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.