After a longer than planned break, Monday Night Darts returns to the Royal Standard on the 10th December, the first Monday after the pub reopens following the refurb. There will be an open knockout competition on the 10th - all welcome, £2.50 to enter, starts at 8pm.
Annual Christmas Knockout
Monday 17th will be the Christmas knockout. Entry will be £2.50 as usual with cash prizes for the winner and runner-up.
I hope to see you all there for a super, smashing, great night of darts fun!
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Finals Night Match Report - 9th July
Match Report
The league was wrapped up in fine style last night with the Finals Knockout followed by the presentation of prizes.
The draw was based on league position with the top 4 getting the advantage of a second chance if they lost their opening match.
Ben and Sam played first with Ben taking the first leg for an early lead. However Sam came back strongly with consistent scoring to win the match 2-1 and knock Ben out. Andy and James were next up. Andy's finishing letting him down and James won 2-0 with an excellent 113 checkout.
Darren took on Anne and despite a close match scoring-wise he hit his doubles first and knocked Anne out: 2-0. Completing the first round were Ram and Craig. Ram started strongly while Craig took longer to get up to speed and won 2-0 in a fast-paced match.
That set up the elimination quarter-finals between Darren and Andy, Sam and Craig. In the first eliminator Andy struggled to find the form he showed through the league season and Darren proved to be the sharper finisher to book his slot in the semis with a 2-1 win, knocking Andy out. Sam put in her best performance of the season in a very close match against an improving Craig but lost narrowly in the deciding leg, going out 2-1.
Into the semi-finals and first up were Darren and Ram, both undefeated so far. Darren fought hard and put in some good scores but Ram was steady and powered into the final with a 2-0 victory. James, like Ram, had gained his place in the semis by winning in the first round while Craig had to battle through two matches to get here; however he suffered a dip in his form at this crucial stage and Craig won fairly comfortably 2-0.
It was after time had been called at the bar when our two finalists stepped up to the oche. The pairing might have been a repeat of their first round meeting but the result was not. Ram's aim was not tight enough this time around, while Craig looked very sharp and was obviously not tired after playing three rounds to get here. The final scoreline was 2-0 to Craig, a quality performance and a well-deserved win.
Prizes
For scoring the highest checkout on the night, 113, James won £5. He added to this his half of the £5 for highest score, shared with Darren who also hit a 140.
James also won £10 for the highest checkout throughout the league with 121, while Sam won £10 for the league's highest score of 165.
Ram as runner-up received £20 while last but certainly not least was our overall winner Craig who received the trophy and £40.
A big thank you from me as the organiser to everybody who took part, and to Trevor from the RNLI for agreeing to present the prizes. I had a lot of fun taking part as well as running the show and I hope you will all be back for the next league.
Coming Up
The league will take a break for a few weeks but there will be various knockouts and other friendly competitions over the coming weeks until the league starts again.
The league was wrapped up in fine style last night with the Finals Knockout followed by the presentation of prizes.
The draw was based on league position with the top 4 getting the advantage of a second chance if they lost their opening match.
Ben and Sam played first with Ben taking the first leg for an early lead. However Sam came back strongly with consistent scoring to win the match 2-1 and knock Ben out. Andy and James were next up. Andy's finishing letting him down and James won 2-0 with an excellent 113 checkout.
Darren took on Anne and despite a close match scoring-wise he hit his doubles first and knocked Anne out: 2-0. Completing the first round were Ram and Craig. Ram started strongly while Craig took longer to get up to speed and won 2-0 in a fast-paced match.
That set up the elimination quarter-finals between Darren and Andy, Sam and Craig. In the first eliminator Andy struggled to find the form he showed through the league season and Darren proved to be the sharper finisher to book his slot in the semis with a 2-1 win, knocking Andy out. Sam put in her best performance of the season in a very close match against an improving Craig but lost narrowly in the deciding leg, going out 2-1.
Into the semi-finals and first up were Darren and Ram, both undefeated so far. Darren fought hard and put in some good scores but Ram was steady and powered into the final with a 2-0 victory. James, like Ram, had gained his place in the semis by winning in the first round while Craig had to battle through two matches to get here; however he suffered a dip in his form at this crucial stage and Craig won fairly comfortably 2-0.
Prizes
For scoring the highest checkout on the night, 113, James won £5. He added to this his half of the £5 for highest score, shared with Darren who also hit a 140.
A big thank you from me as the organiser to everybody who took part, and to Trevor from the RNLI for agreeing to present the prizes. I had a lot of fun taking part as well as running the show and I hope you will all be back for the next league.
Coming Up
The league will take a break for a few weeks but there will be various knockouts and other friendly competitions over the coming weeks until the league starts again.
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.
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
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
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
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Not-a-Bank Holiday Knockout Results
Match Report
I'd like to start by thanking James and others for pointing out that it wasn't a Bank Holiday. However it was still a knockout night - I wasn't about to shuffle the fixtures around yet again - and produced some good performances.
Andy and Anne got the ball rolling, Andy putting in some very good scores including a 180 followed by a 2-dart 120 with an unlucky deflection off the darts in the bed causing a bounce out on the third. Anne played steadily but was too far behind in the scoring to mount an effective challenge and Andy won 2-0.
James played Sam in a neck-and-neck match, Sam winning the first leg and James coming back to level it in the second. Well matched score-wise, it came down to the finishing. With both players having a little shakiness on the doubles it could have gone either way but James was the one who hit the target first to win 2-1.
In the third match it was Ram against Darren. In another close match it was the deciding leg that sealed it with Ram's steady eye for his double giving him the 2-1 victory. Completing the first round matches were Ben and Craig. Ben had a slow start and was still well away from a finish when Craig reduced his target to 32, but at that point the gremlins set in and even with more than 20 darts Craig didn't manage to check out, leaving the door wide open for Ben to catch up and steal the leg. Ben then hit a purple patch and led through the next fast-paced leg, checking out comfortably to win 2-0.
In the first semi-final Andy was up against Ram who it seemed could do no wrong. Andy appeared to suffer from some uncertainty setting up his out shots while Ram just powered on, hitting the targets with confidence to win 2-0 and book his spot in the final.
James and Ben faced off in the second semi and Ben's form continued as he took the first leg. James threw with more focus in the second leg and with both players on a double he proved the more accurate making it 1-1. Another very close leg decided the match 2-1 in James' favour.
And so on to the final: Ram versus James. The first two legs were steady but unexceptional performances with neither player showing quite the same level as the previous round, but in the deciding leg Ram pushed himself up a gear and kept finding that treble-20 to build up an almost unassailable lead. A steady hand on the doubles was all that was needed to finish on top and collect the night's prize.
Congratulations and £10 to Ram, and a bonus £5 prize to Andy for his 180. Thanks to everybody for taking part.
Next Week
It's a big, long weekend coming up and we'll be joining the celebrations on Monday night - it's Martin Adams 56th birthday so come along and have a go in the Martin Adams Birthday Knockout. No work for most of us on Tuesday because there's something going on that day as well - party at the pub with a live jazz band and BBQ in the afternoon, followed by a disco into the night to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
I'd like to start by thanking James and others for pointing out that it wasn't a Bank Holiday. However it was still a knockout night - I wasn't about to shuffle the fixtures around yet again - and produced some good performances.
Andy and Anne got the ball rolling, Andy putting in some very good scores including a 180 followed by a 2-dart 120 with an unlucky deflection off the darts in the bed causing a bounce out on the third. Anne played steadily but was too far behind in the scoring to mount an effective challenge and Andy won 2-0.
James played Sam in a neck-and-neck match, Sam winning the first leg and James coming back to level it in the second. Well matched score-wise, it came down to the finishing. With both players having a little shakiness on the doubles it could have gone either way but James was the one who hit the target first to win 2-1.
In the third match it was Ram against Darren. In another close match it was the deciding leg that sealed it with Ram's steady eye for his double giving him the 2-1 victory. Completing the first round matches were Ben and Craig. Ben had a slow start and was still well away from a finish when Craig reduced his target to 32, but at that point the gremlins set in and even with more than 20 darts Craig didn't manage to check out, leaving the door wide open for Ben to catch up and steal the leg. Ben then hit a purple patch and led through the next fast-paced leg, checking out comfortably to win 2-0.
In the first semi-final Andy was up against Ram who it seemed could do no wrong. Andy appeared to suffer from some uncertainty setting up his out shots while Ram just powered on, hitting the targets with confidence to win 2-0 and book his spot in the final.
James and Ben faced off in the second semi and Ben's form continued as he took the first leg. James threw with more focus in the second leg and with both players on a double he proved the more accurate making it 1-1. Another very close leg decided the match 2-1 in James' favour.
And so on to the final: Ram versus James. The first two legs were steady but unexceptional performances with neither player showing quite the same level as the previous round, but in the deciding leg Ram pushed himself up a gear and kept finding that treble-20 to build up an almost unassailable lead. A steady hand on the doubles was all that was needed to finish on top and collect the night's prize.
Congratulations and £10 to Ram, and a bonus £5 prize to Andy for his 180. Thanks to everybody for taking part.
Next Week
It's a big, long weekend coming up and we'll be joining the celebrations on Monday night - it's Martin Adams 56th birthday so come along and have a go in the Martin Adams Birthday Knockout. No work for most of us on Tuesday because there's something going on that day as well - party at the pub with a live jazz band and BBQ in the afternoon, followed by a disco into the night to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
League Match Report - Round 11 - 21st May 2012
Match Report
It was a super, smashing, great night of darts with very close results all round. Darren and Ben played first with Darren winning the first leg after a shaky start from both on the doubles. Ben then came back and won the next two with accurate checkouts, despite Darren scoring a 140 in one leg. Darren then took the final leg for a 2-2 draw and a point each.
It was an all-female match next with Sam against Anne. Despite playing with a bad back, Sam took an early 2-0 lead, also hitting the highest checkout of 42, but Anne came back winning the third leg with some strong scoring. It all came down to the doubles again in the fourth leg with Sam coming home to win the match 3-1.
The big guns were in action in the third fixture between Ram and Andy. Ram, returning after a 3 week break, looked as if he'd never been away from the oche, while Andy was cool and steady as usual. It was 2-1 to Ram going into the last leg after he had narrowly missed making it 3-0, missing his double to let Andy back in. The last leg might not have been as intense as the first three but it remained close with Andy first to a double and taking the leg for a 2-2 draw.
The final match of round 11 saw James take on Craig. In a fast-paced match with a good many ton-plus scores, both players hit 140 and it was honours even as it finished in another 2-2 draw.
Next Week
There's a two week break from the league because of Bank Holidays and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, so next week will be a knockout. If people are interested I will also run a competition on Monday 4th June, possibly with some kind of a royal theme - watch this space as they say.
EDITED - As a reader has kindly pointed out, next Monday (28th May) is not a Bank Holiday, but it will still be a knockout.
It was a super, smashing, great night of darts with very close results all round. Darren and Ben played first with Darren winning the first leg after a shaky start from both on the doubles. Ben then came back and won the next two with accurate checkouts, despite Darren scoring a 140 in one leg. Darren then took the final leg for a 2-2 draw and a point each.
It was an all-female match next with Sam against Anne. Despite playing with a bad back, Sam took an early 2-0 lead, also hitting the highest checkout of 42, but Anne came back winning the third leg with some strong scoring. It all came down to the doubles again in the fourth leg with Sam coming home to win the match 3-1.
The big guns were in action in the third fixture between Ram and Andy. Ram, returning after a 3 week break, looked as if he'd never been away from the oche, while Andy was cool and steady as usual. It was 2-1 to Ram going into the last leg after he had narrowly missed making it 3-0, missing his double to let Andy back in. The last leg might not have been as intense as the first three but it remained close with Andy first to a double and taking the leg for a 2-2 draw.
The final match of round 11 saw James take on Craig. In a fast-paced match with a good many ton-plus scores, both players hit 140 and it was honours even as it finished in another 2-2 draw.
Next Week
There's a two week break from the league because of Bank Holidays and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, so next week will be a knockout. If people are interested I will also run a competition on Monday 4th June, possibly with some kind of a royal theme - watch this space as they say.
EDITED - As a reader has kindly pointed out, next Monday (28th May) is not a Bank Holiday, but it will still be a knockout.
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