Red Dragon Sheffield Franchise League (Week 12)
Thursday 4th January 2018
Academicals vs Wolves
Match forfeit due to Academicals failing to put out a side. Wolves win 6-0
Aces 5-1 Pirates
Andy Umney 3-0 Andy Friar
Mick Smith 3-0 Lee Slack
Simon Birkett 3-0 Simon Chivers
Ian Speed 3-0 Sie Simmons
Trevor Tye 3-0 Michael Slack
Dave Belfitt 2-3 Anne Lofthouse
After the well earned Christmas break the Sheffield Darts Franchise League started back up as Week 12 kicked off at the Newbold where the Aces hosted the Pirates.
To kick things off, Aces Andy Umney took on Andy Friar and made the game look easy as he started by breaking Frair's throw in the opening leg of the night by taking out a 20 dart leg. Umney kept up the pressure to double his lead by hitting a 19 darter. Friar couldn't cope with Umney as he finished off the match by winning it in 18 darts taking out a 114 finish to round off a solid performance to put the Aces one up.
Next up for the Pirates were Lee Slack as he looked to equalise against opponent Mick Smith. It was Smith to open and he held his throw well be recording a 19 dart finish. Smith then broke Slack's throw in the next leg to double his lead. They were no way back for Slack in the third leg as Smith took out the winning double to earn victory which made the score 2-0.
Simon Birkett showed good form in the third match on for the Aces as he played Simon Chivers. Birkett recorded a 20 darter against the throw to take the lead and after holding throw in the second leg, Birkett then finished off his opponent by taking out a 21 dart leg to win the match and make it three for the Aces at the halfway stage.
It was up to Pirates Sie Simmons to keep his team in the game as he faced Ian Speed. "Speedy" threw well as he took the first leg to lead. Simmons had the darts to level but couldn't finish it as Speed broke throw which gave him the arrows to win it and he did just that by taking out a 21 darter to secure the win for the Aces with two games to spare.
In the fifth match on it was Pirates Michael Slack's chance to try and get a point on the board for the team against opponent Trevor Tye, Slack had throw to start but couldn't hit the big scores as Tye took advantage of that by taking the first leg. Tye then held his own throw to go two up. In the third leg Slack had to hold throw to stay in it but couldn't do it as Tye rounded it off in three which made it five in five for the home side.
Pirates Anne Lofthouse had to win to avoid a clean sweep for the Aces as she played Dave Belfitt in a match that went the distance. It didn't start well for Lofthouse has she lost the opening two legs which gave the Aces 17 straight legs in the match, but finally Lofthouse stopped the rot by breaking back in the third leg then took out the double in the fourth to force a deciding leg. Belfitt had the throw but it was Anne Lofthouse who completed her comeback by throwing well in the second half of the match to give the Pirates a point and avoided the whitewash too.
Black Eagles 6-0 Panthers
John Walton 3-0 Kieron Potts
Charlie Stocks 3-0 Mick Wood
Micky Stocks 3-0 John Schultz
Jelger Tuinstra 3-1 Russ Simons
Owen Cubitt 3-1 Richard Brown
Steve Briggs 3-2 Mick Hulley
Over at the Woodbourne their was a derby between the champions Black Eagles and the Panthers, with the Panthers needing an early start to put the champs on the back foot.
It didn't start off like that unfortunately for them as former World Champion John Walton set off with a 13 dart leg against the throw leaving opponent Kieron Potts with it all to do. John "Boy" held in the second leg by taking it out in 21 darts to double his lead, then Walton took the match once again against throw by finishing it in 17 with a maximum to add to his tally too for the season which put the Champions ahead.
Up next for the Panthers was Mick Wood looking to pull his team level as he took on young star Charlie Stocks. The game started well for Stocks as he took out the opening leg. Wood had the darts in the second to equalise but Stocks showed maturity beyond his years as he broke Wood to throw for the match in which the youngster did with ease to double the Black Eagles lead.
It was father Micky Stocks to toe the oche on the third game on as he made light work of John Schultz after breaking him with a 19 darter and a 180 to start. Stocks then left himself a one dart finish after 21 in the next leg in which he took out the very next dart to make it two. In the third and final leg with Schultz throwing to stand any chance Stocks saved his best until last after hitting the second maximum of the match he strolled to a 15 darter to finish off Schultz to make it three in three for the defending champions.
In the fourth game on the Black Eagles were on a roll as Jelger Tuinstra stepped up to win it early against opponent Russ Simons. It was Simons who started the better of the two breaking the Tuinstra throw with a 20 dart leg but that's the best it got for him as Jelger found his range and broke straight back to level. In the third leg it was Tuinstra who held to make it 2-1, then he rounded off the match with a 21 dart leg against throw to win it for the Black Eagles with two to play.
Richard Brown was looking to make the scoreline me more respectable for the Panthers in the next match against another youngster in Owen "Ice" Cubitt and he did well in the opener and took the lead, but once again the Black Eagles team came back as Cubitt found his form to take out a 21 darter, 18 and then a 23 dart finish to win the match in three devastating legs of darts to leave Brown trailing behind to make the score 5-0.
In the sixth and final game of the night it was up to Mick Hulley to avoid the whitewash for the Panthers and he did all he could against Steve Briggs, racing into a 2-0 lead following a 19 dart leg and a 180 but Briggs fought back in the second half of the match taking out a 20 darter on throw then in the fourth leg after hitting a max of his own in reply to Hulley's one earlier in the game, Briggs took out an 18 darter ending with a 3 dart finish to force a decider to end the night. On throw Briggs had the advantage in the final leg as Hulley tried to find his earlier form but couldn't manage it as Briggs completed the comeback to win it and complete the Black Eagles whitewash.
Wades 3-3 Railwaymen
Lester Bowers 3-1 Steve Brittle
Jordan Payne 0-3 Tom Gurran
Stephen Naisbitt 0-3 Martin Scott
Simon Sawford 0-3 Pete Bramley
Tom Sawford 3-0 Gavin Pilling
Tom Briggs 3-0 N. Campbell
Staying at the Woodbourne it was a tight affair between two evenly matched teams as the Wades took on the Railwaymen.
To open proceedings Wades Lester "Big Red" Bowers faced Steve Brittle and it was the home player who settled in the better as he started with back to back 21 dart legs leaving Brittle with a mountain to climb. He did manage to pull a leg back in the third but "Big Red" secured the win in four to put the Wades one up.
It was the battle of the young prospects in game two as Railwaymen's Tom "The Inferno" Gurran and Jordan Payne went head to head. It was Payne with the darts but Gurran fired in a 20 darter to break and after holding his throw in the second leg, Payne was in all sorts of trouble which he couldn't get out of as Gurran finished it early to equalise for the Railwaymen.
In game three Railwaymen's Martin Scott took out Stephen Naisbitt without dropping a leg to give the travelling side the lead for the first time in the match.
Wades Simon Sawford was looking to level the scores back up in the next game but he bumped into a rampant Pete "Perfect" Bramley, as Bramley broke Sawford's throw in the first leg with a 20 darter. "Perfect" carried on the consistent darts in the next leg and held to double his lead. Sawford needed to hold his throw to stay in the contest but Bramley won it at a canter to make the score 3-1 to the away side with two to play.
It looked a cert after game four that the Railwaymen were going to win but "Shooter" Tom Sawford had other ideas as he set off in his match against Gavin Pilling with a 21 dart leg against the darts. Sawford held his throw in the next leg to go two up. Pilling had to hold to stand any chance but Sawford rounded off the game to force a decider.
In the sixth and deciding match N. Campbell needed to defeat Wades Tom Briggs to give the Railwaymen victory but it didn't go as he planned as Briggs kicked off with a hold of throw which set him on his way to bossing the match throughout which led to Briggs winning in three to rescue a draw for the Wades.
Warriors 2-4 Vulcans
Barry Brittle 0-3 Steven Caley
Ian Webster 0-3 Mick Swift
Steve Newton 3-1 T. Wright
Nicola Warne 2-3 James Thomas
Paul Brittle 1-3 Phil Lambert
Angela Brittle 3-0 Jim Smith
In the final game of the week at the Midland, the bottom two teams went head to head as the Warriors who had nine defeats on the bounce before the break face a Vulcans team who have yet to achieve a victory this season.
We open with Warriors Barry Brittle hoping to get his team off to a good start against Steven Caley, but it was Caley who took the lead with a hold of throw. Brittle had to hold throw in the next leg to level but he couldn't keep up with Caley's scoring as Carey ran away with a 3-0 win to open with a win for the Vulcans.
In the next match on Mick Swift for the Vulcans was always on top against Ian Webster after breaking his throw to go one up, Swift kept up the pressure all game to run out the victor in three.
Warriors "Hero" Steve Newton kept them in the match in the next game against Wright after breaking to go one up. Newton then doubled his lead soon after. Wright managed to get a leg on the board but Newton won it in four to bring the Warriors back in the game.
In the closest game of the night, Vulcans James "Tank" Thomas and Nicola Warne battled it out in a match that went all the way. Warne had throw but it was "Tank" who took the first leg. Warne hit straight back with a break of her own to level, then it was Warne who took a 2-1 lead and looked favourite to win. In the fourth leg it was Thomas who held to stay in the match and make it into a last leg shootout in which Warne had the throw which gave her the advantage but she didn't make use of it as it was "Tank' who took out the winning double to make it 3-1 to Vulcans.
In the fifth match the Warriors had it all to do as captain Paul Brittle faced Phil Lambert who had a shot at winning the game for his team but Lambert didn't get off to the best of starts after losing his throw in the opener. Brittle had darts to double his lead but couldn't convert them as Lambert found his way back in the match and after breaking straight back, Lambert took the third leg to go 2-1 up and throw for the match in the fourth in which he did to give the Vulcans their first win of the season which closed the gap to them and tonight's opponents to just one point.
The game was over as we headed into the final match of the evening as Warriors Angela Brittle put in a solid performance as she swept away Vulcans captain Jim Smith 3-0 to make the scoreline a respectable 4-2 to the Vulcans which finally ended their long run without a win and it closed the gap between the two teams to a single point in the league table.
Pat Finney (Projectdarts Reporter/Media)
No comments:
Post a Comment