Pairs Championship Report

Report by Olly Nunn

The league is now done and dusted, and it’s Station Railwaymen who have successfully defended their title. Congratulations to Station!

It’s now on to the cup competitions. The last few weeks saw the finalists of the Team Knockout and Team Plate confirmed, with the winners of both to be decided in May. This week was the Pairs Championship. Two tournaments were held, one at Station Hotel and another at the Woodbourne. The winner of each would go through to play on Finals Day.

At Station, there was one preliminary round match, between Gav Pilling and Tom Sawford and Mick Hulley and Russ Simmons. Pilling and Sawford were runners-up in last year’s championship, and they would get their title challenge up and running with a 2-1 win. This was soon followed by another win in the quarter-finals, as Sawford and Pilling saw off Lewis Wroe and Logan Higgins in straight legs. On the other side of the draw, their teammates Geoff Higgs and Pete Roebuck also booked their places in the last four, beating the Raging Bull pairing of Bri Jones and Adam Chadwick 2-0. There were two Mouses-Thorns clashes in the quarters and one win for each team, as John Cartledge and James Thomas fell 2-0 to Josh Hall and Oliver Parfrement while Jimmy Haslam and Steve Caley got past Dylan Farmer and Dan Ashton in straight legs.

Moving onto the semi-finals, in the top half Higgs and Roebuck edged past Hall and Parfrement 2-1 to advance, while Haslam and Caley defeated Sawford and Pilling to join them. Roebuck and Haslam are both already guaranteed a chance at some silverware, as they are due to play in the Memorial Cup final, but here was an opportunity with their teammates to play for more.

Ultimately, it would be Higgs and Roebuck who secured their spot on Finals Day, with a 2-0 win seeing them through to play the winner at the Woodbourne for the title.

At the Woodbourne, the Mouses’ Glynn Harris and Tom Wright got off to a winning start in the quarter-finals, with a 2-1 win against Matt Pierce and Jason Marsh. Joining them in the semis would be the Accy D’s team of Tom Jepson and Jack Newton, who also came through by a 2-1 scoreline. In the bottom half of the draw, defending champion Luke Davies and his partner Jack Lewis were up against their fellow Accy D’s Joe Hopkins and Dan Booth. In the battle of the Uni Lads, it was Hopkins and Booth who came out on top, with a 2-1 win seeing them through to the next round. Their opponents would be Foxhill’s Ben Cooper and Jack Walker, who beat Will Lavery and Chris Keane 2-0.

Both semi-finals were close, coming down to last-leg deciders and ending 2-1. But, in the end, it was Harris and Wright and Cooper and Walker who got past the two Accy D’s pairs, setting up a Mouses versus Foxhill final. Harris and Wright would come out on top in that tie, with a two legs to nil win giving them a chance to play for the title.

With both tournaments played, the final was confirmed – Geoff Higgs and Pete Roebuck versus Glynn Harris and Tom Wright. They will play on 25 May, and one pair will add their names to the roll of honour of Pairs Championship winners.

Week 17 Report

Report by Olly Nunn

There was an early start to fixtures this week as the Uni Arms Academicals and Raging Bull had to play their game on Tuesday. Up first was Jack Newton against Bri Jones, and it was Jones who took it for the Bulls with a 3-0 win and a 21 darter in the second leg. The same scoreline followed in the second game, as Jason Marsh doubled the Bull’s advantage versus Joe Burniston. Game three was Mark Thomson against Tom Jepson. Tomson started strong to establish a 2-0 lead, before Jepson took the third to keep the match alive. But a 16 darter from Thomson in the fourth sealed the tie 3-1. A tense game four followed, as Olly Nunn and Adam Chadwick battled all the way to a deciding leg, which Nunn took to win 3-2. A second win for the Accy D’s then followed, as Joe Hopkins beat Matty Pierce in straight legs to put the scores at 3-2 going into the pairs. In the first doubles, the Uni Lads threatened to make it level as Jepson and Nunn took the first leg, but from there Jones and Chadwick came from behind to win 2-1 and seal the overall for the Bulls. The second doubles also went to the Bulls, as Thomson and Pierce beat Luke Davies and Hopkins, meaning the final scoreline was 5-2 to the Raging Bull.

Moving onto Thursday’s games, Foxhill and District As hosted the Woodbourne Mouses. Glynn Harris got the better start over Morgan Mullins in game one, going 2-0 up, and although Mullins won the third to stay in it, Harris took the fourth to win 3-1. Game two also went to the Mouses, as Jimmy Haslam put in a commanding performance with 14 and 21 darters to win 3-0. Up next was Ben Cooper versus Jordan Caley, and although Caley held throw in the first leg, Cooper would win the next three on the trot to clinch the match 3-1 and get Foxhill a win on the sheet. John Cartledge looked to put the Mouses back in the driving seat in game four and went 2-0 up, but Dale Blackwell was able to come from behind to level the scores, hitting a 21 darter to force a decider. Yet Cartledge would win that fifth leg to seal a 3-2 victory. The last singles was between Jack Walker (Foxhill) and Tom Wright (Mouses), and Wright took it in a whitewash, meaning the singles ended 4-1 to the Mouses, guaranteeing the Woodbourne side the win. Both pairs would end 2-0, as Haslam and Kieran Barton got the Mouses’ fifth win and Tank and Cartledge got their sixth. 6-1 overall, and a good win for the Mouses.

Thorncliffe’s Finest were away against the Warriors, and got off to a winning start as Josh Hall beat Ian Webster 3-1 in the first game of the night. Dylan Farmer then beat Angie Brittle in straight legs, doubling the Thorns’ lead. Up next was Oliver Parfrement against Barry Brittle – the first three legs were all holds of throw, but then Parfrement found an all-important break in the fourth to take the match 3-1. The Thorns were now 3-0 up, but they would have to wait for that all-important fourth win, as Lewis Wroe, despite breaking throw in the first leg, fell 3-1 to Colin Johnson. Game four, between Dan Ashton and Paul Brittle, was the closest of the night – Brittle broke throw in the third leg to go 2-1 up, but Ashton came from behind, starting with a break back in the next leg, to win 3-2. The Thorns were now guaranteed a win, and in the pairs they added two more games to their tally, with Hall and Parfrement edging out Barry Brittle and Webster 2-1 and Ashton and Farmer beating Paul and Nicola Brittle 2-0. So, the Thorns took a 6-1 win, and an important win too in their battle in the table with Foxhill.

Woodbourne Vintage were at home in the first leg of their tie against the Uni Arms Understudies. Pat Meeson stepped up to get the hosts on the board, beating Tom Graham in straight legs in the first game of the night. The second match would be a close one, as Elliot Hopkins battled back from 2-0 down to make it 2-2 against Chris Keane. In that fifth leg, Keane got the job done, taking a 3-2 win. Moving onto game three, and a 180 was not enough for Patrick Hopkins as the Understudies man lost out to Mick Hulley 3-1. Game four produced win four for Vintage, as Will Lavery beat Jack Stoddard 3-0. Jack Quinn has been a reliable winner for the Understudies this season, but it was not to be tonight as Russ Simons produced a ton checkout and a 21 darter to win 3-1. Hulley and Keane took the first pairs for Vintage, beating Damien Reed and Quinn 2-0, before Lavery and Simmons won by the same scoreline against Patrick Hopkins and Elliot Hopkins. This completed a whitewash 7-0 win for the hosts, a good result as they look to push back into the top half of the table in the last two weeks.

Finally, the Swallownest Miners made the trip to Rotherham to play league leaders Station Railwaymen. Kev Hatfield was up first for the visitors, but there was little he could do as Pete Roebuck hit 21 and 16 darters on the way to a 3-0 win. Geoff Higgs won by the same score in game two, beating Rich Tingle in a whitewash. Game three was the captain’s match, as Gav Pilling looked to put Station 3-0 up and Tim Whiting aimed to get his team back in the tie. In the end, it was Pilling who took it 3-1, with a ton checkout and 18 darter to go with it. The last two games were both won in straight legs, with Glenn Payne and Tom Sawford, who capped off his win with a 180, seeing off Tom Tingle and Kev Allison. It was now 5-0 to the Railwaymen, and that became 7-0 after the pairs, with wins coming from Roebuck and Higgs (2-1 versus Hatfield and Allison) and Pilling and Sawford (2-0 against Whiting and Tingle).

This win brings Station's already insurmountable points tally up to 103. Further down the table, though, things can still change, and the teams will be under no doubt about how important the last games could be.

Week 16 Report

Report by Olly Nunn

Apologies for a lack of reports recently, I was ill for a lot of last week so couldn’t get round to doing one. But I’m back on it now, and without further ado here’s the recap of last week’s league action!

With South Yorkshire struck by heavy snow, Week 16 was disrupted, and Woodbourne Mouses vs. Uni Arms Understudies was cancelled altogether. The other fixtures did go ahead, with the teams bracing the elements to get to their different pubs for the 8pm kick-off.

It was relatively easy for the Raging Bull to get down the road to Swallownest Miners, and their fixture started with Rich Tingle versus Liam Kent. It would be a close one, as the two traded legs (Kent hitting a 17 darter in the third) all the way to the fifth, won by Kent to make it 1-0 to the Bulls. The game between Mark Thompson (Raging Bull) and Kev Allison (Miners) started with two breaks of throw, before Thompson won the next two to win 3-1 and double the Bulls’ lead. Things could’ve got away from the Miners at this point, but a straight legs win from Kev Hatfield against Adam Chadwick got them back within one. And the hosts almost made it level in the fourth game, as Tim Whiting forced Bri Jones to the second fifth-leg decider of the night. In the end though it was Jones who won out, winning it 3-2 to move the Bulls clear again. That lead then became a winning one in the last singles, as a 3-0 win for Matty Pierce gave Raging Bull the overall. The away team then added two more wins in the pairs, with Jones and Kent beating Tingle and Micky Pierce 2-0 and Thompson and Matty Pierce edging out Allison and Hatfield 2-1. So, it was Raging Bull who won the Aughton-Swallownest derby 6-1.

After a lack of players meant they had to forfeit last week’s game, Woodbourne Vintage were looking to bounce back as they hosted Thorncliffe’s Finest. They made a strong start, with Pat Meeson taking a convincing 3-0 win against Oliver Parfrement. The second game had quality and tension, as Russ Simons and Dylan Farmer fought it out to a decider, with low dart legs from both along the way. Simons, who also hit a 110 checkout, would ultimately win out to put the hosts in front. Josh Hall got the better start against Chris Keane, holding and then breaking throw to go one away from the match. A 19 darter from Keane in leg three kept the game alive, but Hall then took leg four to win 3-1 and get the Thorns a point on the board. Onto the fourth game, and it was an impressive result for Mick Hulley, who’s 3-1 victory versus Dan Ashton started and ended with 13 darters. This set up Will Lavery to guarantee the tie for Vintage in the fifth game, with a straight legs win against Lewis Wroe making it 4-1 overall. Hulley and Simons then made it five for Vintage in the first pairs, but Parfrement and Hall gave the Thorns their second win of the night as they took the last game. So, 5-2 to Vintage was the final score, and a good recovery after the disappointment of not being able to play the week before.

One of the Thorns’ rivals in the league table, Foxhill and District As, were away at league leaders Station Railwaymen. Pete Roebuck began the night with an immediate break of throw against Martin Bridge, which was then followed by a hold and a 21 darter to give Station a 3-0 win. Foxhill had a better start to the second game, as Martin Schimelds broke Geoff Higgs’ throw. But Higgs would then break back, followed by a 20 darter which set him up to win 3-1 in leg four. Things didn’t get better for the visitors in the third game, where a whitewash win for Ryan Goffin put the Railwaymen 3-0 up. And another 3-0, to make it 4-0 in total, came in game four, as Gav Pilling saw off Jack Walker, with the Station captain hitting a 16 darter in leg two. The defending champions were now on for a clean sweap of the singles, and Tom Sawford gave them just that as he beat Dale Blackwell in straight legs. In the pairs, Roebuck and Higgs beat Walker and Blackwell 2-0 to make it six from six, and Pilling and Sawford beat Bridge and Schimelds by the same score to make it seven from seven. Therefore, on a day when most trains were stuck, it was still full steam ahead for Station Railwaymen.

Also at Station Hotel this week was Warriors versus Uni Arms Academicals. Colin Johnson (Warriors) and Jack Newton (Accy D’s) got the tie underway, and although Johnson took the first leg, Newton would reel off the next three to win 3-1. Up next were Tom Jepson and Angie Brittle, and the Accy D’s man went break-hold-break to take the match 3-0. Another Accy D’s whitewash followed in game three, with Joe Hopkins seeing off Ian Webster. Barry Brittle kept the fixture alive by getting one back for the Warriors in the fourth game, winning 3-1 against Joe Burniston. But the overall win for the Accy D’s came soon after, as Adam Warner stepped up with a hold, followed by a 17 darter and a 20 darter to beat Paul Brittle 3-0. Moving onto the doubles games, Newton and Jepson dropped the first leg to Barry Brittle and Johnson before taking the next two to win 2-1, and Luke Davies and Hopkins secured a comfortable 2-0 victory in the last game against Paul Brittle and Webster. At the end of the night, then, it was 6-1 to the Accy D’s, and the Uni Lads would get another win as the trams were still running, meaning they could get back to Sheffield.

This brings the recap of Week 16 to a close, and the table now looks like this:

- Station Railwaymen: 96

- Raging Bull: 82

- Woodbourne Mouses: 68

- Uni Arms Academicals: 64

- Swallownest Miners: 55

- Woodbourne Vintage: 49

- Foxhill and District As: 41

- Thorncliffe's Finest: 41

- Riverside Warriors: 29

- Uni Arms Understudies: 28

The Railwaymen have the title secured, but there is still a lot to play for. With places still up for grabs, the teams will be looking to end on a high in the last two weeks of fixtures.

Memorial Cup Report

Report by Olly Nunn

It’s been three weeks since the last Franchise League action, and in that time the teams have been holding their in-house tournaments to pick their players for the Memorial Cup.

In the end, it was Pete Roebuck (Station), Matty Pierce (Raging Bull), Jimmy Haslam (Mouses), Luke Davies (Accy D’s), Tim Whiting (Miners), Mick Hulley (Vintage), Jack Quinn (Understudies), and Paul Brittle (Warriors) who won their respective qualifiers, to be joined by Adam Chadwick (as the reigning champion) and Gav Pilling (as the reigning singles champion). These ten players, split into two groups, met in the Woodbourne to decide who would go through to finals night.

In Group A, Gav Pilling went undefeated, winning all four games to top the group, and only dropping one leg along the way (to Whiting). It was also a good night for Davies, with some impressive scoring (four 180s over the course of the night from the Accy D’s captain) and only one loss (to Pilling). Third in the group was Whiting, who got the better of Quinn and Hulley, but defeat to Pilling and Davies meant he missed out on the knockouts. In fourth was Quinn with one win, against Hulley, who had a difficult night that left him at the bottom of the group.

Meanwhile, in Group B, Pete Roebuck made it a Station lockout of the top spots, as he also went undefeated to guarantee a spot in the knockouts. Haslam started with a 2-0 win over Pierce, and although he then suffered a straight-legs loss to Roebuck, he then won his last two games to clinch second. Pierce took two wins, including against his Raging Bull teammate Chadwick, but losses to Roebuck and Haslam cost him a chance at advancing. Fourth in the table was Chadwick, who’s title defence ended in the groups with one win and three losses. And, suffering four losses, Brittle ended the night in fifth.

With all group games played, the final standings were:

Group A
1. Gav Pilling (won 4, lost 0) *
2. Luke Davies (won 3, lost 1) *
3. Tim Whiting (won 2, lost 2)
4. Jack Quinn (won 1, lost 3)
5. Mick Hulley (won 0, lost 4)

Group B
1. Pete Roebuck (won 4, lost 0) *
2. Jimmy Haslam (won 3, lost 1) *
3. Matty Pierce (won 2, lost 2)
4. Adam Chadwick (won 1, lost 3)
5. Paul Brittle (won 0, lost 4)

It was therefore Pilling, Davies, Roebuck, and Haslam who booked their places in the knockouts.

The first semi-final was between Roebuck and Davies. In a best of five contest, the first leg went to Davies. Both had shots at double in the second leg, which could’ve got Roebuck back in the match or put Davies one away. In the end it was Roebuck who took it, and the Station man then reeled off the next two to become the first man into the final.

Next up, in the second semi-final, was Pilling against Haslam, with Pilling looking to make it an all-Station final and Haslam aiming for a rematch of his Group B game with Roebuck. And, in the end, it was Haslam who came on top, winning 3-1 to make it a Railwaymen versus Mouses final on 18 May. Before then, it’s back to league action, with the teams knowing that every game counts heading into the last four weeks of fixtures.

Week 14 Report

Report by Olly Nunn

This week’s recap starts at Station Hotel, where the Railwaymen hosted the Uni Arms Understudies. Pete Roebuck started on the front foot in the first game, producing a 19 darter and then reeling off the next two legs to win 3-0 versus Nathan Okeeffe. A second whitewash win for Station then came from Geoff Higgs, who beat Cory Van Tongeren, followed by a third from Gav Pilling, who finished his game against Jimmy Knott with a 20 darter. Much like last week, it was Jack Quinn who got the Understudies’ sole win of the night, reeling off three legs on the bounce (finishing with a 19 darter) to beat Glenn Payne. An impressive performance by Tom Sawford in his 3-0 win against Jack Stoddard, with 20, 19, and 17 darters, ensured the Railwaymen had the tie secured before the pairs. And Station added to their tally in the doubles, with Roebuck and Higgs and Pilling and Sawford both taking their games (against Elliot Hopkins and Adam Butcher and Damien Reed and Okeeffe respectively) 2-0. However, there was a moment of magic for the Understudies in the first pairs game, as Hopkins hit his first ever 180. Overall though, with a 6-1 victory the night belonged to the Railwaymen.

It was a more successful week for the other Uni Arms team, the Academicals, as they were at home against Woodbourne Vintage. Up first was Lewis Forrest for the Accy D’s versus Will Lavery for Vintage. Forrest got off to a good start, with a break of throw followed by a 21 darter to go 2-1 up. Lavery kept the game going by taking the third, but Forrest got the job done in the next leg to win 3-1. New signing for Vintage Josh Wilson won the first leg in his game against Jack Lewis, but from there Lewis took the next three, with a 21 darter along the way, to give the Accy D’s another 3-1 win. Mick Hulley would get one back for Vintage in the third game, as he beat Olly Nunn in straight legs. However, the Accy D’s then went one away as Adam Warner won 3-0, with 18, 16, and 20 dart legs in a clinical performance versus Chris Keane. Vintage were not out yet though, and another straight legs win for the away side, from Russ Simons against Joe Hopkins, made it 3-2, and it then became 3-3 as Simons and Hulley got the better of Tom Jepson and Jack Newton in the first pairs, winning 2-1. This meant it came down to a last game decider, between Lavery and Keane for Vintage and Luke Davies and Dan Booth for the Accy D’s. It was ultimately the Accy D’s duo who came out on top, taking the match 2-1 to give the home side a 4-3 win overall.

Moving on, the Swallownest Miners made the trip to Foxhill this week. The first game was between Dale Blackwell for Foxhill and Kev Hatfield for the Miners – Blackwell went two ahead and, although Hatfield took the third leg, the Foxhill man would seal a 3-1 win in the fourth. In the second leg, Ben Cooper and Rich Tingle were level at 1-1 after leg two as both held throw, but from there Cooper held again and then broke to take the match 3-1. Foxhill were now 2-0 up, yet they had been in the same position the week before, and much like then, the Miners responded, starting with a whitewash win from Tim Whiting (with an 18 darter in the third leg) against Jack Walker. Things were level after the fourth game, where Kev Allison beat M Padley 3-1, and in the last singles match the Miners went ahead, Tom Tingle getting the better of Martin Schimelds with a 3-0 victory. Karl Howden and Cooper were on for Foxhill in the first pairs, and needed the win to keep Foxhill’s chances alive. Equally, Whiting and Allison could seal it for the Miners. It was ultimately the Swallownest pair who got their team over the line with a 2-0 win, and Hatfield and Pearce then won the second doubles game, against Mullins and Bridge, by the same margin. 5-2 to the Miners, then, was how the night ended.

The Warriors had had a less than ideal Week 13, losing 7-0 at home to the Raging Bull, and unfortunately their luck was not going to change on the return visit to Aughton this week. Colin Johnson had a decent start, taking the first leg against Adam Chadwick. Yet Chadwick replied, taking the second before producing a 20-dart break of throw, and then a hold to win 3-1. From there, the Bulls did not drop a leg as they produced another dominant performance. Wins from Jason Marsh, Bri Jones, Matt Pierce, and Mark Thompson, who hit a 19 darter, (against Ian Webster, Angie Brittle, Barry Brittle, and Paul Brittle) meant the hosts were 5-0 going into the pairs. And that would soon become 7-0, as Pierce and Thompson beat Nicola and Angie Brittle and Jones and Chadwick beat Paul Brittle and Johnson. A good night for the Bulls, and a bad day in the office for the Warriors.

Finally, the Woodbourne Mouses were at home for the second leg of their tie against Thorncliffe’s Finest. Game one went to the hosts, as Glynn Harris, after dropping the first leg to Logan Higgins, took the next three to win 3-1. On the whole it was a successful night for Harris, including a 21 darter and a 115 checkout. The Thorns replied in the second game, as Dan Ashton whitewashed Jordan Caley, hitting a 19 darter in leg two. Now level, both teams had a chance to go ahead in the third match, as Tom Wright and Oliver Parfrement fought all the way to a deciding leg. In the end it was Wright who took it give Mouses the lead, which they would hold for the rest of the night, as James Thomas beat Dylan Farmer 3-0 and John Cartledge beat Lewis Wroe 3-1, guaranteeing the overall win. A fifth win came soon after, as Harris and Caley took the first pairs, beating Higgins and Parfrement 2-1. And it could have been six, as Tank and Cartledge took leg one in their game against Ashton and Farmer. But the Thorns pair came from behind, winning the next two legs, to take the match 2-1. This made the final score 5-2 to the Mouses.

So, with all Week 14 games played, the table stands as follow:

- Railwaymen: 83
- Raging Bull: 71
- Mouses: 61
- Accy D’s: 53
- Miners: 52
- Vintage: 44
- Foxhill: 40
- Thorns: 32
- Understudies: 28
- Warriors: 26

With many tight races to be decided, no doubt the last four weeks of league action will be crucial.

Week 13 Report

Report by Olly Nunn

First off, sorry for a lack of report last week, had a busy few days with exams so didn’t have a chance to get one up. With that said, here’s a quick run through of what happened in Week 12:

Swallownest Miners were at home against the Uni Arms Understudies and got off to a good start, with the first four singles games going to the hosts. Jack Quinn won the fifth for the Understudies in a deciding leg, but from there Miners took both pairs games to end the night 6-1. Elsewhere, although dropping the first match, Raging Bull would go on to take the next six, and added to their 6-1 win were some impressive stats, including two ton-plus checkouts and 180s from Mark Thompson and Matt Pierce. The Woodbourne Mouses got the better start in their away tie versus the Uni Arms Academicals, with three wins from five in the singles, although Adam Warner, returning from a successful week in Milton Keynes, and Dan Booth kept the Accy D’s in it going into the pairs. It ultimately came down to a last game decider, which Jimmy Haslam and Jordan Caley took to give the Mouses a 4-3 win. It was the same scoreline at the Woodbourne, where Vintage played the Warriors. In the singles games there were comfortable wins for Russ Simons and Mick Hulley, but the other three all went to fifth legs, and it was the Warriors who lead going into the pairs. Vintage came from behind, though, with wins in both doubles clinching the overall for the Woodbourne side.

Moving on to Week 13, the Warriors hosted Raging Bull. Unfortunately for the Warriors, however, there was little sign of a home advantage, as the Bulls kicked off strongly and continued throughout the night. Liam Kent, Mark Thompson, Adam Chadwick, Bri Jones, and Matt Pierce all secured whitewash victories, against Ian Webster, Paul Brittle, Angie Brittle, Barry Brittle, and Colin Johnson. Another straight-legs win for the Bulls followed in the first doubles game, as Pierce and Thompson beat Johnson and Barry Brittle. In the final game, Nicola and Angie Brittle at least got a leg on the board for the Warriors, but Chadwick and Kent took the next two to win the match. So 7-0 was how the tie ended – a good night for the Raging Bull, and one to forget for the Warriors.

Swallownest Miners were against Foxhill and District As this week, and up first was Kev Hatfield versus Jack Walker. The first two legs went with throw, but from there Walker held and then broke to seal a 3-1 win and make it 1-0 to Foxhill. The visitors then doubled their advantage in the second game, with Padley beating Tingle, also by a 3-1 margin. Tim Whiting then got the Miners a foothold in the game, with a 3-0 win against Martin Schimelds that included 18 and 16 darters, along with a 124 checkout and a 180. However, Foxhill edged ahead again in the fourth game – Dale Blackwell went 2-0 up on Kev Allison, and although Allison took the third leg to stay in the match, Blackwell won the fourth to clinch the match 3-1. The away team were now one away from the overall, but a 3-1 win for Tom Tingle in the final singles game, followed by victory in both pairs games, meant Miners came from behind to take a 4-3 win in what was a hard-fought tie.

Thorncliffe’s Finest were at home against the Woodbourne Mouses, and the hosts initially got off to a good start, with Dylan Farmer going 2-0 up against James Thomas. However, Tank then fired in a 17 darter followed by a further two legs on the bounce to produce a 3-2 comeback win. Steve Caley then secured the Mouses’ second win of the night, beating Lewis Wroe 3-0 (with a 20 darter in the first leg). The Thorns’ first win came from Dan Ashton, who, after dropping the first leg, went on to win 3-1. Fourth on was Josh Hall for the Thorns versus Jimmy Haslam for the Mouses. Holding throw and then breaking with a 19 darter, Haslam moved two legs clear. Hall broke back in the third to make it 2-1, but Halsam produced a 16 darter in the fourth leg to finish it 3-1. The second last leg decider of the night came in the game between Oliver Parfrement (Thorns) and Tom Wright (Mouses). Parfrement and Wright traded legs (Parfrement hitting a 21 darter in the second) all the way to the fifth, and this time it was the Thorns who came off better, with Parfrement winning 3-2. Up next was the pairs, and Ashton and Farmer got the Thorns’ third win to guarantee a decider. In that last game, John Cartledge and Glynn Harris got the job done for the Mouses, beating Hall and Parfrement, meaning the visitors won 4-3 in what was another close contest.

While Mouses were away this week, their fellow Woodbourne team Vintage were at home against the Uni Arms Academicals. Russ Simons for Vintage and Joe Burniston for the Accy D’s stepped up first, and it was Simons who came out on top 3-1. Having treated the visitors to a top DJ set ahead of the tie, Pat Meeson was on fire on the dartboard as well, and, playing Dan Booth, got Vintage’s second win in straight legs. The third game was the only one to go to a fifth leg, as Joe Hopkins battled back from 2-1 down to beat William Lavery and get the Accy D’s up and running. The fourth and fifth games both went to Vintage by scores of 3-1, with Chris Keane getting the better of Jack Lewis and Mick Hulley beating Olly Nunn. The hosts had the overall win guaranteed, and they increased their margin with a win from Simons and Hulley, versus Lewis and Nunn, in the first pairs. Hopkins and Luke Davies then beat Lavery and Keane in the last pairs, meaning the Accy D’s could at least go out on a high. 5-2 to Vintage, then, was how the night ended.

League leaders Station Railwaymen made their second visit to the Uni Arms of the season, this time to play the Understudies. Patrick Hopkins for the Understudies and Geoff Higgs for Station were on first. Higgs started with a hold, but from there Hopkins reeled off three legs on the trot to win 3-1. In the second game, a 180 was not enough for Cory Van Tongeren against Pete Roebuck, who took a 3-0 victory to make it 1-1 overall. The Railwaymen then went ahead, with Lee McDonald winning out against Jimmy Knott, also in straight legs. Yet the tie was soon level again as Jack Quinn, undefeated in 13 singles games, made it 14 as he took the fourth match 3-1, versus Ryan Goffin. Station pressed on from there though, with a straight legs win (and an 18 darter in the second leg) from Gav Pilling against Damien Reed followed by wins in both doubles, with Roebuck and Pilling beating Jack Stoddard and Patrick Hopkins 2-0 and Higgs and Goffin beating Elliot Hopkins and Quinn 2-1.

This gave the Railwaymen a 5-2 win which gets them ever closer to a successful defence of their title, with 77 points as things stand. It has been a good points haul for the Raging Bull this week, with 64 now in the bag. The Mouses are still in third on 56, and from there the table goes Accy D’s, Miners, Vintage, Foxhill, and Thorns, while the Understudies have leap frogged the Warriors to sit at ninth. With only five weeks left to be played, we are now entering the business stage of the league, and the teams will be well aware that every point counts.

Week 11 Report

Report by Olly Nunn

After a seven-week break, league action resumed this week, with vital points on offer as the teams look to improve their standing in the table.

First up, Foxhill and District Club played host to the tie between the home side and Raging Bull. Yet it was not the start Foxhill would have wanted, as Martin Schimelds fell in a 3-0 loss to Liam Kent. A strong display from Mark Thomson, with 19, 14, and 20 darters on the way to a 3-0 win versus Dale Blackwell, then doubled the Bull’s advantage. And soon enough, two further whitewashes, from Bri Jones (who took out a 100 checkout) against Morgan Mullins and Adam Chadwick against Jack Walker, guaranteed a win for the visitors. Foxhill at least avoided a clean sweep of the singles with a 3-0 victory from Ben Cooper in his game against Matty Pierce, while the two teams split the pairs, with Kent and Jason Marsh taking the first for the Bulls and Cooper and Howden taking the second for Foxhill. With all games played, it was a 5-2 win for the Raging Bull.

It was the Warriors’ first week in their new venue, the Travellers Inn, and they marked it with a game against Woodbourne Vintage. Russ Simmons gave Vintage an early lead with a straight legs win against Colin Johnson, but in a close contest that went all the way to a decider Ian Webster levelled the scores, beating Chris Keane 3-2. The Warriors then went ahead, as, after dropping the first leg, Barry Brittle took the next three to win 3-1. The fourth game was between Paul Brittle and Mick Hulley, and it was Hulley who took the match with a whitewash. Short on players, Vintage had to concede the fifth game to Warriors, putting the hosts one away from an upset win. But the visitors would bounce back in the doubles, with two consecutive 2-0 wins clinching the tie. 4-3 to Vintage, then, was how the night ended.

Thorncliffe’s Finest were at home versus Station Railwaymen, with the first game between Dan Ashton for the hosts and Geoff Higgs for the visitors. The match would go to a decider, with Ashton (who hit an 18 darter in the fourth) and Higgs trading legs all the way to the last. Higgs had the throw in the fifth leg, and was able to hold his nerve to win 3-2. Up next was the Thorns’ Josh Hall against Station’s Pete Roebuck, and, although Hall took the first leg, Roebuck then reeled off three on the bounce to take the game 3-1. The third and fourth games also went to the Railwaymen, with Ryan Goffin and Gav Pilling both delivering 3-0 wins (beating Dylan Farmer and Lewis Wroe) and a 21 darter each along the way. Tom Sawford would then make it five from five for Station, starting his game against Oliver Parfrement with a 17 darter before going on to win 3-1. Sawford was up again in the first pairs with Pilling, and the two saw off Ashton and Farmer in straight legs, which Roebuck and Goffin then repeated in their win against Hall and Parfrement. So, with a 7-0 win, and 180s from Roebuck and Sawford, the defending champions continue to build up their lead at the top of the table.

It was the Understudies versus the Miners at the Uni Arms this week, and the Swallownest side got off to a good start with Kev Hatfield securing a whitewash victory against Jack Stoddard in the first game. The Understudies’ Elliot Hopkins went one up in the second game, but three successive legs from Rich Tingle meant it ended 3-1 to the Miners. With an 18 darter in the second leg, Tim Whiting beat Jimmy Knott 3-0 in the third game, and the Miners’ fourth win, by the same score, came in the next game as Tom Tingle saw off Damien Reed. The last singles game, between Jack Quinn for the Understudies and Kev Allison for the Miners, saw Allison go 2-0 up and one away from the match. But Quinn then reeled off three successive legs to produce a 3-2 comeback win and give the Understudies a point on the board. From there, momentum shifted back to the Miners, with 2-0 wins from Whiting and Rich Tingle and Hatfield and Tom Tingle in the pairs (versus Knott and Stoddard and Quinn and Hopkins) ending the tie 6-1 to the away side.

The Woodbourne Mouses were at home against the Uni Arms Academicals, and up first was Jordan Caley versus Jack Newton. Caley broke to take the first leg, before Newton broke back in the second and then took the third to go one away. Newton missed match darts in the third leg, which Caley would take to force a decider, but the Accy D’s man got the job done in the fifth to win 3-2. Joe Hopkins would lose to the Mouses in the second game, and then the hosts went ahead as Glynn Harris beat Jack Lewis 3-0 in the third. The game between Mouses captain James Thomas and the Accy D’s Olly Nunn saw four successive breaks of throw, before Tank (who hit a 19 darter in the second leg) held in the fifth to win 3-2. John Cartledge started well for the Mouses in the fifth singles, breaking in the first leg and then hitting a 180 in the second. Yet Dan Booth would come from behind in that leg to break back and level the scores at one all. Cartledge, though, was able to press on from there, producing another 180 and a 19 darter in the last leg to win 3-1. With both pairs games also going to the Mouses, each by 2-0, the home side completed a 6-1 victory, and a bad day in the office for the Accy D’s.

So, at the end of Week 11, the Railwaymen remain on top with 65 points, fourteen clear of the field. Another win for Raging Bull keeps them in the second with 51 points, while the Mouses remain third with 48. The Accy D’s are fourth with 44 and up to fifth are the Miners with 37. From there, the table goes Foxhill in sixth, Vintage in seventh, the Thorns in eighth, Understudies in ninth, and rounding out the table are the Warriors in tenth. A lot can still change though, and the teams will be back in Week 12 looking for more wins.

Team Knockout Week 5

Report by Olly Nunn

With the Christmas break over, action resumed in what was an important week, as the last group games of the Team Knockout were played.

It was a busy night at the Station Hotel, with both Group A fixtures being played there. In the main room was the Railwaymen versus Swallownest Miners, with a place in the knockouts on offer for the winner. First game of the night went to the visitors, with two holds of throw and a 21 dart break giving Kev Hatfield the win against Geoff Higgs. Station replied with a 3-0 of their own, as Pete Roebuck beat Rich Tingle. Up next was Tim Whiting against Lee McDonald – the first three legs all went with throw, but then the Miners captain found a break with a 21 darter in the fourth to win 3-1. The Swallownest side now had a slim lead, but things were even again after the fourth game, as Gav Pilling beat Kev Allison in straight legs. The Railwaymen then went ahead, as Tom Sawyer beat Tom Tingle, also by three legs to nil, making the score 3-2 to the hosts going into the pairs. However, a win for Whiting and Hatfield versus Pilling and Sawford meant it all hinged on the last game, between Allison and Rich Tingle for Swallownest and Roebuck and Glenn Payne for Station. In the end, it was Roebuck and Payne who held their nerve, producing a 2-0 win that booked the Railwaymen’s place in the semi-finals. A 4-3 scoreline overall, then, and a night that also saw high scoring, with five 180s – one from Whiting and two each from Roebuck and Sawford.

The other game at Station Hotel was the Warriors against the Uni Arms Academicals. The Warriors got off to a good start, with Colin Johnson winning 3-0 against Joe Hopkins while Ian Webster narrowly pipped Jack Lewis in the fifth leg of their game. The Accy D’s replied in the third game, as Jack Newton beat Angie Brittle 3-0, capping off with a 21 darter. The fourth match between Joe Burniston and Paul Brittle was a tense affair that went all the way to a deciding leg. Bounce outs came at the wrong time for the Academicals man, though, and it was Brittle who took the 3-2 win. The Accy D’s got their second win in the last singles, as Olly Nunn beat Barry Brittle 3-1, and their third came in the first pairs game, with Luke Davies and Tom Jepson getting the better of Johnson and Webster 2-1. This set up for the Station Hotel’s second last-game decider of the night, and it would go to the Accy D’s, who completed their comeback with a 2-0 win from Adam Warner and Dan Booth versus Angie and Nicola Brittle. So, the final Group A tie ended 4-3 to the Accy D’s.

Woodbourne was host to the last Group B game, as the Woodbourne Mouses played Thorncliffe’s Finest. The Mouses had already sealed their spot in the semi-finals, but a win was needed for the Thorns if they wanted to reach the last four. It was the home side who got off to a better start thanks to a 3-0 win for Steve Caley, but Dan Ashton kept the Thorns’ hopes alive with another whitewash, and a 180 in the process. Yet the Mouses were in control from there, and wins from Tom Wright (3-1), Scott Willis (3-0), and John Cartledge (3-1) guaranteed them the overall victory before the pairs were played. And in the doubles the hosts added to their tally, with consecutive 2-0 wins for Steve and Jordan Caley and James Thomas and John Cartledge making the final score 6-1. Disappointment for the Thorns, while the Mouses finish the group stage undefeated.

This brings the group stage of the Team Knockout to an end, and confirms that it will be the Raging Bull, Station Railwaymen, Woodbourne Mouses, and Woodbourne Vintage who progress to the semi-finals. The Miners, Accy D’s, Warriors, Thorns, Foxhill, and Understudies will still have a chance to claim a trophy in the Team Plate. But before then, attention will turn back to the league as it resumes next week, with the teams looking to pick up from where they left off in November.