Tuesday 26 June 2012

League Results - Round 14 - 25th June

Match Report
It was a full schedule for the final round of this league with the remaining six matches played in a single night. Everybody was there and Anne made some lovely pies and cakes to feed the players.

Craig had three matches to play because of postponed fixtures and his first was against Ram. There were few signs of any rustiness as both players made a steady start and there were a few ton-plus scores in there. In the end there was little to separate the two and it finished a 2-2 draw.

James and Andy met next, with James starting strongly while Andy took a couple of legs to settle into his rhythm. James seemed to suffer a blow to his confidence after busting 132 with a throw of 140 and after that his consistency was affected. Andy continued strongly to win the match 3-1, scoring a 140 of his own along the way.

Craig's second match was against Sam, where he continued to throw accurately in the face of a spirited challenge from Sam. Despite some good arrows, Sam couldn't match Craig's scoring and deadly finishing and he won 3-0.

Anne played Darren, hitting some good scores and taking a leg. She narrowly missed getting the draw when her attempt at double-4 landed just outside the wire and Darren won 3-1 in the end.


The penultimate match pitted Ram against Ben and the first two legs were very close, with both players scoring steadily and Ben hitting a 94 checkout for 1-1 halfway through. But then Ben's old inconsistency raised its head and he was lucky to even get down to a finish before Ram checked out to win 3-1.

With the clock ticking its way to last orders the final match of the league got under way with Craig taking on Darren. Although Darren put in a creditable performance, Craig was in such strong form that he took all three legs to win 3-0.

Some good darts there, and two players hit 140's and shared the prize for highest score: Andy and Craig. Ben won the highest checkout with his 94. Andy topped the league thanks in part to the bonus points he won for his high scores through the season, but was only one point above runner-up Ram.
League Best Scores
The highest score in the league was 165, scored by Sam on 19th March. Next highest were several 140's scored by Andy, Ben, Craig, Darren, James and Ram.

The highest checkout was 121, scored in the first round by James. Second highest was Ben's 94 in the final round.

Bonus points for highest score and checkout accounted for 35 points overall, with Andy winning the most (8) followed by Craig, Ram and Darren each with 6.

Next Week
There will be a knockout next week - it would have been a catch-up week if there had been any fixtures left to play. The following week, Monday 9th July, will be finals night with the usual end of league playoffs followed by the presentations to the prize winners.

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Match Report - 18th June

Match Report
The weather was rather warm and stuffy for round 13 and I don't know about anybody else but I was sweating at the end of my match.


Ben and Anne got the ball rolling. Ben's throwing was a little erratic and Anne outscored him consistently, but her finishing proved her undoing yet again as she lost 3-1. Andy and Sam were up next, Sam winning the advantage of throw with a dead-centre bullseye. The match was a close one with Andy's scoring a little below par and Sam took full advantage to gain a draw 2-2.


Darren took on Ram in the third match which saw some good ton-plus scoring from both players with Darren hitting the night's highest 140. However Ram edged it with his finishing, including the highest checkout of 56, and walked out the 3-1 winner.


Anne rounded the night off with a second appearance, this time against James. However tiredness affected her throwing. Despite her having a shot at finishing in the first two legs, James powered ahead in the third and final leg to win comfortably 3-0.

As usual, thanks to all the players and I look forward to the concluding round next week.

Next Week
Only one more round remains, with 6 outstanding fixtures. We will try to get through them all on the night of 25th June, but if time runs out they will carry over to the following week. Three of the top four could still top the table, so it's all still to play for.

Anne v Darren
Craig v Ram
Craig v Sam
Darren v Craig
James v Andy
Ram v Ben

Tuesday 12 June 2012

League Match Report - Round 12 - 11th June 2012

Match Report
Plenty of distractions for round 12 as the pub remained busy following the Euro 2012 England v France match. A few rather rowdy customers made more than their share of noise and occasionally even walked right across the oche with a total lack of regard for the matches in progress. Hopefully the remaining weeks will see a return to our usual calmer atmosphere.

Ben and James got the ball rolling and James looked steady as he outscored Ben in the first two legs and finished comfortably to go 2-0 up. Ben seemed to find his form in the next leg, hitting a 134 and keeping ahead on the scoreboard, finishing with a quick double. But inconsistency proved his undoing in the final leg and he was only just on a theoretical finish when James hit an impressive 72 checkout to win the match 3-1.

Andy played Anne next, and it started as a typically unwavering performance from Andy with his darts going home accurately. But the gremlins are never far away and both players suffered a bout of dartitis in the second leg with dart after dart failing to find the double. Andy recovered first and went on to take that leg and then comfortably won the third to finish 3-0 with a 140 and a couple of other ton-pluses along the way.

James took on Ram in a fixture rearranged due to the absence of Craig and Darren. It was a close match with good scores from both players, Ram hitting three 140's, and the result was a fair 2-2 draw. In the final match of the night Sam was up against Ram. Ram's form continued from his previous match and despite some respectable scores from Sam, who won one leg with a 66 checkout, he proved too strong and won the match 3-1.

The £5 for Highest Checkout on the night went to James for his 72, while the prize for Highest Score was shared by Andy and Ram, both with 140. Andy remains top of the table, with only 4 points separating the next four players. Any of the top 5 could still finish top, at least on paper, so it's all still to play for.

Next Week
Round 13 will be next week - will it prove unlucky for some? The provisional fixtures, subject to time and attendance (it getting into holiday season now) are:
Anne v Darren
Ben v Anne
Craig v Ram
Craig v Sam
Darren v Ram
James v Andy