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INDIVIDUAL DARTS LEAGUE

Latest reports from the 2006-2007 season in the
Boston Friday Night Individual Darts League are:

Reports round-up for October 2006

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Round-up for week ending October 27, 2006

Boston Standard Premier Division

Graham Sharp picked up two victories in rapid succession. His first encounter saw him up against Dave Hasnip and it was the latter who got off to a flying start by scoring 125, 83, 100, 81 and 112 (out) for an opening 15-dart leg. Graham, however, responded by scoring 45, 140, 100, 50, 126 and 40 (out) for a 16-dart equalising leg. From that point, Dave failed to sustain his earlier form and this resulted in Graham taking three legs on the trot to finish with a 26.86 average (the division’s highest) to Dave’s 24.86 in defeat.

In game two Graham once again found himself behind as Kev “Grinder” Lenton gained an early 2-1 lead. But for the second time on the night Graham fought back with three legs on the trot to gain a hard fought 4-2 win to go to the top of the table.

After six straight wins, Bob Mountain came unstuck in number seven. Up against Ady Parker, they matched each other in the scoring department with Ady showing more aplomb at the double. This resulted in a 4-1 victory to Ady with a 23.37 average.

Bob was quickly back to winning ways. Up against Deb Royal he secured a 2-0 lead only to see Deb claw her way back to draw level at 2-2. Leg five put Bob back in command as a 134 checkout (division’s highest) gave him the lead once again before wrapping up a 4-2 win with a 19-dart leg, the best of the match.

An early season relegation battle took place next as Harry “Lottery” Lee and Chris Kerbal toed the oche. With both players struggling this season, on paper it looked an even match. Chris found himself in front for the first time this season by taking the opening leg. Harry bounced back in style with the best leg of darts so far this season. Here he hit 66, 180, 135 and 120 (out) for a superb 12-dart leg. Things could only go downhill after that. And they did as both players struggled to take the legs when the chance arose. Chris saw his 2-1 lead evaporate, going down eventually 4-2 — once again falling short of the winning post.

The final game in the division saw Chris “Joker” Royal unable to put away any of his chances at the double. This resulted in a comfortable 4-0 win for his opponent Derek Johnson who wrapped up the match by hitting a 180 in a 19-dart leg.

Lincs Racing Championship

Joint leader Darren Butler got the action under way. Although not at his best, he managed a 3-0 victory over lowly Kev Dickinson. He was joined again at the top by Mick Vinters after the latter wrapped up a 3-0 victory over Rob Scrupps, Mick hitting the division’s highest checkout on 100 in what turned out to be the final leg.

Redvers Dickinson’s slow start to the season has rapidly progressed in recent weeks. He confirmed a top five position by recording the division’s highest average, a 20.31 was easily enough to record a 3-0 victory over Pete Johnson.

Dick “Top-Pocket” Taylor was up next to face Mick Flynn. It was a case of déjà vu once again for Dick as he crashed to yet another 3-1 defeat, hence his present plight at the foot of the table with only one victory in nine attempts.

The night’s biggest benefactor was “The Fat Controller” Peter Reid. A hard-fought victory was achieved in a five-leg encounter with Rob Scrupps. After scraping a 3-2 win, he followed up with a 3-0 victory on his return to the oche in the final game of the night over a luckless Ben Carr.

Rob Birtwhistle was another who had to endure a five-leg match to maintain his high-flying position in the division as Mick Parker pushed Rob all the way before succumbing 3-2.

Two players with contrasting fortunes played next as Pedro Silva (on the up) clashed with Rick Woods (on the slide). Pedro came away with a 3-1 victory to maintain his progress while Rick has slumped 14 places after a run of defeats.

John Smith’s Challenge League

The withdrawal of Christine and Don Holmes due to relocation means that all points have been amended. Fortunately, it is early enough in the season to hopefully not affect the outcome. All players should note that Keith Dack has returned from injury to replace Christine Holmes.

Onto the night’s action and an all-lady encounter started the proceedings with Suzie Watson taking a 2-1 victory over highflying Sharon Butler. Emma Grant caused the shock result of the evening. The previously unbeaten Scott Lea came unstuck in his eighth match as Emma stunned him with a 2-1 win.

The “Dark Destroyer” Dennis Turner quickly got back the points he had taken away. Victories by 3-0 margins over Tracey Richardson (with a 15.33 average division’s highest) and later against Carla Slade quickly made amends. Dennis remains unbeaten after six matches and is still yet to drop a leg.

Louise Charalambou got off to a good start. She pushed Paul Limb all the way, going down narrowly by a 2-1 scoreline. Things got better, however, for Louise. With her coach on board, she gained her first 3-0 win of the season against Diane Jenkins.

In a mother-and-son battle it was mum who came out on top as Angie Upsall beat Adam Kemp 2-1. In doing so, Angie hit not only the night’s highest checkout but also set the season’s highest with a 90 checkout on the bull.

James Harmer opened up a four-point lead at the top after he gained a bloodless victory over Carla Slade. The final game of the night saw the winless and luckless Janine Timms stagger to the oche, in an attempt to calm her nerves and gain a win! However, “one too many” had the opposite effect and allowed Paul Limb to gain a comfortable 3-0 win.

q All committee members should note that the next meeting is on Friday November 3 at 7pm

Round-up for week ending October 13, 2006

League takes a one-week break

The Friday Night Individual Darts League will take an action break for October 20 to avoid a clash of interests with the Old Leake Darts League finals evening. Competition in the Boston Standard Premier Division, Lincs Racing Championship and John Smith’s Challenge League will resume on Friday October 27 with updates posted on this website a couple of days later. Keep logging on.

Boston Standard Premier Division

Tony Hillyard was this week’s big improver in the latest programme of action in the Friday Night Darts League. He opened up his first of two matches against Chris Kerbal when two 140s back-to-back in the first leg put him in command by taking a 1-0 lead. With Chris still struggling and still looking for his first win of the season, Tony was not in a generous mood. He produced 20, 16 and 19 dart legs, the latter including a 180 as he whitewashed Chris with a 25.70 average. In game two he faced stiffer opposition. Up against high-flying Ady Parker, Tony continued his impressive form hitting two 140s in an opening 16 dart leg. But Ady responded with scores of 140, 140, 121, 27 and 73 to level in 15 darts. Another brilliant leg from Ady saw him score 140, 100, 95, 134 and 32 out to go 2-1 up in 15 darts. Again Tony responded to draw level with an 18-dart leg and the game swung in Tony’s favour in leg five as he produced a 128 checkout to snatch the leg leaving Ady sat on a double. Both players missed doubles in what turned out to be the deciding leg as Tony secured a 4-2 win with the division’s highest average on the night hitting a 26.48 to Ady’s 24.80 in defeat.

Colin “Hit-Man” Hewson has regained some of the form after his enforced 18-month absence. Up against Derek Johnson, Colin hit 100, 140, 81, 60 and 120 out in a 15-dart leg that gave him a 4-1 victory with a 25.35 average moving him up to second in the table two points adrift of Martyn Palmer. The latter made it seven wins in a row against Kev Lenton. Although Kev played better than in recent weeks, Martyn was unchallenged at the double allowing him to take a 4-0 win with a 26.37 average.

Harry “Lottery” Lee once again struggled with too many yo-yo type scores and the lack of a double meant he was on the receiving end of a 4-0 whitewash for the third game in a row. Opponent Chris “Joker” Royal showed Harry how to do it by hitting 108, 54, 20 and 36 finishes to win comfortably!

The final game saw Chris Kerbal’s poor run extended to six games without a win as Richard Pearson wrapped up a 4-0 victory. Although Chris knows he is capable of better, he is at the minute struggling to find any form in his first season in the top flight.

Lincs Racing Championship

Darren Butler has moved back to the top of the division. He began the night well by hitting a 20.62 average in a 3-1 win over Rick Woods. But later in the evening he suffered his first defeat of the season when facing Rob Birtwhistle who continues to punch above his weight. Rob secured a 1-0 lead with a 66 checkout. And although both players missed chances at doubles in the remaining legs it was Rob who gained a 3-1 victory. Darren put his defeat down to too much “pop”. But in truth doubles generally cost you a game — as it did in this case!

Kev Dickinson belied his position in the table by producing the division’s best average in a 3-0 win over Rick Woods. The game was concluded in a 17-dart leg giving him a 21.16 average to move him up four places.

Mick Vinters moved up to gain a share of the lead on 22 points after he fought back from 1-0 down against Mick Flynn. Mick secured the lead with an 84 checkout (division’s highest) and in truth he should have held a 2-0 advantage. But 21 darts all went astray at a double allowing Vinters to come back from 286 to draw level. The game swung from that point and it was Mick who gained a 3-1 win.

Mick Parker returned from injury to beat Ben Carr in an early season six-pointer. Mick gained a 3-1 win over Ben to leapfrog his rival in the table — although he still remains in the bottom three! Dick “Top-Pocket” Taylor still remains at the foot of the table. He seems unable to pick up more then one point at a time at the moment. This resulted in his fourth consecutive 3-1 defeat. He went down to Pedro Silva who also seems a little out of form compared to last season. Dick would still surely swap Pedro’s WLWL form sequence in his last four compared to his own LLLL!

Daley Richardson featured in the highest game average as he clashed with Mick Flynn. Daley’s 20.76 average was topped by Mick who hit a 20.86 on his way to securing a 3-1 win as Daley once again failed to take his chances! Daley also featured in the final game in the division. Up against Pete Johnson the pair needed all five legs to find a winner. As it turned out, Pete produced by far the best leg of the match in the decider taking it in 20 darts to secure a 3-2 win.

John Smith’s Challenge League

James Harmer had to work hard to gain two victories on the night. He produced the division’s best performance by hitting a 19.51 average to gain a 3-0 win over Adam Kemp. Game two, however, was a different story as the much-improved Louise Charalambou pushed the table-topper all the way with James thankful for a double one escape that gave him a 2-1 victory!

Some criticism inspired Suzie Watson this week. She began with a 2-1 win over Don Holmes and followed up later in the evening to gain a double by beating Carla Slade also 2-1.

A rare occurrence happened next as Emma Grant managed to gain a 3-0 win up against Louise Charalambou. While her coach has seen a much improved performance in her scoring prowess, it’s the doubles that continue to let her down!

Janine Timms has also sought advice and some improvement was there on Friday. But it was not enough to stop high-flying Sharon Butler completing a 3-0 victory, a result that sent Janine to another luckless defeat.

Scott Lea is one of two players to remain unbeaten this season. However, this looked under threat when doubles went astray allowing opponent Richard Attwell to steal a 1-0 lead. But Scott hit back to make it eight victories in a row by gaining a 2-1 win.

Carla Slade returned to the oche and had chances to take at least two legs off senior citizen George Harness. But this failed to materialise. There was no doubting George’s class when hitting the bull for a 71 checkout to gain a 3-0 win.

Angie Upsall got back to winning ways. She trailed Susan Games 1-0 before coming back to win 2-1.

The final game of the night saw Paul Limb struggle to overcome Di Jenkins. With the first two legs shared, Paul had to up his game to secure a 2-1 win over a resilient Di.

Round-up for week ending October 6, 2006

Boston Standard Premier Division

There’s a new leader in the top section after Martyn Palmer produced the performance of the night on Friday to cruise past Dave Hasnip. Martyn was in fine form to swiftly put Dave on the receiving end of a 4-0 thumping! Martyn recorded the division’s top average of 27.08.

Colin “Hit-Man” Hewson continues to improve each week two 17-dart legs which included a 96 checkout (the division’s highest) gave him a 25.79 average on his way to a comfortable 4-0 win against Harry “Lottery” Lee who continues to constantly hit scores found on a ticket!

Another 4-0 winner was Ady Parker up against Kev “Grinder” Lenton. After giving Kev an opportunity at a double in the opening leg (which Kev failed to take), Ady never gave his rival a second chance to reach an out shot in the remaining three legs to win at a canter!

After only managing four wins all season last year and struggling towards the bottom of the league, Bob Mountain is much improved this season. He notched his sixth straight win when gaining a 4-1 victory over Shane Richardson to join Martyn Palmer at the top on 24 points.

A seven leg battle took place between Debra Royal and Tony Hillyard. Tony led 1-0 but then found himself 2-1 down as Deb produced an 18-dart leg. Tony fought back, hitting two 18 dart legs to regain the lead at 3-2. But it was Deb who went on to record her second win of the season by a 4-3 scoreline.

Richard Pearson then rounded off Harry “Lottery” Lee’s miserable night. Scores from Harry of 41, 22, 26, 43, 24 and 45 at regular throws gave him little chance of winning, but it might have won him a tenner on the Lotto! This allowed Richard to win unchallenged with a 4-0 scoreline.

Graham Sharp was pushed all the way as girlfriend Deb Royal refused to give in without a fight. Graham went into a 2-0 lead but Deb hit back with 19 and 17-dart legs to draw level at 2-2 in a leg that also saw Graham hit his seventh maximum of the season to no avail. Deb looked set to go in to a 3-2 lead, but nine darts failed to find a double. This allowed Graham to pinch a 3-2 lead before once again going on to snatch a 4-2 win after Deb had missed her chance.

The final game of the evening was a dour encounter as Chris “Joker” Royal and Richard Pearson clashed. It was Chris who was still smiling after a 4-2 win.

Lincs Racing Championship

With Darren Butler not in action, it gave Dan Martin a chance to go top. He faced high-flying Rob Birtwhistle. Dan went in to 2-0 lead. But Rob produced a 92 checkout in leg three only for Dan to wrap up a 3-1 win with a 20 dart leg, the best of the match!

Dick “Top-Pocket” Taylor’s miserable run continues he went down 3-1 to fellow struggler Kev Dickinson in this early season relegation battle. Redvers Dickinson moved up the table in to fourth after a 20.04 average was enough to give him a 3-0 win against Mick Flynn.

Pete Reid produced the division’s best average at 20.59. It was enough to overcome the struggling Kev Dickinson by a 3-0 margin. Pete was unable to produce that form later in the evening when Pete Johnson gained a 3-1 victory with a 19.62 average to Pete’s 16.43 in defeat.

Nathan Richardson whitewashed Adie Blackham as both players struggled to find their doubles. Had Adie found at least one, the outcome may have been slightly different! Rob Scrupps capitalised on Daley Richardson’s poor working out on a finish to wrap up a 3-1 win in style, hitting a 92 checkout with two darts.

Adie Blackham got back to winning ways in a re-arranged game with Ben Carr. The latter hit the division’s top checkout of 111 to go in to a 2-1 lead. But missed doubles meant a lengthy five-leg encounter that Adie took to win 3-2. The final game of the night also went the distance. Pedro Silva looked set for a shock win against high-flying Mick Vinters. But Mick hit back to snatch a 3-2 win, moving him up in to second place in the table.

John Smith’s Challenge League

Dennis Turner was not in action but he will be pleased to know he still tops the table after Friday night’s action. His nearest challenger, the previously unbeaten James Harmer lost his first game thus far going down 2-1 to Scott Lea as the latter produced the division’s top average of 14.18. Scott was in fine form and a 3-0 win followed later against Angie Upsall. This was Scott’s seventh straight victory taking him to second place.

Emma Grant was a little under the weather and she came away from the oche against Paul Limb feeling no better as Paul beat Emma 2-1. Janine Timms continues to be winless. In an all-lady encounter against Di Jenkins, she went down 2-1. The high point of the game was a 71 checkout (finishing on the bull) that gave Janine a consolation point at least and the highest checkout in the division — something she would, no doubt, exchange for a win.

George Harness made it six wins from seven games. A narrow 2-1 win over Adam Kemp keeps him in the top three. After hitting the division’s first 180, Paul Limb hit another this week. However, it failed to stop him losing 2-1 to Richard Attwell. High-flying Sharon Butler was unable to maintain her excellent start. A 2-1 defeat against Don Holmes means she slips to fourth in the table, but she is still the leading lady!

An all-lady encounter took a while to find a winner as Christine Holmes and Tina Willicombe struggled at the double. Thankfully Tina was 2-0 up when the third leg went to Christine after a double one marathon!

Richard Attwell concluded the division’s action. Up against the much improved Louise Charalambou it was Louise who gained a shock 2-1 win as Richard clearly struggles against ladies having previously also lost to Emma Grant.