2015-01-01

In division two of the BDO Inter County Championships West Midlands went into their final fixture of 2014 with one win and one defeat hoping for a much need win to lift them away from the foot of the table and set them up for the remaining six games in 2015.
Playing at home at the Gilberts Bar, Willenhall West Midlands opponents were Berkshire. Kicking off the weekend for the ladies ‘B’ was Jacqueline Maiden who lost 3-0 to Lisa Webb, but for finishing doubles the result could easily have gone the other way. Wendy Waine cancelled out Berkshire’s lead when she accounted for Louise Grannell with a straight 3-0 win. Making it three 3-0 wins in a row was Debbie Connors, her success against Sophie Singh restoring Berkshire’s lead, a lead that was extended to within an ace of victory when Jackie Walford beat Claire Hobbs 3-1 giving the away team a 3-1 lead.
Christine Banks continued her fine season when she, for the third time in as many games won the lady of the match award. Christine’s 3-0 win over Kate Denton saw her average 19.78 and with a final 3-0 win from Samantha Maiden against Carole Holroyd, West Midlands sealed a 3-3 draw, when after the first four games all looked lost.
In double quick time the men’s ‘B’ found themselves 2-0 down when David Hewlett and Andy Wells each chalked up 3-0 wins over Mark Allen-Watkiss and Jamie Barrowman respectively. Reducing the arrears for the home side was Paul Price, a man of the match performance with his 25.47 average and 3-0 win over Simon Purvey. Justin Evans then squared the match at 2-2 with his 3-2 win over Callum Grealis after Grealis had taken a 2-1 lead.
Game five saw the West Midlands forge ahead for the first time in the match, Martin Angell’s 3-1 win over William Foot giving them a 3-2 advantage. Alas the lead was short lived as Berkshire claimed the next four games. Ashley Passmore twice came from behind against Adam Johnson before he went on to win 3-2, Joe Lacey trailing 2-0 to Mark Craddock also won 3-2, then with 3-0 wins from Clive Drinkwater and Kevan Merritt over Lee Arnold and John Mycock, the visitors were 6-3 up and unbeatable.
Gary Watts (West Midlands) was made to fight all the way for his 3-2 win by Luke Woodland, Woodland twice cancelling out Watts’ wins in the first and third legs. Avtar Singh had a more comfortable 3-1 success against Gary Jones to leave the result hinging on the final game of the day.
Going into the last encounter and his team trailing 6-5 was Robert Thompson, with nerves coming to the front Thompson missed his finishing doubles and saw his opponent Steve Shadwell go 2-0 up, he pulled one back in the third only to see Shadwell take the fourth with a 100 checkout and win 3-1 to put the final score at 7-5 to Berkshire.
Kath Jenkins gave the home side the early lead in the ladies ‘A’ game when she won 3-1 against Amy Smith, but the cheers didn’t last long as Ally Judge, with a similar 3-0 result beat Kim Fellows to level the game.
Debbie Shadwell put Berkshire’s noses in front for the first time in the third, despite being pegged back to level terms twice by Heather Wright she went on to win 3-2 and with 4-1 wins for Hayley Croucher and Jo Rolls against their respective opponents Elizabeth Arnold and Gemma Barrett the visiting team had taken a match winning 4-1 lead.
On at number six for West Midlands was Lisa Astbury, who squared up to Jenny Payne. Already with two match awards under her belt Lisa quickly made it three as she won 3-1 and chalked up her team’s best average of the day 19.99 to take the final score to 4-2 for Berkshire.
The men’s ‘A’ were looking to extend their unbeaten record of one win and one draw and hoping to set them on their way was Glen Cullen. Cullen won the first leg against Terry Stubbs and then levelled in the fourth but Stubbs turned out to be the 4-2 winner. Michael Baker beat Eddie Simmonds 4-2 to make it 1-1, but John Jamieson’s win over Paul Price put the away team ahead for a second time.
Kevin Morley looked all set to make it 3-1 to Berkshire when he opened a 3-1 lead against Gavin Baker, but Baker won the tie 4-3 with three eighteen darts games. For the first time since the opening game the West Midlands went ahead again in the fifth when Danny Coyle made short work of his opponents Andy McNeill-Aitken beating him in four straight legs. The score at the halfway mark was 3-3, Daniel Woodcraft winning the sixth against Jonathan Platt 4-2.
The second half began the same way as the first half finished with the Berkshire player, this time Paul Croucher winning 4-0 against Richard Platt to put his side 4-3 up.
Fortunes changed yet again, West Midlands taking the following two games through Sean Carrol and Mark Rollinson with Paul Snowsill and Richard Stride on the receiving end. Carrol with winning legs of 18, 17, 16 and 16 darts had a tremendous 30.08 average which won the team’s man of the match award.
Keith Allman looked all set to make it three wins in a row for West Midlands opening up a 2-0 lead against Paul Hogan, but former West Midlands player Hogan stepped up a gear and in 13, 17, 16 and 16 darts won the tie 4-2 to once again level the score.
Now at 5-5 and only two to play, the outcome of the last two games was imperative, the penultimate player for the West Midlands was Nick Fullwell, his opposition coming in the form of James Turner. Fullwell won the first in 15 darts, Turner the second in 20. Fullwell then won two in a row in 21 and 15 darts, but again the Berkshire man drew level, this time in 18 darts. Fullwell wrapped up the tie in the sixth leg, an 18 darts leg giving him a 4-2 win and a 28.44 average.
West Midlands could not have wished for a more reliable anchor man than Ian Jones, on many, many, many occasions Jones has pulled out the stops at a vital time in the proceedings and there would be no better time for him to replicate this than now, which would ultimately mean a team win for the men’s ‘A’.
Double twenty saw him go one up in 17 darts, Jason Heaver, his opponent took the next in 23 darts. Jones forged ahead again with another 17 darts leg, only to see Heaver reply with a 105 game shot in 15. For a third time Ian Jones took the lead, this time it was a 19 darts leg that put him within an ace of victory.
The sixth leg was a real thriller, Jones set off with scores of 123, 81, 140 and 100 to leave 57 after only a dozen darts. Heaver meanwhile had also been busy with scores of 40, 140, 41, 100 and 140 to leave himself on double twenty again after only twelve darts. Single seventeen and double twenty, just two darts were all that were needed by Jones to seal a superb encounter and give him a personal 4-2 win, but more importantly his team a 7-5 victory.
Unfortunately the overall result was a 19-17 win for Berkshire and although West Midlands have played one game less than the majority of teams in the division they are perilously close to the foot of the table having just 55 points and just above bottom team Wiltshire, who are on 44. Still West Midlands are only a third of the way through their season and with six more games to go hopefully they will turn it around in the New Year and climb up the table.
Full Results:Division Two:West Midlands v Berkshire (17-19):(West Midlands names first):Men’s ‘A’:- Glen Cullen 2 Terry Stubbs 4, Micael Baker 4 Eddie Simmonds 2, Paul Price 1 John Jamieson 4, Gavin Baker 4 Kevin Morley 3, Danny Coyle 4 Andy Mcneil-Aitken 0, Jonathan Platt 2 Daniel Woodcraft 4, Richard Platt 0 Paul Croucher 4, Sean Carrol 4 Paul Snowsill 1, Mark Rollinson 4 Richard Stride 3, Keith Allman 2 Paul Hogan 4, Nick Fullwell 4 James Turner 2, Ian Jones 4 Jason Heaver 2, Men’s ‘B’:- Mark Allen-Watkiss 0 David Hewlett 3, Jamie Barrowman 0 Andy Wells 3, Paul Price 3 Simon Purvey 0, Justin Evans 3 Callum Grealis 2, Martin Angell 3 William Foot 1, Adam Johnson 2 Ashley Passmore 3, Mark Craddock 2 Joe Lacey 3, Lee Arnold 0 Clive Drinkwater 3, John Mycock 0 Kevan Merritt 3, Gary Watts 3 Luke Woodland 2, Avtar Singh 3 Gary Jones 1, Robert Thompson 1 Steve Shadwell 3, Women’s ‘A’:- Kath Jenkins 3 Amy Smith 1, Kim Fellows 0 Ally Judge 3, Heather Wright 2 Debbie Shadwell 3, Elizabeth Arnold 1 Hayley Croucher 3, Gemma Barrett 1 Jo Rolls 3, Lisa Astbury 3 Jenny Payne 1, Women’s ‘B’:- Jacqueline Maiden 0 Lisa Webb 3, Wendy Waine 3 Louise Grannell 0, Sophie Singh 0 Debbie Connors 3, Claire Hobbs 1 Jackie Walford 3, Christine Banks 3 Kate Denton 0, Samantha Maiden 3 Carole Holroyd 0.