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STAFFSMART SINGLES

SUPER DARTS LEAGUE

 

Latest reports from the 2007-2008 season in the
Staffsmart Singles Super League are:  

 

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Season 2007-2008

 

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On The Oche: reports by Colin Hewson
Latest tables 2007-2008

Round-up for June 24

 

QUEEN OF SPADES SIGNS UP ‘THE POWER’
The world champion of darts is set to hit the Queen of Spades in June 2009 as Phil “The Power” Taylor will be in town to present the awards for the Queen of Spades Premier League and the Staffsmart Super League singles competitions. He will also be playing the top six finishers from both divisions in an end-of-season exhibition. At Friday night’s annual meeting, organisers agreed to also maintain their high standards by not increasing subscriptions of £2 per week. And, should each division reach a minimum of 16 entrants, the prize money will also stay the same as last year, meaning a total of £3,000 will once again be up for grabs. The top award will once again be the £500 first prize for the Staffsmart League champion. On top of this, a new award has been created with a £50 top prize for an 11-dart leg. This will roll over season after season if not initially achieved with the ultimate goal being that magical nine-dart leg with a massive jackpot! Closing date for entries to reach the Queen of Spades for the new campaign is Friday August 15, 2008 with both leagues set to start action on Friday September 12. Entry forms will be available at the Standard and Target newspaper offices or pop in to headquarters at the Queen of Spades to fill in an entry form.

 

Annual meeting news

 

The Staffsmart Super League and the Queen of Spades Premier League and will be holding their annual meeting at the Queen of Spades on Friday June 20, 2008 starting at 8.00pm. The Friday night league is looking to increase its prize money for next season. Anyone with an interest in joining the committee, or any of last season’s existing players with proposed rule changes, should attend the meeting.

 

Round-up for May 2

 

CAMPAIGN AT ITS CONCLUSION

 

The conclusion of the Staffsmart Super League was reached on Friday night. With Graham McFarland already crowned champion, the battle was on for the other places. Shane Parker needed two wins to oust landlord Colin Hewson from the runner-up spot. In game one against Richard Pearson, it was Richard who made the better start by taking the opening leg to lead 1-0. But Shane quickly got his game together and turned things around with 18 and 21 dart legs to lead at 2-1. Richard then produced his best leg of darts in the match to restore parity once again at 2-2. It was Shane, though, who was able to raise his game further and a 23-dart leg made it 3-2. That was followed by a 180 (his 13th of the season) in a 17-dart leg to secure a 4-2 win. Game two was against Nicky Murphy and he made a blistering start by securing a 1-0 lead in just 15 darts with a 131 checkout. It was soon 3-0 before Nicky got a chance at a double, hitting a 79 checkout to make it 3-1. It was to be just a consolation point, though, as Shane secured a 4-1 win and the runners-up spot with a 25.89 average. Mick Ray was next to the oche and he was also after a closing double to pinch third place. A 4-0 win against Andy Cammack gave him the best possible start, but Richard Spicer played next and he too could have thrown himself into contention with a win up against Chris Ray. The pair made a poor start with a 36-dart double one debacle going to Chris for a shock 1-0 lead. It was vintage “old spice” after that, as a 180 was hit and four quick fire legs of 16, 17, 18 and 20 darts gave him a 28.22 average for the last four legs to secure a 4-1 win for Richard. Chris was soon back in action against Darren Butler who himself needed to win to grab a top six place to enable him play Martin Adams on May 16. And a 4-2 win gave him that. It meant the final game of the season between Mick Ray and Darren Butler still had some significance, with the pressure off Darren, Mick knew he needed to end with a win to displace both Colin Hewson and Richard Spicer who were both ahead of him, Darren though made the best possible start winning three legs out of the first four with 20,16 and 23 dart legs giving him the advantage, The response from Mick had to come and it did a 17 dart leg made it 3-2 and 20 darts later it was 3-3. Setting up a tense decider, both reached a double in unison with Darren needing 76 he hit treble 20 but two darts missed double eight, allowing Mick the golden chance to win and grab third spot! Sadly he missed his intended out-shot on 50 to leave double eight and Darren struck the killer blow hitting double eight with his final arrow. Both players hit 24-plus averages as Darren won 4-3 to leave Mick in fifth place a point off third and only leg difference stopped him from finishing in fourth.

Presentation night will be at the Queen of Spades on Friday May 16 when all league sponsors and Martin “Wolfie “ Adams will be presenting awards, followed by an exhibition against the top six players in each division,

Stats:
Champion, G McFarland (£500); runner-up, S Parker (£350); third, C Hewson (£250); fourth, R Spicer (£150); fifth, M Ray (£90); sixth, D Butler (£65); seventh, A Parker (£45); wooden spoon, N Murphy (£30); most 180s, S Parker 13 (£30); lowest leg, S Parker 12 darts (£25); top average, G McFarland 29.47 (£20), top checkout, R Pearson 157 (£25).

 

Round-up for April 18

 

BUTLER-BREWSTER GRABS TITLE

The conclusion of the Queen of Spades Premier Darts League was reached on Friday night with the top six places being decided on the final night’s action. A 3-1 win for Mark Butler-Brewster over Sharon Butler saw him secure top spot and the £280 first prize. Sharon, though, was not too despondent as she had secured a top five finish and took the leading lady award which will see her pick up £105 in prize money and a game along with the top six finishers against Martin “Wolfie” Adams on the May 16 at the Queen of Spades. Runner-up and £190 went to Nathan Richardson after a 3-1 win over youngster Ryan Austin cemented his place. Ray Gregory finished third, picking up £100 after a 3-0 win over Andy Holland and Keith Dack in fourth spot will pick up £70 after a 3-1 win over James Beeson. At the other end of the table, Damo Lawson will pick up a pound per leg as a consolation for finishing with the wooden spoon as he lost his final game to Andy Holland 3-1. The final two games in the division also had significant importance and both featured John Paul Carney. A cracking five-leg battle against James Beeson saw John Paul hit a 180 but James hit back with the division’s best checkout of the season with a terrific 170 checkout on the bull, although John Paul won the match 3-2. It left that all-important final qualifying place in the top six still available but John Paul had to beat youngster Ryan Austin. At just 13 years old he has improved significantly this season resulting in the nickname of “Little Power” by some of his older peers who can see a potential star of the future. In a tense match, it was Ryan who took the spoils with a 3-1 win to nick sixth spot and face “Wolfie” in three weeks’ time. Other awards go to: M Butler-Brewster for a 24.63 average, K Dack most 180s and the lowest dart leg in 14 darts; top checkout, J Beeson 170

STAFFSMART SUPER LEAGUE TITLE GOES TO GRAHAM
Although there is officially two weeks remaining. Graham McFarland has won the title and the £500 first prize after he overcame his final obstacle in the guise of second placed Colin Hewson 4-3 on Friday night. A top quality match went the distance as Colin fought back from 2-0 down to draw level with a 101 checkout. In response, Graham then produced a 126 checkout on the bull to lead again. But once again Colin levelled at 3-3. Graham went on to secure the win 4-3 with a 26.96 average, leaving Colin with a 25.64 average and  unable to defend second place any  further as both Shane Parker and Mick Ray will look to pinch second spot. The other action saw Richard Spicer shoot up to third spot after a hard fought 4-3 win over Nicky Murphy. But he, too, is in danger of being overhauled by Shane and Mick.

 

Round-up for April 11
 

No league reports, but tables are fully updated.

 
Round-up for April 4
 

No league reports, but tables are fully updated.

 

Round-up for March 28

 

No league reports, but tables are fully updated.

 

Round-up for March 7

 

SUPER DARTS IN SUPER LEAGUE


This week’s action in the Staffsmart Super League lived up to its billing once again as the action hots up —with four maximum 180s hit, two 14-dart legs and four players recording 25.00 averages. The standard was top quality. Game one saw Shane Parker take on Andy Cammack. The former opened with scores of 140, 99, 140, 97 and 25 (out) to go 1-0 up in 15 darts. Leg two was won in 21 darts. By the time leg three had arrived Shane had secured a 3-0 lead with scores of 140, 60, 60, 180 and 61 (out) for a superb 14-dart leg. The pace continued to be hot and Shane left himself the magical 170 out-shot only to narrowly miss the bull. Andy, to his credit, grabbed the leg to cut the deficit to 3-1 but Shane went on to wrap up the match 4-1 with a 27.44 average to set the early standard for the rest to follow. Richard Spicer narrowly failed to beat Shane’s average as he beat Adie Parker 4-1 with a 26.55 average. The highlight in this match was leg two which saw Richard hit scores of 100, 140, 100, 87 and 74 (out) for a 15-dart leg. Colin Hewson (second) faced Mick Ray (fourth) with Colin making a blistering start as he raced into a 3-0 lead with 14, 17 and 18-dart legs giving him a 30.93 average for three legs. Although the pace slackened slightly with Mick taking leg four, a 180 from Colin secured the win 4-1 with a 26.78 average. The 180s kept coming. Chris Ray hit one against table-topper Graham McFarland in a brief show of resistance as Graham eventually ran out a 4-1 winner. Colin Hewson was back in action against Andy Cammack and this time his finishing was red hot as checkouts on 96, 72, 40 and 97 saw him record a 4-0 win with a 24.44 average. The final game of the night saw a battle of two of the big guns as Shane Parker and Richard Spicer clashed. Richard lived up to his name and was too hot for Shane a 180 and a 28.38 average included two 15-dart legs and a 104 checkout as Richard had clearly saved his best until last in a 4-1 win.

Queen of Spades Premier Division

Two youngsters kicked off the action in the Queen of Spades Premier Division as Ryan Austin and James Beeson clashed. Ryan, it was, who played the better darts to take a 3-0 win. Keith Dack can bemoan his own lack of form on doubles but in his game with Sharon Butler he came off second best much to Sharon’s credit in a tight five leg encounter Sharon took the spoils deservedly so 3-2. Second and third played next but by the time Ray Gregory and Nathan Richardson had finished the positions were reversed as Nathan grabbed a 3-2 win to climb above Ray. The top average in this division came from Jon Paul Carney in yet another five-leg encounter a 17.60 average just gave him the edge 3-2 against Andy Holland. Mick Parker once again came unstuck on doubles and a lack of consistency saw him go down 3-2 to Wendy Hitchen as Wendy flies the flag along with Sharon for the ladies. A dire match followed, in which yours truly had the pleasure of marking Damo Lawson somehow found himself 2-0 up against best mate James Beeson. But by the end of the marathon, James had turned the game around to win 3-2, leaving Damo pleased he had won two legs for the first time in ages. The final game saw the ladies return to play each other and it was Sharon who came away with a 3-1 win to climb the table and move within five points of grabbing the top lady prize and a match against Martin “Wolfie” Adams on May 16.

 

Round-up for February 29

 

TOP FOUR SETTLE DOWN TO BATTLE
The destination of the top prize of £500 is not yet clear as the top four players start to show their class in the Staffsmart Super League, This week’s action saw A top of the table clash between Graham McFarland and Mick Ray. Not many players beat Mick, with only one defeat in 12 matches up to this particular night. But to beat him as emphatically as Graham did was a pleasure to watch with some brilliant darts thrown. Leg one saw Graham hit a 16-dart opening leg to lead 1-0 and two 140s followed by 121 soon made it 2-0. Mick left 36 in leg three but Graham saw off tops first to make it 3-0. Leg four turned out to be the final of the match as Graham hit 60, 60, 100 and 180 before checking out on 101 for a 15-dart leg and the whitewash was complete with a 28.23 average to Mick’s 25.38 in defeat. Shane Parker also flexed his muscles, hitting a180 in a 17-dart leg at the start of his match against Darren Butler. But at 2-0 down Darren produced his best leg to make it 2-1 hitting 140, 100, 100, 97, 32 and 32 (out) for a 17-dart leg of his own. Shane maintained his form, though, leaving Darren behind in the next two legs to run out a 4-1 winner. After a hectic opening couple of matches the tempo dropped a little Richard Pearson took a 1-0 lead against back from his hols Andy Cammack but the sunshine break has rejuvenated Andy and he took four legs on the trot to win 4-1. Richard looked set for a miserable night when he was soon back in action against Chris Ray. A “madhouse” debacle ended leg one in Chris’s favour after 43 darts. And he was soon 2-0 down. But leg three saw Richard produce something like his best scoring of 140, 136, 80, 60, 65 and 20 (out) for a 17-dart leg to make it 2-1. But he gifted Chris leg four by missing doubles and found himself 3-1 down and up against it. Somehow he found reserves and clawed his way back to steal a 4-3 win. Another seven-legger followed this, as Andy Cammack caused a stir by pushing table-topper Graham McFarland all the way. But a 19-dart leg saved the day for Graham as he won 4-3. It was left to Shane Parker to end the action as it had started this time two 180s were recorded taking his tally to 11 as he gained a 4-1 win over Nicky Murphy. Nicky’s consolation was a 17-dart leg ironically the best of the match but not enough to holt a rampant Shane who moved up to third spot.

BUTLER-BREWSTER SERVES IT UP
Long-time leader Keith Dack’s dip in form at the doubles has continued in recent weeks, dropping him out of the top three and it raised its ugly head again on Friday night in the Queen of Spades Premier Division as he faced the new leader Mark Butler-Brewster. In a game he needed to win to maintain his title aspirations, he found himself on the receiving end of yet another defeat. Fifteen darts at a double did little to boost his morale as Mark took the match 3-0 with a 19.27 average. John Paul Carney had a good night by belying his position in the table, facing stiff matches against Ray Gregory (second) and Wendy Hitchen (fifth) it looked a difficult feat to achieve a double on the night. But game one was won 3-2 followed later by a 3-1 win over Wendy in game two. Mick Parker though did have a bad day at the office crushing 3-0 defeats to Andy Holland and Ray Gregory left him just clinging on to that final “Wolfie Adams” place in mid-table having played more games than any other player around him. Finally Nathan Richardson was made to work hard to overcome the battling Sharon Butler. With a big slice of lady luck he scraped home for a 3-2 win to stay in third place seven points adrift of Mark.

 

Round-up for February 22

 

TOP TWO EXTEND THE GAP
The action was once again limited in the Staffsmart Super League due to a competition being held at the Bricklayers Arms at Wrangle. Landlord of the Queen of Spades, Colin Hewson, got the action under way. And, up against Adie Parker, it was Colin who maintained his recent good run of form to take a 1-0 lead. Adie hit back well to go 2-1 up, but three quick legs of 18, 19 and 17 darts saw Colin to victory with a 24.43 average to briefly go top. He was overhauled by Graham McFarland who also reached the 50 points total for the season with a 4-1 win over Adie Parker to conclude a miserable night for Adie. This enabled Graham to regain pole position on legs difference. The only other game to take place was between Richard Pearson and Nicky Murphy. This turned out to be a seven-leg encounter that saw Richard throw away a 3-1 lead allowing Nicky to stage a comeback and nick a 4-3 win.

BUTLER-BREWSTER SETS NEW HIGH
The highest average in the Queen of Spades Premier Division now stands at 24.63 after Friday night’s action with Mark Butler-Brewster setting the pace. He did a demolition job on youngster Ryan Austin when rattling in quick fire legs of 23, 19 and 19 darts to gain a 3-0 win and stay top of the league. Keith Dack got back to winning ways against the luckless Damo Lawson. The latter seized his chance to make it 1-1 early doors as Keith missed doubles and as usual he reached double one. Once again he failed to hit the elusive “madhouse” but he managed to get his finishing skills back for legs three and four to run out a 3-1 winner. Mick Parker had a win this week. His up-and-down season has so far has yielded him five wins from 15 matches, a similar story to his opponent James Beeson. The underlying reason for this is clearly “doubles-trouble.” This time, though, Mick hit them as James floundered, resulting in a 3-0 win in Mick’s favour. Finally youngster Ryan Austin was quickly back to winning ways with a hard fought five-leg encounter with Wendy Hitchen. Both players were playing well but Ryan sneaked home 3-2.

****
The youth and guardian, pool and darts competition gets under way this Monday (February 25). First throw and break-off is 7.15pm. A total of 14 pairs have entered with spaces for a couple more any interested parties who should contact the Queen of Spades to pursue their interest.

 

Round-up for February 15

 

BUTLER BOUNCES BACK
Very little action took place this week with only a handful of games played in the Staffsmart Super League. First to the oche was landlord Colin Hewson to play Darren Butler. It was Darren who struck first with an 80 checkout to lead 1-0. Colin’s response was immediate when hitting four consecutive tons with a 88 checkout for a 17-dart leg to draw level. He continued his good form and added the next three legs to run out a 4-1 winner with a 23.61 average. Adie Parker faced Richard Pearson in the next match. The latter failed to produce any sort of form at all, and although Adie was not at his best he comfortably took a bloodless 4-0 victory with a 21.78 average. Darren Butler made a swift return in the final game in the division to take on Nicky Murphy with Nicky full of confidence after a couple of victories last week it should have been a closer encounter than it was. But missed doubles proved costly and spoiled both players’ averages as Darren won 4-1, the highlight being a 17-dart leg that contained two 180s.

SHARON HOLDS THE UPPER HAND
A debate on who’s the best in the Butler household must take place each week in Queen of Spades Premier Division spheres. While hubby Darren was getting beaten on board one, wife Sharon was playing alongside against Mick Parker. She dropped the opening leg to trail 1-0 but she was soon on level terms, only to go behind again at 2-1. By the end of five legs of darts, though, she had turned the game around in her favour to gain a 3-2 win and fly the flag once again for the Butler clan! And with sons Brett and Sean both on the horizon after just competing in the youth league, you could say the rivalry is set to intensify further. Game two saw table topper Mark Butler-Brewster in action and a 19.52 average gave him a 3-0 win over James Beeson to end a curtailed programme.

ACTION SET TO GET UNDER WAY
The first games of the youth pool and darts with a guardian league gets under way on Monday February 25, first game starting at 7-15 pm. With a mixture of dads, granddads and mums playing with sons and daughters, the rivalry should be good for the youngsters. One place, however, does still remain and there is a chance for anyone interested to fill the void.

 

Round-up for February 8

 

RED HOT SPICER
The game of the night in the Staffsmart Super League was a hot contest between Richard Spicer and the ‘Hitman’ Colin Hewson. A cracking first leg saw Richard take the leg against the throw as Colin missed 105 allowing Richard to take a 1-0 lead with a 117 checkout. Colin tried to hit straight back with scores of 100, 123 and 140 to leave just 138 for a 12-darter, but he missed the checkout again and left tops. This gave Richard encouragement and a 140 from him gave him a chance of a 116 checkout to lead 2-0 he missed but so did Colin and it was 2-0. Up against it, Colin hit a 180 in leg three in 16 darts to make it 2-1. But leg four saw Richard hit 100, 137, 125 and 87 before making a mess of his finish to leave just 6. Although Colin replied with 100, 123, 140 and 98 to leave tops he never returned to have a throw as Richard increased his lead to 3-1 with a 15-dart leg. The fireworks continued in leg five as Colin hit another 180 followed by 118 and 100 but Richard’s reply was awesome. Scores of 125, 125, 131, 80 followed by tops with one dart gave him the win in just 13 darts. His 4-1 win was achieved with a 29.44 average to Colin’s 27.93 in defeat. Nicky Murphy gained a good 4-1 win over Chris Ray with the pair due to meet again later in a re-arranged game the chance of revenge would soon come Chris’s way. Graham McFarland warmed up for his double header with a 4-2 win over Richard Spicer this time Richard went down tamely with a 22.55 average, all he could muster against Graham’s 23.89 although he did not have it all his own way in game two as Darren Butler made him fight all the way for the win. Darren led 1-0 and 2-1 but each time Graham drew level when he took a 3-2 lead for the first time in the match Darren must have feared the worst but after 18 darts it was 3-3. A 17-dart leg gave Graham a 4-3 win to move to the top of the table. Chris Ray returned with thoughts of revenge against Nicky Murphy but Nicky had other ideas and whitewashed Chris 4-0 for a good night’s work. Finally Adie Parker and Darren Butler figured in a seven-leg encounter. If Darren is to add to his tally of just one win he needs to pay more attention to his finishes. Two legs went astray because of percentage shots rather than having a dart at the double. It gave Adie the chance to lead at 3-1 and although Darren levelled at 3-3 Adie took the win 4-3. The committee have lost patience with the AWOL Trev Day in this division and Maria Baptie in the other division and have expelled both for none attendance. All points have been adjusted accordingly.

DOUBLE TROUBLE BRINGS KEITH CRASHING DOWN
Long time leader Keith Dack has dropped out of the top three in the Queen of Spades Premier Division for the first time this season as a night of missed doubles resulted in a 3-0 defeat to John Paul Carney. Double one brought about the defeat causing a reverse result of their first encounter. This allowed the chasing pack to overhaul the long time leader. Nathan Richardson picked up maximum points as 3-0 victories came against James Beeson and Damo Lawson. Ray Gregory also leap-frogged Keith after he gained a 3-0 win over Sharon Butler, this scoreline was a little flattering, though, as Sharon missed several attempts at doubles in all three legs for a shock result in her favour. Wendy Hitchen is perhaps one of the most improved players in the league despite trailing 1-0 to James Beeson she played well to battle back and turn the game around in to a 3-1 win. Finally the youngster nicknamed ‘little power’ Ryan Austin for his stance, throw and ability to stack his darts not dissimilar to the former world champion at just 14 years gave Andy Holland little chance as he raced to a 3-0 win.

YOUTH LEAGUE

Anyone wishing to enter the new youth darts and pool league with a guardian should contact the Queen of Spades on 369160.

 

Round-up for February 1

 

ALL CHANGE AT THE TOP
The untimely withdrawal of Shane Richardson before the half-way point had been completed has meant that all points have been expunged once again. This has put a different complexion on things at the top of the Staffsmart Super League. After Friday night’s action Mick Ray now heads the division after he beat Nicky Murphy by a 4-1 scoreline. Mick took a 1-0 lead in the match only to watch Nicky reply with a 180 in leg two to draw level at 1-1 the difference though between the two players once again came down to doubles as it so often does Mick put his chances away leaving Nicky sat on 58 and 44 as Mick took three legs without reply to win. It moved Mick five points ahead of his nearest rival Shane Parker and 11 points clear of the top five players who all have games in hand. Richard Pearson is improving all the time he registered two 180s in his match with Darren Butler as he ran out a 4-1 winner, despite the scoreline it could have been a lot closer contest had Darren found his finishing skills. The final game in a curtailed programme saw Adie Parker beat Nicky Murphy 4-1 to consolidate his mid-table position, it left Nicky on the wrong end of the result for the second time in the evening

NEW LEADER AT THE TOP
A new name has reached the top of the Queen of Spades Premier Division as long-time leader Keith Dack has finally been overhauled! Despite winning 3-1 against his brother Mick Parker, a couple of recent 3-1 losses have now taken their toll as Mark Butle-Brewster moved to the top. Game one for Mark looked a big clash up against third placed Ray Gregory and so it proved as Ray took a deserved 2-0 lead. Leg three was a nightmare for Ray as he failed with 12 darts to put away the required 13 to eventually leave mad-house this was to prove oh so costly as Mark had really gifted Ray the opportunity because he had also found a spot of double trouble!  He had already missed 12 darts at a double and a further 14 darts were needed before 7 was hit to take leg three, this seamed to give Mark a lift and 100, 100, 100, 45 and a 140 left him needing just 16 in leg four. Despite busting and splitting double eight, he managed to draw level at 2-2 the great escape was complete with a 3-2 win both players were soon back in action as Mark returned to beat Damo Lawson 3-0 a result that moved him two points clear at the top albeit briefly as Ray recorded a 3-0 win with a 19.03 average over youngster Ryan Austin to move into second spot just a point behind. The youngsters are all playing well in this division and the improvement is there for all to see James Beeson reaped his reward for consistency as he fought back from 1-0 down to beat Andy Holland 3-1. Andy’s night ended on yet another low once again when he returned to the oche this time he failed to even register a consolation point as Wendy Hitchen proved the stronger going onto win the match by a 3-0 scoreline to shoot up the table into fifth place, finally Nathan Richardson had to come from behind against John Paul Carney trailing 1-0 he needed a 110 checkout to get himself in front at 2-1 before going on to wrap up a 3-1 victory and take fourth place.

YOUTH LEAGUE SUCCESS
The Youth League has reached its conclusion at the Queen of Spades. The winner, Ben White, only lost one game. Runner-up was Scott Bates third was Ryan Austin and Fourth Daniel Austin. One 180 was hit by James Beeson and the lads shared £110 pounds in prize money. Such has been the success of the youth league that it will begin again at the Queen of Spades on Monday nights in February with a slight twist, darts and pool are being played this time with mums and dads, even granddads, being able to play in a pairs format. There are only a limited number of places available for details contact the pub HQ.

COUNTY BOOST SURVIVAL HOPES

Lincolnshire County Darts gave themselves some hope of avoiding relegation from Division One of the Inter-Counties League, this weekend at the Suncastle in Skegness with a thumping 21-15 win over Buckinghamshire. Lincs got off to their usual bad start with the ladies B squad losing 5-1. Thankfully, the men’s B repaired the damage with a 10-2 win. On Sunday the ladies A drew 3-3 and the men’s A won 7-5, with three bonus points for the win it gave Lincolnshire an overall win by 24-15.

 

Round-up for January 25

 

PARKER BATTLES OUT THRILLER
Staffsmart Super League

Shane Parker faced one of his stiffest tasks on Friday night as he attempts to hold on to the lead of the Staffsmart Super League. Up against Graham McFarland, this was a thriller of the highest quality. A 180 from Graham in a opening 18 dart leg put him 1-0 up but Shane’s reply was of the highest order. In leg two Shane hit scores of 180, 60, 180 and 81 (out) to register a 12-dart leg to draw level at 1-1. A more sedate leg of 21 darts put Shane 2-1 up but then it was Graham’s turn to produce a superb leg as he drew level scores of 100, 123, 140, 98 and 40 (out) gave him a 14 dart leg. Leg five saw little between both players until Shane hit a 119 checkout to go back in front at 3-2. Not to be outdone, Graham hit a 50 checkout to force the decider which saw Shane hold his form to take the match with a 19 dart leg. Graham had lost 4-3 with a 26.65 average while Shane took the honours with a 25.79 average. Richard Spicer is up in to second place after a couple of wins. Game one saw him record a 4-2 win over Richard Pearson. Although he had trailed 1-0 and 2-1, he played the steadier darts to come back and win with a 24.20 average. He went better in game two, this time recording a 25.28 average against Darren Butler, the highlight being the final leg. Already 3-1 up, he hit 100, 100, 100 and 83 before ending it with a 118 checkout. Mick Ray has slipped to third place, although he does have a game in hand he will have to play a lot better than he did against son Chris if he is to stay in contention a 19.09 average gave him a 4-0 win easily enough but legs of 27, 19, 32 and 27 darts will get punished against better opposition. The top five have opened up a nine point gap with Graham McFarland (fourth) and Colin Hewson (fifth). Neither were in action so they too have a game in hand on the leaders. The final game in the division saw the luckless Trev Day stretch his losing sequence to 13 matches. It’s unlucky for some! It was for Trev he could only manage a 15.68 average against Andy Cammack with the score at 2-2 Andy found another gear leaving Trev on 230 and 243 in the closing two legs to run out a 4-2 winner.

KEITH SUFFERS A RARE LOSS
Queen of Spades Premier Division

Long time Leader Keith Dack is now coming under attack from the chasing pack this despite an excellent start to his campaign his first game saw him take on a star of the future young Ryan Austin. And he had to pull out all the stops to keep the teenager at bay. Leading 1-0, Keith hit a 132 checkout in leg two to go 2-0 up but still the youngster kept pressing and gained his reward by taking leg three to make it 2-1. Keith knew he was in a game and responded with a 180 in leg four to take him clear, leaving 66 which he checked out on to win 3-1 with a 22.00 average to Ryan’s 18.54 in defeat. The youngster returned later and once again played well beating Sharon Butler 3-1 with a 19.41 average. John Paul Carney and Damo Lawson struggled to find any consistency as double trouble wrecked leg one. After 128 darts thrown in the leg both players still wanted three. To John Paul’s relief he found “mad-house” to lead 1-0. By the end of the match Jon Paul had found his finishing skills, hitting a 110 checkout to wrap up a 3-0 win. Wendy Hitchen warmed up for her double header as she faced the top two players. Game one was against Mark Butler-Brewster she trailed 2-0 having not sighted a double. But when she did in leg three, she failed to take her chance going down 3-0. However, this was not the case in game two against Keith Dack. Checkouts on 54, 32 and 40 gave her a shock 3-1 win over the leader. Mick Parker was once again left kicking himself. He was 2-0 up against Nathan Richardson but was unable to get to the winning line as Nathan staged a comeback. A 21 dart leg made it 2-1 and two scrappy legs followed that both went to Nathan as he somehow escaped with a 3-2 win to stay in fourth place. Maria Baptie’s return to action was not a winning one she lost 3-1 to James Beeson and then was played off the board by “Little Power” Ryan Austin a 20.04 average giving Ryan a 3-0 win and it concluded a miserable night once again for Maria winless in (nine). Finally James Beeson toed the oche against Ray Gregory but he was unable to make it a double on the night going down 3-0 to highflying Ray who sits in third place.

 

Round-up for January 18

 

Staffsmart Super League

Mick Ray suffered his first defeat in 11 matches on Friday night as Richard Spicer produced some of his best darts to date in the Staffsmart Premier Division to topple the leader. Leg one saw Mick leave 152, which he narrowly missed. He scored 120 to leave 32. It proved costly as Richard hit 71 to steal a 1-0 lead. A superb 135 checkout on the bull then put Richard 2-0 up, a 94 checkout helped to continue the rout as he cruised into a 3-0 lead. And although Mick took leg four to make it 3-1, it was to be a mere consolation as Richard hit scores of 100, 140, 90, 131 and 40 (out) for a 15-dart leg, giving him a 24.55 dart average. Shane Parker moved to the top of the table despite suffering an early set-back on the night up against Colin Hewson. Shane kicked off the match with a 180 with his first throw to take an early lead. But after four tight legs the match was tied at 2-2. The turning point came in leg five as Colin stole the leg against the throw to go in front for the first time at 3-2. But he missed doubles in a tense sixth leg and parity was restored yet again. It set up a tense finale with Colin taking the arrows in the decider. Scores of 81, 125, 100 and 127 left him needing just 68 after 12 darts. But double trouble struck and nine darts failed to find their intended target this allowed Shane to catch Colin and have a dart at bull for a 90 checkout to win it himself. Thankfully for Colin, Shane hit the 25 and Colin returned to put away double 10 for a hard fought 4-3 win. Shane returned to the oche later and registered a 4-0 win over the league’s strongest player (holding the rest up) an out-of-sorts Trev Day has lost all his games to date so it was no surprise to see Shane win 4-0 to go top of the league.

 

Round-up for Christmas holidays 2007

 

Due to the on-going refurbishment for the Queen of Spades, match action in all divisions (seniors and youths) has been restricted. No reports are as yet available, but updated league standings can be found in the league tables section link.

 

Round-up for November 23

 

Staffsmart Super League

 

The leader of the Staffsmart Super League was not in action this week, allowing the chasing pack to close the gap at the top. Graham McFarland has moved into second place despite not being at his best. A below-par performance this week was a rare occurrence but it was enough to secure a 4-0 win against a beleaguered Trev Day. Trev has tried all sorts of things over the past few weeks to try to find his form. A set of new darts, his latest ploy, also back-fired as he failed to pass half-way in two legs left on 259 and 270. Colin Hewson moved up to third after a 4-2 win over Nicky Murphy. Although both players were not at their best, checkouts of 110 and 80 got Colin out of a jam to win. Finishing was also a crucial factor in the match between Simon Trigg and Chris Ray. The latter failed to take the chances on offer while Simon hit a 127 checkout on his way to a 4-1 win. Ben Jaques is starting to find some form. The youngster has taken a while to settle, but he battled hard against opponent Darren Butler to take the opening leg. Unfortunately, doubles let him down after that and this allowed Darren to gain a flattering 4-1 win with a mediocre 21.04 average. Richard Spicer moved into the top half of the table with a 4-0 win over Andy Cammack. The highlight in this match should have been a 13-dart leg. Already 3-0 up, Richard hit scores of 95, 140, 100 and 134 to leave just 32 after 12 darts, But he spoiled a great leg by taking 18 darts to cross the winning line. The night’s longest match took an age to complete as Richard Pearson and Trev Day took to the oche. Scoring was good, but those doubles were elusive. This resulted in 321 darts being thrown in the match. Richard had established a 3-1 lead with checkouts of 101 and 97. But Trev stayed in the match as double one came to his rescue to make it 3-2. Sadly for Trev, both double 16 and then double 8 were not so easy to hit in the next leg, allowing Richard to gain a 4-2 win. The final game of the night was possibly the best one as Mick Ray and Shane Parker clashed. The fireworks began immediately as Shane hit a 180 with his first three darts. Mick’s riposte was scores of 140, 100 and 100 but the double was missed and Shane led 1-0 in 16 darts. It was 2-0 some 18 darts later before Mick registered his first point, taking leg three with an 80 checkout in 15 darts. Scoring was still of high quality as the game progressed, but tension on the doubles crept in. This resulted in Mick drawing level at 2-2 with the worst leg of the match albeit in 23 darts. Mick then took the lead for the first time as a 16-dart leg put him 3-2 up. By now 20 ton-plus scores had been hit and the barrage on the treble 20 continued as leg six saw  three 140s hit along with a couple of tons. But both players needed “mad house” at the end which Shane hit to tie the match at 3-3 to force the decider. The winner of the throw on the bull up was Mick and this proved vital, allowing him to gain a 4-3 win with a 20-dart leg. It left Shane sitting on 85 unable to reply. The match stats showed 29 ton-plus scores by the end and averages of 25.56 for Mick and 24.87 for Shane.

Queen of Spades Premier Division

Runaway leader Keith Dack suffered his first defeat this week. After a couple of scares in recent weeks, his winning run was finally halted. Game one saw Keith extend his lead at the top with yet another 3-0 victory this time the unlucky recipient was Andy Holland who just cannot buy a double at the moment, 15 darts going astray in leg one which proved oh so costly yet again. Before game two for Keith he watched his next opponent Nathan Richardson suffer a setback against Wendy Hitchen. Wendy’s game is improving week by week. Nevertheless, it was still a surprise to see her take a 2-0 lead with ease, a 20-dart leg from ‘Nobby’ stopped the rot and he was soon level at 2-2. After all his hard work to tie the match, it was somewhat ironic that he shot himself in the foot in the decider by missing doubles and allowing Wendy to pounce, securing the win 3-2 with a 48 checkout. It meant some sort of a recovery mission was needed against the unbeaten Keith. Nathan began well, hitting scores of 70, 59, 99 and 99 plus 140 to leave just 34 after 15 darts which he hit four darts later to lead 1-0. Leg two saw Keith pass up the chance to draw level as 15 darts failed to put away double 10 and five respectively. This allowed Nathan to grab a 2-0 cushion. Leg three did go to Keith, hitting tops for a 22-dart leg but he was unable to respond in leg four. Needing 133 he scored 97 to leave 36, but Nathan hit the double to secure a 3-1 win with a 18.26 average. This was beaten by Sharon Butler who is another of the ladies playing well in this section. She raced to a 3-0 win over Damo Lawson hitting an 18.33 average with a 21-dart leg the highlight. Mark Butler-Brewster looked impressive as he moved into second place three points off the lead, sealing a 3-0 win over John Paul Carney with a 90 checkout. The writing of both players’ names almost took more space on the scoresheet than the actual game. Maria Baptie is at the wrong end of the table but she is not easy to overcome as Ray Gregory found out. He was made to work hard to achieve a 3-1 win with Maria being unlucky for more than the one consolation point she achieved. The final game saw Wendy Hitchen come very close to completing an excellent double on the night. Leading 2-0 and in control against Mick Parker, the doubles suddenly went astray meaning she was unable to kill off the match. This allowed Mick to complete a ‘Houdini’ type escape and gain a 3-2 win.

*****

 

Due to extensive re-furbishiment work at the Queen of Spades being delayed by another week, the Friday Night League will now restart on Friday December 14 with the Youth League starting on Monday December 17.

 

Round-up for November 9

 

Staffsmart Super League

 

Almost the entire programme of matches in the Staffsmart Super League was wiped out this week by either illness or postponements. And with host pub the Queen of Spades closing for at least a couple of weeks due to refurbishment, the backlog could grow further. The one and only game played saw Shane Richardson complete a 4-0 win over Ben Jaques. The latter has taken his time to settle, but the signs of ability are there. It’s just those elusive doubles that have also kept him winless.

Queen of Spades Premier Division

The devastation was not quite so bad in this section. Three games, at least, were played. The top of the table encounter between Keith Dack and Ray Gregory was the highlight. With Keith holding a 2-0 lead, it was Ray who found his form. A 20-dart leg made it 2-1 and he then threw scores of 43, 100, 125, 125, 54 and 54 (out) as he drew level in just 17 darts. The decider was a close encounter and both missed doubles to win it before Keith retained his unbeaten status to win 3-2 with a 17.70 average to Ray’s 19.02 in defeat. Two lads from the youth league toed the oche next as Ryan Austin and Damon Lawson clashed. A flattering 3-0 win went to Ryan but it was a lot closer than the scoreline suggested. Damo’s problem all season in both leagues has been those dreaded doubles. Finally, Mick Parker faced Mark Butler-Brewster. The match was not going well for Mick as he dropped the first two legs to trail 2-0. But he was gifted an opportunity to get back in to the match which he took to make it 2-1. The ‘Great Escape’ was on when Mark failed with 15 darts to kill off the match at 3-1, allowing Mick to make it 2-2. By the time the decider was reached, the game had turned full circle and it was Mick who failed to find “mad house” (double one), leaving Mark to hang on to fourth place in the table with a 3-2 win.

 

Round-up for November 2

 

Staffsmart Super League


It’s a Parker one-two

 

Ady Parker extended his lead at the top of the Staffsmart Super League to seven points after Friday’s action. A hard fought 4-2 win over Simon Trigg kept him to the fore ahead of Shane Parker who rocketed up the table into second spot after completing a double on the night. Game one saw him take on Andy Cammack. Shane was quickly into stride to lead 1-0 before legs of 18, 16 and 14 darts enabled him to power away to a comfortable 4-0 win hitting a 27.08 average in the process. He returned later to beat Ben Jacques in a re-arranged game 4-0, the highlight being a 180 in a 15-dart leg that concluded with a 66 checkout to complete a good night’s work. Colin Hewson lost ground on the leaders when he went down 4-2 to Mick Ray, Colin hit back-to-back 17-dart legs to lead 2-1 but then missed doubles. This allowed Mick back in at 2-2. A 180 from Mick put him 3-2 up and he went onto gleefully accepted the early Christmas present after Colin wasted another 15 darts at the double for the second time in the match, giving Mick a 4-2 win. Richard Pearson started superbly against Nicky Murphy. Scores of 100, 60, 140 and 137 left him just 64 after 12 darts. The remaining 64 was also put away for a 14-dart leg. The game progressed to 2-0 before Nicky registered his first leg. This, however, only turned out to be a consolation as Richard played the better to run out a 4-1 winner. Trev Day stuck to those borrowed darts that gave him his first win last week — although the luck soon wore off! Up against Shane Richardson, a hard fought seven leg encounter followed. The match went to Shane with the highlight being a 140 checkout (division’s best) in a 4-3 win. Another 14-dart leg soon came and went as Graham McFarland put Chris Ray to the test. The youngster has progressed in recent months to be a bit of a handful to some. No such problems for Graham, though, who hit that 14-dart leg including a 180 and a 26.79 average as he stormed to a 4-1 win. Things got worse for Chris when he took on his dad Mick in the final game of the night. Despite hitting his best average thus far of 24.91 he was left powerless as his dad fought back from 1-0 down to win 4-1 as he rattled in legs of 16, 19, 15 and 17 darts to take the match with a 29.00 average (the division’s best) 

Queen of Spades Premier Division


K
eith Dack felt the heat at the top for the first time this season,  he was put under severe pressure to retain his unbeaten status. Opponent Sharon Butler threw some excellent darts as she stunned everyone watching  to take a 2-0 lead. Defeat looked on the cards for the table-topper but leg three turned the game on its head as Keith found an inspired leg of darts to score 96, 100, 125 and 100 to leave just 80 after 12 darts. He finished the leg in 14 darts and fought his way back to steal a 3-2 win with a 17.94 average. This was beaten by Ray Gregory as he inflicted a first defeat on Nathan Richardson. A tight match went the distance with a 3-2 in Ray’s favour being the outcome by the end. He hit an 18.74 average to Nathan’s 18-67 in defeat. The all-youngster clash between James Beeson and ‘The Little Power’ Ryan Austin was another good game. Ryan led 1-0 but James hit back to win 3-1 as those all important doubles turned the match in James’ favour. Finally Andy Holland was still left looking for that elusive first win after Jon Paul Carney took his chances to run out a 3-1 winner and move into the top six.

 

Round-up for October 26

 

Staffsmart Super League


The Staffsmart Super League lived up to its name on Friday night with some super darting action. Game one saw Shane Parker hit two 180s in his match with Darren Butler. As both players hit top gear, it resulted in 16 ton plus scores being registered with Shane hitting those killer doubles to secure a hard fought 4-1 win with a 25.22 average to Darren’s 22.38 in defeat. A stiffer task faced Shane in game two when he faced Richard Spicer. They produced a quality encounter. Richard started superbly with scores of 100, 61, 140, 140, 60 game shot for a 1-0 lead in just14 darts, Shane’s reply was swift hitting three tons and a 140 in a 17-dart leg. With the score at 1-1, Richard looked set to go 2-1 up but missed a 120 out-shot for a 18-dart leg this proved to be a costly miss as Shane stole the leg with a bull finish on 85. Leg four was arguably the best of the match as both players reached a double after 12 darts Richard scored 140, 140, 100, 85 to leave 36 but Shane’s reply were scores of 100, 100, 100 and 177 leaving him just 24 and when Richard missed Shane hit double 12 for a 3-1 lead a more sedate leg followed as Richard hung in the match at 3-2 with a 20-dart leg but doubles were to be his downfall in leg six a 180 gave him a big cushion, reaching 50 left after just 12 darts. But six darts failed to finish the leg off, allowing Shane to steal the leg with a 65 checkout and take the match 4-2 with a 26.14 average, leaving Richard to ponder how he had lost with a 28.47. Another Parker as up to the oche next as Ady took on Colin Hewson their was very little to separate both players but Colin hit the bigger scores hitting five 140s in the match. With Ady failing to register above a 100 it meant Colin was able to snatch a 4-3 win with a 23.36 average. Another seven leg game followed between Andy Cammack and Simon Trigg this looked a long shot after the first three legs as Simon raced into a 3-0 lead with a 118 checkout. But the match turned on its head in leg four a double one marathon went to Andy and from that point he never looked back concluding his Houdini act in 19 darts for a 4-3 win. Trev Day registered his first win of the season. Having played “like a woman” previously, he borrowed darts from one. And they went well together as he hit a 180 and it changed his fortunes giving him a 4-2 win over Ben Jaques. Ady Parker was back to face Graham McFarland next this was Graham’s stiffest test to date. And for once, he came up short having previously claimed top awards in three consecutive weeks he was also defending a unbeaten start. It’s the sort of challenge Ady responds to and so it proved as Ady fought back from 1-0 down to take the match in 19 darts for a 4-2 win with a 25.08 average to stay at the top of the league. Graham put in another below par performance in the final game of the night although the result was significantly better a 20-dart leg being the only highlight in a 4-0 win over Andy Cammack.

Queen of Spades Premier Division

Keith Dack currently looks in control of this division. Another 3-0 win was registered this week against Maria Baptie. His 18.33 average saw him over the winning line, leaving Maria kicking herself as she failed to take a golden opportunity in the opening leg. He is hotly pursued by Nathan Richardson who he meets next week. Nathan had to work hard to overcome Sharon Butler in fact he needed a 180 and a 20.22 average to gain a 3-1 win against a gutsy performance from Sharon. This was followed by Mick Parker against Andy Holland. Both players have had double trouble in recent weeks resulting in Andy being winless to date unfortunately for Andy the trend continued as Mick gained a 3-1 win with a 39-dart leg. The final game between Ray Gregory and J P Carney got off to a bad start as well with Jon Paul taking a 1-0 lead in 51 darts. The game improved after as far as Ray was concerned he fought back to take the next  three legs in 21, 23 and 25 darts to win 3-1.

 

Round-up for October 19

 

Staffsmart Super League

 

PARKER’S UP THE LADDER
A new name reached the summit of the Staffsmart Super League this week as Ady Parker claimed an emphatic win over Chris Ray. It was Ady that made the better start, taking a 3-0 lead before Chris hit double 16 to cut the deficit. But leg five saw Ady show his class with scores of 45, 140, 140 and 140 to leave just 36 after 12 darts. The 13-dart leg was clearly on, but he missed the double, taking the match 4-1 with his next three. Colin Hewson is also in the front rank after he hit his doubles with aplomb again this week to regain his ‘Hit man’ tag after a spell of ‘Miss man’ checkouts on 60, 70, 85 and double 10 were all hit as he recorded a notable 4-0 win over Andy Cammack to set up an interesting clash with Ady next week. Richard Pearson found himself 2-0 up against Mick Ray. And a shock looked on the cards when Richard had control of leg three, but doubles let him down as he missed six darts at a double it proved costly as Mick snatched the leg to stay in the match at 2-1. He then started to find some of his form which has also deserted him on the county stage in recent weeks, legs of 15, 17 and 19 darts gave him a hard fought 4-2 win he also claimed the top average award in the section later as a 26.72 average gave him a 4-0 win over Ben Jacques with two 17-dart legs the highlight. Trev Day’s miserable form continued he was well beaten by Nicky Murphy a 17-dart leg gave Nicky a 1-0 lead with a 92 checkout and the winning leg was concluded in 44 darts as Nicky recorded a 4-0 win. Enough said! Simon Trigg hit the night’s first 180 in his game with Darren Butler, Darren lead 1-0 with a 70 checkout but soon found himself 3-1 down as Simon threw some good darts, although Darren pulled it back to 3-2 with an 86 finish any chance of a come back was lost in leg six Darren hit scores of 60, 100, 100, 100 and 122 in an attempted 141 checkout. But the resulting 19 that was left was missed, allowing Simon to pounce and hit a 110 checkout (division’s best) to kill off the match and win in style 4-2. The final game saw Chris Ray back to the oche against Shane Richardson. He played a lot better in game two, hitting a 180 in leg one to go 1-0 up Shane’s reply was swift and at 1-1 a tight match ensued until at 3-2 in Chris’s favour Shane missed his doubles allowing Chris to hit 66 and record a 4-2 win. Note: S Owen has withdrawn. All points have thus been deducted, leaving number 4 on the fixture list as a bye.

Queen of Spades Premier Division

A blistering performance from Keith Dack failed to keep him on top of the league this week. Despite remaining unbeaten, the withdrawal of Sarah Fletcher (number 15) has meant a points deduction. And despite registering yet another 3-0 win against opponent Damo Lawson, he has been de-throned at the top by Mark Butler-Brewster. The lead is a narrow one though as he was unable to overcome youngster Ryan Austin who keeps improving week by week. A tight five-leg encounter saw Ryan cause a bit of a shock as he gained a 3-2 win. Sharon Butler is also clearly holding the bragging rights in her household a top average of 18.33 was enough to hold off the challenge of John Paul Carney by the narrowest of margins. Sharon was 2-0 up when JP staged his comeback at 2-2 but a 140 followed by 100 gave Sharon enough in hand to hit double 16 to win 3-2, leaving JP back on 155. Double delight for Sharon was to follow later as she completed a 3-1 win against Mick Parker. Trailing 1-0, Sharon hit all her finishes with style to win. It was a bad night for Mick when he also lost game two against Ray Gregory a marathon encounter on doubles went the distance with the 332nd dart thrown in the match finding its target for a 3-2 win for Ray. Two youngsters from the youth league played each other next as James Beeson and Damo Lawson clashed. It was James that held the advantage and his 17.28 average gave him a 3-0 win over his buddy. Finally Nathan Richardson gained a win over Danny Dack. The game was close at 1-1 initially before those crucial doubles swung the game “Nobby’s” way for a 3-1 win and keep his unbeaten status along with Keith they are the only two remaining. Note: Number 15 and 11 in this division are now byes on the fixture list.

 

Round-up for October 12

 

Staffsmart Super League

 

A new leader moved to the top of the Staffsmart Darts League this week as the unbeaten Graham McFarland saw off the challenge of Richard Spicer. In truth Richard was not at his best early doors and by the time he got competitive, the doubles let him down. Graham hit a 180 as he raced into a 3-1 lead with a 16-dart leg, but Richard took leg five with a 106 checkout in 15 darts as he briefly threatened at 3-2. A 149 checkout was missed to draw level for a 15-dart leg as was the resulting 16 and 8 that was left it was a golden chance missed as Graham secured win number four by a 4-2 scoreline with yet another top average as a 25.96 was this time recorded. Nicky Murphy recorded his first success against opponent Ben Jaques with the first two legs shared Nicky went on to punish Ben on those doubles to run out a 4-1 winner. The final game in a curtailed programme saw Richard Spicer get back on track. He led Simon Trigg 2-0 but then had the wobbles on those doubles yet again as Simon fought back to level at 2-2. Richard’s response was a lot better. He hit 17 and 19-dart legs to secure the win 4-2 and join a three -way tie at the top.

Queen of Spades Premier

Nathan Richardson looks to be an early front runner in this section along with Keith Dack, the latter being absent due to a bonfire accident. So this allowed Nathan the chance to fire up his challenge. Game one for Nathan saw him maintain his 100 percent start with a 3-1 win over Mick Parker, although Mick passed up numerous chances to draw level at 2-2 gifting ‘Nobby’ leg four. Game two saw him complete a double on the night up against Maria Baptie. He was tied at 1-1 when Maria hit a 180 to keep in touch with Nathan’s scoring ability. Sadly, doubles let her down hence this allowed Nathan to regain the lead at 2-1 before a 21-dart leg gave him another 3-1 win. Mark Butler-Brewster had to work hard to overcome youngster James Beeson. This resulted in a ding-dong affair that went the distance the narrow victory went to Mark 3-2 with a 21-dart leg saving the day. Wendy Hitchen is the leading lady on current form. She moved up the table into fourth spot after a good 3-1 win over Ryan Austin. The youngster will learn a lot from the 3-1 defeat and, no doubt, will duly bounce back. The final game saw John Paul Carney pile further misery on Maria Baptie. Leading 1-0, he gifted Maria an equalising leg after a double one (mad house) debacle that Maria found easier to hit. But he upped his game to leave Maria on 128 and 176 in the next two legs to run out a 3-1 winner.

 

Round-up for October 5

 

Staffsmart Super League

 

Another round of Staffsmart Super League action took place on Friday with early leader Richard Pearson trying to maintain his good start. He faced Andy Cammack who has also started well. It set up a interesting encounter between the pair and Andy started the better to take a 1-0 lead. Richard’s riposte was swift as he drew level immediately and he then went into a 2-1 lead with a superb 157 checkout. Andy then missed chances to draw level at 2-2. Thus he found himself 3-1 down. It was then Richard’s turn to fail to kill off the match, allowing Andy in to make it 3-2. The worst leg of the entire match decided the outcome in Richard’s favour, though, for a 4-2 win. He was overhauled at the top by Colin Hewson as he found the doubles with aplomb this week allowing him to get back on track with a double on the night. Game one saw him inflict a first defeat on Richard Spicer as checkouts of 74, 70, 40 and 60 were all hit to record a 4-2 win with a 24.24 average to Richard’s 23.05 in defeat. In game two against Darren Butler, Colin raced into a 2-0 lead but Darren played some of his best darts to date to hit back and draw level at 2-2. Leg five saw Colin regain the lead by putting away 174 with just four darts. And although Darren could have levelled a entertaining game he missed a vital double, allowing Colin to gain the win 4-2 and top the table. Graham McFarland was once again in good form, he recorded the night’s top average. A 26.02 made it a hat-trick of awards from his three games thus far. It gave him a 4-0 win over Darren Butler who failed to match his previous form against Colin. Ady Parker found himself locked in a seven-leg thriller with Shane Richardson. The latter led 2-0 but then found himself 3-2 down as Ady stormed back. But Ady missed several chances to win as he made a mess of a tops finish to leave five. He was made to pay and Shane tied the match at 3-3. The decider was vital to both and it was Shane who secured the win with the throw in 18 darts leaving Ady on 87. A better performance this week came from Stuart Owen as he acclimatises himself to this league. But opponent Simon Trigg showed his finishing prowess, checkouts of 118, 50, 60 and 40 were enough to secure a 4-1 win.

Queen of Spades Premier Division

A turbulent couple of weeks has seen a couple of withdrawals and new players added. The next thing the committee will have to decide is the outcome of Ray Gregory and Danny Dack’s game as the latter failed to show. One of the replacements Nathan Richardson continues to impress as he catches up on his fixtures. Another win by a 3-0 scoreline was achieved this week as he was too consistent for youngster Damo Lawson. Table-topper Keith Dack hit the night’s best average. A 22.77 helped him complete a 3-0 win over John Paul Carney giving him a four point lead at this early stage after five strait wins. Mick Parker put last week’s disappointment behind him to beat Maria Baptie 3-0 but Maria was not too despondent this week as, by the end of the night, she had recorded her first competitive win in a all-lady encounter against Sarah Fletcher. A marathon match was concluded on double one (mad house) giving Maria a 3-0 win it left Sarah still searching for her first points of the season. Game two saw her take on Sharon Butler. Unfortunately for Sarah it was Sharon’s turn to fly the flag for the Butler household after hubby Darren’s demise and she gained a 3-0 win hitting the division’s best checkout of 80. Ryan Austin clearly has talent. This youngster could be a star of the future! He moved up into third place in the table after a 3-1 win was achieved against Andy Holland the final game saw another win for Wendy Hitchen a hard fought 3-1 victory over James Beeson makes her the clear leading lady contender to play “Wolfie” Adams at this early stage.

NOTE: The league’s programme of matches on October 12 still goes ahead despite the Old Leake League once again staging their finals night not in conjunction with every other league format.

 

Round-up for September 30

 

Staffsmart Super League

 

Mick and Chris Ray began their Staffsmart Super League campaigns on Friday night with some super darts Mick gave a 1-0 start to opponent Nicky Murphy for being late but he soon turned the match around, hitting two 15-dart legs including a 180 to take the lead. At 2-1, a 17-dart leg followed to make it 3-1 before he went on to take the match 4-1 with a 26.72 average (the division’s best). Son Chris opened with a 15-dart leg. He concluded it with a 97 checkout as he took a 1-0 lead over Ben Jacques. He then hit 82, 16 and 53 checkouts with aplomb to race to a 4-0 win. Colin Hewson recorded his first win, although he found those doubles elusive once again. In leg one he gifted Stuart Owen a 1-0 lead by the end though Colin had hit another 180 his third in as many weeks in a 17-dart leg to wrap up a 4-1 win. Shane Richardson inflicted a first defeat on Andy Cammack. Trailing 2-0, Shane fought back to draw level at 2-2 with a 100 checkout in a 17-dart leg, he went on to secure a 4-2 win with a 23.14 average. Trev Day passed up an excellent chance to cause an upset against Ady Parker. He had numerous darts at doubles in every leg but failed with every attempt allowing Ady to secure a flattering 4-0 win. The final game saw early leader Richard Pearson come unstuck against Darren Butler. Darren held a surprise 3-0 lead before Richard found some form two 17-dart legs brought him back from the brink of defeat at 3-2. A superb sixth leg saw both players hit two 140s each and reach the double in under 15 darts, but Darren held on to win 4-2 with a 19 dart leg.

Queen of Spades Premier Division

 

Derek Emmerson has been replaced by Nobby Richardson and Tony Brown’s slot (number 11) is now a bye in this division. On to the action a battle of the brothers got proceedings underway as table topper Keith Dack and Mick Parker toed the oche both were laying down the bragging rights in the week prior to the match but in the end it was Keith who maintained his 100 percent start to his campaign with a 3-1 win leaving Mick to bemoan his performance at a crucial time. Nobby Richardson got off to a good start on debut. His 19.72 average was the best performance on the night as he beat the unbeaten John Paul Carney. Trailing 1-0 he hit 21, 19 and 24-dart legs to secure a 3-1 win. James Beeson continues to impress the youngster hit a 25-dart leg on his way to a 3-0 win over the luckless Andy Holland, who just cannot hit a double at the moment. No such problems for Mark Butler-Brewster. He moved into second place with a 3-0 win over Damo Lawson as Damo struggles to find his youth league form. Sharon Butler took a 1-0 lead against Danny Dack but missed doubles meant she failed to build on it, thus allowing Danny to secure a hard fought 3-1 win. Finally youngster and rising star Ryan Austin put some of his Taylor-esque traits to good use once again holding his nerve this time to hit those doubles to secure a 3-1 win over Ray Gregory. 

 

Round-up for September 23


Staffsmart Super League

 

Week two of the Staffsmart Super League saw another brilliant performance from Graham McFarland as he blew away late replacement Stuart Owen. The game was over all too quickly as far as Stuart was concerned as Graham rattled in the big scores legs of 18, 16 and 14 darts which included a 180. These put him swiftly 3-0 up and a rather more sedate 20-dart leg gave him a 4-0 win with his second top average in as many weeks a brilliant 29.47 average becomes the new pace setter for the division. Colin Hewson was left to ponder how he lost again this week. A 200 lead was given up against Shane Parker as missed doubles allowed Shane to steal a 1-0 lead with a 110 checkout and a 180 from Colin at the start of leg two also gave him a clear advantage. But once again the doubles were missed to leave Shane in command at 2-0 up. Leg three saw Shane hit an 18-dart leg for a 3-0 advantage. Colin eventually found a double by hitting an 81 checkout to make it 3-1. But no comeback was forthcoming as Shane hit 45, 100, 100, 55, 140 and 61 (out) for a 4-1 win. Simon Trigg made it two from two as he beat another newcomer making his debut in the guise of Ben Jaques. Simon settled better and out-gunned his opponent to record a 4-0 win with a 20-dart leg being the highlight, Richard Pearson started superbly against Stuart Owen as a 15-dart leg put him 1-0 up. However, the game failed to reach any great heights after that and a 48-dart double trouble leg followed. By the end, both players were pleased to come off the board although Richard was happier with the outcome a 4-0 win. Shane Richardson and Darren Butler shared the first two legs but Shane settled better and 60 and 96 checkouts took him two legs clear at 3-1. Although Darren grabbed leg five, Shane always looked in control and eventually won 4-2. The night’s first seven-legger followed as Trev Day and Andy Cammack battled out a tight match Trev went 2-0 up but got pegged back he then went 2-3 down but pulled it back he  came away with a higher average but double one was missed in the decider. And the win went to Andy 4-3. Ady Parker was on form this week. An opening salvo of 17 darts put him 1-0 up against Nicky Murphy but Nicky then drew level. A spot of double trouble spoiled the next two legs which Ady won to lead 3-1 and  he then went on to seal a 4-1 victory with a 180 in another 17-dart leg. The final game saw a battle of the Richards as Pearson and Spicer clashed. A 66 checkout put Pearson 1-0 in 16 darts but the latter was a little hot and lived up to his surname with some hot darts as legs of 18, 19, 17 and 24 darts turned the score around recording a 25.55 winning average to Pearson’s 24.81 in defeat.

Queen of Spades Premier Division

Maria Baptie registered her first point this week. The fact that Danny Dack was late gifted her a 1-0 advantage. However, she failed to hold on and eventually lost 3-1. It meant the resulting schedule was running late and this was too much for Tony Brown. He decided to walk out, the consequences of which mean he is expelled (all points deducted). Back to the action and Mark Butler-Brewster looks impressive. He inflicted a first defeat on Wendy Hitchen. Although going down 3-0, Wendy would be disappointed to have not gained a consolation leg at least as doubles went astray. Ray Gregory was also a fortunate winner in his match with James Beeson. Both players had double trouble, but the all-important points went to Ray by a flattering 3-0 margin. Sharon Butler notched up her first win along with the division’s best average of 16.52. This was needed to overcome the impressive youngster Ryan Austin. His Taylor-esque stance and throwing action kept him in the match as Sharon battled away for a 3-2 win. Finally, John Paul Carney beat Damo Lawson 3-0. With the score at 2-0 in John Paul’s favour, Damo saw his chance’s of a comeback go in leg three when he missed several darts at a double in a marathon 55-dart leg.

 

Round-up for September 17

 

Staffsmart Super League

 

The opening round of matches in the Staffsmart Super League produced some excellent encounters. Colin Hewson and Simon Trigg got the night’s action under way and the former made a flying start as a 17-dart leg secured a 1-0 lead. Simon hit back to draw level in 18 darts but Colin regained the lead at 2-1 with a 21-dart leg. The game saw its first spot of double trouble for both players in leg four and by its conclusion it was all-square at 2-2. But a 114 checkout in leg five put Colin in front for the third time at 3-2. With both players now in full flow, they had hit 19 ton-plus scores between them (by the end it was 27) but Colin was to find the treble 20 more elusive, only hitting two more as Simon maintained his form to gain a opening success 4-3.

 

A tight match followed between Richard Spicer and Shane Richardson, although the scoreline failed to reflect that as Richard gained a flattering 4-0 win. Richard was hot on the doubles, but they were decisive in Shane’s unlucky downfall. The next match was the best of the night as Shane Parker clashed with Graham McFarland. A 19-dart leg gave Graham the lead but Shane hit back with his and the leagues first 180 to draw level. Both players were in top form and Graham needed to produce his best to hold off Shane’s challenge he did just that a 17-dart leg put him 2-1 up. This was swiftly followed by the leading contender for the lowest dart leg of the season as he hit scores of 85, 140, 100, 150 and 24 (out) for an excellent 13 dart leg for a 3-1 lead. Despite this barrage Shane was not done for and a 100 checkout in leg five made it 3-2. The chance was missed to draw level as Shane missed a finish with six darts and Graham secured a hard fought 4-2 win with a 28.17 average to Shane’s 25-22 in defeat.

Trev Day faced Darren Butler in the next match and Darren settled better to go 3-0 up but Trev gained one leg back with the nights best checkout as a 120 finish cut the deficit it was perhaps Trev’s only highlight as he forgot to bring his normal set of arrows and his form was erratic as a result this allowed Darren to secure a opening night win by a 4-2 scoreline.

 

Two newcomers to this type of action were at the oche next as Andy Cammack faced Nicky Murphy the opening four legs were shared in a tight game it was Andy who gained the upper hand though as Nicky missed 94 and 116 checkouts allowing Andy to pounce and seal a 4-2 win with a 92 checkout in a 21-dart leg. The night’s action was brought to a close by Richard Pearson and Ady Parker  in another very tight game that saw both players fail to establish a clear lead 1-0 became 1-1 and 2-1 was  followed by 2-2. Richard  went in front for the third time in legs at 3-2 but once again Ady drew level to force the decider this was Ady’s chance to frank the form with the darts in the decider but he missed checkouts on 114, 16 and madhouse (double one) to gift Richard a shock 4-3 win. Mick Hatfield, Ben Jacques, Mick and Chris Ray all postponed their games but will make their debuts shortly after holiday breaks.

Queen of Spades Premier Division

This division is headed by Keith Dack at this early stage after a double success on the night maintained his 100 percent start from three matches. He produced a 3-0 win over son Danny in game one hitting a 19.03 average and followed that with a 3-0 win over the luckless Sarah Fletcher who missed her doubles in the opening leg and then she bust on 106 in leg three. Had she managed to hit either, it would have changed the outcome of the match dramatically. The victor is hotly pursued in the table at this early stage by a cluster of players all of whom have a game in hand with maximum points.

 

Wendy Hitchen had to work hard to gain win number two as she was taken the distance by youngster Damo Lawson, a 52 checkout came in the decider for a 3-2 win. Making his debut on the night was Darren Emerson and he soon got points on the board as he completed a double a 17-28 average in game one gave him a 3-0 win over Sarah Fletcher and a 18-33 average gave him all the points against Danny Dack in game two.

 

A dreadful start for Maria Baptie has seen nil point thus far as she was once again out-played this week as youngster Ryan Austin found those previously elusive doubles to gain a 3-0 win. Next up was Mick Parker. This wily old fox looked comfortable as he went in to a 2-0 lead against John Paul Carney but a lack of concentration meant miscalculations from Mick and this let Jon Paul back in and he raced back to steal a 3-2 win with a 72 checkout.

 

The’ Coffee King’ Tony Brown made his debut against Ray Gregory and a tight game needed a deciding leg to find a winner and it was Tony that proved the stronger gaining a 3-2 win, James Beeson clearly has some of his dad’s talent when it comes to darts he registered the leagues first 180 against opponent Sharon Butler trailing 2-0 he clawed back leg three before the maximum in leg four which he took in just 16 darts scoring 100, 180, 85, 40, 56 and 40 (out). However both players found double trouble in the decider and after 12 darts each had gone astray James hit the winner for a 3-2 win.

 

The final match produced the division’s top average as Mark Butler-Brewster hit a hat-trick of tops finishes to record a 3-0 win with a 19.27 average against Andy Holland.

 

Round-up for September 10

 

Premier campaign under way

 

The opening round of matches took place on Friday night in the new Queen of Spades Premier Darts League despite several postponed games due to holidays. The first match saw a tense opening encounter as both players are new to this type of competition and hence suffered with their nerves. The match saw Wendy Hitchen take on Andy Holland and it was Wendy who settled better hitting two tons in the first leg to go 1-0 up, a 140 at the start of leg two helped her increase her advantage to 2-0 up before a spot of double trouble allowed Andy to claw one leg back to make it 2-1 but Wendy held her nerve to open her campaign with a 3-1 win.

 

Teenager Ryan Austin was up against seasoned campaigner Keith Dack in the next and the youngster got off to the best possible start with a 27 dart leg to go 1-0 up, Keith hit back with a 27 dart leg of his own to draw level but Ryan kept battling away and although Keith went on to take the match 3-1,  it was not a comfortable win as Ryan had darts at doubles in every leg, Another teenager followed and he gained a opening night  win it must be said ‘very easily’ as James Beeson out played Maria Baptie, this lady super league player was left shell shocked as James raced to a 3-0 win.

 

What turned out to be the night’s first five leg encounter followed although this did not look possible early doors as Ray Gregory found himself 2-0 up against Mark Butler-Brewster with  numerous missed  doubles  a significant factor in the score-line. Mark did find his touch to hit a 78 checkout to reduce the deficit to 2-1. And he then also won a very scrappy fourth leg to draw level. The great comeback was thwarted though by a brilliant finish from Ray hitting the bull for a 135 checkout to take a 3-2 win. The final action saw Damo Lawson take a shock 1-0 lead against that Wiley old fox Mick Parker but Mick used his years of experience against the newcomer to come back and gain a 3- 1 win .

** All byes have now been filled in both sections to make 16 competitors in both leagues.

The Staffsmart Super league gets its action under way on Friday September 14 at 8pm with the Staffsmart Youth league also getting under way on Monday September 17 at 7pm.

 

Round-up for September 3

 

Everything’s ready for action

 

The first of two new darts singles leagues, gets under way at the Queen of Spades on Friday September 7 when the new Queen of Spades Premier League launches into its opening matches. This will be swiftly followed by the launch a week later on September 14 of the Staffsmart Super League. With a total of 15 entries in both leagues, the organisers have slightly changed the structure of the prize money and payout. Despite being three players short of its initial target numbers, it will keep its £2,000 payout in the Staffsmart Super League with the top seven still qualifying for prize money and the chance to play Martin “Wolfie” Adams in an exhibition at the end of the season. The difference now sees the top five players and the leading lady  in the Queen of Spades Premier Division also included in the end of season exhibition along with a further £1,000 in prize money added. The fixture sheets are now ready for collection from the Queen of Spades public house in Boston and the opening fixtures in both sections are as follows:

 

Queen of Spades Premier Division, 8pm start:

W Hitchen v A Holland, S Fletcher v JP Carney, D Dack v D Emmerson, S Owen v K Dack, J Beeson v M Baptie, T Brown v S Butler, M Butler-Brewster v R Gregory, M Parker, bye.

 

Staffsmart Super League starting on September 14, 8pm start:
S Trigg v C Hewson, A Parker v C Ray, A Cammack v N Murphy, D Butler v T Day, R Spicer v S Richardson, M Hatfield v R Pearson, S Parker v G Mcpharlane, M Ray, bye.

Finals night and presentation including the exhibition match will take place on May 16, 2008

 

Round-up for August 28

 

Extension chance to boost second section numbers

 

In a effort to fill two divisions, the Staffsmart Super League darts committee have now extended the competition’s closing date by one week to September 1. This is to allow any additional players interested in completing a second section to put their names forward to join the Queen of Spades Premier Division. Unfortunately, the response has been too great for one section but not enough to make up two. Anyone wishing to sign up should contact Colin Hewson at the Queen of Spades on (01205) 369160 before the new deadline.

 

Round-up for August 20

 

League outlines bumper prize fund details

 

Well, it looks like the gloves are off in the battle of the individual leagues! The Staffsmart Super Singles Darts League originally announced it was free to enter. And now its opposition, the Shodfriars Friday Night Individual League, appears to have followed suit. But Staffsmart League officials have once again outlined the competition’s prize pay-out of £2,000-plus.

 

This comprises: winner, £500; runner up, £350; third, £250; fourth, £150; fifth, £90; sixth, £65; seventh, £45; and seventh to 12th will qualify for an exhibition match against the current BDO world champion Martin “Wolfie” Adams.(sponsored by the Queen of Spades). In addition, most 180s gets £30, top average £20, highest checkout £25 and lowest leg of darts £25.

 

The league bond, payable for completion of fixtures is also £25 per player. The playing rules are the best of seven legs, each 501-up with the host pub, the Queen of Spades, also sponsoring 18th place at £1 per point (gained).

The Staffsmart youth league is also played in a singles format, three legs of 301. It also carries £100 in prize money, and a shirt sponsorship deal. This league gets under way on Monday September 17 at 7.00pm

 
Round-up for week ending August 19
 

£2,000 prize jackpot up for grabs

 

The new Staffsmart Singles Super League will have a total payout of £2,000 when it gets under way on Friday September 7 at the Queen of Spades with only a handful of players now required to fill its maximum allocation of 18 places.

 

Should this new league become full by its closing date on bank holiday Monday (August 27) then it will not only be the first league of its kind to pay out £500 to the winner, but also the top seven finishers will also pick up super seven prize-money. A further boost will see the next five who make up the top 12 places also qualify to play Martin '”Wolfie” Adams, the current BDO world champion in an exhibition event at the end of the season.

 

To reserve a place contact Colin Hewson on Boston 369160.

 

There is also a limited number of places available in the Staffsmart Youth League (under-17s). This league gets under way on Monday September 17 at 7pm. Anyone wishing to take the last three places can also contact the Queen of Spades for details on the above number.

Twelve local dart players will be taking on former world champion Keith Deller in an exhibition event on Monday September 3 at the Queen of Spades, Wellington Road, with local MC “Mr Maximum” getting the action under way at 8.30pm. Admission is free.

 

Round-up for week ending July 23

 

Star name to help launch new league

 

Former world darts champion Keith Deller will be in Boston on Monday September 3 to officially open the new matchroom facilities at the Queen of Spades public house in Boston. His appearance for an exhibition event is the forerunner to the start of a new Friday evening singles darts league getting under way on September 7 at the public house venue on Wellington Road

 

Landlord Colin Hewson, Shane Parker and Ady Parker head the competition’s committee — all well-known figures among the local darting fraternity with the former pair both past champions of the Friday Night Individual Darts League. But now the “three musketeers” have decided to form a rival league on Friday evenings.

 

As such, the Staffsmart Singles League will be played under a similar format to the competition the trio have just left with the bonus of free entry to all those taking part. The host venue also has a dartboard within its smoking-solution section, thus allowing players to practise and smoke before being called through to the oche in the main matchroom that also features a bar area and toilets.

 

In respect of Keith Deller’s visit, anyone wishing to pit their skills against the star player should contact Colin Hewson on Boston 369160. Similarly, anyone wanting to enter the Staffsmart Singles League should phone the same number or call in at the Queen of Spades to register their interest.

 

It is also planned to start a Monday night youth darts league at the Queen of Spades in September. Anyone under the age of 17 wishing to enter should contact the landlord (Colin Hewson) on the above number.