Melville vs Ashton-on-Mersey CC

Match Information

Melville 4–3 AoM CC

Melville edged a dramatic 4–3 win over Ashton-on-Mersey CC in a closely contested Division 2 clash, and they backed it up by taking the gallon 2–1 to seal a well-earned home victory. It was a night of tight margins and big scores, with both sides trading blows across seven quality games.

Things kicked off with Paul Sambrook getting Melville on the board, battling to a 3–2 win over Will Radcliffe in a back-and-forth opener. Sambrook threw in four 100+ scores and a 23-dart leg to get his side going, while Radcliffe impressed in defeat with six tons of his own. Ashton hit back in Game 2 as Billy Dawson took a 3–0 win over Cam McFarlane to level things at one apiece.

Game 3 saw one of the standout performances of the night. Gary Brisco delivered a sharp 66.67 average, landed a 180, and hit a 21-darter — the lowest leg of the match — to beat Chris Chapman 3–1, despite Chapman putting together four tons in response. Jon Powell followed that up with another win for the hosts to make it 3-1 overall, hitting six tons and finishing with a strong 61.06 average in a 3–2 win over James Compton, who, despite nine tons couldnt find a game winning doube in what looks like a cracking contest.

Ashton pulled one back in Game 5 as Stephen Orton powered in 6 ton plus scores while beating Owen Powell 3–1, despite Powell firing in a 180 and three 100+ scores of his own. Mark Robinson then made it 3–3 overall with a clean 3–0 win against Jake Powell, his 54.99 average helping steady the ship for the visitors.

It all came down to Game 7, and Melville held their nerve. Joe McCracken took a narrow 3–2 win over Chris Higson, hitting two tons and a 26-dart leg on his way to clinching the match for his side.

With the singles finishing 4–3 and the gallon going Melville’s way too, the home side took the honours on the night — but Ashton showed plenty of scoring power, and on another evening the result could easily have gone the other way.