Match Postponed
Because the pub was so busy with the Manchester derby being played on Monday night I took the decision to postpone that night's darts. This means that all the remaining fixtures have been pushed back.
Next Week
Next week, Monday 7th May, is a Bank Holiday and there will be a knockout. £2.50 to enter, starting from 8pm. Double-in, best of 3 legs played from 501 (301 in the case of a big turnout). As usual all are welcome to join in - not just regular league players.
Next League Matches
With Craig back from his holiday we should have a full complement for Round 10 on the 14th May. These will be the matches:
Andy v Anne
Ben v Sam
Craig v Ram
Darren v James
James v Ram
Friday, 4 May 2012
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
League Table & Fixtures - 23rd April
Match Report
Only three matches were played last night in round 9 with Ram being away. Andy and Ben played first with Andy hitting some high scores (two 125's and several other ton-pluses). Ben did manage to get down to a checkout in each leg despite some inconsistent throwing - try to get all three darts in the board next time - but poor aim on the doubles counted against him yet again, Andy winning 3-0 despite leaving the door open with an uncharacteristic lack of precision in his checking out. Andy also hit a finish of 60 to win the prize for highest checkout.
Anne and Craig were second up and Craig threw some steady darts including a 140 which won him the high score prize. Finishing was weaker than usual from both players but Craig had the best of it to win 3-0. The third and last match saw Sam take on Darren. Both players like their 19's and there were a good few treble-19's in a contest that was fairly evenly-matched for scores. Darren had the edge in accuracy on his doubles though, and finished with a 3-0 win.
Next Week
Bit of a reshuffle in next week's fixtures to work around holidays.
Andy v Anne
Ben v Sam
Darren v James
James v Ram
Knockout
The following week (7th May) will be another knockout, this time featuring double-in - it's an area of the game where we're all a little weak and this ought to provide a little incentive to tighten things up. But don't worry - we won't be using my practice board with the half-width doubles.
Only three matches were played last night in round 9 with Ram being away. Andy and Ben played first with Andy hitting some high scores (two 125's and several other ton-pluses). Ben did manage to get down to a checkout in each leg despite some inconsistent throwing - try to get all three darts in the board next time - but poor aim on the doubles counted against him yet again, Andy winning 3-0 despite leaving the door open with an uncharacteristic lack of precision in his checking out. Andy also hit a finish of 60 to win the prize for highest checkout.
Anne and Craig were second up and Craig threw some steady darts including a 140 which won him the high score prize. Finishing was weaker than usual from both players but Craig had the best of it to win 3-0. The third and last match saw Sam take on Darren. Both players like their 19's and there were a good few treble-19's in a contest that was fairly evenly-matched for scores. Darren had the edge in accuracy on his doubles though, and finished with a 3-0 win.
Next Week
Bit of a reshuffle in next week's fixtures to work around holidays.
Andy v Anne
Ben v Sam
Darren v James
James v Ram
Knockout
The following week (7th May) will be another knockout, this time featuring double-in - it's an area of the game where we're all a little weak and this ought to provide a little incentive to tighten things up. But don't worry - we won't be using my practice board with the half-width doubles.
Thursday, 19 April 2012
League Table & Fixtures - 16th April
Match Report
On with the second half of the league! Round 8 was played on Monday night along with the outstanding match from round 7. First up, Craig beat Ben 3-1 in a match that was ultimately decided by checkout accuracy. The second match was Darren against Andy which Andy won 3-1. Despite some good scores from Darren, Andy showed an accurate aim to set up his finishes. Next to play were Ram and Anne. Unfortunately Anne was not on top form and tiredness showed after the first leg, Ram finishing the clear winner 3-0. Darren played Craig in the match postponed from Round 7 and produced an upset to win 3-1, while in the final match of the night James beat Sam 3-0.
Darren and Ram both scored 140's to share the prize for highest score, while Craig's 47 checkout in the first match proved good enough to last the night, winning him the prize for highest checkout. Congratulations to all three of them!
Next Week
Here are the Round 9 fixtures for Monday 23rd April.
Andy v Ben
Anne v Craig
James v Ram
Sam v Darren
On with the second half of the league! Round 8 was played on Monday night along with the outstanding match from round 7. First up, Craig beat Ben 3-1 in a match that was ultimately decided by checkout accuracy. The second match was Darren against Andy which Andy won 3-1. Despite some good scores from Darren, Andy showed an accurate aim to set up his finishes. Next to play were Ram and Anne. Unfortunately Anne was not on top form and tiredness showed after the first leg, Ram finishing the clear winner 3-0. Darren played Craig in the match postponed from Round 7 and produced an upset to win 3-1, while in the final match of the night James beat Sam 3-0.
Darren and Ram both scored 140's to share the prize for highest score, while Craig's 47 checkout in the first match proved good enough to last the night, winning him the prize for highest checkout. Congratulations to all three of them!
Next Week
Here are the Round 9 fixtures for Monday 23rd April.
Andy v Ben
Anne v Craig
James v Ram
Sam v Darren
Thursday, 12 April 2012
Pairs Knockout - Easter Monday
First off, apologies for the lateness of this update: I simply haven't been able to find the time. But now that I have, on with the darts!
Match Report
It was a new format for the Easter Monday knockout: pairs. We had ten players on the night making five pairs (obviously), so that meant a preliminary round to decide the line-up in the semi finals.
The pairs were: Ram & Sam, Ben & Anne, John & Mark, Andy & Matt and James & Gwyn. Both Gwyn and John have competed in previous leagues in the Standard while Matt has competed in knockouts. Mark is a relative newcomer to the Standard's darts events, if not the Standard itself, having only competed in last year's Bullseye, although he is a regular weekend visitor here and member of the darts team in his own local. It was a real pleasure to see some new (and old) faces taking part.
First up were Andy & Matt versus James & Gwyn. James opened the night's play with Shanghai - 120 - and he and Gwyn maintained their momentum to claim the fourth SF spot.
The first semi final saw Ram & Sam take on Ben & Anne. The scoring was well-matched on both sides and both pairs had chances to finish but it was Ram & Sam who proved more accurate on the doubles and booked the first spot in the final.
The next semi involved qualifiers James & Gwyn against John & Mark. The previous match unfortunately seemed to have sapped the strength of the qualifiers and they could not match the steadiness of John & Mark's scoring or the strength of their finishing.
After a short interlude for refreshment it was time for the climax of the night - the Final. Ram was closest to the bull to give him & Sam the advantage of first throw but he struggled to find his usual form and despite some good scores from Sam they were beaten by John & Mark who showed impressive consistency in scoring and checking out. So it was congratulations to John and Mark on their win and £20 to split between them.
Next Week
There's one postponed match left to play from round 7 in addition to the regular round 8 matches.
Craig v Ben
Darren v Andy
Darren v Craig
Ram v Anne
Sam v James
Match Report
It was a new format for the Easter Monday knockout: pairs. We had ten players on the night making five pairs (obviously), so that meant a preliminary round to decide the line-up in the semi finals.
The pairs were: Ram & Sam, Ben & Anne, John & Mark, Andy & Matt and James & Gwyn. Both Gwyn and John have competed in previous leagues in the Standard while Matt has competed in knockouts. Mark is a relative newcomer to the Standard's darts events, if not the Standard itself, having only competed in last year's Bullseye, although he is a regular weekend visitor here and member of the darts team in his own local. It was a real pleasure to see some new (and old) faces taking part.
First up were Andy & Matt versus James & Gwyn. James opened the night's play with Shanghai - 120 - and he and Gwyn maintained their momentum to claim the fourth SF spot.
The first semi final saw Ram & Sam take on Ben & Anne. The scoring was well-matched on both sides and both pairs had chances to finish but it was Ram & Sam who proved more accurate on the doubles and booked the first spot in the final.
The next semi involved qualifiers James & Gwyn against John & Mark. The previous match unfortunately seemed to have sapped the strength of the qualifiers and they could not match the steadiness of John & Mark's scoring or the strength of their finishing.
After a short interlude for refreshment it was time for the climax of the night - the Final. Ram was closest to the bull to give him & Sam the advantage of first throw but he struggled to find his usual form and despite some good scores from Sam they were beaten by John & Mark who showed impressive consistency in scoring and checking out. So it was congratulations to John and Mark on their win and £20 to split between them.
Next Week
There's one postponed match left to play from round 7 in addition to the regular round 8 matches.
Craig v Ben
Darren v Andy
Darren v Craig
Ram v Anne
Sam v James
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
League Table and Fixtures - 2nd April
Match Report
We're half way through the league now and the table has settled into some kind of order with the top 4 still very close. That's not to say there won't be any upsets in the coming weeks: the standard of darts is so close that anybody could win on the night.
Ram and Ben got the proceedings under way in a close match which Ram won 3-1 thanks to sharper finishing. Anne played James but despite some steady scoring didn't manage to win a leg and James took it 3-0. Finally Sam played top-of-the-table Andy. She put him under some pressure but he kept cool and landed his checkout doubles without too much trouble to win 3-0. Unfortunately Craig and Darren couldn't play their match due to illness so their fixture has been postponed until April 16th: get well soon guys! Finally a big thank you to Anne for providing a lovely chicken curry that got her two marriage proposals from well-satisfied diners!
Next Week
The league takes a week's break for Easter so instead there will be a pairs knockout on Easter Monday. The pairs will be drawn at random with the top league players seeded to keep things balanced. This competition is open to everybody: just turn up on the night. As usual it starts from 8pm and will cost £2.50 per player to enter.
We're half way through the league now and the table has settled into some kind of order with the top 4 still very close. That's not to say there won't be any upsets in the coming weeks: the standard of darts is so close that anybody could win on the night.
Ram and Ben got the proceedings under way in a close match which Ram won 3-1 thanks to sharper finishing. Anne played James but despite some steady scoring didn't manage to win a leg and James took it 3-0. Finally Sam played top-of-the-table Andy. She put him under some pressure but he kept cool and landed his checkout doubles without too much trouble to win 3-0. Unfortunately Craig and Darren couldn't play their match due to illness so their fixture has been postponed until April 16th: get well soon guys! Finally a big thank you to Anne for providing a lovely chicken curry that got her two marriage proposals from well-satisfied diners!
Next Week
The league takes a week's break for Easter so instead there will be a pairs knockout on Easter Monday. The pairs will be drawn at random with the top league players seeded to keep things balanced. This competition is open to everybody: just turn up on the night. As usual it starts from 8pm and will cost £2.50 per player to enter.
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
League Table & Fixtures - 26th March
Match Report
Round 6 is over and it's staying very close at the top of the table: only one point separating the top 4! Ben played Anne in the first match of the night, and with both struggling to check out in the third leg they were lucky not to still be playing after hours. Anne won that leg but Ben won 3-1. Craig played Sam next, and despite some impressive scoring (a good number of 80+ scores) the checkout woes continued and neither could better Ben's 6. However Craig did hit a solid 140 to win the prize for highest score of the night, and won the match 3-0.
Darren and Ram were next up and despite both players being well-matched in the scoring Darren's finishing let him down and Ram took the two points with a 3-0 victory in just over 10 minutes. James and Andy were the final two of the night and consistent performances from both of them showed why they are well-placed in the top half of the table. It was an even match and despite Andy taking an early 2-0 lead James came back to level it and finish with a draw. Andy hit the night's highest checkout, a 55.
Thanks to Sam for laying the food on. Well done everybody and I'll see you all again next Monday.
RIP Jocky
80's darts legend Jocky Wilson sadly died on Saturday night, just two days after his 62nd birthday. Always entertaining to watch, he was one of the true characters of the game.
Next Week
Round 7 matches coming up on Monday 2nd April to complete the first half of the season.
Anne v James
Darren v Craig
Ram v Ben
Sam v Andy
Easter Monday
There will be no league matches on the following week, Monday 9th April, because it is Easter. There will be a competition on the night. I'm thinking about having a pairs knockout for a change - let me know what you all think.
Round 6 is over and it's staying very close at the top of the table: only one point separating the top 4! Ben played Anne in the first match of the night, and with both struggling to check out in the third leg they were lucky not to still be playing after hours. Anne won that leg but Ben won 3-1. Craig played Sam next, and despite some impressive scoring (a good number of 80+ scores) the checkout woes continued and neither could better Ben's 6. However Craig did hit a solid 140 to win the prize for highest score of the night, and won the match 3-0.
Darren and Ram were next up and despite both players being well-matched in the scoring Darren's finishing let him down and Ram took the two points with a 3-0 victory in just over 10 minutes. James and Andy were the final two of the night and consistent performances from both of them showed why they are well-placed in the top half of the table. It was an even match and despite Andy taking an early 2-0 lead James came back to level it and finish with a draw. Andy hit the night's highest checkout, a 55.
Thanks to Sam for laying the food on. Well done everybody and I'll see you all again next Monday.
RIP Jocky
80's darts legend Jocky Wilson sadly died on Saturday night, just two days after his 62nd birthday. Always entertaining to watch, he was one of the true characters of the game.
Next Week
Round 7 matches coming up on Monday 2nd April to complete the first half of the season.
Anne v James
Darren v Craig
Ram v Ben
Sam v Andy
Easter Monday
There will be no league matches on the following week, Monday 9th April, because it is Easter. There will be a competition on the night. I'm thinking about having a pairs knockout for a change - let me know what you all think.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
League Table & Fixtures - 19th March
Match Report
Last night was round 5 of 14 and the table is settling down. No upsets in the matches as James beat Ben 3-1, Craig drew against league leader Andy, Darren won against Anne and Ram took the honours in his match with Sam.
Darren won the highest checkout with a 51 and it looked like Andy and Craig were going to be sharing the highest score with 134 until Sam hit a stunning 165 (treble-19, treble-17 and another treble-19). I did see Ram score a 180 but it was unfortunately only a practice throw. And finally, entering the Hall of Shame is Darren who managed to score 1 with three darts in one of his legs.
Next Week
Ben v Anne
Craig v Sam
Darren v Ram
James v Andy
Last night was round 5 of 14 and the table is settling down. No upsets in the matches as James beat Ben 3-1, Craig drew against league leader Andy, Darren won against Anne and Ram took the honours in his match with Sam.
Darren won the highest checkout with a 51 and it looked like Andy and Craig were going to be sharing the highest score with 134 until Sam hit a stunning 165 (treble-19, treble-17 and another treble-19). I did see Ram score a 180 but it was unfortunately only a practice throw. And finally, entering the Hall of Shame is Darren who managed to score 1 with three darts in one of his legs.
Next Week
Ben v Anne
Craig v Sam
Darren v Ram
James v Andy
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