2000-03-01

It may well have been a good finish to the old year for the West Midlands in division two of the BDO Inter Counties Championships but it was certainly not a similar story to begin the new Millenium. Playing away to local rivals Worcestershire at the D.D. Sports and Social Club, Bromsgrove, the match was always going to be a nerve packed affair as both teams were involved at the wrong end of the league table and fighting off relegation. Points were imperative to both teams if they were to be hoping to play next season in division two as opposed to division three.
As usual the ladies ‘B’ got the proceedings underway. Mandy McEntee was first up for the hosts and she put on what was to be the match award performance for her team. Playing against Jean Denton, Mandy registered a 3-0 win with a 15.03 average. Theresa Johnson looked as though she would cancel out Mandy’s win when she went into a 2-0 lead over Carol Jones. However, it was not to be as Carol fought back and took advantage of some missed doubles to win 3-2 and give Worcestershire a 2-0 lead.
Claire Downing was at number three for the away side, with her team trailing 2-0 she required something special to keep them in the hunt. That is exactly what she supplied. An 18.79 average was not only enough to earn her the match award but also sufficient to beat her opponent Beth Murdock in three straight legs. The cheers for Claire were short lived as Pam Hemming restored the home teams two games buffer with a 3-0 success against Val Arnold and in the process assuring her team mates of at the very worst a share of the points. Pam Jones appeared not to be happy with a share, she wanted all of the points and guaranteed them as she accounted for Brenda Phillips with a 3-1 win.
With only personal pride left to play for Sue Smith (West Midlands), squared up to Michelle Osland in the final clash. She won the game 3-0 to equal her teams best result so far this season, a 4-2 defeat which leaves them firmly rooted at the foot of the table.
The men’s ‘B’ were looking to record, for the first time in the current campaign, back to back wins after the 7-5 beating of Buckinghamshire in their last outing. The early signs did appear encouraging, however there was then a very lean middle of the match spell that proved to be their downfall.
Steve Brindley twice took the lead against Alan Merriman only to fail at the last hurdle, he was left on 103 as Merriman shot out on 24 to win 3-2. West Midlands then recorded two in a row courtesy of William Hadley and Martin Tibbetts. Hadley beat Graham Jones 3-1 while Tibbetts took out Tommy Johnson in just three legs. Mark Wellings looked all set to increase the visitor’s lead when he opened up a two legs gap between him and his opponent Nick Fullwell. The home player then clawed his way back into the game and went on to snatch a 3-2 win and level the match at two each.
Game four saw Worcestershire go ahead for the second time. On this occasion it was Tom White who supplied the goods. White won the opener against Adrian Hammersley only to see Hammersley cancel out his lead and follow up with a tremendous 160 finish to reverse the situation. White replied by winning the penultimate leg and then win the contest when he checked out in only fourteen darts in the decider. Mark Bayliss moved the score along to 4-2 by beating Frank Johnson 3-0 in the last game of the first half.
Roy Dudley added another notch to Worcestershire’s belt when he came back from 1-0 down against Ron Johnson to win 3-1. Dudley’s team mate Carl Jones had a greater escape as he after trailing 2-0 to Steve Penwright also fought back to grab a 3-2 win and leave his side within one game of victory.
Jess Archer looked as though he would be the man to chalk up the vital seventh game as he won the first leg against Vic Lloyd. Lloyd won the second, but Archer in great style, with a maximum 170 finish, claimed the third. Lloyd stuck to his task and with 18 and 21 darts legs won the encounter 3-2. At number ten for the West Midlands was Joe Biggs who with 40 and 120 shoot outs went 2-0 up against Steve Watton. Watton’s win in the third leg
merely delayed the inevitable as Biggs went on to win 3-1 and his 26.62 average enough to give him the player of the match award.
From 6-2 down to 6-4 all of a sudden West Midlands were back in with a chance of a draw, and with a 3-2 success by Alan Bradburn over Darren Willetts that began to look more than a possibility. Jonathon Platt was the West Midlands anchorman with his counterpart, Mick Marshall having the first throw advantage. It was nip and tuck all the way, Marshall would go ahead, Platt would cancel his lead, each leg going with the throw. That is how it went even in the fifth and deciding leg. So Marshall won the game 3-2 and Worcestershire the match 7-5.
Dawn Holdcroft was first on for the ladies in the Sunday fixtures. With 140 and three 80 plus scores in the opening leg she got off to a storming 20 darts winner. The second leg was a more strung out affair but nevertheless the decision again went to Holdcroft. Worcestershire’s representative, Beth Sinnett then began her fight back. In 24 and 27 darts she levelled the game and after Holdcroft had missed her doubles had an opportunity to win the tie, but failed and with double four West Midlands went one up. Tracey Bishop had a 3-0 win over Frances Allen to level the match and it was former Warwickshire player Lesley Newcombe (22.66) who with a lady of the match performance, gave the hosts the lead when she won 3-1 against Angie Perry.
Gill Cook put up a brave fight against Rachel Dixon, at one stage leading 2-1, but in the end finishing on the wrong side of a 3-2 verdict putting Worcestershire 3-1up. West Midlands award winner came in the shape of Diane Tolley. Trailing 2-0 to Janet Hill, Diane turned on a spirited show to win the match 3-2 in 16-21 and 25 darts.
Again the result hinged on the final game. Against the darts Janet Cox took the first leg off Beattie Powell. Tension was the winner in the following three legs, with the result on each occasion going to Powell, giving her a 3-1 win and her team a 4-2 victory.
For an overall victory the West Midlands men’s ‘A’ faced an almost impossible task. They were required to win by a massive 10-2. Although undefeated so far this season, having chalked up a draw and three wins, 10-2 was like a mountain to climb and when they suffered two defeats in the first three games even a draw seemed beyond the realms of possibility.
Tony Walker pushed Roy Dudley (Worcestershire) all the way and even produced a 139 checkout in the second leg but in the end the 3-2 scoreline went to Dudley. That set the pattern for the first half as all the games went with the throw advantage. Former West Midlands man Graham Perry and Dave Honey added to the home teams tally, while Gary Taylor, Mick James and David Platt were the West Midlands winners.
Ray Bishop opened the second half putting the home team in front for the fourth time with a 3-1 win over Adrian Arnold. Then, with an award winning show by Anthony Randall (31.68) who defeated David Robbins 3-1, Worcestershire went into a 5-3 lead and were on course for their first win of the season and against the division’s top team.
Tom Aldridge stopped the rot. He was in stunning form, leaving Paul Brookes, who did not get below 100 in any of the three legs, wondering what had hit him. Aldridge began with a reasonable 15 darts leg and then turned the screw to register TWO THIRTEEN darts legs, for a 3-0 win and a scintillating 36.66 average, to reduce his team’s deficit to just one game. Ian Jones (30.95) was in equally good form, despite losing the first leg to Carl Davies he responded with legs of 14-15 and 16 darts to gain a 3-1 win and level the match for the fourth time.
The penultimate encounter saw the visitors go into the lead for the first time. Former Scottish international Steve Parkes the man to give his side the lead. Parkes kicked off with two 18 darts legs, his opponent Martin Gisbourne doing well to come down to 36 and 76. Both players then left themselves on double twenty after only fifteen darts, but with Parkes to throw first he made sure of the game with his first dart for a 3-0 win and a 28.90 average. Once more the outcome was to be decided on the last game. Rob Hemming (Worcestershire) twice took the lead against Paul Johnson, but in the final leg Hemming failed on his doubles and gave Johnson the chance he needed. He neatly tucked away the 3 required to ensure the fourth consecutive men’s ‘A’ win and consolidated their pole position in the table, leaving their counterparts firmly rooted at the foot of the table.
A win for the men’s ‘A’ yes, but an overall 23-16 defeat was not the result the West Midlands were seeking. They are now on 84 points the same as Humberside and bottom team Somerset, all that seperates the three teams is average. With only four remaining fixtures it’s going to be a tough run in.
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Congratulations to Selly Park, they have just won the Irish Centre Four a Side Ladies League title. Runners up Acocks Green put up a spirited performance in their final fixture beating bottom team Sutton 19-2 to give them total points of 150, 21 short of the champions tally. Despite a 14-7 defeat by Sheldon in their last contest Northfield were still able to hold on to third place with 131 points, nine more than their victors.
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The Mercury Ladies Charity team have once again been on their travels in a bid to raise monies for the Give a Child Health Fund. The latest venue for their exhibition was the Stirchley United WMC where they took on a representative team from the South West Birmingham Clubs Winter League. The result was a 5-1 success for the charity team with wins from Sylvia Kimberlee, Joyce Webster, Carole Fisher, Angie Bourne and Stephanie Bailey, Barbara Andrews was the only player to win from the clubs team.
The result was actually immaterial as the evening raised a fabulous total of £120 for the dedicated charity. The last in the current series of exhibitions will be staged at Hopwood Social Club on 25th March when the team will tackle “May’s Hoppers” who are renowned for their achievements in the charity raising stakes. Unfortunately this could well be the last of the teams travels as the Sunday Mercury, sponsors since the team was inaugurated some twenty years ago, have decided they will no longer be able to sponsor them.
So if there is anyone out there who is able to sponsor the team for their travelling expenses, don’t be shy contact Joyce Webster on 0121-604-5081 and help continue what has become one of the Midlands top and longest established charity teams.
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