2012-10-01

Riley’s BDO Inter County Championships got it’s new season underway but it was not a good start for the West Midlands in division one. Despite home advantage it was always going to be a tough match and that’s the way it turned out against Hampshire, a team who had premier division status last season.
Saturday’s games saw the ladies get the better start, Gemma Barrett putting them 1-0 up with straight 3-0 win over Dawn Simmonds, but the lead was short lived as Tara Power took a 2-0 lead against Jacqueline Maiden and although she was pegged back to level terms went on to win the tie 3-2.
Heather Wright restored the home teams lead when she accounted for Jaine Heaton with a 3-1 result, Heather’s 18.08 average earning her the lady of the match award. The lead was then increased to 3-1 when Shellbie Simmons beat Samantha Pike 3-2, after losing the opening leg.
Samantha Maiden looked all set to wrap up a win for the ‘B’ team, (their first since the opening day of last season when they won 4-2 away to Surrey), going 2-0 up against Charlotte Burgess, but then finishing doubles evaded her and Charlotte went on to win 3-2 to leave the result hinging on the final game between Lisa Maiden (West Midlands) and Pennie Lewis.
Pennie stormed into a 2-0 lead with Lisa way back on 113 and 221 in the two legs. The third leg could easily have gone either way as both players struggled on their doubles, but it was the Hampshire lady who found the elusive double one to clinch a 3-0 win and earn a 3-3 draw for her team mates.
In the men’s ‘B’ game Simon Timmins (Hampshire) won the first leg against Mark Watkiss, but was unable to consolidate his lead and Watkiss went on to win 3-1. Avtar Singh was well on his way to doubling the home teams lead when he opened up a 2-0 advantage over Ben Bran, but he failed to add to his two legs and lost out 3-2. Michael Baker was another West Midlands player who looked as if he would win his game, twice going ahead against Lee Ward but yet again like Avtar Singh he turned out to be a 3-2 loser to give the visitors a 3-1 lead.
Richard Platt stopped the rot when he came from 1-0 down against Paul Winter to win 3-1 and Glen Cullen levelled the match with a 3-2 win over Brian Bayford, Glen’s 25.67 average giving him the match award at the end of the day.
From 3-3 the away team suddenly moved up a gear, Dennis Murrell started a run of four consecutive 3-2 wins when he defeated Viv Gould, Mark Thorne followed with his win against Paul Price, then came Paul Dunn who beat Gregory Parkes and finally rounding off the quartet of wins was Dave Bonnett with his win over Ryan Herrington taking the score along to 6-3 in Hampshire’s favour.
Ian Stanton made the scoreline a little more respectable when he recorded a straight 3-0 victory against Steve Ballard, but it was little respite as Hampshire came bouncing back with a 3-0 win from Justin Bradshaw against Jonathon Platt and to round off the day’s play Phil Harty beat Lance Hackett 3-2 to give the away team an 8-4 victory.
Down 11-7 but not out at that stage the ladies ‘A’ began with the first five games all going the way of first throw advantage. Hampshire’s Wendy Reinstadtler was taking no prisoners as she beat Kim Fellows 3-0 and although her team mate Sue Lowther won the opening leg against Sarah Thornbury she was unable to improve on that as Sarah was quickest to the doubles and ran out not only the 3-1 winner but also the winner of the home teams lady of the match award with a 19.94 average.
Maxine Cadwallader restored Hampshire’s lead, after trailing 2-1 to Lisa Astbury she convincingly won the last two legs to snatch a 3-2 win. For the second time the visitors had their lead erased, this time it was Katherine Jenkins who supplied the West Midlands with a 3-1 win in her encounter with Elaine Harty.
The penultimate game and the win sequence continued, Diane Tolley took the first leg off Gemma Hayter but she was unable to avoid a 3-1 defeat and see the away team go into the final game with a 3-2 lead.
On the day Hampshire had kept their best till last, Jane Monaghan went 1-0 up in 22 darts against Jackie Crew, she then won the second leg in 26 darts but rounded off her 3-0 win with a 17 darts leg to give her team a 4-2 win.
On first for the West Midlands men’s ‘A’ was Andrew Forrester (24.44) and they could not have wished for a more encouraging start as he beat Kevin Ede 4-0, Ede only reaching a finishing double in the last leg. Dean Stewart (30.53) put on a similar show beating Daniel Smith 4-1, Smith only reaching a double in the fourth leg, which he won. Neil Pointen never fell behind against Ricky Williams, but nevertheless was taken to a deciding leg and after Williams had missed a bull finish off 83 checked out on 88 for a 4-3 win.
After three games 3-0 up and it was looking good for the hosts, but it was about to change. Peter Wyse lost the first leg to Mike Gillet, but won the next three to put him within an ace of victory. That victory looked odds on when after 18 darts he threw at a finishing double unfortunately he missed and did so with another six visits to the oche. Gillet stepped in and won the leg on double one, took the next with a 101 checkout and wrapped up his 4-3 win with a 16 darts leg on double nine to move the score along to 3-2 still to the home team.
The evergreen Ian Jones was next to the oche for the Midlanders and facing up to him was Sam Head. The first four legs were shared, each one going with the darts advantage. Leg number five and the sequence was broken, both players had their chance to win the leg but with a 20 outshot it was Head who forged ahead 3-2.
Always the fighter, Ian Jones rallied and with top shots of 100, 140 and 130 won the penultimate leg in fourteen darts and with double sixteen in the seventh and deciding leg sealed a great 4-3 win with a 27.20 average, extending his teams lead to 4-2.
Game number seven was a close affair, although the scoreline would not suggest that, between Mark Rollinson and Dennis Murrell. Murrell steamed into a 3-0 lead with his opponent on a double every leg. Rollinson pulled one back in the fourth but then went down 4-1 in the fifth, the averages for the players, Rollinson 23.39 and Murrell 23.75.
Restoring parity for the first time since the opening game was Sam Rooney. Playing against Danny Coyle Rooney went 2-0 up. He dropped the third leg but then won the next two to win 4-1 to take the running tally to 4-4.
West Midlands man Jamie Hughes was in superb form, his man of the match performance against Andy Mitchell putting the home team’s noses in front once again. Andy Mitchell must have wondered what had hit him as Hughes kicked off with an 18 darts leg including a 102 finish. He then hit scores of 140, 125, 121 and finished off a tremendous twelve darts leg with a 115 outshot. The third leg was much of the same, scores of 140, 85, 100, 136 and double twenty for a thirteen darts leg and a clear cut 3-0 lead. The fourth leg was a more sobering affair as Hughes hit 41, 90, 140, 83, 95 and finished on 32 in 18 darts for a fabulous 32.85.
Now with West Midlands holding a 5-4 lead both teams had it all to play for in the last three games and game ten saw both players giving their all to win. Steve Musson (Hampshire) won the first, Ian Stanton the second. Musson went ahead again in the third only to see Stanton win the next two and go 3-2 up. In 20 darts Musson clinched the sixth leg to force a decider, one which he again won, this time on double twenty after Stanton had had three visits to the board at doubles.
The result now depended on the last two games. Matthew Dicken despite losing the first and fifth legs to Mick Street went on to win the tussle 4-2 however, his team mate, Martin Angell was unable to capitalise on his win as he lost the final game against Gary Stafford 4-1 to leave honours shared in the men’s ‘A’, but giving an overall 21-15 victory to Hampshire.