2011-04-01

Since last going to print West Midlands have played two more of their scheduled nine fixtures in division one of the Riley’s BDO Inter County Championships, two fixtures that highlight the highs and lows of the West Midlands so far.
The first of the two was an away game against Bedfordshire, which produced a fantastic three wins in the four games for West Midlands. In Saturday games the ladies ‘B’ got off to a bad start when Sylvia Critcher and Lisa Perkins had respective 3-1 and 3-0 wins over Gemma Poole and Doreen Kaye to put the hosts 2-0 up. Claire Hobbs reduced the deficit when she won a five legs tussle with Kerry King, but he home team won back their two games lead when Angie King beat Jenna Couch in another five legs affair.
So at 3-1 down West Midlands now had their backs to the wall and urgently needed to stop the rot. Long term servant Diane Tolley provided that lifeline as she convincingly defeated Rachel Ayto 3-0, with the home player not reaching a finishing double in any of the three legs. Diane’s win and her 20.31 average at the end of the day earned her the team’s match award and also gave her team mate Jackie Simmons a chance to square the match in the final game. Unfortunately it was not to be as Jackie’s opponent, Carol Perkins took advantage of Simmons missed doubles in the first two legs and with another win in the third won the game 3-0 and the match 4-2.
The men’s ‘B’ were on a roll having won all three of their previous outings and were quick to show that they intended to stretch that run to four. Viv Gould made the darts advantage count as he, despite being taken the full five legs distance by Bill Rhodes, won 3-2. Although the lead was short lived, as Greg Parkes lost out by 3-1 to Paul Parrott, West Midlands were soon back on the winning track. A man of the match performance from Mark Lloyd (24.66) , who twice came from behind against Andy Moser but went on to win 3-2 started a run of five wins. Ian Stanton trailed 1-0 to Kelvin Maddy and won 3-1, Lance Hackett and Matt Dicken had no such problems as they in turn beat Jonathon Smith and Richard Wood in three straight legs to take the score along to 5-1 in favour of the West Midlands with six more to play.
Danny Coyle put the win beyond Bedforshire’s reach when he beat Lloyd Wintle 3-1, after Wintle had won the first leg. It was game number eight before the hosts chalked up their second win, which was supplied by Ryan Tharby. Ryan, after going 2-0 up against Chris Stanley was pegged back to 2-1 but won the fourth leg for a 3-1 success.
West Midlands men’s ‘B’ were assured of their fourth consecutive victory when Richard Platt won 3-1 against Michael Stone, but then came Bedforshire’s best run in the match as they recorded two winners in a row, first Lee Rose beat John Platt 3-1 and then Paul Caunt won 3-2 against Paul Wright after Wright had opened up a 2-1 lead. The final game of the day went to Martin Angell, Martin went 2-0 up in his game with Liam Morrs and although Morris pulled one back in the third Angell won 3-1 to give the Midlands side an 8-4 win.
After the first five fixtures the ladies ‘A’ with four defeats and one draw were still seeking their first win of the campaign. Kim Fellows (West Midlands) got the match underway, she won the opening leg against Michelle Caste, lost the following two, but fought back to gain a 3-2 victory. Team mate Tammy Chance won the first leg in her tie with Diane Nash but was unable to stop Nash going on to win 3-1 to level the match. A straight 3-0 legs win from Lisa Astbury over Fallon Sherrock restored West Midlands lead and extending that lead to 3-1 was lady of the match Sarah Robbins (18.93). Sarah trailed 1-0 to Felicia Blay, won the next two legs convincingly and then went on to gain her 3-1 success in the fourth leg, which saw both ladies throw at a double to win.
In the penultimate game Heather Wright gave the visitors their first overall win of the season. In a game that could have gone either way it was all down to finishing doubles, but it was Heather who just had the edge over Sue Blay-Sherrock in that department.
The final result was 4-2 to the West Midlands when Bedfordshire’s Jane Judges won the last game against Kath Jenkins by 3-0.
Five wins from the men’s ‘A’ side was all that was required to secure an overall win, but it did not begin too favourably. The home team began the brighter as Kevin Lowe won 3-1 against Chris Plumpton and Micky Reed beat Danny Coyle 3-0. The first winner for the away team was Neil Pointon. Neil’s 3-1 win over Eamonn Lilly and Avtar Singh’s 3-0 win against Barry Davies restoring parity.
Level terms did not stay long as Bedfordshire turned up the heat by winning four in a row. Taking the running tally along to 6-2 for Bedfordshire were Matthew Caste, Kelly Corcoran, Steve Norton and Pete Kenny, who in turn defeated Matt Dicken, Peter Wyse, Nick Fullwell and Chris Hickman.
Trailing 6-2 the men’s ‘A’ now had a mountain to climb and beginning the ascent was Andy Forrester, who had a 3-0 win over Adam King. At number nine Dean Stewart and his opponent Gary Butcher, with 2×140 Dean won the first leg in 17 darts. He completed a similar feat in the second leg, this time hitting 140 and 2×100 in another 17 darts leg. He then wrapped up a 3-0 win and his man of the match trophy when he hit 140, 120, 140 and then checked out on 101 for a fabulous twelve darts leg to give him a tremendous 32.67 average.
Jamie Hughes made it three consecutive 3-0 wins for the West Midlands when he accounted for Michael Burgoine and narrow the difference between the two team to just one game, the score 6-5.
West Midlands could not have wished for a better anchor man than Ian (Mr Reliable) Jones. Ian lost the first leg to Gary Brown after only twelve darts, but won the second. He then went 2-1 down in 18 darts, but levelled again, this time in 15 darts and went on to win 3-2 with a 29.23 average in 14 darts hitting a maximum in the process. Final score 6-6, overall result 21-15 to the West Midlands.
Fixture number two was a tough home tie with London. In the ladies games the ‘B’ side shared the points in a game that saw the home team twice go ahead. London took first blood through Kelly Bobby’s 3-1 win over Gemma Poole, but the lead did not last long as Diane Tolley beat Tina Hamilton 3-0. A five legs thriller saw Claire Hobbs emerge the 3-2 winner against Jane Johnson to put West Midlands noses in front for the first time, but alas again it was not for long as Dee Belcher won 3-0 in her game with Jacqui Simmons.
A 3-2 win from Doreen Kaye over Lynda Biondini guaranteed at least a share of the spoils for the Midlands team, and unfortunately for them that was exactly what they got as London’s Ged Carney beat Jenna Couch 3-1 in the final encounter.
The ‘A’ team were definitely not in top form as they slumped to a 5-1 defeat. Wins from Kerry Simmons, Susan Holt, Hayley Plume, Tammy McKenzie and Clare Bywaters gave London their five winners with Sarah Robbins (16.48) making the sole reply for the West Midlands and winning her second consecutive match award.
There were mixed fortunes for the men’s teams. The ‘B’ with five wins and only one defeat in their six games once again began with promise. Mark Lloyd led the way with his 3-2 win over Chris Copeland and with a similar scoreline Lance Hackett beat his namesake Paul to open a 2-0 lead.
After winning the opening two games it was the turn of the away side to win two in a two, George Killington and Tom McGurn beating Viv Gould and Ian Stanton respectively. The pattern now appeared to be win two lose two and that continued as Wayne Griffiths and Danny Coyle in turn accounted for Wayne Livett and Alan Hardy, moving the running total along to 4-2 in West Midlands favour.
A 3-0 win over Chris Stanley by Tony Hamit kept London in the match at 4-3, but the home side opened up their two games advantage again when Lol Frazer beat Lee Cocks 3-0. Once again the visitors came back fighting, this time it was John Nelson’s 3-0 victory over Chris Hickman that brought them back within one game deficit.
Three to go and as it turned out three wins for West Midlands, Greg Parkes beat Rob Edwards 3-0, Chris Plumpton won 3-1 against David Goodwin and in the final game man of the match Ian Hartland (30.20) beat Stuart Pickles 3-1 to give the ‘B’ side an 8-4 win, their fifth in a row.
The London men’s ‘A’ side quickly opened up a 3-0 lead as Lewis McGurn, Daniel Day and Chris Stevens defeated Matt Dicken, Mark Rollinson and Neil Pointon. A brief respite saw Jamie Hughes pull one back for the Midlander’s with a 3-1 win against Paul Amos, but London’s Graham Rackstraw’s 3-1 success over Richard Platt saw the score move along to 4-1 to the visitors.
Making the scoreline a little more respectable were Dean Stewart and Andy Forrester who with 3-0 and 3-1 wins over Richie Buckell and Graham Inniss reduced the difference to just one game. The following three games all went to the wire as they were all decided on the fifth leg. Steve McHale (London) beat Nick Fullwell, then Peter Wyse (West Midlands defeated Jimmy Foster. In the third game of the trio Ian Jones stepped up for the hosts and Richard Angelo for the opposition, it was a cracker of a game with Jones getting the 3-2 verdict and his tremendous 30.96 average earning him the match award, his opponent, despite losing 3-2 registering his side’s second best average of the day 29.51, only Lewis McGurn beat him with his 29.55.
So two to play and the score stood at 5-5, sadly the two games finished with 3-1 margins and both of them went in favour of London, Paul Killington and Paul Wright beating Martin Angell and Avtar Singh to give the away team an 8-4 and an overall victory of 19-17.