LMRCA vs Vine Inn

Match Information

LMRCA 3 – 4 The Vine Inn

Early Division 3 pace-setters The Vine Inn won again to stretch their lead in the league to ten points, and from the off  it was a familiar story, as they went 4-1 up against LMRCA to claim the win after 5 games played, before having to settle for a 4-3 win overall after the home side claimed the last two games of the night. The Vine also took the gallon 2-1 to make it a profitable Wednesday night as they successfully navigated a tricky fixture on Navigation Road.

Alan Gleave opened in style for LMRCA, reeling off a 17-dart leg, pinning a 50 checkout and hammering a maximum for the night’s best 55.37 average as he overcame Dave Goulden 2-1 in a deciding leg. From here though the Vine kicked into another gear and secured the bonus points by taking the next four games without losing a leg. In game 2, Vine’s Kyran Eyes made it 1-1 with a 2-0 defeat of Tony Spilsbury, and the momentum was about to swing firmly in the visitors’ favour.

Game 3 saw Josh Bailey claim a 2-0 win over Joe Davis to nose the Vine ahead, before team-mate James Garside repeated that scoreline against Ciaran Algar to make it 3-1. Billy Sanders then sealed the Vine’s fourth win of the season as he swept past Dave Brooks 2-0 to bank the bonus points and an unassailable 4-1 lead.

The Vine have made a habit of winning heavily so far this season, but with another big win on the cards LMRCA refused to lie down. Ron Cooke delivered two solid legs, including a 25-darter, to see off Daniel Alcock 2-0 and narrow the gap to 4-2, and in the final game of the night LMRCA pulled it back to 4-3 after Ryan Woods defied a 180 from Geoff Sanders and hit a 99 finish on his way to a deciding leg win that made the scoreline more respectable.