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Black Country’s final away game in the L-Style Division One of the UKDA National League saw them travel to the south-west to take on Devon, a game which on current form was always going to be a win for the away side with the home team placed ninth in the table and 133 points while the away side were fourth on 177 points.
It was not a good start to the weekend as the ladies ‘B’ lost 4-2 with Lacey Hughes and McKenzie-Raine Thomas their only two winners, the latter taking the match award for her 3-1 success over Tracy Ware and 14.68 average. The men’s ‘B’ only managed wins from Rob Smith, Rich Bowen and Sam Bissell as they finished on the wrong side of the 9-3 result, Sam Bissell’s straight 4-0 win over Mike Beard and tremendous 34.55 average earned him the match award.
Black Country fared a little better on Sunday as the ladies ‘A’, with wins from Heather Wright, Chez Allcock and Doreen Hunt finished all-square at 3-3 with their top player being Doreen Hunt who beat Hayley Brant 3-1 and averaged 18.33. The men’s ‘A’ also shared the 6-6 result thanks to wins from man of the match Michael Powell, who put them one up when he defeated Jack Walker 4-3 with a 29.79 average, Kieron Bridgwater, Tom Bissell, Dan Homer, Cayden Smith and George Willetts.
The defeat does now look as though it has cost Black Country any chance of promotion as they have dropped one place to fifth on 191 points and although only seven points short of neighbouring West Midlands in second place, they have a really tough fixture to bring the curtain down on their season, a home tie against divisional leaders Middlesex.
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Northfield Conservative Club extended their undefeated run to nineteen games in the Harborne and District League when they won their away game against Cock Inn 8-1. The win keeps the Conservative Club four points to the good on both second and third placed Copper Fox ‘R’ and Northfield Darts Club who in turn won 8-1 at home against bottom of the table Windsor Complex and 7-2 away to Lion Bar. As a result of having a bye this week Copper Fox ‘M’ drop one place to fourth on thirty-two points, but a win in their game in hand would see them return to third in the table.
Just three players found the three treble twenties this week and they were A.Beagrie (Thimble Mill), P.Brookes (Smethwick Cricket Club) and E.Simpson (Copper Fox ‘R’).
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Northfield have a record in the Kings Norton League of having played twenty games and won all of them, the latest of which saw them win 5-2 at home against Toby Jug. The win leaves Northfield six points ahead of their nearest rivals Copper Fox with six more games to play. Copper Fox kept the deficit down to four points with a 6-1 win at Longbridge which at the same time keeps them four points ahead of third placed Bournebrook who had a close 4-3 home win over Cock Inn. Bourneville are fourth in the league, their twenty-eight points some twelve fewer than leaders Northfield after they added their latest 6-1 win at Kings Norton Flights to their account.
There were four maximums in the league this week and they were supplied by G.Dews (Copper Fox), M.Lloyd, N.Steventon (Northfield) and R.Waldron (Greenlands), Bourneville’s G.Carver recorded a 160 break.
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On the fixture card for the Sheldon and District Winter League were the finals of their Sheldon Shield. In the semi-finals Kingshurst Labour Club, who are runners-up in division one beat their division two opponents Raven while in the other last four game, division one team Old Salts Darts won against their division two opponents Lyndon Old Boys.
The 5-2 result in the final went to Old Salts Darts who ended their campaign in division one in third place, with their division one rivals Kingshurst Labout Club once again finishing as runners-up.
There were a couple of rearranged fixtures played off, in the Premier League Mackadown Sports and Social had a 6-3 win at Brian’s Flights which had no effect on the league placing’s while in division two Digby won their home tie with Sheldon Marlborough Flights 6-3 to see them move up two places in the table to sixth.
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The Four Oaks and District League staged the semi-finals of their Prestridge Shield in which bottom of the division one table Rise Club lost 7-2 to currently second placed Nomads @ Hollyfields, joining the Nomads in the final will be Bishop Vesey who won the all division one battle with Old Horns Lions 5-4.
There were two rearranged division two games played in which St Thomas Misfits first lost 8-1 to Erdington Arrows and then went down 7-2 to Sutton Sports, the win for Erdington Arrows seeing them move up one place to second in the table.
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With John Burdett not playing this week in the Heartlands Sugardarts M&E Co Double Top League, he has lost pole position and dropped to fourth place on twenty-two points, taking over at the top of the table is Martin Cooper who had a 3-0 win over Charlie Rogers in which he notched a maximum and followed that with a similar 3-0 success over John Frost to put him on twenty-seven points from ten games. Steve Cain moves up one place to second with twenty-five points after he beat Ryan Barritt 2-1 and Logan Field 3-0. Before losing to Martin Cooper, John Frost beat John Yates 3-0 to put him third in the league with twenty-three points. Both Steve Cain and John Frost have played eleven games.
L.J.Austin was the only other player to find the three treble twenties this week, Austin hitting the maximum in his 3-0 win over Sue John.
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With only four more games to go until the midway point of the season in the Stourbridge and District Monday Night League, leaders Old Liberal Club with a 7-0 home win over Raven ‘A’, took their undefeated run to fourteen games which gives them a two points advantage over second placed Gornal British Legion as they lost ground this week in the title race after suffering their first defeat of the season, a 6-1 home loss to Bird in Hand who are placed sixth with twenty-two points. In addition to Bird in Hand on twenty-two points so are third, fourth and fifth placed Glasscutters ‘A’, Five Ways and Ten Arches ‘A’, Glasscutters ‘A’ and Five Ways in turn won 6-1 against Seven Stars and Raven ‘B’ while Ten Arches ‘A’ had a bye. Five Ways have played one game more than any of the other teams in the top six places.
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With only five more fixtures to play in the Netherton Thursday Night 501 League, leaders Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’ already have one hand in the winners silverware as their latest 7-0 win over their nearest rivals, second placed Old Liberal Club has seen them open up a gap of nine points between the two teams. A 9-0 walkover for third placed British Oak puts them on the same fifty-four points as Old Liberal Club and gives them a six points breathing space over fourth in the league Plough and Harrow who were 8-1 winners at Old Glasshouse, B.Broadhouse and A.McGee both hitting a maximum for the home side. Other players to hit a 180 were M.Rollinson (who hit two 180’s) and J.Rollinson, both from Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’. All of the bottom three teams Old Glasshouse, Rose and Crown and Cherrywood lost 8-1, Rose and Crown at Bulls Head and Cherrywood at Spring Meadow Pub.
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The big question in the Brierley Hill Monday Night League is, can any team catch current leaders Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club ‘A’? Although the leaders had their most recent fixture against High Acres ‘A’ postponed they remain at the top of the table with seventy-two points from thirty-nine games and even though they have played one fixture more than second placed Bridge, they have an eight point’s advantage after Bridge added their latest 5-4 home win against Rose and Crown ‘B’. Third placed Maverick had a 7-2 home win over Raven to put them on the same sixty-four points as Bridge but they have played two games more than them.
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As the Rowley Monday Night League begin the second half of its season, Wonder remain undefeated, making it sixteen wins in as many games when they won 6-3 at Gate Hangs Well, the win keeping intact their two points advantage over second placed Bell who were also 6-3 winners at home against Loyal Lodge. After the top two there is a gap of six points to third in the league Tividale FC who made it 6-3 wins for all of the top three when they defeated bottom of the table Vine, J.Tart having a 160 break for the winners. Plough and Harrow and Snooks are fourth and fifth in the table, both teams on twenty-two points. S.Layton (Romsley Cricket Club) hit the only maximum of the week in his team’s 5-4 defeat at Hawthorns ‘A’.
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Allen’s Bar made it a dozen straight wins in the Hilltop Friendly Tuesday Night League when they won 7-0 at Vine ‘B’ to keep them two points ahead of Vine ‘A’ who had a 6-1 win at Ivy Bush. Cottage Spring and Sandwell are third and fourth and both have twenty points, four off the top and in turn they won 6-1 against Horseley Tavern ‘A’ and 4-3 at Wonder ‘A’. At the other end of the table Royal Yeomanry are still seeking their first points of the season.
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With Staffordshire Knot losing 4-1 at Chase Social they have fallen from top to second place in the West Midlands Men’s Super League. Taking over from Staffordshire in the number one spot is Kings Head whose 5-0 home win, over Landywood has taken their points tally to fifty-three, three more than the former leaders. Although Dudley Ex Serviceman’s Club won 4-1 at home against Gate Inn they have also dropped one place to fourth as Dog and Partridge’s 5-0 home win over Cottage Spring has given them one more point than the Ex Serviceman’s, plus they have played one game fewer than them.
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The results from week seventeen in the Amblecote RBL Premier League had no effect whatsoever on the top six places with Jason Lowe holding on to pole position with 6-1 wins over Martyn Harper and Ryan Green giving him a total of 228 points and a lead of 30 over joint second placed Ian Townsend and Nick Fullwell. Townsend didn’t play this week, both players have two games in hand on Lowe. Fullwell, after suffering a setback when he lost 4-3 to Jake Robinson then went on to win 6-1 against Rhys Cox. Fourth in the league Paul Wells began with a 5-2 win over Ryan Hardman and then beat Shane Sheridan 6-1 to leave him 44 points short of Lowe and 14 behind Townsend and Fullwell but with five games in hand on Lowe and three on Townsend and Fullwell.
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Leader of division one in the Gilbert’s Bar Monday Night Singles League, Scott Baker, didn’t play this week but his 100 points from 12 games keeps him top of the division with a lead of four points plus three games in hand on second placed Chris Manoila who had a 5-3 win over Allan Davies.
Top of division two is Michael Smith who was held to a 4-4 draw by Alex Owen but still has a lead of seventeen points over second and third placed Joe Bartolo and Wayne Barratt. Bartolo has played two games more than Smith after beating Jon Williams 5-3 while Barratt, who has played three games more than Smith went down 5-3 to Warren Bower and 6-2 to Neville Quinton. Well done to Claire Hobbs whose 5-3 win, over Martin Smith has seen her move off the foot of the table, this being Claire’s first win of the campaign.
Olly Garratt leads the way in division three his convincing 7-1 win over Liam Davis taking him to 117 points from 14 games, while second placed Michele Pritchard also won 7-1 in her game with Jennie Seedhouse to put her on 95 points from 15 games. Third placed Charlie Baker is on the same 95 points as Pritchard but from fourteen games after being held to a 4-4 draw by John Bate.
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