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.