Warwickshire knew it was going to be a tough fixture even though they had home advantage over their visitors second in the UKDA National League’s Cosmo Darts Premier Division Lancashire and that was made clear in the opening day’s games as they ladies ‘B’ finished on the wrong side of a 4-2 result.
Tracey Cunningham gave the away side the early lead when she beat Angela Jones 3-2 and although second on Melanie Jones won 3-2 against Ally Smith to level the score it was the away team who forged ahead once again in the third when Anne-Marie Millership won 3-2 against Chloe McKivett with a 108 check out in the deciding leg.
A 3-1 win for Sue Cusick against Nina Bolt put Lancashire within one game of victory but a lady of the match performance from Warwickshire’s Hannah Meek delayed that, Hannah winning 3-0 against Ellen Fletcher with a 19.52 average. A 3-0 win for Audrey Underwood over Courtney Hine in the final game gave Lancashire the 4-2 result.
The men’s ‘B’ quickly found themselves trailing 3-0 as Martin Lomas won 4-1 against Mark Carter, Gary Davey beat Mark Strong 4-2 and Andy Chase won 4-0 against Will Naylor. Jenson Walker stopped the rot in the fourth with his 4-2 success over Jimmy Welding and with a similar 4-2 win from Pete Hughes including 121 and 122 finishes against Pete Day jnr things were looking a little better for the home side, Hughes Warwickshire’s man of the match with his 27.82 average. However, by the midway point Lancashire had opened up a 4-2 lead as Graham Lalor rounded off the half with a 4-0 win against Lee Miller.
The visitors lead was extended to 5-2 as the second half got underway Kieran Thompson beating Sam Price 4-2 after Price had opened up leads of 1-0 and 2-1, they then stormed into a match-winning 8-2 position with Andy Cass winning 4-1 against Noah Rose, Jason Longmate beating Karl Reynolds 4-2 and Ryan Robinson finishing the 4-0 winner against Mark Martin
The penultimate encounter saw Warwickshire reduce the arrears slightly as Adam Hancock won 4-3 against Terry Hey but a 4-0 win for Nathan Care over Martin Tonks in the last game of the day gave Lancashire a 9-3 win and a 13-5 lead to take into Sunday’s games.
Lancashire were first off the mark in the ladies ‘A’ Sunday game as Jenny Nuttall won 3-0 against Sue Gulliver. Tammy Montgomery was second on for the home team winning the first leg against Lindsey Ashton but then going 2-1 behind before securing her 3-2 win by taking the last two legs, not only securing her win but at the same time the match award for her 22.61 average. For the first time in the game Warwickshire went ahead in the third thanks to a straight 3-0 win from Natalie Gilbert over Dawn Shaw and opened up a 3-1 lead when Wendy Adams came from 1-0 and 2-1 down against Amy Eden to go on and win 3-2.
The away side got their second stripe on the board in the penultimate encounter, Eleanor Cairns winning 3-0 against Donna Pinch but the eventual 4-2 result went to Warwickshire when Caroline Pike won the final game against Jo Clements 3-0.
With only the men’s ‘A’ result to be added and trailing overall 15-9 a huge 10-2 win from the men is what was required for a Warwickshire win, a big ask!!
First to the oche for the hosts was Jack Wareing who trailed 1-0 and 2-1 against Gary Davey but with three consecutive sixteen darts legs went on to win 4-2. Gary Jackson levelled for the visitors with his 4-3 win over Noel Grant who had opened up leads of 2-1 and 3-2. This season’s new addition to the Warwickshire squad Chris Wickenden was on at number three and although he went 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 down to David Evans stuck to his task and went on to win 4-3 with two final seventeen darts legs,
Nigel Heydon was unfortunate to come up against in-form Lancashire man Sam Cromwell who after winning the opening leg in eleven darts then added further 16,17 and 18 darts legs for a 4-0 win and an outstanding 33.40 average to level the score at 2-2. For a third time Warwickshire took the lead, as their man of the match Matty Washbrooke won 4-0 against Martin Atkins in 15,20,13 and 14 darts giving him a tremendous 32.32 average. At the halfway mark the score was level at 3-3 after Lee Shewan (Lancashire) won 4-2 against Steve Hine to guarantee the visiting team at the worst a share of the weekend’s points.
A share of the points was never to be as Steve Reynolds kicked off the second half with a 4-3 win over Tom Martin to assure Lancashire of the overall win.
Jamie Atkins kept Warwickshire in the game when he levelled the score at 4-4 with a 4-2 win over Jordan Brooks and with a further 4-2 win from Wayne Mynard against David Airey the home side were once again ahead with a 5-4 lead and a men’s ‘A’ win still within their sights.
Dave Hill (Warwickshire) took the first leg off Martin Barratt but then lost 4-1 to leave the outcome resting on the final two games, both of which went to a decider with Lancashire getting both results as Stu Wilson beat Gareth Braham and Carl Sneyd accounted for Ian McFarlane to give a narrow 7-5 result in favour of the away team and an overall 22-14 win for Lancashire to keep them in second place in the table but thirteen points adrift of leaders Yorkshire.
Warwickshire’s defeat sees them drop one place to sixth with the same 168 points as fifth-placed Hampshire.
—–ENDS—–
Alan Towe writes with the support of Red Dragon Darts
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