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.
