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.

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.