Division 1
Due to there being ten teams in Division One compared to 12 in Division 3, this was the first week of a scheduled two week break for the top Division, but with a full week of fixtures postponed due to England’s progress in the football back in July, it gave us a chance to catch up on a number of those matches from Week 1.
In the big game of the week second placed Timperley claimed a 5-2 home win against third placed St Johns, while leaders the Ammies beat the Victoria Withington 6-1. The Volunteer won 4-3 against Broadheath Central, and the Victoria Burnage got the better of bottom placed Cringlewood by 5 games to 2.
Timperley 5 vs 2 St Johns
This week’s Match of the Day featured a meeting beween second placed Timperley Conservative Club and third placed St Johns, both sides going into the match with just a single defeat each, and both sides looking for a result to stay in touch with league leaders the Ammies.
It was a big night for both teams, and the match was played out in a party atmosphere not seen at Timperley Conservative Club since those heady ‘working’ nights at the height of lockdown during the COVID pandemic. Indeed, no visiting side in any sport have faced such a raucous barrage of home support since Man United were given a ‘welcome to hell’ greeting by Galatasaray at the Ali Sami Yen stadium in 1993.
The support must have rattled the visitors a little, as the home side romped into an early 3-0 lead. Craig Weston got Timperley underway, hitting a 16 darter during a 3-2 win in the opener against Oliver Clarke, Callum Loose had a 15 darter and a 118 kill in his 3-0 defeat of Kaine Goldie in game 2, and Andy Broadhurst hit a 15 darter and 120 finish as he beat Martin Tyson 3-1.
Staring defeat in the face, St Johns came back into it in the next two games as Mike Shaw got the better of 180 hitting Gary Sullivan by 3 legs to 1, before Jez Saunders beat Andy Brownhill 3-0 to make it 3-2… and suddenly it was game on. No sooner was it game on, it was game over, as the comeback was halted abruptly when Kev Kelly, making his first league appearance of the season, beat Alan Dawson by 3 legs to nil. The final game of the night saw Timperley stretch the winning margin further, as another 3-0 win for Andy Pearson over Danny Glover, gave a final score of 5-2 to Timperley.
Victoria Withington 1 vs 6 Ammies Darts
After a couple of good wins, my Vic side were brought crashing back down to earth with a heavy defeat against the league leaders, who have now made it 7 wins on the bounce in all competitions.
I didnt do ‘too’ bad in the opener with 5 ton plusses and a 65 average, but Mike Morrison always seemed to have an extra gear on the night, finishing with a 71.57 average as he swept to a comfortable 3-0 win to put the Ammies ahead. Kyle Bell made it 2-0 with a 3-0 defeat of Paul Mitchell, and when Scott Livingstone hit a 180 and a 106 finish during a 3-1 win over Terry Jepson, the writing was on the wall. Pete Watson secured the win for the Ammies with a 122 finish in the deciding leg against Dave Stanley in game four, and it was soon 5-0 to the visitors when Andy Tucker beat Matt Jepson 3-1. Game six saw Connor Wigley, who has had a fine season for the Vic so far, take on Ammies captain Paul Devine, and after Connor delivered a 3-1 win, six ton plusses, an 18 darter and 68.8 average – the Vic were finally on the scoreboard. That was to be the only point of the night for the Vic though, as the final game went the way of the visitors when Adam Watson hit 8 ton plusses and a 16 darter while finishing up with a 79.11 average in his 3-0 win over Lewis Holley.
Volunteer 4 vs 3 Broadheath Central
With both teams hovering around the relegation zone, and both going into the match with one win and almost identical records, this was a head to head that could have an impact of Division 1 survival for either team. On the other hand, with over half the season to go, its way too soon to mention the “r” word, but nonetheless The Volunteer will be happy with claiming a win from this fixture which see them in the relative safety of eighth place in the league.
In the opening game of the night R. Kelly turned the ignition (last one that Ryan, I promise) on his Volunteer career with a 3-2 win against Shane Crellin featuring 7 ton-plus scores and a 65.76 average. Leyton Jackson levelled the match up for Broadheath after a 180 and a 15 darter helped him to a last leg win in game 2, but Callum Nolan put the Vol back in front with a 3-1 win over JonJo Devon which saw the Volunteer man hit a 17 darter and an impressive 76.74 average. Broadheath’s Brandon Lawley made it all-square again as he hit the second 180 of the night and his third of the season while edging out Gary Williams 3-2, but the Vol were ahead for the third time after Phil Hazelwood claimed a 3-0 win on his Vol debut against James Eatock. In a very to-and-fro game, Broadheath pulled level for the third time as Lee “Mr” Darcey claimed a 3-0 win over Geoff Sanders, but with it all down to a final game shoot out between the home side’s Dan O’Donnell and Dan Cross, the pattern of the evening continued as the Volunteer man claimed the win to secure the bonus points and a second win of the season for his side.
Cringlewood 2 vs 5 Victoria Burnage
The Cringlewood suffer a third 5-2 defeat in succession and remain without a league win all season as we approach the halfway stage, but they are still only 6 points behind the relative safety of the eighth placed Volunteer and face them twice in the next three games. The win for the Victoria Burnage sees them placed seventh in the Division, but with games still in hand – although both of those are to come at the end of the season.
The visitors took an early 2-0 lead after wins for Ant Hargreaves Jr and Mick Cooney, but that lead was halved after another fine performance from Phil Lauder, the veteran defying 9 ton-plus scores from Andrew Day whilst hitting a 180 and a 20 dart leg himself during a 3-2 deciding leg win. Dylan Wimbury restored the two game cushion for the Victoria Burnage when claiming a fine 3-0 win over Rob Lauder, and after Ant Hargreaves Sr got the better of Lianne Lauder by 3 legs to 1, the Vic had made it 4-1 on the night to claim the bonus points. Ryan Coffey grabbed a further consolation point for the Cringlewood with a 3-1 win over 180 hitting Tony Green in game 6, but Steve Moane ensured a 5-2 win for his side when hitting a 17 darter and a 106 finish during a 3-1 defeat of Luke Mulhern.
Division 2
Similarly to the top flight Division 2 has ten teams, so the scheduled two week break (while Division 3 team finish their first half fixtures) is being used to catch up on postponed matches. League leaders going into this week The Royal Oak A were not in action, with their Week 1 fixture against The Melville scheduled for 18th December, so it gave a couple of teams the chance to go top.
Urmston took that chance with both hands with a 5-2 home win against LMRCA, Ashton suffered a third defeat of the season with a narrow 4-3 loss to Trafford Social, The Carters beat 5-man Malt Shovels 5-2, and The Roebuck claim a 4-3 win against St Anthony’s.
Urmston 5 vs 2 LMRCA
With the lead at the top of Division 2 alternating between The Royal Oak and Ashton on Mersey in recent weeks, Urmston have gone almost unnoticed while compiling a run of four good wins, this latest win seeing them top of the table for the first time this season, with the minor caveat that they have now played a game more than the aforementioned pair. LMRCA remain bottom, and are now 7 points behind the safety of eigthh currently occupied by the Carters, but the Carters have a game in hand which could see that margin widen further.
It was a strong performance from the home side, and they effectively put the match to bed after only four games. Harry Fitton’s 3-0 win in the first game put them ahead, Luke Lonergan won a deciding leg with Tony Feesey to double the lead, Stephen Lye hit a 73 average during a 3-0 win over Ron Cooke, and Dylan Bell took a deciding leg against Ryan Woods to make it 4-0. Dave Brooks got LMRCA underway finally with a 3-0 win over Urmston captain Michelle Fitton, and the home lead was further reduced to 4-2 after Tony Spillsbury defied a Jacaub Worrall 180 to win 3-1, however Urmston’s Dave Tong ended LMRCA hopes of one more point with a 3-2 victory in the final game of the night against Derek Ostick.
Trafford SC 4 vs 3 Ashton on Mersey CC
Trafford have also had a bit of a good run recently, since a 5-2 defeat against Urmston, and this narrow 4-3 win over fellow title rivals Ashton-on-Mersey moves them two points above their opponents and into third place in the division. Ashton can be consoled by that game in hand they have over Urmston and Trafford, whilst sitting only 5 points behind Urmston at the top of the table.
Trafford took an early lead after a 3-1 win for Andrew Wood, but Mike Buckley brought the sides level with a 3-0 win in game 2. Game 3 was a close one between Jake Neersoo and Will Radcliffe, but Jake, aided by a 180, got the deciding leg to put Trafford back in front. Trafford were soon out of sight, as 3-1 wins for Kyle Wands and Liam Galvin secured the overall win, but Ashton-on-Mersey reduced the margin of defeat when taking the final games of the night, new signing Andy Kindred with a 3-1 win in game 6 against Gaz Collins, and Chris Chapman with a 180 during a 3-1 win of his own against McKenzie Evans.
Carters Arms 5 vs 2 Malt Shovels
The Carters claimed a first win since the end of August against a five man Malt Shovels who are really struggling to get a full side out at the moment. Despite the Malts only losing 3-2 in the played games on the night, giving the other games away is a surefire way to lose matches, and it leaves them rooted in the bottom two. The win sees the Carters remain in the safety spot of eighth six points clear of the Malts and with two games in hand on their beaten opponents.
From 2-0 down at the start due to the missing players, the match was over for the Malts after the first two games as Dave Sills and Terry Caine got the wins that secured the bonus points for the Carters, before Gavin Halton’s 3-1 win stretched the lead on the night to 5-0. The Malt Shovels could have rolled over, but showed some fight to take the final two games, Luke Loveitt with a 3-0 win in game 4, and James Roberts with a 3-1 win in the final game.
Roebuck 4 vs 3 St Anthonys
The Roebuck are looking like this seasons ‘Kings of the 4-3’ as this win represents their sixth 4-3 win and seventh such final score in the last seven games played. St Anthony’s on the other hand have now lost four on the bounce, this being the third 4-3 reverse in that time.
The Bucks got off to a great start with a pair of 3-0 wins for Rick Kiel and Ste Reddy making it 2-0, but the Saints came storming back, taking the next three via 3-0 wins for Dom Batty Carl Paton and Mark Paton to put the visitors one from victory. Chris Reddy’s 3-1 win in game 6 brought the sides level, and in the deciding game of the night The Roebuck completed the comeback with a 3-1 Steve Preston win giving them the points.
Division 3
Broadheath Central Aces make it 9 from 9 while putting an end to a three game win streak from the Buck Inn-eers. Sale Excel actually reduce the Ace’s lead at the top of the table by a point after a 6-1 defeat of Stretfordians, The Nelson get a narrow 4-3 win against The Bent Brook, The Vine are 3 points off second after a 4-3 win against the Old Market Tavern, The Horseshoe beat Royal Oak B 5-2 and The Bulls Head defeat the Jolly Butcher 4-3.
Old Market Tavern 3 vs 4 Vine
The Old Market Tavern are still adrift at the foot of Division 3 but have also been unlucky to lose just 4-3 on six occasions now, while a second victory on the trot sees the Vine in third place in the league just three behind Sale Excel.
The OMT took the lead as Nathan Potts secured a 2-0 win in game one, but back to back 2-0 wins for Kyran Eyes and Dave Goulden soon had the Vine in front. Howard Haycocks levelled it up at 2-2 with a 2-0 win in game four, and when Richard Haycocks took a deciding leg in game 5 the OMT were one away from a first win. The Vine have lost only twice all season, and showed why in the final two games as when the pressure was on they responded, first through Charlie Sanders to make it 3-3, and then through Stuart Tait who secured the win.
Stretfordians 1 vs 6 Sale Excelsior
Without the wobble that saw the Excel lose three in succession, they’d possibly be a lot closer than 13 points behind the league leaders, however following that run of defeats they’ve since gone unbeaten in the last 3, with big wins that have catapulted them back up to second position. Stretfordians have been much improved this season, but this ended up their heaviest defeat since a trip to BHC Aces at the end of October.
Andy Cheethams 2-1 win in game 1 put the visitors ahead, but Mark Leathers win by the same scoreline in game two levelled the match. That was to be as close as it got for Stretfordians though, as Marvin Daniel, Hannah Tague, Danny Chua, Warren McCoubrey and Steve Mulrooney all claimed 2-0 wins to give the Excel a thumping win.
Bent Brook 3 vs 4 Nelson Didsbury
The Nelson got back to winning ways, with a 4-3 win at the Brook which sees them in fourth place in the league, just 6 points off the promotion positions. The Brook meanwhile suffer a second defeat on the trot, but are comfortably mid table, ten points above the danger zone. (Not that you can get relegated from Division 3 as yet).
Elliot Wynne and Chris Conduit won the first two games of the night to put the visitors into a 2-0 lead, but Jake Proctor reduced the defecit for the Brook with a 2-0 win in game 3. The Nelson pulled ahead again with a 2-0 win for Dave Cook in game 4, and when Tom Spillane repeated that scoreline in the fifth game, the Didsbury side had secured the win. There was stiull time for the Brook to claim a couple more league points though, and they grabbed 2 when taking the final two games through Sean Digan and newcomer Paul Charnock who hit a debut 180 whilst ensuring a closer final score of 4-3 to the Nelson.
Buck Inn-eers 2 vs 5 Broadheath Central Aces
The Buck have had a fine run of wins recently to move away from the foot of the table, but that run was brought to an end at the hands of BHC Aces who continue to set the pace in Division 3 this season.
Andy McCormack put the league leaders ahead with a 2-1 win over Nigel Foster in the opening game, but back to back 2-0 wins for Matt Kershaw and James Bloomfield soon had the Buck Inn-eers in front. They were to be the only wins of the night for the Buck, but they showed great potential in forcing the Aces to need last leg deciders from Geoff Talbot, Martin Johnson and Darren Wood in each of the 3 games that ensured the win, before Nigel Beeton claimed a 2-0 win in the last game of the night.
Royal Oak B 2 vs 5 The Levenshulme B
The Royal Oak fell to a fourth defeat in succession with this 5-2 defeat against The Levenshulme B, who from next week will become the Horseshoe as they settle into new surroundings just down the road.
The first couple of games were shared as a 2-0 win for Levenshulme’s George Moss in the opener was answered by a 2-0 win for Pete DeCordova of the Oak in game 2. Oscar Coutts and Josh McQuillan both claimed 2-0 wins to put the Levenshulme 3-1 up, but Rob Whiteside reduced that to 3-2 with a 2-1 victory in game 5. The sixth game saw the Levenshulme claim the win after a 2-0 win for Keiran Chapman, and they added a little gloss to the scoreline with another 2-0 win in the final game of the night for Karl Jones.
Jolly Butcher 3 vs 4 Bulls Head
The Butcher suffered a fourth consecutive defeat with this home loss to the Bulls Head, a defeat which sees them remain second bottom in the division, while the Bulls are in fifth, just 6 points off the promotion places.
The Bulls charged into a commanding lead as Iain Fish won the first game 2-0, before Steve Hazelhurst and Adrian Stock both had 2-1 wins to make it 3-0. ‘The Angry One’ Tracy Wesemeyer claimed a first win of the season when beating Allan Simper 2-1 in game four to give the Butcher a fighting chance, but when Chris Cordingley won game six by 2 legs to nil against Chris O’Keefe, the Bulls had ensured the win. Despite this, the Butcher still had something left in the tank, and 2-1 wins in the final games of the evening for Gareth Sullivan and Gary Hudson at least ensured a closer scoreline of 4-3, but also gained them a couple more points as they look to improve on their current league position,
Sorry if Division 3 seemed a little rushed this week, but, well, it was a little rushed!!
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