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BOSTON FRIDAY NIGHT
INDIVIDUAL DARTS LEAGUE
Latest reports from the 2006-2007 season in the
Boston Friday Night Individual Darts League are:
Reports round-up for December 2006
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Round-up for week ending December 22, 2006 |
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Boston Standard Premier Division There was very little action this week in the top
section. But this gave some different players the chance to grab the
headlines on Friday night. One player in particular did just that as Dave
Hasnip put Trev Day to the sword. A tight opening leg went to Dave but it was
one-way traffic after that as Dave pummelled Trev into submission. A 180
followed in leg two which he took in 15 darts going out on 78. Another
maximum was hit in the next leg for a 16-dart leg and a swift 3-0 lead. Trev
replied briefly by hitting 100, 140, 140 in leg four to reach a double first.
But he missed and Dave hit a 66 checkout to whitewash Trev 4-0 with a 26.02
average, the best on the night. The two remaining fixtures were a lot tighter encounters.
In fact, they both went to seventh leg deciders. First up was Debra Royal
against Shane Richardson. This game looked to have turned when Deb found an
80 checkout against the throw to go in front at 3-2. But she then failed to
hold her throw, and the game was level at 3-3. Bizarrely Shane won the bull
shootout to decide first thrower in leg seven and reached a double first. But
double 10 let him down for the first time in the game and Deb grabbed a 4-3
win hitting double 16. The final match saw Bob Mountain and Richard Pearson clash. With very little between the two on the scoring, this resulted in the doubles needing to be hit to take any kind of advantage. Richard did this hitting a 65 checkout in an 18-dart leg for a 2-1 lead. Bob then hit back to go in front for the first time at 3-2. When Richard drew level the momentum was with him and the decider saw him score 60, 100, 100, 40, 100. And after leaving a 101 checkout he looked favourite but he missed scoring 81 to leave 20. Bob was adrift on 168 but he only needed 10 darts to grab a 4-3 win while Richard was still throwing at five in a mess. And he probably would have still been at it had Bob not have won! Lincs Racing Championship The top three were not in action so there was little
change at the head of affairs. All that happened was an already tight
division getting even more compacted as several players all seem capable of
beating each other. Kev Dickinson was a big improver on the night as he
picked up maximum points from two attempts. His first outing led to a 3-1 win
being achieved against Nathan Richardson, hitting the division’s highest average
in the process of 19.16. Game two saw him this time up against high-flying
Rob Birtwhistle. And in a much tighter encounter, Kev managed to gain a
narrow 3-2 win to leapfrog Rob in the table up in to a challenging third
place. Nathan Richardson’s night got no better. In his second
match opponent Rob “Quick-Fire” Scrupps gained a 3-1 victory in a relegation battle.
The unlucky Ben Carr continues to suffer at the foot of the table as he seems unable to cross the winning line. He played two matches on the night, losing both in the deciding legs. He went down 3-2 to Rick Woods and, despite hitting a 93 checkout (division’s best) against Mick Flynn, it was not enough to stop another narrow defeat. John Smith’s Challenge League The battle at the top between Dennis Turner and Keith
Dack looks set to continue in to 2007. Dennis held on to his three-point lead
after a hard fought 2-1 victory over Paul Limb. He then went on to complete a
double with a 3-0 victory over Janine Timms. Keith, though, remains unbeaten and in hot pursuit after
he recorded a 17.89 average (division’s best) in a 3-0 victory over Di
Jenkins. It left him with a game in hand. The league’s oldest player has
fallen away in recent weeks as George Harness struggles to put back-to-back
wins together. In a night with two games, his first saw him lose 2-1 to high-flying
Angie Upsall before George got back on track with a 2-1 win over Tracey
Richardson. Girl power may yet have a say in the outcome of the
division with four ladies in particularly good form at the moment. After
Angie Upsall’s good win earlier, she is now hotly pursued in the top half of
the table by Sharon Butler, Suzie Watson and Emma Grant as all these ladies
start to play well. Sharon Butler gained a 2-1 victory over Tracey
Richardson to move in to eighth position and Suzie Watson’s good run
continues as a 3-0 victory over Di Jenkins lifted her in to ninth place. Not
to be outdone, Emma Grant also gained a 3-0 victory over the league’s only
faltering lady player Tina Willicombe. This result took her in to 10th
place as all four ladies fight out not only their own battle for prize money
but also in trying to get into the overall league prize structure. |
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Round-up for week ending December 15, 2006 |
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Boston Standard Premier Division A top of the table encounter yielded the best game of the
night in the Boston Standard Premier Division on Friday as table topper
Martyn Palmer and Colin Hewson toed the oche. Colin began the better as four
tons in the opening leg put him 1-0 up. But Martyn’s response was swift,
drawing level at 1-1. He then took leg three in just 16 darts, scoring 81,
100, 100, 100, 100 along with double 10 to go in front for the first time.
But Colin hit back with a couple of 19-dart legs for a 3-2 lead. By this
stage 24 ton-plus scores had been hit and Martyn looked on course for a first
defeat. But it was not to be as he sustained the pace and fought back to
snatch a 4-3 win taking the decider with a 100 checkout, the game’s 30th
ton-plus score as Martyn ended with a 25.30 average (division’s best) to
Colin’s 24.56 in defeat. Harry “Lottery” Lee’s return to action was not a
memorable one by his own admission. Far too many low scores put him in
trouble against Tony Hillyard as Tony took a 2-0 lead. Missed doubles allowed
Harry to grab leg three off Tony, but this was only a minor hiccup as he went
on to take the match 4-1. It turned out to be a good night for Tony and by
the end of the match he was up to fourth in the table having risen like a
phoenix from the flames as he picked up maximum points. A 3-0 lead in game
two against Richard Pearson came under threat as Richard fought back to 3-2.
But Tony secured a 4-2 win. Trev Day will be pleased the division only has 15
participants now — that should mean no relegation. That’s a good thing as far
as he’s concerned as he would have been the odds-on favourite for the
drop. He had yet another off day
which resulted in a 4-0 defeat to Bob Mountain, the only high for Trev being
a 180 that did little to put Bob under any pressure as he cruised to victory.
A legend in darts Eric Bristow once said “scores for
show doubles for dough.” this was the case as Dave Hasnip’s return to action
saw him take on Derek Johnson. This was a tight seven-leg encounter with
Derek hitting 180s in legs one and seven. But he somehow lost both legs on the
doubles. This allowed Dave to make a winning return of 4-3. The final game saw Ady Parker consolidate his position
in the table after he was made to work hard for victory against Chris “The
Joker” Royal a 4-2 win was achieved with a 23.64 average. Lincs Racing Championship A shock result saw current leader Darren Butler get
white-washed by the hand of Daley Richardson, the latter hitting a 180 in an
18-dart leg to seal victory with a 20.04 average. It opened the door for Daniel Martin to take over at the
top. But he, too, came unstuck when crashing 3-0 to Kev Dickinson as the
latter chalked up a 20.31 average to beat the youngster. Ben Carr reduced his arrears at the foot of the table as
he recorded only his third win of the season. Checkouts of 74 and 73 gave him
a narrow 3-2 win over Pedro Silva. The division’s top average was achieved by Mick Flynn
who produced consistent darts as legs of 23, 23, and 24 gave him a 21.47
average and a 3-0 win over Nathan Richardson. It was Mick Vinters’ chance to go to the top of the
league. He started well enough by winning his first game 3-0 with a 20.31
average against Mick Parker. Thankfully this was enough to take a one-point
lead at the top as he followed the path set by Daniel and Darren earlier in the
evening, crashing in game two as Rob Birtwhistle hit a 21.16 average which
included the division’s highest checkout on the night of 120. This gave Rob a
swift 3-0 victory. Redvers Dickinson inched up the table after he beat
high-flying Pete Reid. A 3-1 victory for Redvers saw him move up two places
while Pete dropped three spots! Rob Birtwhistle then returned to the oche, but this time
he was unable to reproduce his earlier form when going down 3-1 to Rick Woods
to peg back Rob’s progress! The final game in the division saw Dick “Top-Pocket”
Taylor and Mick Parker produce a five-leg encounter with Mick snatching
victory in the decider with a 100 checkout.
John Smith’s Challenge League Keith Dack came through two tough fixtures this week and
despite extending his unbeaten run to 14 matches, he still fails to top the
division. His first test came against Paul Limb with Keith taking a 2-0 lead
before Paul hit back to take a consolation point. Keith’s second game was
against high-flying George Harness. This game followed a similar pattern with
George also taking leg three for a consolation point. Scott Lea turned in two steady performances, his first
against Adam Kemp saw the latter take a surprise 1-0 lead with a 73 checkout.
But Scott hit back to achieve a 2-1 victory, ending with a 15.82 average
(division’s best). He almost matched that in game two. This time a 15.18
average was achieved as he beat an unlucky Carla Slade with Carla having
shots at doubles in legs one and three.
Richard Attwell once again failed to show lady
opposition a clean pair of heels. Up against the league’s strongest player,
Tina Willicombe, he had to watch his rival miss doubles in the deciding leg
before he got his chance to gain a 2-1 win. Angie Upsall has now become the leading lady in the
division. A 2-1 victory over Tracey Richardson saw her climb into seventh
position. However, Sharon Butler hotly pursues her after she scraped home 2-1
against Susan Games. The ladies are playing well at the moment and another
player improving fast is Suzie Watson. She climbed up the table in to ninth
place just three points adrift of a big pay day after a 3-0 victory over
Tracey Richardson. It was turning out to be a good night for the ladies as
Carla Slade got back to winning ways. A 3-0 victory (her first clear win)
over Di Jenkins keeps her five points clear of the wooden spoon slot. The final game of the night saw George Harness suffer
yet another rare set back with doubles missed once again this allowed James
Harmer to gleefully take a 2-1 victory. |
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Round-up
for week ending December 8, 2006 |
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Boston Standard Premier Division It was second verses third this week in the top division
as Colin “Hit Man” Hewson and Ady Parker featured in a top-of-the-table clash.
Ady began the better and some clinical finishing saw him hit checkouts of 76
and 86 to take a 2-0 lead. It got better for Ady when a 17-dart leg followed
with a 66 checkout for a 3-0 lead. But the game turned after that as Colin
stormed back into the match. A 75 checkout cut the deficit to 3-1. This was
followed by a 115 checkout in 15 darts to make it 3-2. In leg six both
players reached an out-shot together but Ady missed his 112 finish and the
game was all square at 3-3 as the “Hit Man” lived up to his nickname! A tense
decider saw both players once again score heavily but Ady missed his double
and the “Hit Man” completed the comeback to win 4-3 with a 24.53 average to
Ady’s 24.81. As it turned out Ady still leapfrogged Colin in the table as the
committee has expelled Chris Kerbal and all points gained have been
deducted. Trev Day could have had a very good night but it turned
into yet another bad one! Facing two
games on the night he started against Kev “Grinder” Lenton in brilliant style
going 1-0 up with a 124 checkout on the bull. The game fell away a little but
with the score at 2-1 to Trev the game burst into life once again as he
started leg four with a 180 followed by scores of 96 and 137 as he looked at
an 11-dart leg. He then hit treble 16. Double 20 was Trev’s next target for a
super leg. Sadly excitement got the better of him and 15 darts later the leg
had gone as Kev made it 2-2. Leg five followed a similar pattern. Trev needed
161 to go back in front in the match and a 137 left him 24. But once again
nine further darts failed to find a winning double. By this time Trev knew it
was not his night and he capitulated, going down 4-2. His next opponent was Tony Hillyard. And Tony, for once,
was on form. His best leg of the match was a 15-darter that saw him scoring
60, 100, 121, 100 and checking out on 120. This assisted Tony to achieve a
4-1 win, hitting the night’s best average in the process as 26.18 was
recorded. A dour family encounter followed as mother and son
fought out a “battle Royal”! Sadly
the game was disappointing as Deb achieved a 4-2 win over Chris. The final game saw Kev Lenton back in action against Richard Pearson. And it was Richard who made the better start as a 180 gave him a 2-0 lead. Leg three looked as if it was going to Kev, but bizarrely it didn’t. Kev sat on a finish and watched in amazement at what followed. Richard wanted 54. His first dart hit double 14 to leave 26. He moved across and this time he hit double 4 to leave 18. Yes, you guessed it, double 9 went in for a three-double finish. It left Kev gobsmacked and shaking his head. But he did take the next two legs to make it 3-2 before going down 4-2. Lincs Racing Championship A new leader has hit the top as Darren Butler took over
after he beat Rob Scrupps 3-0 on Friday night. The scoreline was, however, a
little flattering, 24 and 23 dart legs made a sandwich for a 40-dart leg in
the middle that could have gone either way.
Dick “Top Pocket” Taylor’s winning run came to an abrupt end after
five victories on the trot. Rob Birtwhistle brought it to a swift end. He hit
a 20.58 average in the 3-0 win. Two players at the top end of the table clashed next as
Daniel Martin and Redvers Dickinson toed the oche. Dan went 1-0 up and then
scored 100, 100, 140, 97 to check out on 64 for a 15-dart leg and a 2-0 lead.
And although Redvers took leg three it was Dan who gained a 3-1win. This good
match produced 21.34 and 19.24 averages respectively although Daniel’s good
work was undone a little by a 3-2 defeat later in the evening as game two saw
him lose to Rick Woods. And with that loss, his top of the league status also
went. Pete Johnson and Mick Flynn needed all five legs to find
a winner. Sadly for Pete it was a yet another oh so familiar story, as once
again this season missed doubles cost him the match. Kev Dickinson recorded the division’s highest average, a
feat he achieved when up against lowly Ben Carr. Kev found winning legs of
20, 23 and 23 darts to achieve a 3-0 win with a 22.77 average. As in the top division, a family clash took place next when Daley and Nathan Richardson faced each other. It was Daley who claimed a 3-1 win. There was better news for Nathan when an 82 checkout (division’s highest) helped him achieve a 3-0 win over Pedro Silva in the final action of the night. John Smith’s Challenge League The “Dark Destroyer” Dennis Turner goes merrily on his
way, with yet another 3-0 victory this week. This time it was Di Jenkins who
suffered the defeat as Dennis also recorded the division’s highest average on
the night at 16.70. And he duly maintains his lead at the top, although next
week could shed some light on the destination of the title as the half-way
stage approaches. With some big games taking place, one player facing
stiffer opposition next week is Keith Dack. But at the moment he beats all
that come before him. He moved into second place this week and still
maintained his 100 percent record. A 3-0 win over Suzie Watson was a little
harder to achieve than game two’s 3-0 win. Here, Janine Timms arriving late,
she gifted Keith a 1-0 start. So only two legs were needed. High-flyers George Harness and Sharon Butler clashed,
the latter admitting she needs to get on the practice board after doubles
missed meant a 3-0 win for George. The defeat for Sharon means that Angie Upsall leapfrogs
her as the leading lady after a 3-0 win over Tina Willicombe moved her up
into seventh place. Scott Lea is still in contention but he made hard work
of beating Susan Games by a 2-1 scoreline. James Harmer had a similar problem
as opponent Tracey Richardson took a 1-0 lead, forcing him to pull out all
the stops to maintain his challenge with a 2-1 win. Paul Limb completed a double on the night as he picked
up successes over Susan Games and Carla Slade respectively, both by 3-0
margins. The final action saw Richard Attwell for once narrowly
avoid egg on his face against lady opposition. After several defeats to the
ladies this season so far, he faced Suzie Watson. The latter was 1-0 up and
looked set to cause an “omelette”, but 27 darts failed to put her 2-0 up
allowing Richard for once to escape with a 2-1 win. |
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Round-up
for week ending December 1, 2006 |
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Boston Standard Premier Division Martyn Palmer showed once again this week why he sits
proudly on the top of the Boston Standard Premier Division as he extended his
winning run to 13 matches. On Friday night he faced opponent Derek Johnson
and took a 1-0 lead in 18 darts. But Derek stuck to the task, drawing level
at 1-1. Was an upset on the cards? Unfortunately for the chasing pack it was
definitely “no” as Martyn applied the conditioner and swept away. He hit
17,17 and 16 dart legs in very quick succession to record a 30.06 average for
the last three legs giving him a final match average of 27.68, easily the
highest on the night as he secured a 4-1 win to open up a 10 point gap at the
top. He has now got the “Hit-Man” Colin Hewson on his tail
after he stretched his winning run to nine on the trot. He raced into a 3-0
lead against Debbie Royal but was power-less as Deb looked to make a game of
it by hitting back to 3-2. Thankfully Colin found an 80 checkout to take the
match 4-2. He was soon back in action in a re-arranged fixture against Shane
Richardson. Here Colin raced to a 4-0 win, not allowing Shane a single dart
at a double and leaving his rival trailing on 189,137,140 and 40 in each leg
respectively as Colin picked up maximum points to go second in the table with
a game in hand and with Martyn still to play. Next up was Bob Mountain against Tony Hillyard. Both
players have been struggling of late. Bob had won his first seven games but
was on a losing run of five since that good start while Tony’s up-and-down
season continues to baffle the county player. Something had to happen in this
match. And it did. Bob wanted 100 in the opening leg but nine darts failed to
find an out shot as Tony took a 1-0 lead. Leg two saw Bob needing 150 to draw
level. He narrowly missed double 18 for a super checkout, scoring 132 for a
2-0 lead. Bob then found a double, equalling the night’s highest checkout on
80 for a 2-1 lead. But he then failed at 125 in leg four and was now 3-1
down. It set the trend for the match: You miss, I hit ! The game went to Tony
in the end by a 4-2 scoreline. The final game in a curtailed programme, with Dave
Hasnip now joining the injury list, was between Chris “Joker” Royal and Shane
Richardson. Like many of the games before them, it came down to missed
doubles. Shane hit most of his and Chris only found two despite numerous
chances it gave Shane a 4-2 win to improve his night whilst the “Joker” was
not a happy chappie. Only 10 points separate the top 12 in a tight division
and with Mick Vinters (pole sitter) not in action, the chasing pack all
closed up on him. Darren Butler produced the division’s best performance. A
23.24 average was far too good for high-flying Pete Reid. This gave Darren a
3-1 win. But the coach driver was soon back en route with a hard fought 3-2
victory over Daley Richardson later in the evening to move back into third place. Daley became the night’s nearly man as he also suffered
another 3-2 defeat, this time up against Daniel Martin he averaged higher
hitting a 19.99 average. But the all-important win went to Daniel. This saw
the run of five-leg encounters continue at the oche showing that there is
very little between the players. Mick Parker saw off Rick Woods and Mick Flynn came
through against Rob Scrupps. Elsewhere, Dick “Top Pocket” Taylor was flabbergasted.
After a poor start to his season, he has now gone on a winning run of five.
He beat Dan Martin 3-2, a defeat the latter can ill-afford as he tries to
make ground on the leaders after giving points away last week. Pete Johnson’s yo-yo season continues. He went down 3-1
to Robbie Scrupps with the latter hitting the highest checkout on the night
as a 102 was registered. But Pete did bounce back to win the final game of
the night in yet another five-leg encounter against Pedro Silva. After 12 straight defeats and being at the bottom all
season Jannine Timms got an early Christmas present this week as she followed
last week’s first win with another to move off the bottom. She climbed two
places after her 2-1 win against Carla Slade. At the other end of the table Scott Lea reduced the gap
at the top to six points after he gained a hard fought win over the leading
lady so far this season. A 2-1 victory over Sharon Butler keeps him in
contention. James Harmer joined Scott on 29 points when he picked up
a 3-0 win over the league’s new strongest player Tina Willicombe as she now
holds the rest up! But they all have to watch out for Keith Dack. The late
arrival is making up lost ground hand over fist. Two 3-0 victories over Tracey
Richardson and Tina Willicombe have seen him shoot up the table into fourth
spot having won 10 on the trot to become one of only two players in all the
divisions to hold a 100 percent record at this stage. His 19.26 average and
84 checkout were the best in the division and Lincs Racing Championship
status awaits! Emma Grant gained a 3-0 victory over Carla Slade, a
result that almost took her into the top seven — a position she has never
achieved in three seasons. But she is only one point adrift of high-flying
Sharon Butler after the latter got back to winning ways at the expense of
Paul Limb by a 2-1 scoreline. Paul did, however, fare better in game two.
Here a 2-1 win over Adam Kemp softened the blow. The final game saw Angie
Upsall come back from 1-0 down to beat Suzie Watson 2-1. |
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