After a narrow 19-17 defeat away to London in the Cosmo Darts Premier Division of the UKDA National League Warwickshire were keen to get back into winning ways. Their sixth fixture of the campaign, a home tie against Glamorgan was the ideal opportunity to do that as their visitors were lying in a next to bottom of the table position on 77 points while Warwickshire were fifth on 100 points.
The ladies ‘B’ game saw the away team go one up when Jen Taylor beat Courtney Hine 3-1 but their lead was short-lived and cancelled out in style as lady of the match Hannah Meek won 3-0 against Joanne Pugh in 23,23 and 25 darts for an award-winning 21.17 average. From there on in it was all Warwickshire as Melanie Jones beat Donna Buckley 3-0, Nina Bolt and Chloe McKivett won 3-2 in turn against Tammy Thomas and Paula Clemett and sealing a great 5-2 win was Angela Jones with her straight 3-0 win over Sarah Teesdale.
The opening four games of the men’s ‘B’ match saw the results all go in favour of the first thrower with Glamorgan twice taking the lead through Gavin Sterio and Richard Shanklyn who in turn defeated Will Naylor 4-3 and Lee Miller 4-0. Cancelling out the visitors leads were first Jenson Walker with his 4-3 win over Colin Powell and then Mark Carter who won 4-1 with winning legs of 20,12,18 and18 darts against Daniel Beynon to earn him the man of the match award for his 28.66 average.
The sequence was broken in the fifth when Mark Strong won 4-2 against Gareth Hurton to put Warwickshire ahead for the first time in the match but by the halfway stage it was all square as Adrian Jones won 4-3 against Ian Shaw .
Pete Hughes looked al set to restore Warwickshire’s lead as the second half got underway checking out on 150 and 88 to go 2-0 up against Richie Edwards but despite a 100-game shot in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead it was Edwards who won the last two legs and the tie 4-3. Mark Martin restored parity in the eighth beating Ralph Barnett 4-2 but it was the visitors who went ahead again in the ninth when Ashley Pascoe won 4-3 against Karl Reynolds and with a similar 4-3 win for Adam Serpell over Noah Rose in the tenth Glamorgan were 6-4 up and within an ace of victory.
Saving the day and earning a draw for Warwickshire were Sam Price and Nigel Heydon, Price winning the penultimate encounter against Shaun Dibbs 4-3 after he had gone 2-0 up and then trailed 3-2 and Heydon having a straight 4-0 win over Graham Harrison to put the final score at 6-6.
The ladies ‘A’ didn’t have the best of starts as Eve Watson and Rhian O’Sullivan chalked up 3-0 wins over Marian Conway and Sue Gulliver to give the away side a 2-0 lead. Natalie Gilbert stopped the Glamorgan charge with her 3-0 win over Michelle Jones, Natalie winning her game in 20,20 and 21 darts to give her a great award-winning average of 24.64.
The game was levelled in the fourth when Caroline Pike beat Sue Hall, once again and for the fourth consecutive game 3-0 before the hosts went ahead for the first time in the fifth when Tammy Montgomery won 3-1 against Claire Crocombe to leave the result hinging on the final game between Donna Pinch (Warwickshire) and Jen Taylor. The game went the full five legs distance with Jen Taylor opening up leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before Donna Pinch won the last two legs to win 3-2 and give her team mates a 4-2 victory.
The men’s ‘A’, in similar fashion to their other three teams lost the opening game as Hywel Manuel won 4-1 against Wayne Mynard and the away team looked all set to make it 2-0 as Tim Jones opened up 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 leads over Steve Hine but it was Hine who won the last two legs, both in eighteen darts for a 4-3 win.
Mike Huntley (Glamorgan) won the first leg against Gareth Braham however Braham stuck to his task and ran out the 4-1 winner to give the home team a 2-1 lead. Taking the score along to 3-1 was Jamie Hughes who was in outstanding form as he beat Keirion Carter in straight legs winning the first in 12 darts with a 153 outshot and then adding winning legs of 13,18 and 14 darts for a sensational 35.16 average which of course at the end of the day won him the man of the match award.
Game five saw Tom Martin, like Hughes, also win 4-0 in his tie with Neil Lewis and with a 4-1 success for Jack Wareing over Dan Thompson the hosts were 5-1 up at the break.
As the second half began Glamorgan reduced the arrears when their Sean Fisher won 4-0 against Dave Hill and with a further 4-2 win for Mark Challenger over Ian McFarlane the visitors had reduced the arrears to 5-3. Kevin Dowling got Warwickshire back into winning ways beating Neil Parry 4-0 to ensure at the worst a share of the spoils, but that was never going to be enough as Jamie Atkins 4-1 win over Dale Hughes chalked up the magical seventh stripe on the board and a guaranteed win for the men’s ‘A’. Matty Washbrooke made it 8-3 with a 4-1 win against Dai Caller and the final score was taken to 9-3 when Noel Grant beat Wayne Davies 4-1.
The overall 24-12 win for Warwickshire was not enough to see hold on to fifth position as with 127 points they were one behind fifth placed Essex and were left twenty-two short of new leaders Yorkshire.
—–ENDS—–
Alan Towe writes with the support of Red Dragon Darts
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