League Results - 28 January 2013

Match Report
We gained a brand new dart board this week: thanks to landlady Sam (not to be confused with our darts-playing Sam) for ordering this, and also for laying on sausages and chips.

There was one rearranged fixture this week because Sam was unable to play: Andy played Darren instead as I swapped his fixture with one from Round 4.

James and Natasha got Round 3 under way with the first match of the night. A plucky performance from Natasha who was unlucky not to win a leg after reaching her double, but James was steady with his scoring, including the night's highest of 140, to win 3-0.

Darren and Ben were second on the oche. A good start from Ben saw him scoring well to go 2-0 ahead before the wheels fell off after narrowly missing an 85 checkout in the third leg. It was all Darren after that and he cruised home with a draw 2-2.

Next to play were Tom and Anne. Steady scoring from both but Anne had the edge on the doubles to take an early lead 2-0 before Tom came back to level the match 2-2.

Ben's second match of the night was against Ram. Ben's poor form from the second half of his previous match appeared to have gone as he went well ahead in the scoring in the first leg, but his doubles let him down and Ram came back to steal the leg. Ram was scoring steadily and left Ben well behind to win the match 3-0.

In the last match of the night Andy took on Darren, and despite Darren throwing steadily after his earlier match he couldn't keep up with a return to form by Andy who also hit two successive highest checkouts, a 50 followed by a 58, to win the highest checkout of the night. The match finished 3-0 to Andy.

• Results & Fixtures - 28 January 2013
• League Table - 28 January 2013

Next Week
Next week will be an open knockout, played as pairs if we have an even number of entrants. Pairs will be drawn at random and the winning pair will share the prize money.

Match Report - 21 January 2013

It might have been icy outside but we still had a full turnout last night - super smashing great!

Match Report
First match of the night was Sam and Ben, a close match that saw each leg go against the throw to finish 2-2 - a fair result. Only one 100+ score, a 101 by Sam, as that treble-20 proved elusive yet again but some sharp throwing on the doubles made it a quick match.

The same can't be said for the next one as Darren took on Anne in the longest 4 legs of darts I've ever seen! I don't keep a record of the number of darts thrown in each match which is just as well because in a couple of the legs both players were trying to hit their doubles for nearly 20 minutes! We even had a change of scorer during the 3rd leg because it had taken so long. No wonder both players needed a lie down afterwards. Oh, and the eventual result was 3-1 to Darren. Well done to Anne for hitting a 111 score and winning her first leg of this season.

Tom played Natasha in the third match. Despite Natasha continuing to show improvement and getting in reach of a finish, Tom threw more consistently, winning 3-0 after checking out the final leg with 77, the highest checkout of the night.

That left Ram to play James and then Andy. Strong scoring from these players saw the highest score raised first to 125 by James and then to 140 by Ram - the highest of the night. Ram had chances but was unsteady on his checkouts and James took his match 3-1. It was a similar story against Andy, who took advantage of Ram's below-par finishing to force a draw even though his scoring was not up to his usual standards. As Bobby George said, scoring for show, doubles for dough.

• League Table - 21st January
• Results & Fixtures - 21st January

Next Week
Round 3 next week, the 28th January:

Andy v Sam

Darren v Ben

Natasha v James

Ram v Ben

Tom v Anne

Knockout
The first Monday in February, the 4th, will be an open knockout. £2.50 to enter with cash prizes going to first and second places. Everybody welcome.

New Winter League - 14th January 2013

Well, as of last night the new season is under way. A couple of new players have joined up which means a big welcome to Natasha and Sam: great to have you both on board!

Match Report
New player Natasha was drawn in the first match of the night. Although she hasn't played a lot of darts before, she didn't let this put her off and it was a brave effort against the more experienced Darren. She didn't manage to win a leg in this first match but she did score well enough to get down to a finish each time, and her scoring became more steady as the match progressed.

Play overall was steady, with that treble-20 looking elusive at times, not to mention a fair share of double-trouble meaning that nobody checked out more than a single dart total all night. There were a handful of ton plus scores with the honours for Highest Score going to Andy's 140 which pipped Tom's 127 and Darren's 125. Andy also won the Highest Checkout with 36 - a double-18. Finally a special mention for Ram's bad luck which saw two bounce-outs denying him treble-20 and 19, with the only dart to stick landing in the 1!

Thanks to everybody for coming along and joining in and I'll see you again next Monday.

• Results & Fixtures - 14th January
• League Table - 14th January

Next Week

Next week's fixtures:

Anne v Darren

James v Ram

Ram v Andy

Sam v Ben

Tom v Natasha

Knockout Results - 7th January 2013

Match Report
It was a respectable turnout for the first Monday of the new year with 8 players competing in our opening knockout.

First Round
Tom played Ben in the first match and outscored his opponent to reach his out first, but double trouble struck. Ben steadily reduced his total to set up a checkout and stole the legs: slow and steady won the match 2-0.

Second up were James H and Anne. Some good, steady scoring from James, including a 120, gave him a comfortable lead and he took two legs to book his spot in the semis: 2-0

They were followed by James Y against Darren. Forced to use a spare set of darts after losing his own, James looked uncomfortable and struggled against Darren's more consistent throwing. Result: 2-0 to Darren.

The fourth and final first round match pitched Ram against Andy in a close-fought encounter. Andy had the edge in scoring but it was his sharper finishing that proved the deciding factor, Ram missing the double for a 113 checkout in one leg, and Andy won 2-1.

Semi-Finals
In a change inspired by the FA Cup 4th Round draw the previous day the pairings for the semis were drawn at random. Ben was drawn against Darren, a pairing that both players relished, especially with the addition of a friendly side bet involving a pie for the winner. I'm not suggesting it was all down to the prospect of the pie, but Ben's darts were much more consistent than in the previous round and he had the edge in scoring over Darren. This in combination with a steady eye on the doubles was enough for a 2-0 win to Ben and the first final spot.

The other semi saw James H play Andy. Despite James's best performance so far, Andy's experience showed and he did enough to keep his nose in front, gaining the second berth in the final with a 2-0 win.

Final
Regular finalist Andy had to be the favourite against Ben, making his first appearance in a knockout final for quite some time, but it was Ben who got the advantage of first throw and put in some good scores, keeping the first leg fairly level. However Andy edged it and made the throw for his finishing double count to take the first leg. A shaky start by Ben in the second leg didn't help much, but there was no arguing with Andy's 180, followed shortly after by a 140 to set up a 2-dart out shot for a 22 dart leg - probably the best of the night - to win the match and the competition in style.

Congratulations to the winner Andy who took home £12.50, well done to Ben who trousered the runner-up prize of £7.50, and a big thank you to everyone else who took part. Thanks to those who came along to watch and support, and finally a big thank you from everybody to Anne for the lovely food: it had been missed.

Next Week
The Royal Standard Premier League Darts returns next Monday 14th and all the players from tonight have signed up. There are still places available if anybody else is interested: it is a friendly individual league involving a round-robin draw of matches against the other players in the league. This will be the third year I have run this league and it continues to be a lot of fun for everybody who takes part. See you next week!