Team Knockout Week 4

Report by Olly Nunn

With the Uni Lads back home for Christmas, there were only two fixtures played this week – Raging Bull vs Riverside Warriors and Foxhill and District As vs Woodbourne Mouses.

Starting with the former, 17 and 20 darters got Mark Thomson off to a good start against Colin Johnson. The third leg soon followed, giving Thomson a 3-0 win and putting the home side one up. The second game saw the Bull’s Adam Chadwick face the Warriors’ Ian Webster. Legs one and two were split between them, but from there Chadwick held and then broke to take the match 3-1. 3-0 and 3-1 wins for Bri Jones and Matty Pierce (with an 18 dart leg for Jones to finish his game), versus Angie and Paul Brittle, were enough to clinch the win for the Raging Bull with three games to spare. A straight-legs victory for Jason Marsh in his game against Nicola Brittle then meant the Bulls had a clean sweep in the singles. The Warriors had some hope when Paul Brittle and Ian Webster went 1-0 up in the first pairs, but Thomson and Chadwick came back to claim a 2-1 win. This left Jones and Pierce to beat Angie and Nicola Brittle 2-0 in the last pairs, meaning the final score was 7-0 to the hosts.

Yet while it was a relatively drama-free night in Aughton, things were closer at Foxhill. Bottom of Group B after a loss to the Thorns last week, the home side were looking to get their Team Knockout campaign back on track. Ben Cooper got them off to a good start, winning the first game 3-0. But Mouses secured their own whitewash in the second game, as Steve Caley saw off Jack Walker. Two 3-1 wins for the away team followed, as Jordan Caley beat Morgan Mullins and Tom Wright beat Martin Schimelds, putting the Mouses on the brink of victory. However, a 3-1 win for Dale Blackwell against James Thomas kept the tie alive going into the pairs. At the second time of asking, though, the Mouses got over the line, with Glynn Harris and Jordan Caley taking the first pairs game 2-0. Despite this, Cooper and Blackwell managed to take their second wins of the night, and Foxhill’s third overall, in the last game, making the overall result 4-3 to the Mouses.

So, after a week that has seen Raging Bull and the Mouses consolidate their positions at the top of the groups, the Franchise League comes to its Christmas break. Play will resume on January 5^th, with many weeks of darting action set to come in the New Year!

Team Knockout Week 3

Report by Olly Nunn

This week saw the third round of fixtures for the Team Knockout, and perhaps the biggest surprise of the season so far as the Raging Bull made the trip to Station Hotel. First up was Mark Thomson for the Bulls versus the Railwaymen’s Pete Roebuck. Thomson kicked things off with a 20 darter, to which Roebuck responded with a 17. The pair then traded legs all the way to the fifth, where Thomson secured a vital hold to clinch the 3-2 win. Liam Kent proceeded to double the visitors’ lead in the second game, as he beat Geoff Higgs 3-1. Bri Jones then made it three for the Bulls as he beat Ryan Goffin 3-1, in a match that saw 20 and 19 darters for Jones and a 20 darter for Goffin. A straight-legs win for Matty Pierce over Lee McDonald followed, guaranteeing an overall win for the away side. Now 4-0 down, Gav Pilling put in a strong performance to get Station on the board, hitting 16 and 19 darters on the way to a 3-0 win over Adam Chadwick. And the Railwaymen’s second victory of the night soon followed, as Pilling and McDonald beat Chadwick and Jason Marsh 2-0 in the first pairs. But ultimately the night belonged to the Raging Bull, and a win for Pierce and Kent in the second pairs (against Goffin and Higgs) meant the final score was 5-2 to the visitors. It was a high-quality performance from both teams, with low-dart legs and three 180s (from Jones, Kent, and Thomson).

The second game of Group A was at Swallownest, where the Miners were against the Uni Arms Academicals. Jack Lewis got the Accy D’s off to a good start, beating Kev Allison in straight-legs, but a win for the Miners in the second game levelled the score. The hosts then looked like making it 2-1 in the third game, but from 2-0 down Joe Hopkins reeled off three legs on the bounce to win 3-2 for the Accy D’s. In the fourth game it was Tim Whiting for the Miners versus Jack Newton for the Accy D’s. The first two legs went to Whiting, and Newton was unlucky not to get the third after hitting 127 to leave tops, but a 108 from the Miners captain left 24, which he checked out to win and make it 2-2 overall. The final singles game put the Accy D’s in front once more, as Olly Nunn won 3-2, but two pairs wins for the Miners meant the Swallownest side ended the night with a 4-3 win.

Moving on to Group B, Thorncliffe’s Finest played Foxhill and District As, who, after a bye last week and a cancelled game the week before, were starting their Team Knockout campaign. Kicking off the night was Dan Ashton (Thorns) against Jack Walker (Foxhill), and it was a good start for the hosts. Ashton broke throw then held to go 2-0 up, and although Walker kept the game alive by taking the third, Ashton got the job done in the fourth to win 3-1. Foxhill replied in the second game, as Ben Cooper delivered a whitewash versus Josh Hall, but from there it was the Thorns who held the advantage. 3-1 victories for Lewis Wroe and Oliver Parfrement (against Martin Schimelds and Morgan Mullins respectively), put Dylan Farmer in a good position to clinch the overall for the Thorns in the last singles. And Farmer delivered, with a straight-legs win over Karl Howden giving the Thorns their fourth win of the night. A fifth came shortly after, as Ashton and Farmer beat Walker and Martin Bridge 2-1 in the first pairs. Cooper and Mullins at least ensured that Foxhill would have more than a solitary win, as they beat Parfrement and Hall 2-0 in the second pairs. Overall, then, the final score was 5-2 to the Thorns.

Also in Group B was the third Woodbourne derby of the season, as the Mouses took on Vintage. Game of the night was arguably between Vintage’s Trevor Burkhill and the Mouses’ Steve Caley, which went all the way to a deciding leg and featured moments of quality from both. Burkhill produced a 180, 106 checkout, and 15 and 14 darters, while Caley had a 180 of his own, an 18 darter, and a 142 checkout to force the fifth leg. In the end, it was Burkhill who won out in that key last leg, taking a 3-2 win. Soon after Vintage were 2-0 up, as Mick Hulley came out on top in the second game. But the Mouses were able to mount a comeback, with wins for James Thomas, Jimmy Haslam, and John Cartledge (Haslam and Cartledge hitting 17 darters in their games) putting them ahead at the end of the singles. Both pairs went to Mouses, too, meaning that they took the honours on derby day with a 5-2 win.

At the end of the third week of the Team Knockout, the standings are as follows:

Group A
- Raging Bull: 3
- Swallownest Miners: 2
- Station Railwaymen: 1
- Uni Arms Academicals: 0
- Riverside Warriors: 0

Group B
- Woodbourne Mouses: 2
- Thorncliffe’s Finest: 2
- Woodbourne Vintage: 1
- Uni Arms Understudies: 0
- Foxhill and District As: 0

This sets the stage for the final week of fixtures before the Christmas break, as the teams look to end the year on a high.

Team Knockout Week 2

Report by Olly Nunn

After the first games last week, this Thursday the Team Knockout continued, with eight teams in action.

Starting with Group A, the Raging Bull were at home against the Swallownest Miners. First up was Mark Thomson for the Bulls against Kev Hatfield for the Miners. Thomson began with 19 and 21 darters, and although Hatfield responded with a 21 darter of his own, Thomson took the fourth leg to seal a 3-1 win. On next for the hosts was Bri Jones, who had a successful night that included a 180. In his game against the Miners’ Kev Allison, though, Jones would be pushed all the way to a deciding leg. Ultimately, Jones won out in the decider to put the Bulls 2-0 up. Miners captain Tim Whiting beat Adam Chadwick 3-0 to get the visitors back in the tie, but from there 3-0 and 3-1 wins for Matty Pierce and Jason Marsh, against Tom Tingle and Rich Tingle respectively, ensured the Raging Bull had the required four wins. A fifth win would be added in the pairs, as Jones and Chadwick edged Tingle and Allison 2-1. But Whiting and Hatfield’s 2-0 victory against Pierce and Thomson meant the Miners could end on a high. So, 5-2 to the Raging Bull overall, and their good start to the Team Knockout continues.

The other Group A game was at the Riverside, where the Station Railwaymen began their Team Knockout campaign. The Warriors were left ruing missed chances in the first two games, as Colin Johnson and Ian Webster both went 2-0 up against Geoff Higgs and Pete Roebuck. The Railwaymen were able to force their way back into the matches, reeling off three consecutive legs in each to record 3-2 wins. Station pressed on from there, starting with Lee McDonald beating Paul Brittle 3-1. Ryan Goffin then won 3-0 versus Angie Brittle, with 21 and 20 darters, and Gav Pilling won by the same margin against Nicola Brittle, with a 19 darter. The Railwaymen did not let off in the pairs either, as Roebuck and Higgs beat Webster and Johnson 2-0 and Pilling and McDonald beat Paul and Nicola Brittle, also 2-0. A 7-0 whitewash win for the Railwaymen, then, to start their campaign strongly.

Moving on to Group B, Woodbourne Vintage played one of last week’s winners, Thorncliffe’ Finest. Pat Meeson played his first game this season and started well, with a 3-1 win and a 21 darter to give Vintage the first match. The Thorns’ Josh Hall then took a straight-legs victory in the second game to make things even. An important game followed, as Vintage’s Mick Hulley and the Thorns’ Dan Ashton fought all the way to a deciding leg. Hulley took the first, only for Ashton to reply with the second and third, and then Hulley won the fourth to force a fifth leg. And in that decider, it was Hulley who won out, putting Vintage ahead again. Vintage then made good on their lead, with 3-0 wins for Russ Simons against Dylan Farmer and Rich Brown against Oliver Parfrement giving them the overall win. The pairs games would be split between the teams, with the first going to Vintage courtesy of a 2-0 win for Hulley and Simons and the second to Thorns with a 2-1 win for Hall and Parfrement. Along with the doubles win, Parfrement also hit his first 180 of the season. But it was Vintage who, at the end of the night, would have been happiest, with a 5-2 win.

The other Group B game saw the Woodbourne Mouses travel to the Uni Arms to play the Understudies. Up first was Tom Graham for the Understudies versus Jordan Caley for the Mouses. Although scoring decently, Graham had double trouble, and Caley was there to clean up, producing a 3-0 win for the visitors. It wasn’t too long before the Mouses had their second game, as Glynn Harris beat Elliot Hopkins, also 3-0. Another straight-legs win followed as Tom Wright beat Nathan Okeeffe to put the Mouses one away from the win. And John Cartledge would then secure the overall, with 21 and 20 darters highlights of his game against Adam Butcher. At this point, the Understudies were 4-0 down and without even a leg on the board. When James Thomas took the first leg of his game against Jack Quinn with a 20 darter this looked to be continuing, but Quinn then won the next three to beat Tank 3-1 and take one back for the home side. The Mouses bounced back in the pairs, though, as Cartledge and Steve Caley beat Quinn and Damien Reed 2-0. In the final pairs, Okeeffe and Graham put in a good effort, but in the end Harris and Jordan Caley had enough to win 2-1 and secure the Mouses’ sixth game of the night. 6-1 the final score, making the Mouses another team to have kicked off their Team Knockout campaign well.

Team Knockout Week 1

Report by Olly Nunn

Before recapping this week’s Franchise League action, we have to go back to last week, when the Academicals and the Understudies played their game in hand and fought out the second leg of the Uni Arms derby. Jack Lewis won the first game for the Accy D’s with a 3-0 win against Tom Graham. The Understudies’ Patrick Hopkins then responded in kind with a 3-0 versus Joe Hopkins. Up next was Adam Warner for the Accy D’s versus Nathan Okeeffe for the Understudies. Okeeffe put in a strong first leg with an 18 darter, but from there Warner took the second before hitting 20 and 17 darters to win 3-1. Tom Jepson put the Accy D’s one away from the overall in the fourth game through his 3-0 victory against Adam Butcher, but Jack Quinn kept things going with a 3-1 win for the Understudies against Lewis Forrest in the last singles. In the first pairs game, Warner and Luke Davies got the job done for the Accy D’s, securing the overall win by beating Quinn and Damien Reed 2-0. Olly Nunn and Jack Newton then capped off the Accy D’s night with a 2-0 win over Patrick Hopkins and Elliot Hopkins, making the final score 5-2 to the Academicals.

Moving on, this week saw the first games of the Team Knockout. There were two matches in Group A, as the Swallownest Miners played the Riverside Warriors and the Accy D’s hosted the Raging Bull, and one in Group B, where Thorncliffe’s Finest faced off against the Understudies.

It didn’t take long for the Miners to take control of their tie, as Matt Spank, Kev Hatfield, Tim Whiting (who had a successful night with a 110 checkout), and Kev Allison all won their games 3-0. They were against Ian Webster, Paul Brittle, Barry Brittle, and Angie Brittle respectively. Such a performance guaranteed that the Miners had the night won with three games to spare, but Colin Johnson ensured the Warriors would not be going home empty-handed as he won a 3-0 of his own in the last singles. From there, the teams split the pairs games between them, with Whiting and Hatfield taking the first singles against Angie and Nicola Brittle, while Paul and Barry Brittle beat Rich Tingle and Sam Weston to give the Warriors their second win of the night. An overall score of 5-2 to the Miners, then, was how proceedings finished.

At the Uni Arms, Luke Davies (Accy D’s) and Liam Kent (Raging Bull) traded legs in the first game, which would go all the way to a decider. In that final leg, Davies missed tops for a 102 checkout and Kent stepped in with a 90 checkout (bull-tops) to take the win. The game between the Accy D’s Jack Newton and the Raging Bull’s Bri Jones also went the distance, with 21 and 17 darters in the fourth and fifth legs from Jones giving the Bulls their second 3-2 win. Game of the night was surely the match between Adam Warner and Mark Thompson. With every leg being won in 21 darts or less, by the time it reached a fifth leg Warner had taken two 18 darters, while Mark Thomson had in turn 16 and 17 darters, and a 180. And in that pivotal last leg, it was Thomson who won out, with a 21 darter, to put the Bulls 3-0 up. The fourth game saw the Accy D’s get a win on the sheet, as Joe Hopkins returned to form to beat Adam Chadwick 3-1. In the last singles, Tom Jepson won the first two legs for the Accy D’s (the first with a 21 darter). But the Raging Bull’s Matty Pierce, who had hit a 180 in the first leg, came back to win 3-2 and guarantee the away side the overall win. The Accy D’s had some consolation in the pairs, as wins for Hopkins and Jack Newton and Jack Lewis and Olly Nunn brought the home side’s tally to three wins to Raging Bull’s four.

The tie between the Thorns and Understudies began with Nathan Okeeffe hitting a 20 darter and a 180 against Dan Ashton before taking the next leg to go 2-0 up. Ashton rallied, winning legs three and four to force a decider, but Okeeffe held his nerve to win 3-2 and put the visitors one up. The home side responded, with Josh Hall and Oliver Parfrement both delivering 3-0 victories for the Thorns, against Damien Reed and Jack Stoddard respectively, with Parfrement capping his win off with a 19 darter. The Understudies came close to making things level in the fourth singles, as Elliot Hopkins and Lewis Wroe fought all the way to a fifth leg. In the end, it was Wroe who took it, winning 3-2 and putting the Thorns 3-1 up. The winning line was now in sight for the hosts, but Jack Quinn produced a straight legs win versus Logan Higgins, sealed with a 21 darter, to keep the Understudies in the tie. At the second time of asking, though, the Thorns got the job done, with Ashton and Higgins clinching it with a 2-0 victory against Okeeffe and Hopkins. With no time left to complete the last game, the tie ended here, meaning the final score was 4-2 to the Thorns.

Week 10 Report

Report by Olly Nunn

The recap of week ten starts at the Riverside, where the hosts were up against the Woodbourne Mouses. In the first game, the Warriors’ Ian Webster got off to a good start, taking the first two legs, and while the Mouses’ Jordan Caley took one back in the third, Webster was able to finish things off in the fourth to win 3-1. The Mouses responded, though, taking the next three games, with comfortable 3-0 wins for Glynn Harris against Colin Johnson and John Cartledge against Angie Brittle and a closer 3-2 win for Tom Wright versus Barry Brittle. The fifth singles was between the two captains, James Thomas and Paul Brittle. Tank started well, going 1-0 up, but Brittle then reeled off two legs to take the lead. Taking the fourth leg, Tank forced a decider, but it would be Brittle who won out 3-2. Although denied an early win, the Mouses were able to clean up in the pairs, winning the two doubles games 2-0 and 2-1 to end the night 5-2.

Elsewhere, Foxhill and District As were at home versus the Uni Arms Understudies. The match between the Understudies’ Tom Graham and Foxhill’s Morgan Mullins was decided in the fifth leg, as Graham held his nerve to win 3-2 and put the visitors ahead. But the hosts rebounded, with Dale Blackwell and Ben Cooper (who hit a 180) both winning 3-0, against Nathan Okeeffe and Damien Reed. Patrick Hopkins then gave the Understudies’ their own straight-legs victory as he beat Jack Walker. In the final singles, Jack Quinn got an important 3-1 win for the visitors versus Martin Bridge, hitting a 180 and a 19 dart leg along the way. Much like last week, a win for Foxhill in the first pairs, with Cooper and Karl Howden beating Jack Stoddard and Elliot Hopkins 2-0, meant that the tie would come down to the last game. This Thursday, however, it was the Understudies who came out on top, with Quinn and Patrick Hopkins’ 2-0 win against Blackwell and Mullins giving them their second win of the season. “It was a team performance, everyone put in a shift”, was what Captain Stoddard had to say of the Understudies’ efforts.

In the tie between Thorncliffe’s Finest and the Swallownest Miners, it was the Miners who started with a win. Tim Whiting and Jack Pink shared the first two legs between them, but from there Whiting kicked on to win 3-1. Oliver Parfrement put the Thorns back on level terms as he beat Matt Spank in the second game 3-0, only for the Miners to edge ahead again as Tom Tingle saw off Logan Higgins 3-1. Dan Ashton then gave the Thorns their second straight-legs win of the night versus Kev Allison, meaning the fifth game would be key in deciding who would go into the pairs with an advantage. And it would prove to be a close encounter, as the Thorns’ Dylan Farmer and the Miners’ Kev Hatfield traded legs until they reached the decider. Ultimately, it was Hatfield who won out to clinch a 3-2 for the Miners. The Swallownest side now needed only one more win for the overall, but the Thorns ensured it would come down to the final match as Ashton and Higgins beat Whiting and Spank 2-0 in the first pairs. In the second pairs, Hatfield and Tingle got the Miners over the line, with a 2-0 win over Parfrement and Farmer to bring the final score to 4-3 to Swallownest.

At the Uni Arms, the Academicals faced off against Station Railwaymen. Up first was Geoff Higgs for Station and Olly Nunn for the Accy D’s, and although Nunn took the first leg, Higgs then reeled off three on the bounce (with 19 and 20 darters) to win 3-1. Second was Pete Roebuck for Station against Jack Newton for the Accy D’s. Roebuck broke throw to take the first, but Newton responded, breaking back with a 118 checkout. From there, however, Roebuck pushed on to win 3-1, with an 18 darter in the final leg. The Accy D’s got a win on the board in the third game, as Luke Davies beat Lee MacDonald 3-0, although in the fourth game Gav Pilling produced a win by the same margin against Tom Jepson to put the Railwaymen 3-1 up. The final singles game was the anticipated rematch between the Accy D’s Adam Warner and Station’s Ryan Goffin. Warner began with a 17 darter before taking the next leg to go 2-0 up. Goffin won the third, before Warner produced a 16 darter to seal the match 3-1. In the first doubles, the Accy D’s pairing of Warner and Jack Lewis took the first leg and had a match dart, but Station’s Goffin and Higgs came back to win 2-1 and guarantee an overall win for the Railwaymen. And the visitors signed off with a 2-0 win in the last pairs, with Pilling and Roebuck beating Lewis Forrest and Joe Hopkins, making the final score 5-2 to Station.

Our recap ends at the Woodbourne, where Vintage were against the Raging Bull. Having won 7-0 last week, the visitors started where they left off, as Liam Kent beat Chris Keane 3-0 and Mark Thomson, who had a successful night with a 19 darter and two 180s, secured a 3-1 win in the second game. Vintage’s Dave Cliffe won the first two legs in the third game, but Raging Bull’s Adam Chadwick fought back, taking three on the spin to win 3-2. This meant Bri Jones could guarantee the win for the Raging Bull in his game against Russ Simons, and he did just that, with 18 and 16 darters on the way to a 3-0 victory. The fifth singles was between Rich Brown for Vintage and Matty Pierce for the Raging Bull. Brown won the first two legs, only for Pierce to take the third. Yet Brown fired in a 20 dart leg to end the match 3-1, giving Vintage their first win of the night. The two sides then split the pairs between them, as Thomson and Jones beat Simons and Mick Hulley 2-0 and Brown and Cliffe won by the same margin versus Steve Griffiths and Jason Marsh.

This made the final score 5-2 to Raging Bull, a win that keeps them second in the table with 46 points. Either side of them are the Railwaymen in first with 58 and the Mouses with 42. The Accy D’s are in fourth, followed by Foxhill in fifth, the Miners in sixth, Vintage in seventh, and the Thorns in eighth. Their second win of the season has put the Understudies up to ninth, while the Warriors round out the table in tenth.

Week 9 Report

Report by Olly Nunn

Going into week nine, only two teams were undefeated so far in the season – Station Railwaymen in first and the Uni Arms Academicals in second. This would change on Thursday, however, as the two met in a top of the table clash. And it was the Railwaymen, playing at home, who were in charge from the outset. 20 and 19 darters helped Geoff Higgs to a 3-0 win over the Accy D’s Tom Jepson, and Pete Roebuck doubled the hosts’ advantage, beating Luke Davies 3-1 in the second game. Gav Pilling made it three from three as he beat Olly Nunn 3-1, and then Glenn Payne secured the win for Station in a closely fought game against Jack Lewis that went all the way to a deciding leg. Adam Warner got a win on the sheet for the Accy D’s in the final singles game, as he produced a fine display with 21, 20, and 13 darters to beat Ryan Goffin 3-0. It was back to winning ways for Station in the doubles, though, as Roebuck and Higgs beat Davies and Jack Newton and Pilling and Goffin beat Warner and Joe Burniston to bring the overall result to 6-1 for the Railwaymen.

Thorncliffe’s Finest made the trip to Swallownest this week to play the Miners. Both the Miners and the Thorns were coming into the tie off of back-to-back wins in their previous fixtures, yet it was the Swallownest side who got off to the better start. Kev Hatfield, Tim Whiting, and Kev Allison all took wins for the Miners, beating Dylan Farmer, Josh Hall, and Logan Higgins by 3-1, 3-0, and 3-1 respectively. The Thorns, however, were able to keep the tie alive going into the pairs, as Oliver Parfrement took a 3-0 victory against Matt Spank and Dan Ashton came from a leg down to beat Rich Tingle 3-1. In the first pairs, Whiting and Hatfield took leg one against Higgins and Ashton, putting them on away from sealing the tie. Higgins and Ashton took the second leg to keep the Thorns’ hopes alive, but the Miners duo held their nerve and took the third to win 2-1, guaranteeing the Swallownest side’s victory. In the second pairs, Allison and Tingle beat Parfrement and Hall 2-0, giving the Miners’ their fifth win of the night to the Thorns’ two.

Woodbourne Vintage were away against the Raging Bull, and the tie began with a high-quality match between Mark Thomson and Trevor Burkhill. Vintage’s Burkhill began with an 18 darter, to which the Raging Bull’s Thomson responded with a 17 darter. In the third leg, Burkhill had a 17 of his own, but Thomson forced a decider with an 18. And in the last leg Thomson was able to edge out to win 3-2. Following this was a 3-1 for Adam Chadwick against Rich Brown, giving the Raging Bull their second win of the night. In the third singles there was another close game, as the Bull’s Steve Griffiths survived a comeback from Vintage’s Dave Cliffe to take the match 3-2. Up next was Matty Pierce versus Chris Keane, and after splitting the first two legs, Pierce fired in 20 and 21 darters to win 3-1 and clinch the overall win for the Raging Bull. Short on players, Vintage had to concede the last singles and a doubles game, meaning Thomson and Pierce’s 2-1 win over Brown and Cliffe ensured a 7-0 victory for the home side.

At home against Foxhill and District As, the Uni Arms Understudies came close to their second win of the season this week. Jack Walker and Ben Cooper (who hit 20 and 18 darters) put the visitors two up, with 3-1 and 3-0 wins against Patrick Hopkins and Elliot Hopkins. Yet the host rebounded, with wins from Nathan Okeeffe (who hit a 180 in his game against Dale Blackwell), Cory Van Tongeren (who came from 2-0 down to beat Morgan Mullins in the decider), and Jack Quinn (against Martin Bridge). With the scoreline 3-2 to the Understudies going into the doubles, Foxhill replied with a win for the pairing of Cooper and Karl Howden against Adam Butcher and Damien Reed, meaning things would come down to the last game. And although Quinn and Okeeffe won the first leg to go one away, ultimately the Foxhill duo of Walker and Martin Schimeld took two legs in reply, securing the match and a hard-fought 4-3 win overall for the visitors.

Finally, at the Woodbourne, the Mouses were against the Riverside Warriors, and it was relatively plain sailing for the hosts in the singles. Only dropping three legs over the course of the five games, there were wins for Glynn Harris, Jordan Caley, Jimmy Haslam, Tom Wright, and John Cartledge, against Colin Johnson, Ian Webster, Angie Brittle, Barry Brittle, and Paul Brittle. Along the way the Mouses also produced moments of quality, including a 20 darter and 110 checkout from Harris and a 16 darter and 180 from Haslam. The Warriors ensured they would not be going home empty-handed as Johnson and Webster won the first pairs 2-0 against Steve and Jordan Caley, although the Mouses made the score 6-1 overall as Haslam and Wright secured a 2-0 victory against Angie and Nicola Brittle in the final pairs.

So, after their strong performance this week, the Mouses are back up to third in the league table with 37 points. After their defeat to Station, the Accy D’s have dropped down to fourth with 36 points, while the Raging Bull reached second with 41 points. In fifth is Foxhill, followed by the Miners, Vintage, Thorns, Warriors, and Understudies. Now with wins over all other top four teams, the Railwaymen are eleven points clear of the field, on 53, putting them in a strong position as we head into week ten.

Week 8 Recap

Report by Olly Nunn

Week eight began a day early as the Riverside Warriors played their home game against the Swallownest Miners on Wednesday. It was the visitors who got off to the better start, with wins for Matt Spank against Ian Webster, Kev Hatfield (whose 3-0 win featured a 21 darter and two 180s) against Colin Johnson, Kev Allison against Angie Brittle, and Tim Whiting against Barry Brittle. This ensured the Miners had the tie secured with a game to spare. Paul Brittle was able to get one back for the Riverside with a win over Ian Gilmartin in the fifth singles, but in the doubles the Miners added to their tally with victories for the pairings of Hatfield and Tom Tingle and Sam Weston and Rich Tingle. So, at the end of the night, the Miners had their second win of the season, by a margin of 6-1.

Moving on to Thursday’s action, perhaps the biggest surprise came from the Raging Bull, who hosted the Woodbourne Mouses. Liam Kent got the Raging Bull on the sheet with a 3-1 win, featuring a 19 darter, against Steve Caley, and Mark Thomson doubled the hosts’ advantage, beating Tom Wright 3-0, with 19 and 21 darters along the way. Glynn Harris won 3-1 for the Mouses in the third game, against Adam Chadwick, with a 19 darter to seal it. The visitors’ hopes were still alive, then, going into the fourth game, but a close 3-2 win for the Raging Bull’s Bri Jones against the Mouses’ John Cartledge put the hosts one away. And it was the Bull’s captain, Matty Pierce, who clinched the win, beating James Thomas 3-1 in a game where all legs were won with 21 darts or less (a 20 darter for Tank and 17, 21, and 19 darters for Pierce). Two further wins for the Raging Bull in the pairs, by Jones and Kent and Pierce and Thomson, brought the tie to a close with a scoreline of 6-1 to the home side. As well as the low-dart legs, the tie also saw a 108 checkout from Thomson and a 180 from Cartledge, so overall it was a high-quality night at Aughton.

After a closely-fought 4-3 match last week, Thorncliffe’s Finest were quicker to start against the Uni Arms Understudies in the reverse fixture, with 3-1 wins for Josh Hall and Dan Ashton against Elliot Hopkins and Damien Reed, and a close 3-2 win for Lewis Wroe against Cory Van Tongeren. Two 3-0 victories for the Understudies, courtesy of Nathan Okeeffe and Jack Quinn, meant the tie was still to be won going into the pairs. Yet it was here that the Thorns pressed on, with a 2-0 win for Ashton and Logan Higgins over Quinn and Van Tongeren guaranteeing them their third win of the season. The final pairs also went to the Thorns, with Oliver Parfrement and Hall seeing off Jack Stoddard and Adam Butcher (who hit a 171), bringing the home side’s win tally to 5 against the Understudies’ 2.

In the Uni Arms Academicals’ home game against Foxhill and District As, Adam Warner got the Accy D’s off with 18, 15, and 20 darters to beat Ben Cooper 3-1. Luke Davies and Jack Lewis then took 3-0 and 3-1 wins for the Accy D’s against Martin Schimeld and Martin Bridge, although Foxhill stopped the rot as Jack Walker saw off Jack Newton in a close 3-2 game. Tom Jepson arguably put in the performance of the night, overcoming a wrist injury to beat Foxhill’s Dale Blackwell 3-0, sealing the win for the Accy D’s with a 21 darter and 106 checkout. In the pairs, wins for Cooper and Karl Howden, against Warner and Joe Hopkins, and Walker and Morgan Mullins, against Joe Burniston and Olly Nunn, meant that Foxhill went home on a high. It also ensured a repeat of last week’s score, 4-3 to the Accy D’s.

Finally, at the Woodbourne, it was Vintage against Station Railwaymen. The Railwaymen kicked off with two 3-0 wins, first from Geoff Higgs against Chris Keane and then from Pete Roebuck against Rich Brown. Vintage then secured a straight-legs victory of their own in the third game, as Dave Cliffe beat Lee MacDonald, with a 19 darter in the second leg. Yet a strong performance from Ryan Goffin, with two 17 darters and a 21 darter to see off Mick Hulley 3-0 put the Railwaymen in the ascendancy, and Gav Pilling secured the win for the away side, beating Russ Simons 3-1 in the last singles. Two close pairs games followed, with Higgs and Goffin taking the first 2-1 versus Cliffe and Simons and Roebuck and Pilling winning the second by the same scoreline against Hulley and Brown. 6-1 to the Railwaymen, and another impressive display by the defending champions.

Finishing with a look at the table, the climbers this week are the Miners, as the team’s upturn in results has put them up to seventh, and the Raging Bull, who have regained third. The Railwaymen and Accy D’s are still first and second, while four points separate the Woodbourne teams, with the Mouses in fourth and Vintage in fifth. Around the Miners are Foxhill in sixth and the Thorns in seventh, followed by the Riverside and the Understudies. Such is the state of play going into week nine.

Week 7 Recap

Report by Olly Nunn

Our review of week seven starts at the Foxhill and District Club, where the Uni Arms Academicals were the visiting team. First game of the night went to Foxhill, with Ben Cooper securing a straight-legs win against Jack Newton. The Accy D’s responded in the second game, as Adam Warner put in a class performance, with 18 and 19 darters, on the way to a 3-0 victory over Jack Walker. Two further 3-0 wins followed, with Jack Lewis and Luke Davies both delivering for the Accy D’s. A 3-2 comeback from Foxhill’s Dale Blackwell (with a 111 checkout in the fourth leg) against Joe Hopkins kept the game alive going into the pairs, but a 2-0 win for Warner and Joe Burniston clinched the tie for the visitors. Foxhill got some consolation as Cooper and Martin Schimeld took the second pairs against Tom Jepson and Olly Nunn, yet overall the score was 4-3 to the Accy D’s.

At the Station Hotel, the Railwaymen welcomed Woodbourne Vintage. The first game was closely fought between Station’s Geoff Higgs and Vintage’s Chris Keane, with both holding their throws up until the fifth leg, where Higgs put in a 20 darter to break and take the match 3-2. In the second game Pete Roebuck, playing for Station, looked to be in the ascendancy, throwing 21 and 20 darters to go 2-0 up. Russ Simmons fought back, checking out 86 and then producing an 18 darter (with a 108 outshot) to force a decider. Roebuck, however, was able to stop the comeback with a 21 darter, sealing the match 3-2 and putting Station 2-0 up. The Railwaymen then pressed on, with 3-0 victories for Ryan Goffin (who hit 17 and 21 darters) and Glen Payne, followed by a walkover for Gav Pilling. Two further wins in the pairs, for Roebuck and Higgs against Keane and Mick Hulley and Pilling and Goffin against Simmons and Rich Brown, meant the home side completed the whitewash. 7-0 to Station, then, as the reigning champions continue their title defence.

It was an important week for the Swallownest Miners as the last team without a win looked to end that as they played the Riverside Warriors. Initially it was the visitors who had the better start, as Riverside’s Ian Webster beat the Miners’ Tom Tingle 3-1. Tim Whiting got the hosts up and running, beating Angie Brittle 3-0, yet the Riverside moved ahead again as Barry Brittle came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Matt Spanky. However, 3-0 and 3-1 victories for Kev Hatfield and Kev Allison (who hit a 21 darter along the way) put the Miners in a good position going into the pairs, as they only required one to take the win. In fact, they won both, with Whiting and Hatfield beating Webster and Paul Brittle 2-0 and Allison and Ian Gilmartin beating Barry Brittle and Colin Johnson 2-1. A final result of 5-2 therefore gave the Miners their first win of the season.

The Uni Arms Understudies were at home against Thorncliffe’s Finest in what would prove to be a close tie. The first game, between the Understudies’ Nathan Okeeffe and the Thorns’ Dan Ashton, went all the way to a decider as the two traded legs. In the end, it was Ashton who won out, producing a 17 darter to take the fifth and final leg. A 3-0 win for Cory Van Tongeren against Lewis Wroe got the Understudies on the board, yet the Thorns replied with two 3-0 victories of their own, with Oliver Parfrement beating Jimmy Knott and Josh Hall beating Adam Butcher. The Thorns could have wrapped things up in the last singles, and looked set to do so as Logan Higgins went 2-0 up against Jack Quinn. Yet Quinn replied with three consecutive legs to win 3-2, and carried over his good form to the pairs. There, Quinn and Damien Reed hit a 24-dart leg, from a 701 start, en route to a 2-1 win over Higgins and Ashton, meaning it would all come down to the final pairs. Here it was Jack Stoddard and Elliot Hopkins against Parfrement and Hall, and it was the Thorns duo who held their nerve to win 2-0. By a score of 4-3, the visitors had come out on top.

Our review ends at the Woodbourne, where the Mouses were at home against the Raging Bull. The Mouses were looking to get back in the winners’ circle after their defeats to Station, and they started with a win, as Steve Caley edged out Adam Chadwick 3-2, with an 18 darter to seal it. Up next was James Thomas for the Mouses versus Mark Thomson for the Raging Bull, and although Tank took the first leg, Thomson fired in an 18 darter before taking the third and fourth legs to win 3-1. The Mouses’ Jimmy Haslam was on top form as he produced an 18 and two 17-dart legs to beat Liam Kent 3-1. Two 3-0 wins for the Mouses followed from Glynn Harris and John Cartledge, who hit some low-dart legs of their own (a 19 for Harris and a 21 and 16 for Cartledge). In the pairs the Mouses added another game to their tally, as Haslam and Jordan Caley beat Chadwick and Steve Griffiths 2-1. A 2-0 win for the pairing of Matty Pierce and Thomson over Cartledge and Tom Wright meant the Raging Bull ended on a high, but overall, the tie went to the Mouses. Along with their five wins, the home side also hit several 180s – two from Haslam and one from Cartledge.

Their win also means that the Mouses move back above the Raging Bull, with 30 points to their 28. The Railwaymen and Accy D’s remain first and second, on 41 and 31 points respectively. Their second win of the season has promoted the Thorns to seventh with 17 points, while after their maiden victory the Miners are tied with the Riverside on 16. There is a lot to play for, then, going into week eight.

Week 6 Recap

Report by Olly Nunn

Kicking off this week’s recap is Foxhill and District As against the Riverside Warriors. Ben Cooper got the hosts off to a good start with a 3-0 win against the Riverside’s Ian Webster, only for the visitors to take the second game also by a 3-0 scoreline, with Colin Johnson beating Jack Walker. Martin Bridge moved Foxhill ahead once more with a 3-1 win over Angie Brittle, but again things became level again shortly after as Barry Brittle beat Morgan Mullins. Much like last week, the fifth and final singles offered a chance for either team to go one away, and it was Dale Blackwell who took it for Foxhill, beating Riverside captain Paul Brittle 3-1. With momentum on their side, Foxhill won both doubles, with the pairings of Blackwell and Karl Howden and Cooper and Walker delivering 2-0 victories for the home side. This brought the tie to a close with an overall score of 5-2 to Foxhill.

The Woodbourne Mouses were looking to avoid a repeat of their 6-1 loss to the Railwaymen when they travelled to the Station Hotel, yet by the end of the singles games the situation was looking familiar. A 3-1 win for Geoff Higgs against Glynn Harris and a 3-2 win for Pete Roebuck against Steve Caley put the Railwaymen ahead early doors. Gav Pilling beat Tank 3-0 in a game that saw two 17 darters from the Station captain, and although John Cartledge got the Mouses on the board with a 3-1 win over Glen Payne, Lee McDonald clinched the tie for the league leaders, taking the last singles 3-1 against the Mouses’ Jordan Caley. A repeat of last Thursday’s scoreline looked possible, however the Mouses were able to end on a high with wins in the pairs from Cartledge and Wright and Caley and Harris. Overall, though, the honours went to the Railwaymen, with a 4-3 victory and two 180s (one from Higgs and another from Payne) to go with it.

Thorncliffe’s Finest were at home against the Raging Bull, yet it was the visitors who got off to a better start, with Adam Chadwick securing a 3-0 win over Lewis Wroe. The second game was a close affair, as the Thorns’ Oliver Parfrement and the Raging Bull’s Liam Kent went all the way to a fifth leg. In the end, it was Kent who took the decider and the 3-2 win. Bri Jones then gave the Raging Bull their third win of the night, beating Dylan Farmer 3-1. Josh Hall won an important game for the Thorns against Jason Marsh, with a score of 3-1, yet victory for Matty Pierce over Logan Higgins in the last singles by the same margin ensured the away team would come out with the win. In the first pairs, Chadwick and Jones won 2-1 to make it 5-1 overall to the Raging Bull, and in the second Parfrement and Hall took one back for the Thorns with a 2-0 win. With all matches played, the final score was 5-2 to the Raging Bull.

There was a big game at the Uni Arms this week as the first leg of the derby between the Accy D’s and Understudies was played. A 3-0 win for Jack Newton against Elliot Hopkins got the Accy D’s up and running, although Jack Quinn responded for the Understudies with a 3-0 of his own versus Dan Booth. Arguably game of the night was the Accy D’s Tom Jepson against the Understudies’ Nathan Okeeffe, a high-quality match that went all the way to a deciding leg. Jepson took it with a 66 checkout to seal a 3-2 win. Two 3-0 wins for the Accy D’s then followed, with Lewis Forrest beating Tom Graham and (in a highly anticipated grudge match) Joe Hopkins beating Cory Van Tongeren. Adam Warner and Joe Burniston won the first pairs for the Accy D’s 2-0 against Damien Reed and Jack Stoddard, and Jack Lewis and Olly Nunn took the second pairs, also 2-0, beating Okeeffe and Jimmy Knott. This brought proceedings to an end with a 6-1 win for the Accy D’s.

Finally, at the Woodbourne, Vintage were against the Swallownest Miners. There was little to separate the two teams in the singles, with all but two of the games going to a fifth leg. Chris Keane and Dave Cliffe won 3-2 and 3-1 for Vintage, while Kev Allinson, Kev Hatfield, and Tim Whiting won 3-1, 3-2, and 3-2 for the Miners. This meant the Miners held a slight advantage going into the pairs. However, Vintage dug deep to take the last two games, thanks to wins from Rich Brown and Russ Simons and Dave Cliffe and Mick Hulley, for a 4-3 overall win. All in all, a good showing from both teams that saw low-dart legs, a 105 checkout from Whiting, and 180s (one from Whiting and one from Allinson).

Looking at the table, the Railwaymen are now on 34 points, while the Accy D’s have jumped to second with 27. The Raging Bull are now up to third with 26 points, while the Mouses and Vintage are tied with 25 each. From there, Foxhill, Riverside, the Thorns, Swallownest, and the Understudies round out the table. Things look finely poised, then, after a week that has seen drama, tension and quality darts.

Week 5 Recap

Report by Olly Nunn

Headlining this week’s action was the top of the table clash between the Station Railwaymen and the Woodbourne Mouses. The Mouses were at home, and initially things started well for the hosts, as Jimmy Haslam hit 21 and 16 darters on the way to a 3-0 win over Station’s Glen Payne. From there, however, it was full steam ahead for the Railwaymen. Ryan Goffin got the visitors on the board, starting his game against Steve Caley with a 21 darter before winning 3-0. The third game, between the Mouses’ John Cartledge and Station’s Pete Roebuck, saw Roebuck take the first leg with a 20 darter, only for Cartledge to follow with a 20 darter of his own. Roebuck then pushed on, winning the next two legs to take the match 3-1. In game four, Geoff Higgs (Station) hit 19 and 21 darters to go 2-0 up against Glynn Harris (Mouses) and, although Harris took the third leg to stay alive, another 21 darter for Higgs in the fourth leg gave him a 3-1 win. The last singles game was between the two captains, James Thomas for the Mouses and Gav Pilling for Station. A 19 darter from Pilling got him the first leg, though Tank made things level by winning the second. From there, Pilling took the third and fourth legs, both with 21 darters, to win 3-1, and in doing so seal the tie for the Railwaymen.

There were still two doubles games to be played, and these also went to the visitors, with Pilling and Goffin beating Haslam and Harris 2-1 (Pilling checking out 92 by going 20 and then two double 18s) and Higgs and Roebuck beating Cartledge and Caley 2-1. At the end of the night, it was 6-1 to the Railwaymen. Pilling spoke after the match about how, despite the scoreline, there had been some “close games” and was pleased that his team had “come out on top”.

Moving on, at the Riverside it was the Warriors versus Foxhill and District As. Foxhill looked to be starting well, as Martin Schimeld went 2-0 up against Riverside’s Ian Webster, yet Webster proceeded to take the next three legs to produce a 3-2 comeback win. The visitors were soon back in the mix, courtesy of a 3-0 win by Ben Cooper over Barry Brittle, which included a 21 dater in the second leg. A close game between Karl Howden for Foxhill and Angie Brittle for Riverside followed and ended in a fifth-leg decider, which Howden took to put Foxhill ahead. Yet the two teams were level again after the fourth match, as Riverside’s Colin Johnson beat Foxhill’s Morgan Mullins 3-0, meaning the last singles would be key in putting the winner one away from victory. And although it was close, going to a fifth leg, it was ultimately Jack Walker who won it for Foxhill, beating Paul Brittle. This set up Dale Blackwell and Martin Bridge to clinch the first doubles 2-0 over Paul and Angie Brittle, ensuring that Foxhill had the win sealed with a game to spare. Webster and Johnson’s win in the second doubles was therefore no more than consolation for the home side, as the tie ended 4-3 to Foxhill.

Thorncliffe’s Finest made the trip to Aughton this week to play the Raging Bull, and, although the Thorns got their first win last week, it was not to be for them this Thursday. The Raging Bull rattled off four straight-leg wins, with Liam Kent, Bri Jones, Mark Thomson, and Adam Chadwick all taking their games 3-0. With the tie now decided, Dylan Farmer looked set to get at least one back for the away side in the fifth game, as he went 2-0 up against Matty Pierce. Pierce won the next two legs to put that in doubt and force a decider, but in the end, Farmer took the fifth leg to see the game out and give the Thorns a win. Both doubles went to the Raging Bull, with the pairs of Thomson and Steve Griffiths and Jones and Jason Marsh winning 2-0. It was a comprehensive win for the Raging Bull, then, with a final score of 6-1.

The last game of the week was the Swallownest Miners against Woodbourne Vintage. Travelling to Swallownest after back-to-back defeats to the Mouses, Vintage were looking to rebound and get their season back on track. And they certainly did that – Tom Briggs got the visitors off to a good start with a win that included 18 and 20 dart legs, and Vintage would ultimately take the tie 5-2. There were certainly positives for the hosts, such as Tim Whiting’s win in the third game which saw the Swallownest captain wire the bull for a 170 checkout. But, in the end, it was the Woodbourne side who came away with the all-important win.

With the Uni Arms teams not in action, as the Accy D’s Luke Davies and Nathan Hennessy were playing Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson at the Magna (no, really!), there were only four games this week, but they were certainly eventful ones, as can be seen from the table.

The Railwaymen have made some space between them and the field, with 30 points to the Mouses’ 22, while their continuing winning streak means the Raging Bull are now fourth. To show how close the season still is at this early stage, there is only one point between second-placed Mouses and fifth-placed Vintage. And with many more games still to be played, who’s to say what the table will look like down the line?

Week 4 Recap

Report by Olly Nunn

This week’s recap starts at the Station Hotel, where the Railwaymen played at home against the Riverside Warriors. Geoff Higgs got Station off to a winning start, beating Ian Webster by 3 legs to 1 in the first game. The second game was less than comfortable for the hosts, as Pete Roebuck and Paul Brittle’s match went all the way to a fifth-leg decider. In the end it was Roebuck who took it to win 3-2, giving the Railwaymen a 2-0 lead. This would soon become 4-0, as Glen Payne and Gav Pilling (who hit 21 and 16 darters and a 180) both won their games for the Station. A walkover for Angie Brittle in the last singles gave the Riverside their sole point of the night, and from there the Railwaymen won both pairs games 2-0 to finish the night with a 6-1 victory.

Some seven miles south, the Swallownest Miners hosted the Uni Arms Academicals. The first game, between the Accy D’s Jack Newton and the Miners’ Ian Gilmartin, went all the way to a fifth leg. After Newton wired (sort of) a 135 checkout, the match ended in a tense double 1 vs double 2 standoff, which Newton took to win 3-2. Two of the next three games then went to the Accy D’s, with Adam Warner winning 3-0 (hitting 21 and 16 darters) and Tom Jepson winning 3-1. This set up the visitors to win the tie in the last singles, as Luke Davies beat Tim Whiting 3-0, with an 18 darter in the second leg. The teams split the pairs between them, with Warner and Jack Lewis taking the first for the Accy D’s and Swallownest beating Joe Burniston and Olly Nunn to take the second. With all games played, the score was 5-2 to the Accy D’s.

The closest tie of the night came between Thorncliffe’s Finest and Foxhill and District A’s. In a mirror of last week, the first four games were split between the two sides, with Ben Cooper and Morgan Mullins winning for Foxhill and Josh Hall and Oliver Perframent winning for the Thorns. Unlike last week, however, it was the Thorns who took the all-important fifth game, with Logan Higgins beating Dale Blackwell in a narrow 3-2 contest. On the brink of their first win, the Thorns did not have to wait long, as Higgins and Dylan Farmer won the first doubles to settle the tie. Cooper and Jack Walker won the second doubles for Foxhill, but the final score was 4-3 overall to the Thorns.

At the Uni Arms, the Understudies were at home against the Raging Bull. Bolstered by new recruits and a fresh approach from acting captain Jack Stoddard, the Understudies were hoping to rebound after last week’s loss. The Raging Bull, though, were in fine form after their maiden win, and 3-1 wins for Liam Kent, Adam Chadwick, and Brian Jones set the visitors off on a good start. Nathan Okeeffe got the Understudies a win on the board, beating Steve Griffiths 3-0, and the hosts nearly made it two in a row, as the game between Patrick Hopkins and Matty Pierce went to a last-leg decider. It was ultimately Pierce who took it 3-2 for the Raging Bull, and the away side clinched two further wins in the pairs. A good day in the office for the Raging Bull, then, who came away with a 6-1 win.

The second leg of the Woodbourne derby began with a win for the Mouses, as Jimmy Haslam beat Vintage's Chris Keane 3-0, with a 20 darter to seal it. Russ Simons made things even, winning the second game (also 3-0) against Glynn Harris. Thereafter, though, the advantage was with the Mouses, as John Cartledge (who hit a 15 darter) and Steve Caley recorded further straight-leg wins, beating Rich Brown and Tom Briggs respectively. The final singles game was between Dave Cliffe for Vintage and James Thomas for the Mouses. Cliffe won the first leg, but Tank responded by taking the next three, finishing with an 18 darter, to win 3-1. This guaranteed the win for the Mouses, but, as with last week, Vintage enjoyed some consolation in the pairs, with wins for Simons and Mick Hulley and Brown and Briggs bringing the overall score from 4-1 to 4-3 at the end of the night.

Week 3 Recap

Report by Olly Nunn

Another week of league action has come and gone, and with it an opportunity for teams to climb the table, stay at the top, and get vital wins on the board.

This week’s roundup starts at Foxhill and District Club, where the local team hosted Thorncliffe’s Finest. Both Foxhill and the Thorns were still searching for their first win of the season after weeks one and two, and the ensuing fixture would prove to be a close affair. The first four singles games were won quite convincingly, with Lewis Wroe and Oliver Perframent both winning 3-0 for the Thorns while Ben Cooper and Jack Walker secured 3-1 victories for Foxhill. The fifth singles match, however, went all the way to a fifth leg, with Dale Blackwell beating Dylan Farmer 3-2 to get what would be an important win for Foxhill in the context of the night. Perframent and Josh Hall brought the Thorns level with a 2-0 win in the first pairs, but the second pairs game was won by Cooper and Walker by the same margin to take the tie for Foxhill. So, at the end of the night, it was Foxhill who took a 4-3 victory and the all-important first win.

Another new winner this week was the Raging Bull, who played at home against the Uni Arms Understudies. Mark Thomson got things off to a good start for the hosts with a 3-0 win over Damien Reed. Although Jack Quinn took one back for the Understudies, beating Adam Chadwick in the second game, from there the Raging Bull were in control. 3-0 wins for Liam Kent and Brian Jones over Cory Van Tongeren and Adam Butcher, followed by a 3-1 victory for Matty Pierce against Jimmy Knott, ensured the home side had guaranteed the win by the end of the singles. And in the pairs games the Raging Bull clinched two further wins, from Jones and Steve Griffiths and Thomson and Pierce, to bring the score line to 6-1 overall.

As well as the impressive margin of victory, the Raging Bull also had moments of quality including a 180 from Jones and a 114 checkout from Thomson. Speaking after the match, their captain, Matty Pierce, was satisfied with his team’s win and progress in the league. ‘We’re a new team, getting to know each other better’, he said. ‘It was good to get a win on the board after the first two losses against Station, overall it’s a happy week for us.’

While the Understudies may have lost, it was a more successful week for the Uni Arms’ other team, the Academicals. The Accy D’s were at home against the Swallownest Miners, although initially it was the visitors who got off to a better start. K Hatfield and Tim Whiting both won close, fifth-leg decider games against Jack Newton and Luke Davies to put Swallownest 2-0 up. The Accy D’s bounced back, however, as Adam Warner beat Matt Spanky 3-0 (with 20 and 17 darters) and Tom Jepson won 3-1 against Tom Tingle to make things level. Joe Hopkins, after unfair stick from his teammates following last week’s game, put in a strong performance to win 3-0 over Ian Gilmartin, giving the Accy D’s a 3-2 lead. This then became 4-2, as Jack Lewis and Lewis Forrest beat Whiting and Hatfield 2-0 in the first pairs. The second pairs also went the way of the Accy D’s, as Joe Burniston and Olly Nunn won 2-0, with Nunn checking out the doubles and Burniston adding flair to the night with a 180. The final score, then, was 5-2 to the Accy D’s.

It was perhaps a night to forget for the Riverside Warriors, as they played the Station Railwaymen at home. The visitors were dominant, with wins for Glen Payne, G Higgins, Pete Roebuck (with a 21 darter), Ryan Goffin (with 15 and 20 darters), and Geoff Higgs in the singles, followed by victories for Higgs and Higgins and Goffin and Roebuck in the pairs, giving them a 7-0 win. Not only that, but the Railwaymen denied the Riverside a single leg on the board, with the margin in legs being an even more impressive 19-0. So quite a statement from the defending champions, and one that keeps them at the top of the league this week.

Elsewhere, the two Woodbourne sides, Vintage and Mouses, met this week. The first game was between Dave Cliffe for Vintage and Steve Caley for the Mouses. Caley took the first leg with a 21 darter, and from there the two exchanged legs up to the fifth, which Caley clinched to win 3-2. The next two games also went to the Mouses, with James Thomas and Glynn Harris both recording 3-1 wins, and a collection of low-dart legs along the way, to put their team one away. The fourth singles game was therefore a must-win for Vintage, and Russ Simmons was able to go 2-1 up on the Mouses’ Jimmy Haslam to keep his team’s hopes alive. However, Haslam recovered, producing 13 and 20 darters (to go with his 21 darter in the second leg) to take the game 3-2 and guarantee a win for the Mouses. The last singles was a walkover for the Mouses, extending their advantage further. Vintage, however, were able to end the night on a high with a fine performance in the pairs, securing both games with wins courtesy of Simmons and Rich Brown and Chris Keane and Mick Hulley. This brought the first round of the Woodbourne derby to a close with a 5-2 victory for the Mouses.

At the end of this week, then, the top three in the league remained unchanged, with wins for the Railwaymen, Mouses, and Accy D’s keeping them close together. Vintage are still fourth, while their first win has brought the Raging Bull up to fifth. It is still early days in the season, though, and with many more months of darts yet to be played, anything can happen!

Week 2 Recap

Report by Oliver Nunn

With the new season of the Franchise League now in full swing, this week saw the ten teams battling for the title play the reverse fixtures against their opponents from seven days’ prior. It was the Railwaymen, Mouses, Warriors, Academicals, and Vintage who had picked up the first wins of the season the week before. Now it would be seen whether they could follow up on their good starts, or if the other five teams would be able to get one back.

At Aughton, the Raging Bull played host to the Station Railwaymen. The home side got off to a promising start, with Mark Thomson going 2-0 up, with a 19 darter, against G Higgs. From there, Higgs responded with 21 and 18 darters before taking the fifth and final leg to complete the comeback and win 3-2. Another close game followed, with Pete Roebuck for Station and Adam Chadwick for the Raging Bull trading legs until Roebuck clinched the fifth to secure a 3-2 victory. Ryan Goffin then pressed home the Railwaymen’s advantage, beating Matty Pierce 3-0 with 17 and 12 darters along the way.

The Raging Bull’s hopes were kept alive as Brian Jones beat Gav Piling in the fourth singles, and the hosts also won the fifth game by virtue of a walkover. In the doubles, however, the Railwaymen pressed ahead and got the job done, with the pairs of Goffin and Roebuck and Piling and Higgs winning their games 2-1 and 2-0. So the night ended in a comfortable 5-2 for the Railwaymen, in a performance that featured low legs, high checkouts (a 124 for Higgs), and 180s (hit by both Goffin and Roebuck).

Elsewhere in the league, Foxhill and District As played Woodbourne Vintage at home. In this tie it was Vintage who came out on top, as although Martin Bridge won the first game 3-1 for Foxhill, Chris Keane, Rich Brown, Dave Cliffe, and Russ Simons won the next four matches to ensure that Vintage had the win wrapped up before the doubles. And in the doubles Vintage kept up the pressure, with Brown and Cliffe and then Simons and Hulley securing two further wins to end the fixture 6-1 for the Woodbourne side. It is a shift that Vintage will no doubt be pleased with, not least because, after the first game, they only dropped a single leg.

The other Woodbourne team, Mouses, won by the same margin of victory as they hosted Swallownest Miners. Jimmy Haslam got the Mouses off to a winning start by taking the first game 3-0 and finishing all three legs under 21 darts, with a sequence of 16, 17, and 21. Timothy Whiting took one back for Swallownest by winning the second singles 3-0, after which Glynn Harris and James ‘Tank’ Thomas won their games for the Mouses to put their team one game away from the win. John Cartledge stepped up next and took his singles 3-1 to get the Mouses over the line, with 21 and 17 darters and a 180. Speaking after the game, Captain Tank singled out Haslam and Cartledge’s games as standout from his team’s performance. In the pairs, Harris and Caley and Cartledge and Thomas secured two further wins for the Mouses to produce the final scoreline of 6-1.

At the University Arms, the Academicals welcomed Thorncliffe’s Finest. First up for the Accy D’s was Jack Lewis, who took advantage of double trouble for the Thorns’ Logan Higgins to lead 2-1, before firing in a 22 darter to take the fourth leg and win 3-1. Captain Luke Davies would then take the second game for the Accy D’s, starting with a 19 darter and missing only two darts at double the whole game en route to a 3-0 win over Jack Pink. The third game also went the way of the Accy D's, as Adam Warner checked out in 19, 18, and 21 darts, with a 100% checkout rate, to seal a commanding 3-0 victory over Josh Hall. And the win would be clinched for the Accy D’s by Tom Jepson in the fourth game, who sealed a 3-1 win a treble 16, double 8 checkout.

The Thorns did end the singles games with a win, as Dylan Farmer beat Joe Hopkins 3-2, during which Farmer almost produced a unique ‘treble double’ checkout, going double 7, double 18, but wiring double 11. From there it was onto the pairs, where the Accy D’s bagged two further wins, from Warner and Olly Nunn (I’d like to think I played my part here – Warner provided the scoring while I hit the two doubles!) and Davies and Dan Booth (in the second pairs there were 180s from Davies and Farmer). Reflecting on the Accy D’s 6-1 victory, Captain Davies was pleased with his team’s ‘comfortable win against a decent side’, and said that ‘everyone played well’, with Warner being his man of the match.

The closest game of the night was at the Riverside, where the Warriors played at home against the Uni Arms Understudies. A week earlier the Warriors had denied the Understudies a maiden win, and this week seemed to be going the same way, as Ian Webster beat Jack Quinn and Barry Brittle beat Jack Stoddard to put the hosts 2-0 up. The visitors rebounded, however, with 3-1 and 3-0 victories for Adam Butcher and Cory Van Tongeren making things level. Paul Brittle put the Warriors ahead again with a win over Damien Reed in the final singles, and from there Van Tongeren and Butcher won the first doubles for the Understudies to take the tie to a last game decider. And it was here that Quinn and Reed secured a 2-0 win over Paul and Nicola Brittle to give the Understudies their first victory. The night therefore ended with a final score of Understudies 4, Riverside 3.

So ends this recap of the second week of action in the Franchise League. It is still all to play for, as can be seen from the league table – the top four teams (Mouses, Railwaymen, Academicals, and Vintage) are separated by a single point. No doubt there will be further quality tungsten to come in week three.