Division 1
I’d planned on doing a Christmassy write up for the December 20th games, however since I’m actually getting around to doing this report in mid-January, it just doesn’t seem right now.
For the record, I’m also going to include in this review the re-arranged games played on the 3rd January 2024 to save internet paper. Or something like that.
December 10th saw four festive top division fixtures which featured big wins for the top two – The Ammies and Timperley Conservative Club, and a couple of closer games which resulted in much-needed wins for The Victoria and Cringlewood. The Nelson weren’t in action as it was their bye week.
The rearranged games on the 3rd of January saw another big Ammies win, while Timperley edged past The John Alker.
Cringlewood 4 vs 3 Wythenshawe CSC
The Cringlewood are the first team in the top flight to reach the midpoint of the season as they have their bye in game week 9 on 17th January. It has been a mixed bag for them so far, with some good wins and some heavy defeats, and despite having the second worst game difference in the division due to those big losses, there are currently only two teams who have won more games, all of which has left them in sixth place at the time of writing with four wins (including this one) and four defeats from eight games played.
Wythenshawe have also won four games, but have only played seven, and will hope a trip to bottom of the league Roebuck on the 17th of January will allow them to consolidate third place in the league.
Cringlewood got off to an absolute flyer with wins in each of the first three games. Rob Lauder started things off with a 3-0 win over Becky Knott, hitting a 118 finish along the way before his dad Phil showed there’s still a log on the fire with a 3-1 win over Steve McCormick. In game 3, Luke Mulhern got back to winning ways, getting the scalp of Martin Power by 3 legs to 2 in game 3, to put his side 3-0 up and on the brink of a big win and (arguably) a big upset.
Wythenshawe aren’t third in the league by chance however, and three subsequent wins for George McCormick (3-1 over Ray Levesconte, Ray hitting a 104 kill in his winning leg), Paul McCreevey (3-1 over Alex Martin) and captain Dave Peploe (3-0 over Wayne Proud) brought the score level overall.
So it all came down to a final game decider between Cringlewood’s Mike Morrison and Kian Sherlock, and it was tall Mike who made short work of Kian, with a 3-0 victory securing the win which gave the Cringlewood the win on the night.
Ammies Darts 6 vs 1 Broadheath Central
Top of the league Ammies continued their relentless assault on the Winter 23/24 season with a 6-1 victory over 8th-placed Broadheath Central.
The result leaves Broadheath in 8th place in the division, five clear of bottom-placed Roebuck, and five behind the John Alker, although it shows how tight the rest of this division is when you consider they are also only six points behind the Cringlewood in sixth, and have a better game difference and a game in hand.
In Game 1, Chris McKenzie got the Ammies underway hitting a 16 dart leg during a 3-0 win over JonJo Devon, before Paul Devine won a last leg decider with Andy McCormack to put the league leaders 2-0 up.
Game 3 saw Ray Dore of the Ammies take on Leyton Jackson and a predictably close game between two good players saw Leyton edge a 3-2 last-leg win to hand Ray his first league defeat of the season and give Broadheath their first point of the game.
There was a third 3-2 score on the trot in game four, as Scott Livingstone overcame Broadheath’s Christopher Woodhouse with Chris getting the consolation of his first 180 of the season. The champions clinched the overall win in the fifth game with a 3-0 win for Pete Watson against Darren Wood – Pete hitting a 19 darter and finishing with a 71 average to ensure the bonus points were sealed.
With two games remaining, it was the turn of the Cooper clan for the Ammies, as Don beat Shane Crellin by three legs to two, before son Karl beat Amanda Scott 3-0 to seal yet another big Ammies victory.
The Roebuck 1 vs 6 Timperley CC
Next up, the ‘Altrincham and Sale West’ Conservative area derby – one of several in the league to be fair – but it’s the first time I’ve noticed so far. These two sides met at Tory HQ in the last 16 of the SMD KO Cup in early November with Timperley running out 5-2 winners on that occasion. Unluckily for the Bucks, home advantage didn’t improve things in this first league meeting between the sides, as the visitors romped to a comfortable 6-1 victory.
Timperley CC has been on a run of good wins since a 6-1 reverse in the first game of the season against The Ammies, and this match was their second 6-1 win in as many games, moving them into second place in the division. The Roebuck had a close call last time out against The John Alker, but are on a worrying run of losses which has left them five points adrift at the foot of the table – the consolation being that there is still half a season to play and a gap like that is easily bridged.
Suppose I better mention the game….. Ok, game 1 saw form-horse Gary Sullivan gallop to a quick 3-0 win over a (stats-wise) out-of-sorts Chris Haycock. One-nil to Timperley quickly became two, as Chris Stone hit two maximums during a 3-1 win over Chris Reddy.
Andy Broadhurst made it 3-0 when beating Steve Preston in three straight legs, and Kev Kelly sealed the bonus points with a deciding leg against Ste Reddy, in a game where Ste hit 9 tons in defeat while Kev’s win included a 112 finish. It was soon 5-0 when Callum Loose beat Mark Garnett 3-1 facilitated by an 18-darter, 8 ton-plus scores, and a 71 average.
Andy Pearson turned the screw further with a 3-0 win over Diane Kindred in game six, but there was light at the end of the tunnel (and a league point) for the Bucks as former Timperley player Andy Kindred won the final game of the night 3-1 against Andy Brownhill.
The Victoria 4 vs 3 The John Alker
The final pre-Christmas game in Division One took place at a festive and booze-fuelled Victoria Withington (see me getting the excuses in early?) as the Vic welcomed the John Alker – and despite playing with six players on the night (me being the seventh), the home side claimed a 4-3 win.
The show got underway with a fine performance from the Vic’s Sean Edwards as he hit a maximum, a 16 dart leg, and a classy 74 average during a 3-1 win against Ewan Donegan who himself hit a 120 finish and a 71 average in defeat. The Alker levelled things up following a 3-2 win for Gary Thompson over Vic landlord Paul Mitchell in game 2, before the Vic edged back into the lead when Terry Jepson, helped by a maximum and 16 darter, won a deciding leg against Ray Towhill.
Game 3 saw Gaz Brickhill bring the Alker level once again, beating the seasonally named Lewis Holley by 3 legs to 2, but in a back-and-forth game, the Vic were soon back in the lead when Matt Jepson got the better of Mike Nolan by 3 legs to 1.
Going into game six, with the score at 3-2 to the Vic, you could cut the tension in the air with a knife (you know who’s coming) and cometh the hour, cometh the man, as Dave Stanley secured the bonus points for the Vic with a tight 3-2 win over Alker captain Chris Wormald. So to the final game – and at the start of the night, and several beers earlier, I’d been looking forward to a competitive game with Baz Rowland, however numerous beer tokens later I was in no condition to give him any kind of game, which isn’t an option when playing Baz, and he subsequently mullered me 3-0, to give a final score of 4-3 to the Vic.
Ammies Darts 6 vs 1 The Victoria (Jan 3rd 2024)
The Ammies picked up where they left off after the Christmas break with yet another 6-1 win against The Victoria Withington. With only one more team in the Division left to play, the Ammies have won the other seven (including this one) with a combined 42 games for and seven against which gives them an average result so far of 6-1, so the John Alker may not be looking forward to hosting them on the 17th January. (I say this despite knowing full well what that result was – thats for another article though).
Anyway, 3rd Jan, back on track…. As we (The Vic) got a spanking in the league game, Im going to break with tradition and first mention the Gallon, as The Vic became the first team to beat the Ammies in this most prestigious of league competitions contested in the South Manchester Darts league.
The crushing pain of a gallon loss seemed to galvanize the Ammies however, and Scott Livingstone got them underway with a neat 3-0 win over Lewis Holley. The Vic were level in game two as Matt Jepson hit a 180 and a brilliant 13 dart leg to hand Ray Dore his second defeat on this report, after being unbeaten for the previous part of the season. Adam Watson then hit an 80 average and a 113 finish during a 3-0 romp against Connor Wigley who in consolation hit his first 180 of the campaign.
It was soon 3-1 to the Ammies after game four, as Paul Devine edged an extraordinarily close game with me by 3 legs to nil, managing to just get the win despite me having no shots at double at all (sarcasm if you didnt notice – he battered me, I didnt give him a game – and can’t blame beer this time).
Pete Watson secured victory for the Ammies with a 3-1 win which featured a 180, a 16 darter and a 76.88 average against Sean Edwards. In game six, Karl Cooper turned the knife further in beating Terry Jepson by 3 legs to nil – both players getting a 180 in that one, and Karl with an 18 dart leg.
The final nail in the Vic’s coffin was delivered by Andy Tucker in a game which went to a deciding leg against Dave Stanley.
The John Alker 3 vs 4 Timperley CC (Jan 3rd 2024)
Ian McCulloch was first up for the visitors, and a 3-0 victory for Makka over Mike Westake put Timperley into an early lead. This lead was doubled after game two as Gary Sullivan handed John Greaves his first loss of the season, helped along by a 19 darter and 9 ton plus scores.
Alker skipper Chris Wormald got his team on the board with a fine win over Chris Stone who hit a 17 darter during his 3-1 defeat, while Baz Rowland secured a 3-1 win of his own against Kev Kelly to draw the sides level after four games played.
Ewan Donegan’s impressive season continued with a 69 average in his 3-0 win over 180 hitting Andy Brownhill, a result which gave the Alker a view of the finish line at 3-2 with only two games to play.
In game six, Timperleys Andy Broadhurst hit a magnificent 144 finish during a 3-1 win against Gary Thompson to make it all square again, and with it all going down to a final game decider, Jake Murphy, making one of his rare appearances for Timperley, secured the win and bonus points after hitting a 125 finish during a 3-0 win over Mike Nolan. Next up for these sides, Timperley welcome the Vic to Tory HQ, and The Alker host league leaders the Ammies.
Division 2
There were also a full set of fixtures in Division 2 in the week before christmas, and as LMRCA had their bye week, The Silver Birch finally got to play their game in hand and get the victory which returned them to the top of the Division 2 table. Both sides have six wins and one defeat in seven matches played, however since the Birch have won two more games in those matches – they sit two points ahead, while also having a better overall game difference.
Ashton-on-Mersey CC 3 vs 4 St Antony’s
St Antony’s got the early Christmas present they wanted when winning their first league match of the season against hosts Ashton-on-Mersey Cricket Club, the Saints running out victors by four games to three.
Mike Buckley got the first point of the game for Ashton, with a 3-0 win over Dom Batty in game 1, but any thoughts of an easy night at the office were quickly dispelled with a quickfire response from St Antonys in the next three games which swept them into a 3-1 lead overall. First, in game two was a 3-0 win for Mark Patton over Mark Robinson, next came another Paton, and another 3-0, as Ian made short work of Adam Heap, before a 3-1 win in game four for Shaun Gill against Chris Chapman put the Saints firmly in the driving seat.
James Compton stopped the rot for Ashton with a 180 and a 3-1 win in game five, and Andy Mathias then pulled the sides level after six games when he beat Carl Paton by 3 legs to one. The final game was winner takes all, and Gary Molloy of St Antonys took the spoils with a 3-1 win over George Hardman which gave the Saints their long awaited first league win of the season.
Trafford SC 2 vs 5 The Volunteer
Trafford will be glad to see the back of December after a Cup defeat and two losses in the league, while this 5-2 win for the Volunteer is their second league win by that score in as many matches.
Volunteer players have been almost Game of Thrones like in recent weeks with regular mutterings of “Winter’s coming”, and so it was as Ian Winter made his first appearance of the season for the Volunteer in game one, producing a fine performance against Liam Galvin with a comfortable 3-0 win to put his team ahead. Trafford were immediately level though, with a win for Rory Sullivan secured in a final leg decider against Geoff Sanders who hit a 180 in defeat, and Trafford soon turned the game on its head when Kyle Wands beat Will Radcliffe by 3 legs to 1.
Trafford can count themselves unlucky from 2-1 up as the Volunteer went on to win all four remaining games to seal the win, although with two of those games going the full 5 leg distance, on another night this match might have ended differently. In game 4, Billy Sanders drew the Vol level when beating Gaz Collins 3-1, Callum Nolan put them 3-2 ahead in game 5 with a close 3-2 win against Andrew Davies, before Pete Williams hit 5 tons in another last leg decider against Andrew Wood to secure the bonus points. The final game of the night saw Gary Williams grab another point for the Volunteer, hitting his second 180 of the season, 6 tons and a 21 darter in his 3-1 win against Jake Neersoo.
Urmston SC 3 vs 4 The Royal Oak
Going into this game, Urmston had suffered a couple of heavy league defeats, and the Royal Oak were coming in off the back of a big loss of their own after losing 6-1 to Division 1 Wythenshawe CSCin the KO Cup, so both sides were hoping to get back to winning ways.
The home side were quickly off the mark with a 3-0 win for Dave Tong over Sharon Kirby, but the visitors from Chorlton pulled level in similar style as Jordan Perry got the better of Lee Capper by the same scoreline.
Urmston were back in the lead again after game three, as Captain Michelle Fitton showed the apple doesnt fall far from the tree with a ‘dazzling’ 180 in her 3-1 win over Danny Machin, but after four games, the Royal Oak drew level once more with Lee Medd’s 3-1 victory against Jim Higginson.
Game five saw the Oak get in front for the first time in the match, when Pete DeCordova hit seven tons en route to a tight 3-2 win over Dylan Bell, although the lead was shortlived as Urmston fought back to make it 3-3 with a customary win for Steve Lye who hit 5 ton pluses including a 100 checkout in his 3-0 win against Pete Perry.
Going into a final game, and with the match result depending on it is never the best time to make your league debut, but thats what faced Urmston’s Harry Fitton who was drawn against Tony Kirby in a battle for the bonus points. Tony’s experience seems to have been the difference, as he secured a 3-0 win which game the Oak six points on the night to keep them there or thereabouts in the Division 3 promotion picture.
Carters Arms 3 vs 4 The Silver Birch
For a team that has lost every game this season in the league and both cup competitions, the Carters really should consider themselves unlucky and have hope for the second half of the season, as within those nine defeats, a whopping seven have been by four games to three, including three such results against the top two sides in the division. This game was included in that last stat, as the Silver Birch edged them out 4-3 to reclaim the top spot in the league from LMRCA, with the KO Cup semi finalists meeting LMRCA in an eagerly aniticipated league fixture in mid January.
The Birch got their visit to Sale’s Carter Arms underway with successive wins for Andy Skinner and Kraig Loose. Andy hit five ton plusses in a 3-0 win against Andrew Nicholson while Kraig continued his excellent form with a ninth win in all competitions to remain unbeaten, hitting his second 180 of the season, six ton plusses and a 14 darter.
The Carters werent about to roll over, and replied in kind with two quick fire wins of their own to draw level. In game three, John Thierens beat Diane Davies 3-0, while in game 4, Gavin Halton won by the same score against Rob Moss. With three games to go, The Carters then took the lead to rock the title hopefuls when Bob Mitchell secured a 3-1 win against Birch Captain Donna Knott making it 3-2 on the night and raising hopes for a statement first win of the season.
It was not to be however, as successive wins for Alan Dawson (3-0 over Terry Caine), and Martin Tyson (3-1 over Ryan Pollit) ensured that the Birch not only got the win and the bonus points, but also ensured that they would be top of the division at Christmas, with their title rivals LMRCA next up for them in the New Year.
Urmston SC 3 vs 4 The Volunteer (Jan 3rd 2024)
This game was rearranged from Week 6, and saw hosts Urmston fall to their fifth league loss on the trot, although it was the second match in succession to go down to the last game of the night and a close 4-3 defeat. The Volunteer have now completed the first half of their Division 2 season, and though its been hit and miss in stages, they now find themselves in third place in the league with five wins and three losses from the eight games played.
Callum Nolan got the visitors underway with a quick fire 3-0 win over John ‘Chilli’ Reyes, while newcomer Harry Fitton got his first win of the season, in only his second game for Urmston, hitting four ton plus scores in beating Eddie Clare by 3 legs to 1.
Gary WIlliams put The Vol back in front with 6 tons and an 18 darter in a 3-1 win over Urmston captain Michelle Fitton, while game four saw Lee Capper make it 2-2 when he beat Pete Williams by 3 legs to nil.
Urmston edged into the lead for the first time as Steve Lye hit a 67 average during a 3-0 win against Gary Hudson, but after a 3-1 loss for Vicky Rice against Billy Sanders, the scores were level yet again.
After a close defeat in similar circumstances in their previous game, lightning was to strike twice for Urmston as Dylan Bell was defeated by Ian Winter, who hit 6 ton plus scores during the 3-0 win which secured the win for The Volunteer.
Division 3
The previous fixtures on the 13th December saw the half way point of the season in Division 3, so most teams are not in action until the D3 Knockout on 17th January, however a couple of games remained outstanding from earlier in the season. Since I’m writing this well after the events, I’ll cover both games in this review to save time.
Old Market Tavern 4 vs 3 The Excelsior Club (December 20th, 2023)
In this rearranged fixture from week 5, The Old Market Tavern went into the Christmas break after earning their second win of the season against visitors, Sale Excelsior Club. The two sides met in the Prelim Round of the SMD KO Cup in the first fixture of the season for each team, and though the venue was different, the outcome was the same – a 4-3 win for the OMT. It was to be a happy return home for the Tavern for the first time since (remarkably) October 25th, having endured five consecutive away games in all competitions and five consecutive defeats.
Speaking of consecutive fives, Emily Haycocks was to be the first of five of the Haycocks clan to be drawn out in the first five games, and she got the home side off to a winning start with a 2-1 win over Adam Richardson. Richard was up next, but lost a deciding leg to the Excel’s Danny Chua who pinged an 84 finish in his 2-1 win. Angela Haycocks was up next, but fell to a 2-0 defeat as Andy Cheetham put the Excel into the lead after three games. Next up, WWE hopeful, Double H, Howard Haycocks pulled the Tavern level with a 2-1 win over Peter Sage, before Amanda made it 3-2 – to the Haycocks family at this stage, after a 2-0 win against Warren McCoubrey.
In game 6, we were all square again as the Excel’s Hannah Tague got the better of Steven Foster by two legs to one, which setup a grandstand finale between Sally Corfield and Steven Fitzpatrick, which Sally won 2-0 to secure the bonus points in a long awaited second win of the season.
Stretfordians 0 vs 7 Wythenshawe FC (January 10th, 2024)
Stretfordians may have lost the match comfortably, but easily won the consolation of being the only one of the teams capable of submitting match stats.
There were wins for all of the Wythenshawe result submission dodgers, first for Michael Wesemeyer, 2-0 over Helen Mapp, while Chris O’Keefe won 2-1 against Simon Scully in game 2. In game 3, dodger-in-chief Chris McGrory won 2-0 against Colton Burke, game 4 saw Gareth Sullivan also win 2-0 against Chrissy Thompson, Steve Foster won game 5 against Lindsey Rice, James Odell beat Morgan Nickson 2-1 and Mike Swindells rounded it all off with a 2-0 win against Toni Nickson.
Sorry for the extended delay in getting these games reviewed – I fancied a bit of break over Christmas – one which Im now regretting since after completing this I now have the KO Shield Last 16 and the league fixtures from 17th January to do. Please check the scores for your team and the merit stats – I cant correct them if I dont know they are wrong. They shouldn’t be of course, but you never know. I’ll also not be doing reports or pages for the Division 3 KO comp as this isnt an official league competition – and stats in it wont count.
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