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?