Division 1
Possibly as many as 56 darts WAGs & HABs were left to enjoy Valentines Day evening on their own as every fixture in Division 1 went ahead as planned. Timperley bettered The Ammies score again to reduce the gap at the top to six points, while the league leaders were lucky to get away with their win against The Roebuck. In the remaining fixtures, Wythenshawe and The Nelson come out on top in last game deciders against Broadheath and Cringlewood.
Timperley CC 5 vs 2 The John Alker
Timperley made it three wins on the trot with a hard fought victory against the Alker, and with this win they move to just six points behind the Ammies with four games each to go.
Both Timperley and the Ammies have won ten of twelve matches played, but the Ammies early season form means their players have at the time of writing still won six more games. When you consider that was 14 games only three matches ago, its shaping up to be an interesting end to the season.
Despite this reverse, The Alker sit sixth, twelve above the relegation places but also only nine points off third and they still have six games to play.
Game 1 saw the visitors take the lead through a 3-1 Ewan Donegan win against Andy Pearson, but the home side were soon level after Andy Brownhill beat Mike Nolan 3-0 with a 19 darter and 71.57 average.
Timperley moved 2-1 up after game 3 as Andy Broadhurst claimed the scalp of Baz Rowland aided by a 119 finish and an 18 darter. This was only Baz’s second defeat of a solid season while Andy himself has only lost one in an impressive start to life at Timperley, he also seems partial to a big finish with that 119 following last weeks 129, and a 144 earlier in the campaign.
Next up for Timperley was Callum Loose who took on Gary Thompson, and following a 15 darter and three legs without reply, the Tory club were soon 3-1 up. Game 5 saw Gary Sullivan of the home side fall to a rare defeat as he lost out in a deciding leg to Gaz Brickhill who remains unbeaten this season with 8 wins from 8 played.
With two to go, Chris Stone stepped up for the home team in game 6 and delivered a quick 3-0 win against Chris Wormald to claim the win and the bonus points for his side, and in the last game Kev Kelly grabbed another point with a 3-0 win of his own over Ray Townhill which ensured that Timperley took another step closer to the Ammies at the top of the table.
Ammies Darts 4 vs 3 The Roebuck
Going into this game the Bucks were coming off a 7-0 loss and were only one point off bottom position, and as the Ammies won the first meeting between the sides 6-1 earlier in the season the smart money would have been on a similar scoreline being a best-case scenario for the Bucks. Indeed, in my last report I suggested that the Bucks would want to avoid a St Valentines Day massacre, and whilst that was just to crowbar a reference to the date of the fixture, it also turned out to be well wide of the mark – rather like that “smart money” I just mentioned – as the Bucks turned the form book on its head and only just failed to deliver the biggest surprise of the season.
Mark Garnett put the visitors ahead after the first game with a 3-1 win against Chris McKenzie, but Scott Livingstone levelled it up with 7 ton plusses, a 14 dart leg and a 72.73 average during a 3-0 win over Chris Haycock.
From here, the script was well and truely torn up, as the normally lethal father-son combination of Pete and Adam Watson both fell to 3-1 defeats to leave the champions and league leaders 3-1 down after four games. Rick Kiel got the better of Pete in game three, handing him only his third defeat of the season, and Ste Reddy hit a 107 finish as he sensationally beat Adam, the reigning indivduals champion.
From here the Ammies needed to dig deep to rescue their faltering title defence (which it isnt, but it makes for more interesting reading), and it was on skipper Paul Devine to stop the rot, which he did in fine style with 7 ton plus scores in a 3-1 win over Diane Kindred. Ray Dore then ruined the valentines night out for the Kindreds, with a 3-0 win over Andy which pulled the overall score back to 3-3.
With just one game left, the Ammies now had the momentum for the first time in the match and were gunning for one final win to seal victory, while the Bucks were still in with a shout of a collosal upset. When gunning for something though, its always handy to bring on the Gunner, and thats what the Ammies were able to do as Andy Tucker spared their blushes with a 3-1 win against Steve Preston to seal a comeback win and effectively earn his side three extra points to keep them six clear at the top of the table.
Wythenshawe CSC 4 vs 3 Broadheath Central
Another week brings another 4-3 scorline for Wythenshawe, their fifth in succession, with only the Roebuck getting the better of them in that time. Pep’s side sit third in the Division with seven wins from eleven played and had that recent win over the Ammies, so its not been a bad season despite them not having a full strength side for many of those fixtures.
For Broadheath, its been a tougher challenge than expected following their promotion to Division 1 as Summer season Division 2 Champions, as they now sit bottom of the division in ninth, thirteen points behind the safety net of seventh. They do however have two games in hand on The Cringlewood who currently occupy that seventh spot needed to retain top flight status and one in hand on The Roebuck who sit one point ahead in eighth, and face both of those teams in the next two league games, so its definitely do-or-die time.
Ash Bowers got Wythenshawe underway with a 3-2 win in game one against Daz Wood, and Martin Power doubled the lead with 7 ton plus scores, a 19 darter and 105 finish during his 3-1 win over Leyton Jackson.
In game 3 Shane Crellin got Broadheath into the match with a 180 and 18 darter in a 3-0 win over an out of sorts John Brown, but Wythenshawe captain (and birthday boy) Dave Peploe extended his sides lead to 3-1 with an 18 darter in his 3-1 victory against Dave Wood. Broadheath captain JonJo Devon reduced the defecit with a 3-0 win against Kian Sherlock, and the two sides were level after Andy McCormack edged out Steve McCormick 3-2, hitting his fourth 180 of the season (and second of the night if we count the gallon, which we dont).
So we were down to a winner takes all final game , and George McCormick prevailed, getting the win for the home side while hitting a 180 of his own in a 3-0 win over Martin Johnson.
The Nelson 4 vs 3 The Cringlewood
The Nelson got back to winning ways after three consecutive defeats, and in whats been a mixed bag of a season for them so far they are now fourth, although they’ve played two more than the teams directly below them. With four games left to play they are well clear of the relegation battle so all thats left to play for in the league is an attempt to finish third, although they do have the Dave Yates Shield semi final to look forward to against Division 2’s LMRCA in a couple of weeks time.
The Cringlewood have now lost three on the bounce, but sit 12 clear of the relegation spots – although having played more games than those teams below them, the next game against Broadheath has become a bit of a six pointer (which as a term doesnt really work with our league scoring system, but you all know what I mean).
The away team got off to a good start with a deciding leg win for Rob Lauder over Mick Young, Rob hitting a 113 finish in that one. Pete Evans levelled the scores with 7 tons in a 3-2 win over Phil Lauder, and Steve Moane put the Nelson further ahead with a 3-1 win against Lianne Lauder who hit a 117 finish in the leg she won.
Dylan Wimbury extended the lead to 3-1 when defying a 180 from Luke Mulhern to win 3-0 in game four, and with the Nelson on the brink of victory, the question was, could the Cringlewood respond?
Like ‘the man from del monte’, Ray Levesconte said “yes!” as he reduced the arrears to 3-2 with a 3-2 last leg win in his game against Ant Hargreaves Sr. (for anyone under a certain age wondering wtf – its an old tv advert in which an English dude dressed like a colonial plantation owner, goes to various tropical villages around the world to condescendingly give the nod on whether their fruit produce is of sufficient quality to be included in a packed lunch beverage made in Staines, Middlesex).
There was to be no comeback though, as Andrew Day secured a 3-1 win over Alex Martin to seal the match for the Nelson at 4-2, but a final game win for Mike Morrison against Joe Kelly ensured the Cringlewood got another vaulable point as the match ended 4-3 to the home side.
Division 2
With only two games played on the night it showed that romance isnt quite dead in Division 2, although the romantic recent story of St Antonys reversal in fortunes ended in heartbreak with a 5-2 loss at promotion hopefuls The Volunteer. In a battle between two others with an eye on Division 1, Ashton-on-Mersey’s date with LMRCA showed a loss of lovin’ feeling that the righteous brothers could have sung about as they won 5-2 and delivered LMRCAs fourth defeat in five games.
The Volunteer 5 vs 2 St Antony’s
The Volunteer handed St Antony’s their first league defeat since the end of November to put an end to a remarkable run which had seen the Saints not only fly out of the relegation places, but also have an outside chance of joining the promotion battle. Following this defeat and with only four games left to play, they are now 12 points behind second and several teams above them have games in hand, so its looking unlikely now, however they must be applauded for it even being a consideration after the start to the season they had.
The Volunteer currently occupy that coveted second promotion position after this win, although they too have only four league games left. Its a mega tight battle, as fifth placed LMRCA are only three points adrift, while Ashton and the Royal Oak are (respectively) one and two points behind while also having a game in hand.
The Volunteer had no fear of the Saints recent form, and quicky swept into an early lead as Geoff Sanders hit an 18 darter in a 3-1 win against Mark Patton, before Callum Nolan hit a 118 checkout and 18 darter of his own as he beat Gary Molloy 3-0. The Volunteer were soon 3-0 up overall, although it took a deciding leg for Billy Sanders to get the win over Ian Paton.
3-0 became 4-0 to the Vol as the match was sealed in the quickest time possible with Dan O’Donnell rolling back the years with a 180 in his 3-1 win against Alan Farrar, who hit an 18 dart leg as consolation. After game 5 it started to get a little worring for the Saints as the Volunteer’s Gary Williams won a deciding leg against Shaun Gill to hand him only his third defeat in fifteen games in all competitions this season.
At 5-0 some sides could crumble, but these days the Saints are made of sterner stuff and with consecutive 3-0 victories, they added some respectability to the final score of a match long since lost. In game six, Dom Batty got the better of Eddie Clare, and in the final game of the night a tremedous performance from Carl Paton saw him get a 15 darter, a maximum and a 71 average in his win over Ian Winter.
Next up for the Volunteer a promotion blockbuster with Ashton on Mersey, while St Antonys host the divisional leaders The Silver Birch.
LMRCA 2 vs 5 Ashton-on-Mersey CC
Despite a recent run of poor form, LMRCA still have a lot to play for, with a Dave Yates Shield Semi-final coming up, and promotion still a very real possibility with three of their four remaining games against the bottom three teams in the division, before hosting Silver Birch on the final day of the season.
Ashton seem to have gone under the radar a bit having had a few games in hand, but with this win they moved into third, one point behind second placed Volunteer and still with a game in hand over them. Upcoming games against Champions elect The Silver Birch, and a potential barnstormer with third placed Royal Oak should give us a better look at whether or not Ashton can make an immediate return to the top division.
This match between promotion hopefuls was closer than the scoreline suggests, with each of the opening three games going to a deciding leg which was ultimately won by an Ashton player.
Mark Robinson pipped Tony Spilsbury to the post in game one, Steve Orton got the better of Derek Ostick in game two, while in the third Mike Buckley hit a 17 darter during his defeat of Joe Davis.
LMRCA came storming back with a couple a 3-1 wins courtesy of Alan Gleave and Dave Brooks in games four and five, but in game six it was over as a contest when Chris Chapman claimed a 3-0 win over Ryan Woods to give Ashton the bonus points. The margin of victory was extended in game seven as James Compton landed a 3-0 win against Tony Feesey to grab one more point towards that promotion push.
Division 3
Similar to Division 2, only two of the four scheduled games went ahead in Division as players favoured loving over dart throwing. The games that did go ahead saw a St Valentines Day Massacre (knew Id get to use that somewhere) as the division leading Malt Shovels lost only two legs in a whitewash of bottom placed Stretfordians, while the Bulls Head claimed third spot outright with a close victory over The Bent Brook.
The Malt Shovels 7 vs 0 Stretfordians
The Malt Shovels took a giant stride towards both the title and promotion to division 2 with this shut out of Stretfordians. Promotion can be sealed for the Malts with victory in their next game against third placed Bulls Head and while the title race isnt quite at the same stage, its leaning towards a Malts victory. However if The Melville can match this result against Stretfordians next week, and if they better the Malts results in the remaining games.. then anything could happen. There are a couple of “ifs” doing some heavy lifting there though – and Malts remain in the driving seat.
This was the fourth time that Stretfordians have suffered a 7-0 defeat this season and even their best results have been a pair of 5-2 defeats. Considering those stats, it’s to their immense credit that they always seem to be able to put out a full side and come fighting back week after week, and with that outlook things are sure to turn around in the coming seasons.
A 2-0 Simon McBride win in game one gave the Malts the lead, and this was doubled as Dave Hindmarch won the deciding leg against Stretfordians captain Lindsey Rice. James Roberts lost his first league game last week against Wythenshawe but was back to winning ways here with a 2-0 defeat of Jack Read which put the Malts three up.
Geoff Talbot got his fourth 180 of the season when beating Helen Mapp 2-0 in game four to seal the match for the Malts, and it was soon 5-0 as James Golds continued his fine season with a 2-0 win (his eighth such scoreline in ten games) against Chrissy Thompson.
Phil Wright needed a deciding leg to beat Toni Nickson in game six, but another 2-0 scoreline, for Rob Clark over Simon Scully made it 7-0 to the Malt Shovels, who can now start to think about getting the promotion champagne on ice.
The Bent Brook 3 vs 4 The Bulls Head
The Bulls Head are looking good for third place now, however Wythenshawe are not yet out of that battle either. The Bulls can also have a massive say in the title race with two of their three remaining fixtures against the top two in the league, with the remaining fixture seeing the Stretfordians make the trip to Hale Barns in the final game.
The Bent Brook have done reasonably well for a first crack at the league, and although it took a while to settle in, they have a relatively settled squad, award winning food and will no doubt be looking forward to showing us more next season.
Jamie Harris won game one for the Bulls with a 2-0 win against Ken Turnock, but Anthony Coleman repeated that score in his game against Gareth Shaw to pull the Brook level. Rob Moore won a decider against Steve Hazelhurst to put the Brook ahead, but parity was restored once again following a 2-0 Chris Cordingley win against Alex Morton.
Game five was another 2-0 Bulls win, this time for Ian Fish against Connor O’Toole, and when Rob Barber beat Mark Ulyatt by the same score in game six, the Bulls Head victory was secured. The final game earned another point for the Brook as Craig McManus snared a 2-0 win over Harry Simper.
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One Response
Was very disappointed having no game because of hallmarks designated mandatory romance day, couldn’t even get people out for a practice ?