Division 1
Ammies retain top spot in Division 1 after a thumping 7-0 win over the Cringlewood, while second placed Timperley Conservative Club’s victory at the Levenshulme saw them remain unbeaten, recording their fifth 5-2 win from 6 games in all competitions. The John Alker stay in touch with the top two after a 4-3 win against The Volunteer, St Johns show what they are capable of at full strength with a big 6-1 win at the Vic, and Wythenshawe consolidate 4th place in the division with a 4-3 win over Broadheath Central.
The Victoria 1 vs 6 St Johns SC
The Vic were coming into this one off the back of three straight wins in league and cup, but were without the top 180 scorer in the league Terry Jepson, and were up against a full strength St Johns with a point to prove in Division 1. So far, it hasnt been as much plain sailing as in previous seasons for the Wythenshawe based side, with three 4-3 wins and a heavy 7-0 defeat at the hands of the Ammies prior to this fixture, but with everyone available they showed just what a force they are capable of being in this division with a thumping win over last seasons fourth placed finishers.
Matt Jepson was first up for the Vic and despite playing reasonably well, he found he’d run into an on-song Kraig Loose who powered through to win 3-1 with 7 ton-plusses, a 180, 15 darter, 119 checkout and a 74.55 average. Martin Tyson doubled the Saints lead with a solid 3-0 win over Joe O’Shea in the second game, but even after two classy saints performances, the standout game had to go to Ant Cooper who made it 3-0 with victory in game 3. Cooper hasnt played much in recent years but showed hes still most certainly ‘got it’ with a 3-0 win over Sean Edwards which featured a 180, a 15 darter, 160 finish (and a 116 finish) ending up with an 81.98 average. Sean himself averaged over 70 and barely got a look in. Top darts Mr Cooper. I was up next against Mike Shaw, and he didnt even have to get out of second gear, cantering to a 3-1 win to make it 4-0 overall and seal the match for St Johns. Kaine Goldie made it 5-0 with a 3-0 defeat of Lewis Holley, but the whitewash was averted in the sixth game as Dave Stanley finally got the Vic on the scoreboard with a 3-1 win against Danny Glover. In the final game of the night, The Vic’s Connor Wigley put himself level at the top of the 180s merit list with his fourth of the season, but it wasnt enough to prevent another point for St Johns as Lewis Ellis claimed a 3-1 win to finish off the job in style.
The John Alker 4 vs 3 The Volunteer
The John Alker have only suffered a single defeat this season in their opening game against St Johns, and continued their good start with another win while hosting the Volunteer. Another loss see the Volunteer’s struggles at the bottom of the table continue, but with several teams within touching distance its not quite panic stations yet.
The home side stormed into an early lead as a 3-1 John Hawken win in the opener was followed by victory for an in-form Gaz O’Donnell who hit a 15 darter along with scores of 177 and 170 during a 3-0 win against Dan O’Donnell in game 2. In the next, Baz Rowland took a deciding leg against Gary Williams to make it 3-0 to the Alker, but the Vol managed to avoid a quick fire defeat with a 3-2 win for Ryan Sanders in game 4. Defeat could not be avoided for much longer though as Gaz Brickhill’s 3-0 win was enough to give the Alker the bonus points, but the Vol hadn’t given up yet, and a fine 3-0 win for Callum Nolan over Alker captain Ewan Donegan which featured an 18 darter and a 121 finish, was followed by a deciding leg 3-2 win for Voluteer Captain Geoff Sanders to give a final score of 4-3 to the Alker.
Cringlewood 0 vs 7 Ammies
The Ammies seem to have taken offence at that early season defeat against Timperley and have run riot with two 6-1 wins and now two 7-0 wins in the four games since. This has earned them enough points to sit top of the league despite that that loss, but unbeaten Timperley are breathing right down their necks. The The Cringlewood’s heavy defeat sees them locked in the bottom two tied on all stats with The Volunteer.
Despite the 7-0 scoreline, three of the games went to a final leg decider so it could easily have been a different story if they had pinched a few of those, unfortunately though they didnt, and a whitewash was the end result. Mike Morrison prevailed in the first of those last leg deciders, hitting a 180 in his defeat of Ryan Coffey, before a 3-0 Don Cooper win put the champions 2-0 up. Kyle Bell made it three as he continued his good form, with a 118 finish and a 17 darter helping him to a n impressive 81.98 average in a 3-0 win over Mark Heaton, and after Scott Livingstone claimed another 3-0 win in game 4 – the win was in the bag for the Ammies. Game 5 saw Rob Lauder of the Cringlewood head to head with Ray Dore in what looks a cracking game, Rob with 9 ton plus scores, a 17 darter and 100 finish contributing toward a 71.97 average, however it wasnt enough as Ray (who hit a 120 finish himself) won the last leg to make it 5-0 overall. In another one to go the distance, Alex Martin had an 18 darter and 69.71 average, but that just wasnt enough to deal with an on song Pete Watson who hit a 180, a 16 darter and finished with a tidy 78.40 average. Karl Cooper then completed the rout in the final game with a 3-0 win over John Mulhern.
The Levenshulme 2 vs 5 Timperley CC
In a match between two strong sides, Timperley recorded their sixth 5-2 win of the season in league and cup to remain unbeaten and only three points off the league lead. Despite that unbeaten run involving a 4-3 win over leaders The Ammies, the other four matches have seen Ammies players remarkably lose only 2 games while Timperley players have lost 8, and with each player’s game giving them a chance to earn a league point, the big wins have really counted so far… but its still early days and Timperleys form suggests this battle is going to go to the wire. The Levenshulme have played a game less than everyone else in the division, but still sit comfortably in mid table despite this second defeat of the season.
Craig Weston got Timperley underway with a 3-2 deciding leg win against Mick Young, but it was soon one each after 8 ton plusses from Pete Evans helped secure a 3-1 win over Andy Brownhill. In game 3 Timperley’s Chris Stone hit 7 ton plusses and defied a 180 from Dylan Wimbury to win 3-1 and put his side back in the lead, and that lead became 3-1 after Andy Pearson won a final leg decider against Steve Moane with both players hitting a 180. Gary Sullivan hit a 15 darter whilst making it 4-1 with a 3-0 defeat of Ant Hargreaves Sr, and after Ian McCulloch hit a 112 finish while beating Mick Cooney 3-1, it was 5-1. The final game of the night went down to a last leg decider between Andrew Day of the Levenshulme and Andy Broadhurst, and it was the Levenshulme man who came out on top to grab his side an extra point and give us a final score of 5-2 to Timperley.
Broadheath Central 3 vs 4 Wythenshawe CSC
Broadheath fell to a second successive defeat which leaves them in 8th place in the league table but they can be somewhat consoled by the fact that the majority of games played have been against the top sides in the division. This away win for Wythenshawe ends a run of three straight home defeats in league and cup, and leaves them handily placed in fourth, although they have played a game more than the other teams.
Martin Power had a 17 darter during a 3-1 opening game win over 180 hitting Shane Crellin to put the visitors into an early lead, before Mandy Smith doubled their lead with a 3-1 win of her own against Lee Darcey. Dave Peploe hit a 180 during a 3-0 defeat of JonJo Devon to put his side further ahead, but Broadheath’s Brandon Lawley stopped the rot with a 3-1 win that made it 3-1 overall to the visitors. Dan Cross took a deciding leg against Jason Grimshaw to reduce the defecit further to 3-2, but any hopes of a comeback were dashed after Ray Pattinson’s 3-1 win against James Eatock secured the win for Wythenshawe. There was still time for a consolation point for the home side though, as Leyton Jackson took a 3-1 win over John Brown to give the scoreline of Broadheath Central 3 Wythenshawe CSC 4.
Division 2
It looks as though Division 2 could be a tight affair this season, as this weeks results see the top five teams in the league seperated by only two points. The top three are level on 33 points, seperated only by the respective totals of player games won across all matches for each team. Ashton-on-Mersey are in top spot, with a game in hand, after a 6-1 defeat of the still winless Malt Shovels, The Royal Oak drop to second following a 5-2 defeat against The Roebuck, while The Melville’s 4-3 win over St Anthonys sees last season’s Division 3 runners-up sit third. Urmston Sports Club’s fine 5-2 win over Trafford Social Club sees them move into fourth, a point and a place above their beaten opponents, and The Carters Arms get their first win of the season with a 5-2 defeat of LMRCA.
Ashton-on-Mersey 6 vs 1 The Malt Shovels
Ashton-on-Mersey returned to league action following the postponement of last weeks fixture with the Carters Arms, and they ended the night back on top of Division 2 after a third 6-1 win from six league games played the season. They also have a game in hand on the rest of the top five who are currently seperated by just two points. The Malt Shovels early season woes continue after another heavy defeat sees them remain bottom of the table, but with 12 games for them still to play, theres plenty of time to turn things around.
Mark Robinson and Mike Buckley put Ashton into an early 2-0 lead with 3-0 wins in the first two games of the night, but Dean Power halved the defecit with victory in game 3 helped by a match high 5 ton plus scores. James Compton took the fourth game with a 3-0 defeat of Phil Wright to restore Ashton’s 2 game cushion, and after Will Radcliffe claimed the deciding leg in his game with James Golds the bonus points were in the bag for the home team. There was to be no consolation for the Malts as Ashton turned the screw further, Stephen Orton hitting a solid 66.3 average while beating Dave Hindmarch 3-0 in the sixth game, and Chris Chapman finishing the job by making it 6-1 with a 100 finish during his 3-0 win over James Roberts.
LMRCA 2 vs 5 The Carters Arms
LMRCA spent a portion of last season in or around the battle for promotion to Division 1, so its somewhat of a surprise to see them still without a win in the current campaign, this latest reverse making it five league losses in succession so far. Conversely, The Carters had spent the vast majority of last season at the foot of the table without a win, but this time around they are off the mark after four games and have games in hand on the rest of the teams in the division.
The Carters got off to a flying start through Harry Mitchell, who hit a maximum and five ton plus scores – including a 103 checkout – during a 3-1 defeat of Joe Davis. Gavin Halton doubled the Carters lead with a 3-1 win in game 2, and it was soon 3-0 to the visitors after Bob Mitchell won the deciding leg in his game against Tony Feesey. Derek Ostick pulled one back for the LMRCA with a 3-0 win in game 4, but after Dave Sills beat Ryan Woods 3-1 the Carters had secured their first win of the season. Roy Jervis earned another point for LMRCA with a consolation win in the sixth, but the Carters extended their winning margin further as Terry Caine took a 3-2 win over Tony Spilsbury in the last game of the night.
The Melville 4 vs 3 St Anthony’s
The Melville have shown some good progress this season following their promotion from Division 3, and, after fighting back from 3-2 down to secure their 5th 4-3 league win, they now sit level on points with leaders Ashton-on-Mersey, and second placed Royal Oak A, third only on game difference. The three points earned here by St Anthonys was enough to see them consolidate 7th place in the league, but they can take solace in the fact that they are only ten points behind the league leaders, and have a game in hand on most of the teams above them.
The match got underway with a 3-0 Gary Brisco win which put the Melville ahead, but Mark Paton drew the saints level with a 3-1 win over Jon Powell in game 2. The sides swapped wins again in games 3 and 4 as Cameron McFarlane put the Melville back in front with a 3-1 win, before Dom Batty’s 3-0 win against Joe McCracken saw the sides all square once again. Shaun Gill made it 5 from 5 in all competitions this season when winning game five to put St Anthony’s into the lead for the first time, but after a 3-0 Owen Powell win in game six, the sides were level for the third time and it was all down to the winner of game 7. A close match got even closer as the final game of the night between Melville’s Jake Powell and Saints’ Josh Doherty went down to a deciding leg, and it was finally settled when Jake hit the winning double to secure his team the win which puts them third.
The Royal Oak A 3 vs 4 The Roebuck
Whilst the top five in division 2 are seperated by only two points, this win sees the sixth placed Roebuck only 6 points behind top spot with a game in hand against five of the teams above them. The Oak went into this game top of the table, but a narrow defeat sees them drop to second, tied on 33 points with leaders Ashton-on-Mersey, and The Melville.
Lee Medd was welcomed back to the Royal Oak team for the first time this season and took no time in settling back in, hitting a match-high 66.7 average in a 3-2 win over Hayden Reddy. Chris Haycock hit 6 ton-plus scores while bringing the Roebuck level after his 3-2 win against Jordan Perry in game 2, and a third game on the trot went the full distance as Ste Reddy earned a 3-2 win over Pete Perry to put the Buck’s 2-1 up. Rick Kiel extended that lead to 3-1 with victory in game 4, before Chris Reddy sealed the points for the Roebuck with 9 ton-plus scores in a 3-2 defeat of Tony Kirby. The current points scoring format in the league may not be to everyone’s taste, but it means every players game matters and gives the chance of a league point, and the Oak took full advantage of this to win the remaining two games 3-1 through Ryan Crook and Steve Lawless, earning the two points needed to keep them level with the leaders.
Urmston SC 5 vs 2 Trafford SC
Urmston have tended to win big and lose narrowly this season, which combined with this win helps them sit a place and a point above their beaten opponents – despite having won one game fewer. Trafford, early leaders of the table at one stage, have now suffered back to back defeats after four straight wins but sit well placed just 2 points behind the leading group.
Urmston would have been well aware that they were facing one of the form teams in the division, but showed they were more than up to the task by storming through the early games to seal the win after just four games played. Harry Fitton got them underway with a 3-1 win in the first against 180 hitting Andrew Wood, before Gaz Lane matched that 3-1 scoreline to make it 2-0 against Alex Buckley who hit a 180 in defeat. Steve Lye put Urmston on the cusp of victory with an 18 darter and 108 finish in his 3-0 win against Jake Neersoo, and it was soon game set and match to Urmston after Dave Tong recorded a 3-0 win over Gaz Collins. Trafford to their credit, fought back to earn a couple of points and made the overall score 4-2 following a 3-0 win for Andrew Davies and a 3-1 win for Kyle Wands, but it was Urmstons night and they rounded off proceedings with a 3-2 win for Luke Lonergan in the final game of the night.
Division 3
Whilst there is still a long way to go, Division 3 is beginning to look a bit like a one horse race as Broadheath Central Aces continue their unbeaten league run, maintaining a 10 point lead in the table with a hard-fought 4-3 win over third placed Nelson Didsbury. The Vine are now second after a 4-3 home victory over the Levenshulme B – their fifth league win on the trot, while The Bulls Head move up to fourth with a close 4-3 win against the Excelsior Club. The reborn Stretfordians claim a third win of the season with a solid 5-2 defeat of Royal Oak B, The Jolly Butcher surrender a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 against The Bent Brook, and newcomers The Buck Inn-eers get their first ever league win with a 4-3 defeat of bottom placed Old Market Tavern.
Excelsior WMC 3 vs 4 The Bulls Head
After winning their first three games of the season, the Excel have now fallen to three consecutive defeats, but still sit fourth in the table only four points off second place. This win for the Bulls Head moves them into third, a point higher than their opponents and only one point behind third placed The Nelson.
Marvin Daniel put the Excel ahead with a last leg win over Chris Cordingley in the first game of the night, but the Bulls Head charged right back and were soon 3-1 up after 2-0 wins for Bo Bowman and Alex Rydstrom were followed by a 2-1 win for Rob Barber against Hannah Tague, who hit a fine 116 finish in her winning leg. With the Bulls needing just one more game to claim victory, Adrian Stock ensured this was acheived at the first time of asking with a 2-1 win in game 5 to make it 4-1 overall. The Excel regrouped in the final two games and managed to claim a couple more league points, and avoid a heavy defeat, by coming out on top in a pair of 2-1 deciding leg wins for Peter Sage and Warren McCoubrey.
The Old Market Tavern 3 vs 4 The Buck Inn-eers
Both of these sides went into this game with almost identical records, both with four 4-3 defeats, and both still searching for a first win of the campaign, so something had to give. It was almost a given that it would end up 4-3 to one of the sides – and thats exactly how it ended up – with the newcomers to the league The Buck Inn-eers earning their first taste of victory in the South Manchester Darts League.
Charlotte Bloomfield put the Buck Inn-eers one up with a 2-0 defeat of Ian Fensome in game one, but Richard Haycocks brought the OMT level with a 2-0 win of his own which ensured he remains unbeaten in the league so far this season. Game 3 saw Matt Kershaw win a deciding leg with Howard Haycocks to regain the lead for the Bucks, and when James Kershaw beat Stephen Foster 2-0 the Buck Inn-eers were 3-1 up and just one away from that first ever win. Nerves could easily have set in with the knowledge they had been in exactly the same position in their previous game with The Jolly Butcher before losing the remaining games, but this time around there was no mistake as Declan Law’s 2-0 win put them 4-1 up on the night and secured their first two bonus points of the season. There was to be no big scoreline though, as The OMT salvaged a couple of points with wins in the remaining two games for Dave Clarkson and Angela Haycocks.
Stretfordians 5 vs 2 The Royal Oak B
Stretfordians continued their much improved form this season with a third win in six games which sees them move to eighth in the league, but only four points off fourth place. This loss was the first for the Royal Oak B in the league since the end of July, and leaves them two points behind Stretfordians in ninth.
The visitors took an early lead after Andrew Mossop got the better of Stretfordians newcomer Mark Leather in a deciding leg, but the lead didnt last long as Stretfordians made it 1-1 after Sacha Kavanagh won 2-1 against Alex Willams. Morgan Nickson put the home side into the lead with a 2-0 defeat of Oak Captain Jack Holt in game 3, and when Georgio Corbett won by the same scoreline against Rob Whiteside in game 4 it was do or die for the Oak with the Stretfordians 3-1 up. A 2-0 win for Tommy Mitchell pulled one back to make it 3-2, but Stretfordians were not to be denied, as a pair of 2-0 wins in the remaining games of the night for Jack Newsham and Lindsay Rice sealed the win and the bonus points.
Nelson Didsbury 3 vs 4 Broadheath Central Aces
The Nelson Didsbury’s run of four consecutive league wins came to an end with a close defeat against unbeaten league leaders BHC Aces but they can be proud of how they have settled into the league, and now that they regularly have a full side available they are looking like one of the teams who could battle for promotion this season. The Aces on the other hand have done even better and have clearly set their stall out for an assault on the Divisional title sitting 10 points clear at the top with only 6 games played.
Geoff Talbot has been a Division 3 danger man for several seasons, and he put the Aces 1-0 up after a now customary 2-0 win. Remarkably that’s now 28/28 games won for the loss of only 3 legs in both league and cup in the two and a bit seasons Ive been doing stats on this website. Bob Hilton claimed a 2-0 win in game 2 to double the Aces’ early lead, but a quickfire response from the Nelson, in the shape of 2-0 wins for Chris Conduit and Dave Harris saw the match levelled at 2-2. The Aces were soon back in front after Nigel Beeton claimed a 2-0 win in game 5, and following Joe Hughes’ win by the same scoreline in the sixth, the win for the visitors was confirmed. Graham Beech claimed a consolation point for the Nelson in the final game with a 2-1 defeat of Andy McComack.
The Vine Inn 4 vs 3 The Levenshulme B
The Vine are another new team who have enjoyed a fine start to life in the league, currently sitting in second with their only loss in the league coming at the hands of the runaway leaders BHC Aces, while they also only just fell just short in a narrow 4-3 cup defeat against Division 2 leaders Ashton-on-Mersey. Levenshulme B have also had a decent start, sitting mid-table in sixth with 3 games won and now 3 lost.
Josh McQuillan’s 2-0 win in the opening game put the Levenshulme one up, but after a deciding leg win for Charlie Sanders in game 2, the hosts were level. 1-1 soon became 3-1 to the Vine, as Adi McCarroll and Billy Sanders claimed 2-0 wins, but Levenshulme B showed some grit and determination to level the match up after 2-0 wins for Ben Harrington and George Moss. With everything down to the final game of the night, The Vine’s Dave Goulden got the 2-0 win that secured the bonus points and second place in the division.
The Jolly Butcher 3 vs 4 The Bent Brook
With similar records going in to this game it was always going to be a close one, and thats how it turned out, but it could have been very different as the Jolly Butcher surrendered a 3-1 lead to narrowly lose the match 4-3. Just a week before, the boot had been on the other foot as the Butcher snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against The Buck Inn-eers, and, in an almost mirror reversal, each of the final 3 games with the Bent Brook went to a deciding leg, but this time it was the Butcher who were on match point in each but couldnt get over the line. (Not sure how many metaphors have just been mixed, but you get the idea).
The two sides shared the opening two games as Michael Wesemeyer put the Butcher one up with a 2-1 win in the first, before Sam Oldham’s 2-1 win in the second brought the sides level. The Butcher soon moved to within one game of the match after Liz Sweeney and Mike Swindells gave them a 3-1 lead -Mike aided by a 103 finish in his game – and at that point it must have looked like the writing was on the wall for the visitors. The Bent Brook comeback was set in motion when Josh Shaw won his deciding leg with Chis O’Keefe to make it 3-2, and after Alex Morton took a final leg shoot out against Steve Foster it was all down to a final game decider between The Butcher’s Chris McGrory and Alya Preston-Macallan. Just as in games 5 and 6 it went to a final leg, and once again it was won by the player from the Bent Brook as Alya got the win that completed the comeback and moves her side up to 7th in the table.
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!