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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:
Index
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January 2007 |
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CLICK HERE FOR latest tables |
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Round-up
for week ending January 26
Boston Standard Premier Division A night of shock results swept through all three
divisions of the individual league on Friday night. Things started with the
opening game in the top section when Debra Royal upset the odds by beating
high-flying Ady Parker. The opening leg saw Deb take a 1-0 lead against the
throw. And when she hit a 180 in leg two she was well on her way to a shock
2-0 lead, but Deb missed her checkout allowing Ady to draw level with a 98
checkout. Leg three saw Ady take control only for Deb to find a 112 checkout
to steal the leg against the throw once again. It looked as if the trend was
set as Ady returned the compliment to draw level again at 2-2. But he failed
to hold his throw again, giving Deb a 3-2 lead. The sixth leg of the match
was the best as Deb scored 100, 100, 140,and 95 to leave just 66 after 12
darts with Ady forced to reply hitting 60, 100, 85, 100 to leave 156. Deb had
first shot and she missed scoring 26 to leave 40. But Ady had a chance to tie
it up if he could hit the 156. He came close to saving the match as two
treble 20s went in. But double 18 went astray, allowing Deb to hit a 16-dart
leg to grab a 4-2 win. Martyn Palmer remains unbeaten. A 4-1 win was secured
with a 118 checkout as he saw off Shane Richardson. Colin Hewson got back to
winning ways. Thankfully he was far enough in front against Kev Lenton
despite missing chances for 13 and 15 dart legs to lead 2-0. He eventually
did get the double, and although Kev took leg four, it turned out to be only
a consolation as Colin wrapped up a 4-1 win to go back in to the top three. Some might say Derek Johnson played pants! But some
observers would offer the suggestion that opponent Bob Mountain played well.
In fact Bob took all his chances with some clinical checkouts as he raced to
a 4-0 win hitting a 25.36 average (division’s best), although Derek never
reached a single dart out shot to put Bob under any real pressure. The final game saw Harry ‘Lottery’ Lee and Trev Day
conclude proceedings and although Trev started okay (leading 1-0 and 2-1) he
failed to show up after that and he was unable to stay the course, going down
4-2 as Harry sealed the win with 19 and 17 dart legs. Lincs Racing Championship Two defeats for Redvers Dickinson was not what he would
have wanted. But that’s what happened. Game one saw his rival Mick Vinters
for once show his true colours. A 23.51 average (division’s best) gave Mick a
shock 3-1 win over his fellow contender. And it got worse for Redvers later when an outside bet
for a high finish, Daley Richardson, came good again this week. Daley’s 20.31
average was just too good for Redvers as he crashed 3-0. It seriously affects any hopes he had of a
title challenge. Another player on a losing run is Rob Birtwhistle. He
has slipped down the table in recent weeks. This time Mick Flynn blew for
time as he raced to a 3-0 win hitting a 100 checkout for an impressive result
that sees Mick leap-frog Rob into the top six. Daley Richardson then completed a double as he gained a
3-1 win over Dick ‘Top Pocket’ Taylor to move into third place in the table. Darren ‘Gypsy’ Butler was hard pressed to stay at the
top this week as Nathan ‘Nobby’ Richardson almost nobbled him the match going
the distance with Darren just scraping home 3-2 with a 20.57 average to
Nathan’s 18.02 in defeat. Pedro Silva piled more misery on Mick Parker as Pedro
came through with a 3-1 win. A relegation battle at the foot of the table saw
Pete Johnson hang on to all three points despite trying to gift Ben Carr at
least a consolation point as numerous darts went astray from both players in
what turned out to be the last (third) leg. Pete Reid has slowly crept his way into contention in
recent weeks. An impressive 21.16 average was enough to gain a 3-0 win over
Rick Woods. Iit keeps him in second
spot just a point adrift of Darren
who no doubt saw him coming in his crystal ball weeks ago!
What started out as a challenge for most is now becoming
enjoyable — especially when some of the players at the wrong end of the table
cause some shock results. Two candidates at least this week saw Janine Timms
take a 2-0 lead against George Harness with the latter having to save face a
little with an 84 checkout (division’s best) to avoid a whitewash. The other was Adam Kemp. He fought back from 1-0 down to
beat Keith Dack 2-1 and then he almost completed a great one-two as he made
table-topper Dennis Turner pull out all the stops to avoid a similar fate.
With the score at 1-1 Dennis hit a 180 in an 18-dart leg to grab a 2-1 win.
The ladies were having a good night. Tracey Richardson beat Paul Limb 2-1 and
Sharon Butler hit a 180 as she beat Richard Attwell 2-1 — someone who does
like losing to ladies for some reason only known to him (why then, does he do
it so frequently?) Scott Lea was pleased Suzie Watson got a leg. He said
she ‘deserved it’. But that extra point could prove costly as Scott dropped
to fourth. James Harmer regained third spot after a 2-1 win over Di Jenkins.
And there was no change in mid-table when Angie Upsall maintained her status
quo with Emma Grant after a 2-1 win. The mother-and-daughter battle between Louise Charalambou and Tina Willicombe went to Louise by a 2-1 scoreline, although the point gained by Tina got her off the bottom. Paul Limb returned and was not so generous as he gained a 3-0 win over Tina. But it still means Susan Games is now at the bottom. |
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Round-up
for week ending January 19
Boston Standard Premier Division There were 182 ton-plus scores registered across all three divisions of the Friday Night Individual Darts League this week with 113 coming in a hectic Boston Standard Premier Division schedule. Martyn Palmer still heads the table after a hard fought 4-3 victory achieved against Chris Royal to narrowly hold on to his unbeaten run of 14 games. Ady Parker is now in second place after he had little
trouble in white-washing a luckless Shane Richardson. Dave Hasnip leapfrogged Colin Hewson into
the top four after some clinical finishing turned the game his way as once
again ‘Hit man’ became ‘miss man’ in allowing Dave to win 4-2 with a 98
checkout on the bull, setting Dave on his way to victory. This was by no means the best checkout in the division
as Tony Hilliard found a 102 out score to help him achieve a 4-1 win over
Derek Johnson. But even this was topped as Bob Mountain set a season’s best
by hitting a 160 checkout in his game with Harry Lee. It came in bizarre
fashion as Bob held a 3-1 lead. Leg five saw Harry fighting for survival. He
made a great start with a 180 and then scores of 140, 100 followed to put him
in command, leaving 121 after just 12 darts. Bob was way back on 326 when
Harry had his first three darts at the finish. But he needed another three,
and another three to leave a score of eight, only to then bust. This allowed
Bob to punish Harry in style with a big finish to steal a 4-1 win. A seven-leg encounter followed between Trev Day and
Richard Pearson with both players for once scoring well. In fact, Trev was
scoring too well after hitting a 180 and racing into a 2-0 lead. Trev decided
to hit another 180 in leg four. The trouble was he had forgot his abacus
because he only needed 172. So he bust, to gift Richard the leg to tie it up
at 2-2. Fortunately for Trev he later took his chance in the decider after
Richard had failed to hit double 16, and he went on to gain a 4-3 win and
move off the bottom for the first time in several weeks. Kev Lenton replaces him there after he suffered another
defeat. Kev is renowned for the length of time he takes at the oche. And his
battling qualities, this has seen him take many games the distance in the
past. But a lack of form has resulted in Kev falling short by 28 legs of
darts this campaign and at least 14 points as he could only maintain his
average of two in a 4-2 defeat to Derek Johnson Lincs Racing Championship Darren Butler’s crystal ball is still working at present
and his prediction of promotion at least looks okay as he continues to lead
the way. He recorded a 21.39 average to overcome a stiff test this week as
Redvers Dickinson found a 108 checkout to take a 2-0 lead against the
table-topper. But Darren hit back to grab a 3-2 win. The chasing pack once again faltered as Mick Vinters
crashed to a 3-0 defeat to dark horse Daley Richardson as the latter
continues to quietly sneak up the fence and into contention. Mick Flynn
produced some swashbuckling form to halt high-flying youngster Daniel Martin.
A tight five-leg encounter went to Mick 3-2, Mick Parker got a whitewash on the night, falling to a
Dickinson one-two as Kev and then Redvers outshone the window cleaner. Pete
Reid is now up into second place just a point off the top after he came
through a five legger with Dick “top pocket” Taylor. Pedro Silva showed a return to form when he beat Rob
Birtwhistle 3-0 a result that leaves Rob in freefall after such a good start.
At the other end of the table Rob Scrupps gained a 3-1 win over Ben Carr with
missed doubles providing a constant downfall to Ben — hence his lowly
position. The final action saw a win for Nathan Richardson over
Pete Johnson. With both players perilously close to the relegation zone, a
3-1 win to Nathan does at least close the gap on Pete in the battle to avoid
the drop with Ben. John Smith’s Challenge League Sharon Butler hit her first 180 of the season as she
came back from 1-0 down to gain a narrow 2-1 win over Carla Slade, and Richard
Attwell turned in a good nights work as he started with a 2-1 win over
high-flying James Harmer. This was followed with another win later in game
two, this time against high-flying lady opposition. A 2-1 win over Angie
Upsall was not what the latter needed in front of her adoring fan! George Harness may still get into a prize money slot.
The senior citizen kept plugging away to gain a 2-1 win over Diane Jenkins to
stay in touch in a share of fourth spot. Although it took nearly 300 darts to find a winner, it
was more misery for Janine Timms as she went down 2-1 to Tracey Richardson at
least she is picking up the odd point as she strives to stay ahead of the two
below her. Two ladies in mid-table security had off nights. Emma
Grant lost ground in the battle for the ladies’ honours as she went down 2-1
to James Harmer. Thankfully for Emma, Suzie Watson also failed to win as she
lost 2-1 to Louise Charambou. Cash boost for Harvey Friday night’s individual league action was all about
raising funds for Harvey Phillips. The two-year-old from Louth caught a rare
form of meningitis when he was just nine months old, and this resulted in
Harvey having to have both legs amputated at the knee, one arm at the elbow
and all fingers and thumb off his other hand. His plight was brought to the attention of Colin Hewson,
founder member of the individual league (now in to it’s 19th year). And along
with the long-standing committee, it was decided to raise funds for Harvey.
All league sponsors had donated to the cause with the Boston Standard, Lincs
Racing and John Smith’s giving generously along with proprietor of Shodfriars
Terry Marshall. A raffle was held along with a ton-plus competition this
resulted in £416 being raised on the night. This amount was then taken to the
Sun Castle, Skegness, the home of Lincolnshire county darts where that
organisation took on Middlesex in a British Darts Organisation county darts
match over the weekend of January 20-21. This match was supported and sponsored by Finnforest UK
Ltd and an auction was held on the Sunday with lots of darting memorabilia up
for grabs. The most expensive item sold was a Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor signed
shirt that raised £200. Along with other items sold, the auction raised more
than £800. This was boosted further as Middlesex also collected and donated a
large amount! It gave the weekend a grand total of £1,632 to present
to the trust for Harvey who, along with his mum and dad, attended the afternoon
session and posed for pictures. Lincolnshire and Middlesex drew the weekend’s
darts 18-18. But there was still one major winner — little Harvey whose
presence had a big effect on all present. |
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Round-up
for week ending January 12
Boston Standard Premier Division A top four clash, on paper at least, failed to ignite in
this week’s top section action. The featured game between Graham Sharp and
Colin Hewson turned out to be a dull affair as both players were below their
best, as the occasion seemed to get to them both. Graham passed up his chance
to go 1-0 up as missed doubles allowed Colin to take the lead against the
throw but he then returned the compliment in leg two and it was all square at
1-1. Leg three saw Graham hit a 180 (his tenth of the season) but Colin kept
in touch by hitting 100, 140, 140 to reach a double first. However, “Hit-Man”
was “miss man” once again and it was 2-1 to Graham. A 17-dart leg from Colin
squared the match at 2-2 but both players then threw away numerous chances at
the doubles in the remaining legs and it was Graham who went on to claim an
important 4-2 victory to maintain his challenge and keep up his run of wins
over Colin! Richard Pearson was next to the oche against Dave
Hasnip. A win for Dave moved him into the top four but he had to work hard to
achieve it as Richard had shown some improvement in the scoring department in
recent weeks, although doubles continue to be a thorn in his side. The first
two legs were shared but the game turned Dave’s way in leg three. Richard had
scored 40, 101, 100, 100 to leave 161 after just 12 darts, but scores then of
38, 82 and 26 failed to complete the leg. And this allowed Dave the luxury of
busting on 80 with his first attempt, before going back and hitting it on the
second attempt to take a 2-1 lead. Richard rallied briefly to draw level
again at 2-2 with a 19-dart leg. But ultimately doubles were his downfall as
Dave went on to win 4-2 setting a 23.54 average, surprisingly the best the
division’s action could muster. The final action saw Graham Sharp back to face Harry
“Lottery” Lee. It could have been a tricky game for Graham as Harry blows hot
and cold, fortunately for Graham he was not hard pushed to gain a 4-1 win as
Harry lived up to his nickname. After taking a 1-0 lead he hit back-to-back
9s along with scores of 38, 26, 47, 24, 41, 43 and 28 at various stages.
These numbers can, of course, all be found on a lottery ticket and rarely win
you a darts match in the premier division!!
Only a handful of games took place, finishing off the
first half of the season the majority of the action featured the
front-runners. Daniel Martin got the action under way and he hit a 180 and
recorded an 18.38 average (division’s best) in a 3-2 win over Pedro Silva to
move into fourth place in the league — although that could have been a share
of the lead but for his earlier one point deduction. A new leader has hit the
top as Darren Butler tries to live up to his own predictions of getting
promoted. He did all he could by beating Pete Johnson 3-1 but he then needed
Mick Vinters to lose to Pete Reid, although this game was tight as 18.23 and
18.71 averages were recorded the all-important win went to Pete by a 3-1
scoreline. It was the start of a good night’s work for Pete when he went on
to conclude proceedings with a 3-1 win over Nathan Richardson to take him
from 10th at the start of the night up into third just a point off
the top. John
Smith’s Challenge League The challenge for some will be to try to do better in
the second half of the season as all the newcomers should have found their
feet. It looks an interesting battle at both ends of the table with very few
points difference. The “Dark
Destroyer” Dennis Turner has been out in front for most of the way and he
resisted another challenge by taking a hard fought 2-1 win over high-flying
Scott Lea on Friday to maintain his one point gap, although Keith Dack will
remain a constant threat after he gained another 3-0 win over Susan Games. With the latter at the wrong end of the table, she can
ill-afford to give a point away for not marking, although she did pick up a
2-1 win over the returning Louise Charlambou in game two. The ladies, all
crowded together in mid-table, had some points to prove and Angie Upsall was
in no mood to be scuppered by Sharon Butler!
Spurred on by her newly founded fan club, she gained a 2-1 win. Suzie Watson lost ground after a 2-1 defeat to Emma
Grant but the latter failed in her attempt at a double and achieve a good end
to her best ever first half by losing 2-1 to George Harness. Diane Jenkins
picked up a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Tracey Richardson and Janine Timms
also ended with a 2-1 win in a six pointer with Tina Willicombe. Elsewhere, Carla Slade extended her points advantage
over Tina after a 2-1 win over Louise Charalambou. Meanwhile, Richard Attwell
once again looked uncomfortable against lady opposition as he lost the first
leg and he possibly should have lost the second before coming back to win 2-1
against Tracey Richardson. This let-off seemed to provide a boost as he
completed a double at the expense of George Harness by a 2-1 scoreline. The
final game saw some relief too for Adam Kemp as he gained a 3-0 win over
Carla Slade this allowed him to move away from the three-way wooden spoon
battle at the bottom. |
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Round-up
for week ending January 12
Boston Standard Premier Division An extra night was arranged in
the to division to catch up some outstanding games on Friday. Graham Sharp
made a welcome return to action after a finger injury, although he still was
still far fully fit and resembled Captain Hook! He would nevertheless be
pleased with his night’s work. In game one Graham faced an improved Richard
Pearson. And the opening two legs were shared with Graham starting well in
leg three as he scored 140, 100, 121 to leave 140 after just nine darts. The
lack of recent action meant he was unable to finish the leg and this allowed
Richard back in. And he had a chance to go in front at 2-1. But his 116
checkout failed, allowing Graham another chance at double two that he took
for the lead. Despite Richard having further chances in the match at the
doubles it was Graham that started back with a 4-1 win hitting a 24.08
average. Game two saw Graham up
against Derek Johnson and the former took a 1-0 lead but Derek was quick to
respond by hitting 76, 140, 140, 45, 68 and 32 (out) for a 16-dart leg to
draw level. This looked a better match and so it proved as Derek went on to
hit a 180 in leg three. However, this failed to get him ahead of Graham who
was more consistent allowing Graham to reach a double first and take a 2-1
lead. Graham extended his lead further to 3-1 when Derek hit another 180 in
leg five. But once again he was too far behind. And although it left 36 to
put Graham under a little pressure, the latter found double 16 to secure a
4-1 win with an improved average as he recorded a 25.21. The final game went the
distance as there was very little between Dave Hasnip and Harry Lee. Dave led
2-0 after 20 and 16 dart legs but Harry replied with an 18-darter. A 180 was
hit in leg four but, as earlier, it failed to help secure the leg as Dave
failed at the double allowing Harry to draw level at 2-2. Harry then went 3-2
up. But not for the first time, missed doubles changed the outcome of the
match, allowing Dave to take a hard fought 4-3 win. Lincs Racing Championship There were no matches contested in this division. John Smith’s Challenge League After 15 games unbeaten Keith
Dack suffered his first defeat of his campaign. He was up against high-flying
Scott Lea. Scott made the better start to go 2-0 up before Keith hit back to take
a consolation point. This result keeps Keith behind Dennis Turner in the
table as the top two shoot clear of the chasing pack. Scott Lea and James Harmer
now head the pursuing bunch. James rode his luck on the night. Game one saw a
2-1 win for James against Angie Upsall. But in game two, a flattering 3-0 win
was somehow achieved against Sharon Butler. Sharon passed up a 200 lead in
leg one and followed that with more missed doubles in leg two. This allowed
James to grab two legs in a row before an evenly contested leg three also
went to James. Sharon had earlier set the
division’s highest average recording a 17.27 as she hit every double for a
3-0 win over Adam Kemp. So this defeat was a bitter pill to swallow having
played so well earlier. Paul Limb had to fight back
from 1-0 down against Suzie Watson to gain a 2-1 win. Suzie recovered quickly
and beat Janine Timms 2-1 in game two. Another player out for a win was Emma
Grant as she looked to improve her position in the table. An all-lady encounter
started okay as she went 1-0 up against Tracey Richardson but the latter then
punished Emma’s missed doubles to grab a 2-1 win. The division’s “strongest
player” heads into 2007 with just two wins as Tina Willicombe was swept aside
by Di Jenkins. A 3-0 win gave Di an
eight-point cushion! This was also the case after Carla Slade picked up a 3-0
win over Susan Games. Unfortunately for Susan she also lost 3-0 to Adam Kemp.
This left a three-way battle for the wooden spoon contest awarded to the
bottom placed player at the end of the season! |
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