Division 1
St Johns crushed the Vic Withington 7-0 but it made no difference to the table after the Ammies made it back-to-back 7-0 wins themselves against Cringlewood. Timperley also won, but a 4-3 against the Victoria Burnage might not be enough to keep them in the title race, while the Alker maintain fourth place with a 5-2 win against Brooklands Tap.
St Johns 7 vs 0 Victoria Withington
St John’s returned to action for the first time since their 5-2 win over The Ammies, and showed no signs of rust with a comprehensive 7-0 win against my Victoria Withington side who had come into this game off the back of a 4-3 win against third placed Timperley. The win keeps the Saints right in the title battle but it didnt change much as the Ammies also won by the same scoreline on a night of powerful performances from the top two sides in the league.
Saints’ Oliver Clarke hit a 15 darter during the opener before going on to win the game 3-2 after a last leg decider against Connor Wigley. Despite the tight opening game, from there on in it was a bit of a procession for the second placed side as Kraig Loose also hit a 15 darter while beating Jack Jarvis 3-0, Mike Shaw hit a 79.11 average during a 3-0 win against Matt Jepson, and then Kaine Goldie beat me 3-0 to secure the win for St Johns after only four games played. There was to be no let up from the title hopefuls though as game five saw Jez Saunders hit a 180 while beating Sean Edwards 3-1, before Rich Davies defied a 180 from Dave Stanley to also win 3-1 and setup the chance of the whitewash. Terry Jepson was the Vic’s last hope, and hit a 180 and 16 darter while making it 2-2 with Martin Tyson during the final game of the night, but Martin found the winning double in the deciding leg to give his side a maximum nine points from what on paper should have been a tricky fixture.
Timperley CC 4 vs 3 Victoria Burnage
Timperley got back to winning ways with a 4-3 home win against Victoria Burnage, but with the top two winning 7-0, they now fall seven points behind second placed St Johns in a season that had promised much for the KO Cup holders.
Andrew Day put the visitors in front with a 3-0 defeat of Andy Brownhill in the first game of the night, but Timperley came straight back, first drawing level as a 180 and 16 darter helped Andy Broadhurst to a 3-1 win against Jimmy Mackle, before Andy Pearson put his side into the lead when beating Mick Cooney by the same scoreline. The home side were soon 3-1 up after Gary Sullivan claimed a 3-0 win over Tony Green, but the Victoria Burnage showed some real mettle to fight back to 3-3, after a 3-0 win for Steve Moane over Craig Weston was followed by a 3-0 win for Dylan Wimbury against Chris Stone.
It all came down to a last game decider between Timperley’s Callum Loose and Pete Evans. An entertaining game ensued with both players playing well, but it was Timperley who got the overall victory after Callum claimed a 3-1 win, the Timperley man hitting a joint seasons best 11 dart leg and an 81.11 average, while Pete hit a 180 and a 17 darter, finishing with a 72.16 average himself.
Brooklands Tap 2 vs 5 John Alker
The Alker claimed a ninth win to remain in the fourth spot that they have seemingly made their own this season, whilst also closing the gap to Timperley in third to nine points.
In the first game, home captain Geoff Sanders was aided by an 18 darter and a 100 finish as it went to 2-2 with the Alker’s Baz Rowland, but the deciding leg saw Baz claim the win that put his side into an early lead. Ryan Kelly brought the Tap level with a 3-0 defeat of Mike Nolan, but another deciding leg win for Gary Thompson over Phil Hazelwood saw the Alker restore their lead. In a back and forth match it was all square once again when Callum Nolan beat John Hawken 3-0 in game four, but a 3-0 win for Gaz O’Donnell against Eddie Clare soon put the Alker in front for a third time in the match. Alker captain Ewan Donegan then secured the bonus points for his side wih a 3-1 win against Ryan Sanders, before Chris Wormald extended the winning margin to 5-2 with a 3-0 defeat of Dan Williams.
Ammies Darts 7 vs 0 Cringlewood
The Ammies claimed a second successive 7-0 victory to further outline their ambitions to retain their Division 1 title, but found that the result had no bearing at the top of the table as rivals St Johns won by the same scoreline against the Victoria Withington.
Ray Dore put the champions one up with a 3-1 win against Phil Lauder, and it was soon 3-0 after consecutive 3-0 wins for Kyle Bell and Scott Livingstone against John Mulhern and Ray Levesconte. Game 4 saw another imperious performance from Adam Watson to seal the win for the Ammies as he beat Ryan Coffey 3-0, hitting a 180, a 15 darter and a 106 kill to finish with a fantastic 90.18 average. The Cringlewood came close to breaking their duck when Rob Lauder took 180 hitting Karl Cooper to a deciding leg, but it was the Ammies man who pinned the winning double that put his side 5-0 up overall. Andy Tucker made it 6-0 with a 3-0 win against Luke Mulhern, and the 7-0 whitewash was complete after Pete Watson took a deciding leg against Alex Martin in the last game of the evening.
Division 2
A 6-1 Urmston win against Trafford Social sees them move nine points clear with two games remaining, Royal Oak stay second, falling a point further behind after a 5-2 win against the Roebuck, Ashton just about stay in the promotion battle after a hard fought 4-3 win at a Malt Shovels side who now have it all to do to remain in Division 2, the Carters get a vital win against LMRCA which keeps them clear of the relegation zone and the Melville win 4-3 again against St Anthonys.
Malt Shovels 3 vs 4 Ashton-on-Mersey CC
The Malt Shovels lost for the 14th time this season, but in keeping Ashton to a six point haul, they ensured that their third placed visitors fall to 12 points behind first placed Urmston, with both sides having two games left to play. The Malt Shovels also have two games left, but are now almost certain to face relegation back to Division 3 next season as despite only winning twice all season, they would now have to aim to win both remaining matches 7-0 while hoping that the teams above fail to gain any points in their final fixtures.
Stephen Orton helped himself to a 15 darter and 118 finish while taking the opening game 3-2 to put Ashton in front, and 1-0 soon became 3-0 overall after 3-0 wins for Chris Chapman and Will Radcliffe. In game 4, Simon McBride stopped the rot to put the Malts on the scoreboard after a deciding leg win over Andy Kindred, but a 3-0 win for Ashton captain James Compton in game six ensured the bonus points for the overall win went to Ashton. At 4-1 up Ashton would have been hoping for a repeat of August’s 6-1 home romp against the Malt Shovels, but the Division 2 strugglers had other ideas and claimed a couple more vital points with wins in the last two games of the night for Luke Loveitt and 180 hitting James Golds.
Next up for Ashton is a tricky visit to the Melville, while the Malt Shovels are set to face LMRCA in a battle between the two sides most at risk of relegation.
Trafford SC 1 vs 6 Urmston SC
The Divisional leaders moved further ahead in the title battle with this big win against Trafford, and with two games remaining sit 9 points ahead of The Royal Oak in second (although the Oak have a game in hand) and 12 ahead of Ashton-on-Mersey in third who Urmston face in their final game of the season).
Urmston swept into a commanding 3-0 lead after Luke Lonergan, Gaz Lane and Dylan Bell all secured 3-1 wins against Jake Neersoo, Andrew Wood and Zac Nichols respectively. On the brink of another victory, there was to be no slipping up as Harry Fitton claimed the points, hitting a 180 when making it 4-0 after a 3-0 win against Gaz Collins. The lead was extended to 5-0 after Steve Lye took a fifth leg decider against Andrew Davies, Steve with a 104 finish and Andrew with a 180 in what looks to have been a good game. Trafford finally got themselves on the scoreboard in game six as Kyle Wands eased to a 3-0 win over Jacaub Worrall, but Urmston extended their lead further in the last game of the night as Darryl Fitton outclassed Alex Buckley by 3 legs to nil.
Next up for Urmston is a home fixture against St Anthonys, while Trafford have a trip to Altrincham to face the Roebuck.
Roebuck 2 vs 5 Royal Oak A
The Royal Oak followed up last weeks 7-0 victory against LMRCA with another good win, this time gaining a 5-2 revenge victory in a match against a dangerous Roebuck side who had beaten them once already earlier in the season.
Rick Kiel put the home side ahead with an 18 darter during his 3-1 win against Sharon Kirby, but the in-form Lee Medd soon brought the Chorlton side level after an 18 darter of his own along with 7 ton plusses and a 72.15 average helped him ease to a 3-1 win against Mark Garnett. Chris Haycock restored the Bucks lead with a 3-1 defeat of Jordan Perry, but the Oak were level once again at 2-2 after Ryan Crook secured the fourth 3-1 scoreline of the night as he got the better of Chris Merriman. With nothing between the sides after four games, the title chasing Oak took the lead for the first time when captain Tony Kirby took a deciding leg against Hayden Reddy to make it 3-2, and from then on they were not to be denied as a 3-1 win for Pete Perry against Chris Reddy ensured the win, before a 3-1 win for Jayme Kirby over Ash Aikenhead in the final game gave a final score of 5-2 to the visitors.
Next up for the Bucks is a home game against Trafford Social, while Royal Oak A face the Carters.
St Anthonys 3 vs 4 Melville
The Melville secured fifth place with a fourth 4-3 win in their last five games (the other being a 4-3 loss to Urmston). This was also their 11th win from 15 games in an impressive season so far, and the only reason they arent involved in the promotion battle is that the majority of those wins have been by 4-3, where bigger results would have yielded more points. The three points gained by St Anthonys was enough to maintain their nine point lead over the relegation places, and with a game in hand on the teams below them they should have enough points in the bank to stay up.
The Melville’s Gary Brisco eased to a 3-0 win over Arthur Macauley in game 1, but their lead was shortlived as Gary Molloy’s 3-1 win against Jake Powell made it 1-1. Melville skipper Jon Powell hit 7 ton plus scores while restoring the visitors lead with a 3-1 defeat of Carl Paton, and it was 3-1 after Joe McCracken claimed a 3-0 win against Alan Farrar. St Anthony’s stormed back into the match with 3-1 wins for Ian Paton and Shaun Gill against Bradley Hodgson and Paul Sambrook making it 3-3 overall, but a 3-0 win for Owen Powell in game 7 was enough to secure the win for the Melville and give them an 11th win of the season.
In next weeks fixtures, both these sides could have a say in the title and promotion pictures as next up for St Anthonys is a challenging trip to league leaders Urmston, and the Melville face third placed Ashton-on-Mersey.
Carters 4 vs 3 LMRCA
The Carters claimed a valuable win in their efforts to stave off the threat of relegation with a 4-3 win against LMRCA which leaves them with a game in hand and 10 points clear of their beaten opponents who remain nine points from safety and firmly in the bottom two.
Gavin Halton claimed a 3-2 win in the first game of the night against Joe Davis to put the Carters ahead, and that lead was doubled after Jonathan Theirens hit 7 ton plusses during a 3-1 win against Derek Ostick. In game 3 LMRCA were underway after a 3-1 win for Ron Cooke against Terry Caine, but a 3-1 Ryan Pollit win against Tony Feesey made it 3-1 and put the Carters on the brink of victory. Tony Spilsbury recorded a 3-1 win of his own in game five to give LMRCA hope at 3-2, but Bob Mitchell’s 3-0 win against Roy Jervis was enough to give his side a valuable win in their attempt to stay out of the relegation battle. LMRCA did manage another point though, following Alan Gleave’s 3-0 win against Dave Sills in the last game of the night.
Next up for the Carters is a daunting trip to the Royal Oak, while the bottom two sides in the league will face off as LMRCA take on the Malt Shovels.
Division 3
BHC Aces march on toward Division 2 after a 5-2 win against the Dog & Partridge, Bulls Head pip promotion rivals Sale Excel 4-3, The Bent Brooks 5-2 win against the Jolly Butcher moves them into the promotion picture, Horseshoe continue their own bid for division 2 darts with a 4-3 win against the Vine, while Stretfordians drop into the bottom two after a heavy 6-1 defeat against Royal Oak B. Buck Inn-eers vs Old Market Tavern has been rearranged for 22nd January.
Broadheath Central Aces 5 vs 2 Dog & Partridge
The Aces havent quite sealed the title just yet, but its almost a foregone conclusion as they top the league by 27 points with 16 wins from 17 games and only five fixtures left to play. This was arguably one of the tougher matches they have left, and represented a rematch from the recent KO Shield semi final game which ended 5-2 to the Aces – and we had the exact same outcome once again as the Aces march inevitably to Division 2 next season.
Nigel Beeton and Dennis Hand both recorded 2-0 wins in the first two games to put the Aces into an early 2-0 lead, but that lead was halved after Chris Conduit got a 2-0 win of his own in game 3. Darren Wood extended the home sides lead to 3-1 with a 2-0 win against Saj Sharrif in game 4, and the divisional leaders had a 16th win of the season when Dave Wood made it 4-1 after winning a deciding leg with Dave Harris. In game 6 The Dog’s Dave Cook was unlucky not to reduce the defecit after hitting a 180, a 13 darter and finishing with a 68 average, but luck really wasnt on his side as Martin Johnson, despite being 16 points adrift of Dave on the averages, won a deciding third leg to claim another game for the Aces and make it 5-1 overall. Tom Spillane was last up for the Dog and Partridge, and the captain was able to earn his side a further consolation point following a 2-0 defeat of Iris Bannister.
Bulls Head 4 vs 3 Sale Excel
The Bulls secured an invaluable 4-3 win against promotion rivals Sale Excel to cement second place in Division 3 with only four games of their season still to play. Despite this defeat, the Excel are only 7 points further back in fourth and have a game in hand over the Bulls, so its all still far too close to call.
The first two games of this match were shared and both went to deciding legs, as The Bulls Head took the lead through Adrian Stock before Danny Chua equalised for the Excel. In game 3 Bo Bowman put the Bulls back in front while hitting his second 180 of the season during a 2-0 win against Andy Cheetham, and Iain Fish extended the lead to 3-1 with a 2-0 win of his own against Adam Richardson in game four. Peter Sage kept the Excel in the match with a 2-0 win in game 5 against Steve Hazelhurst which made it 3-2, but the Bulls werent to be denied and secured the win after Chris Cordingley came out on top 2-0 in his game against Jimmy Nolan to make it 4-2. The Excel werent finished though, and managed to grab a further consolation point with a deciding leg win for Warren McCoubrey against Rob Barber.
Bent Brook 5 vs 2 Jolly Butcher
The Bent Brook recovered from last weeks 5-2 loss to The Bulls Head and moved to within 11 points of the promotion positions with a 5-2 win of their own against The Jolly Butcher, who were unable to build on last weeks win against the Buck Inn-eers.
On a night that birthday girl Liz Sweeney, the Butcher captain, celebrated her 43rd birthday, all scores of 43 apparently resulted in her having a shot of some kind. Happy Birthday Liz, hope the hangover wasnt too bad!!!
The Brook went 2-0 up after consecutive 2-0 wins in the first two games for Alex Morton over Stuart Watson, and Rob Moore against Mike Swindells. Butcher Captain Liz Sweeney won a deciding leg against Ayla Prest-McAllen to get her side on the board, but another 2-0 win for the Brook courtesy of Sam Oldham against Steve Foster soon had the home team one win away from victory. Chris O’Keefe delayed that victory with a 2-0 win over Anthony Coleman in game five which made it 3-2, but the Brook were not to be denied as Sean Dignan won a decider against Gareth Sullivan to claim the bonus points before Paul Charnock also won a decider with Mitch Wesemeyer to give a final score of 5-2.
Buck Inn-eers PP vs PP Old Market Tavern
Match postponed until 22nd January 2025.
Horseshoe 4 vs 3 Vine
The Horseshoe returned to winning ways with a 4-3 defeat of the Vine which keeps them in third and right in the battle for promotion. The loss for the Vine sees them drop 12 points behind their opponents, while both have a game in hand on second placed Bulls Head.
The visitors went one up after a 2-0 win for Kyran Eyes against David Duffy, but a 2-0 win for Kieran Chapman over Josh Bailey soon restored parity between the sides. Stuart Tait then restored the Vine’s lead with a 2-0 win against Ben Harrington, and when Dave Goulden took a deciding leg against Josh McQuillan, the visitors were one away from victory. It was now or never for the Horseshoe, and they responded accordingly by leveliing the match with a pair of two nil wins for Oscar Coutts and George Moss over Billy Sanders and Tom Slattery. At 3-3 the momentum was suddenly with the home side and Horseshoe captain Rob Moss made the comeback complete with a 180 during a 2-0 win against Wayne Hough.
Royal Oak B 6 vs 1 Stretfordians
The Royal Oak B recorded their biggest win of the season when inflicting Stretfordians’ fifth 6-1 defeat in the last six games, and fourth in succession, as the Trafford side continue to plummet down the table following a downturn in form after a pretty decent first half of the season.
Rob Whiteside got the hosts underway with a 2-0 win against Chrissy Thompson in the opening game, before Jack Bushell doubled the lead when beating Lisa Hough by the same scoreline. Morgan Nickson got the Stretfordians on the scoreboard with a deciding leg win against Jack Holt, but that was as good as it got for the visitors as another couple of 2-0 wins, for Mark Gilmore and Andrew Mossop over Paul Chapman and Lindsay Rice, ensured a third win on the Bounce for the Oak B. Tommy Mitchell turned the screw further when beating Toni Entwistle in a deciding leg, and Pete Decordova made it 6-1 with a 2-0 win against Ryan Thompson.
If anyone has any corrections, wants to clarify anything, or if you just want to open up a discussion about any game or player performance – why not register with the site and add a comment below!