2002-12-01

West Midlands latest division four fixture in the BDO Inter Counties Championships was an away game against Gloucestershire and as early as this, the second match of the campaign, already hopes are high, and the signs are looking good for an early return to division three.
The ladies ‘B’ got the proceedings underway, still looking for their first win since they beat Berkshire 4-2 on the 6th March 1999. Teresa Johnson gave her team a confidence booster when she chalked up a 3-1 win over Cath Brennan. Sue Smith (West Midlands) never gave up the fight against Chris Marsh, twice coming from behind to finally win 3-2.Kath Jenkins (17.89) produced a lady of the match performance against Pat Thomas to win 3-0 and give her tem mates a similar 3-0 advantage.
Game number four swung one way then the other as Karen Brown (Gloucestershire) gained the initiative when she went one up against Debi Hackett. Debi then won the following two legs to go 2-1 up, only to see Karen bounce back to win the last two legs and the game 3-2. The hosts cheers were quickly silenced as Sara Jukes made short work of her encounter with Margaret as she romped to a straight 3-0 win to earn the West Midlands ladies ‘B’ a memorable victory, taking the scoreline along to 4-1.
Ann Jones recorded a similar 3-0 success when she took on Jackie Jenkins to put the result at 5-1 to West Midlands.
The men’s ‘B’, like the ladies got off to a good start. John Pountney was first to the oche with Malcolm Shill representing Gloucestershire. Pountney settled quickly and won the opening leg in twenty darts. He then went two up with a seventeen darts leg and rounded off his 3-0 win with another twenty darts leg giving him an average of 26.37, which at the end of the day earned him the man of the match award. Adrian Hammersley made it 2-0 with a neat 3-0 win over Matthew Jackson and with Frank Johnson’s 3-1 beating of Keith Lawrence West Midlands had opened up a 3-0 lead.
Gloucestershire found their first winner in the shape of Brian Coole. Coole lived up to his name when he squared up to Steve Penwright and beat him 3-0. Jim Keveren (Gloucestershire) won the first leg against Mervyn Field, but with finishes of 125 and 66 Field reversed the advantage. With an 80 outshot Keveren won the penultimate leg in eighteen darts. However, it proved to be all in vain as after both players had failed at finishing doubles Field took the honours with a 16 game shot. To finish the first half there was another tussle whereby the advantage changed from one to another. Gloucestershire’s Simon Delaney went one up in nineteen darts against Jamie Parsons. Parsons replied with winning legs in 26 and 17. Delaney came back with a 16 darts leg, including a maximum to force a decider. Parsons, with scores of 100,123,100 and 100 stormed into a lead against the darts. On his next visit to the board he was throwing for 58 with his counterpart on 99. Parsons won the leg in eighteen darts to give a 5-1 lead to the West Midlands at the midway point.
Steve Tyler notched the home team’s second win of the game. After trailing 1-0 to Paul Johnson he went on to win 3-1. West Midlands were put back on track with a 3-1 win from Dave Evans over Andy Reid, Evans checking out on 102 in the second leg. Long serving West Midlands player Fred Parsons chalked up the most meaningful win of the day when he won 30 in his tie with Paul Allen. Fred’s win assured the Midlanders of their second win in as many games.
Pushing the score along to 8-2 was another West Midlands old hand Joe Biggs. Biggs started with a sixteen darts leg, won the next with a 112 finish and the confirmed his victory when he won the third with a 10 game shot after his opponent, Les Jackson missed a 60 finish.
With only two to play Russ Kitchener (Gloucestershire) looked odds on to lose his game when Ron Johnson gained a 2-0 lead and was first to a finishing double in the third. Nevertheless, when Johnson missed on three separate visits to the oche, Kitchener took advantage and wrapped up the leg with a 20 outshot. He then levelled the game when he finished on double nineteen and won the match on double one, again after Johnson had failed to finish. The last game went to the visitors, Viv Gould beating Chris Jackson 3-1 to give a final team win of 9-3, the second consecutive –3 victory.
Two games completed and two wins, it was now down to the ladies ‘A’ to show what they could do. They did not have a good start, in fact they did not have a good game, it was not one of their better days as doubles and high scores appeared to desert them and they were handed a 6-0 whitewash. The hosts won the first two games without conceding a single leg. Irene Kendrick and Brenda Hales accounting in turn for Claire Downing and Angie Perry. Claire Hobbs won her first leg against Colleen Northcutt but then struggled with doubles and lost 301. Janet Hubbard and Rose Mycock also won a leg in their games against Sharon Hiam and Wendy Booth, but unfortunately suffered the same fate as Hobbs and went down 3-1. The final game was another straight three legs victory to the home team, Louise Perry defeating Teresa Johnston to give a 6-0 verdict.
After Saturday’s games a win looked a formality for the West Midlands, but a 6-0 defeat for the ladies ‘A’ back into the frame although trailing 14-10. Brian Dickson helped the home team’s cause when he began the men’s ‘A’ match with a win, a 3-1 success over Dave Evans. Chris Hickman (West Midlands) squared the match beating Mark Turley 3-0, only to see team mate Steve Brindley lose 3-2 to Mark Chiswell.
On at number four for the away team was Mick James. Mick had a 3-0 win over Keith Weaver, in which he hit a maximum, and his 25.91 average also won him the team’s match award. For the first time in the match West Midlands took the lead in the fifth game, Ian Jones winning 3-1 against Steve Poulter and to end the first half Avtar Singh added another 3-1 win to the tally when he took out Dene Baldwin to give a 4-2 lead and an overall 18-12 advantage.
Requiring just one more win for an overall victory, success looked well and truly on the cards, but nothing is ever that simple. Alan Wiggett (Gloucestershire) had a 3-1 win against Ian Hartland, despite Hartland winning the first with a 126 finish. Chris Whiting required just three legs to beat Gary Taylor, and when Mark Blandford came back twice from trailing to Darren Williams and win 3-2 suddenly West Midlands had a fight on their hands and their counterparts were back in the fixture at 18-15.
The situation then got even more desperate as Steve Young and Henry O’Neill both won 3-1 against respective opponents Richard Foster and Martin Tibbetts and now with the score at 18-17 the result hinged on the very last game of the weekend. The anchormen for the two teams were Chris Hiam (Gloucestershire) and Colin Davies. Hiam, with the darts advantage, went one up in 21 darts. Davies responded with a 26 darts leveller. Hiam forged ahead again, this time in 20 darts, only to see his counterpart cancel his lead again with a 23 darts leg to force a fifth and final leg. Both players began nervously, but with the first throw advantage it was the home player who had first strike at a double. But, Hiam missed and up stepped Davies to clinch a 3-2 win and a vital overall 19-17 victory, the men’s ‘A’ 7-5 defeat almost immaterial.
The result puts West Midlands in the driving seat as they now hold onto pole position in the promotion table with 47 points. However, they still need to keep one eye looking over their shoulder, as Gwynedd are just one point behind them.
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Congratulations to Leicestershire’s Jez Porter on winning the Midland Open 2002, staged at the Barras Social Club, Coventry. Porter walked away with the competitions top prize of £750 with a final win over Worcestershire’s Andy Smith, the game could not have been closer.
The first two legs could have gone to either player, but it was Porter who got the all-important finishing doubles in 20 and 17 darts. Smith responded magnificently winning the next three legs in 17,18 and 17 darts to go 3-2 up. Porter was the more consistent scorer in the sixth leg and went on to win it in 17 darts. Smith hit a maximum with his very last throw of the leg but still required 54 when Porter checked out.
The match delicately poised at three each the winner of the next leg would go within an ace of victory. Smith looked all set to claim the leg when he was throwing for double top Porter was left on 57. Smith missed, Porter missed, Smith failed yet again but Porter didn’t, he won the leg with his twenty third dart. The eighth leg saw the match squared once more when Smith finished on 18, emulating Porter’s previous 23 darts leg to take the match to a decider.
Porter had first throw in the final leg and made full use of it. He kicked off with two 140’s followed that with 123 and then a throw of 66 left him requiring double sixteen. Meanwhile, Smith had worked his way down to a finish of 145, a finish he did not get to throw for as the Porter sealed his 5-4 victory with his first dart, a tremendous thirteen darts decider.
Smith collected £350 for the runners up prize and the remaining prize money went to, joint third Martin Whatmaugh (Warwickshire), Wayne Jones (West Midlands) £125 each, joint fifth Ian Jones (West Midlands), Kevin Dowling (Warwickshire), Mark Dewsbury (Nottinghamshire), Darren Willetts (Worcestershire) £50 each, joint ninth Jason Clark (London), Shaun Bailey (Yorkshire), Tony Brown, Moe Whelan, Brian Jones, Scott Mitton (Warwickshire), John Picton (Glamorgan), Mark Wilson (Nottinghamshire) £20 each.
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The Ace of Clubs Charity team have been on the road raising monies again, this time their opponents being the Bulls Head, Bideford on Avon. The event was organised to raise funds for Bideford Youth, and raise money they did, an amazing £250. The result of the match was an 11-9 win for the charity team.
As reported time and time again in this column, the Ace of Clubs, formerly the Mercury Ladies Charity team, have travelled the Midlands to raise funds for worthy causes, they are on the lookout for opponents, who can name the charity of their choice for the proceeds to be donated to. Anyone interested in organising a match against the team should contact Joyce Webster on 0121-604-5081.
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