WELCOME to the final edition of Island Hoppers before the Summer recess, rounding up everything taking place across all the Channel Islands:
The annual Inter-Insular match between Jersey and Guernsey made a welcome return to the Channel Islands darting calendar after a Covid enforced absence of four years, with Guernsey the hosts.
The weekend began with the traditional Island Knockouts on the Friday night to determine the Channel Islands Champions. , Lewis Bell, Mark Buckingham and Gary de Ste Croix took the Fours title for Jersey. Guernsey came out on top in the Triples, courtesy of Lee Savident, Debbie Hamon and Nick Ogier. Lewis Bell added to his collection, partnering Jenna “Ginge” Avrill in the Mixed Pairs.
The two other Pairs crowns were claimed by the Green Army – Mark Fletcher and Jason Allez claimed the Men’s title, with Debbie Hamon and Caroline La Touche coming out on top for the Ladies. Sharon Le Page (Guernsey) won the Ladies Singles, before Lewis Bell made it a personal hat-trick on the night in the Men’s Singles.
All eyes then turned to the main attraction the following day. The proceedings began with the Men’s B. Pars Yuksel (Jersey) won the lead-in match to determine the order of throw, and it was Jersey who took the opening two points. All five legs were required by Gareth Le Monnier and Nigel Greenwood respectively. Dave Moore extended the visitors advantage before Jerry Baguio got the hosts off the mark.
The fifth and sixth matches of the session both went to the men in red – Dave Quinn was another to go the distance and Gary de Ste Croix was victorious in the fourth. Micky Ogier Jnr pulled one back for Guernsey in minimum time, but it was Jersey who took the last two matches without dropping a leg. Mark James and Taylor Greechan emerged victorious to give Jersey a 7-2 lead although the final scoreline could easily have been much closer.
Jersey – Men’s B winners
Lyndsey Le Sauvage went the full five leg trip before securing the throw for Guernsey in the Ladies lead-in contest. In a mirror image of the first session, it was Guernsey who established the early two nothing lead. Jo Fallaize won in straight legs and Debbie Hamon won in four. The pendulum of momentum then swung firmly behind Jersey, taking the next four matches on the spin at a cost of only two legs. Casey Lodwidge and Lorraine Porter both claimed their points in the fourth leg. Jenna Avrill and Ema Hawley both left the stage without conceding a leg to take Jersey within a point of claiming a second straight sectional win.
Sharon Le Page kept Guernsey in the hunt with a straight legs victory in match seven, and all five legs were needed in the penultimate contest before Hope Hopwood claimed the sectional spoils for the visitors. The last word was with Guernsey, Yvonne Le Gallic winning a close game in the last leg to leave the final score at five four in Jersey’s favour.
Guernsey and Jersey Ladies
With the overall match score now giving Jersey a six point lead at 12-6, only two more were required in the Men’s A for them to regain the coveted Muratti title.
Guernsey were far from beaten and put up a great performance in the final stanza. Ken Waters gained the all-important throw for the hosts after a tense five leg lead-in battle. Sid Bell put Jersey within a point of the overall win as he took the opener in four legs. Guernsey then showed what they were capable of, with no less than six straight victories to keep the result in doubt almost to the last. Nick Ogier opened the Guernsey account in leg four, before Leyton De La Mare, Carl Gauvain and Adam Gontier added to the tally in nine consecutive legs. Guernsey were really on a roll now, and Mark Fletcher had to come from behind before winning a nervy final leg.
Three matches remained, and the comeback was still very much alive. Jason Allez applied more pressure with a straight legs win to bring Guernsey within one point. It was Lewis Bell next up for Jersey, and in the fourth leg he found the outer ring to the delight and relief of his team-mates. With the pressure finally off, Steve Eusebini rounded off the day with another win in four to leave Guernsey 6-3 sectional winners, with the overall match score 15-12 to Jersey.
Guernsey – Men’s A winners
Another Inter-Island Match took place at the end of May, with the second annual encounter between Alderney and Guernsey.
The first night saw a Blind Pairs knockout to give the players a chance for some competitive darts before the match itself. Ken Waters and Caroline La Touche picked up the winner’s money for Guernsey, while the combination of Alderney’s Wayne Cosheril and your correspondent (adopted by Alderney for the weekend) claimed the runners-up spot.
The proceedings began the following afternoon with the Ladies Championship, and it was Alderney’s Lois La Lacheur who emerged victorious in straight legs. The main match itself was the best of 9 sets. Guernsey were able to use their greater stage experience to good effect and soon found themselves five nil up. Ann Fallaize started off with the opening point in minimum time. Yvonne Le Gallic and Tracy de La Haye matched that before Tina Enevoldsen carried on the good work with a win in four legs. Alderney then came close to registering their first point, but Kirsty Capanzaro was edged out in a last leg shootout by Jo Ellis. The next match saw some decent darts and also went five legs. Rebekah Williams cracked in a lovely 103 finish against Caroline La Touche, and almost added a 140 finish for good measure. Both ladies gave as good as they got, and it was Williams who found the match winning double in the finale to the delight of the hosts. Guernsey then took the last three games of the session. Michelle Roussel and Debbie Hamon both left the stage with a win before Lyndsey Le Sauvage took the finale, another contest that also went the full trip. Guernsey deserved their 8-1 sectional win but the Alderney ladies, many of whom were playing on stage for the first time acquitted themselves well and the experience will be of real benefit for them as they progress.
Guernsey Ladies
The second session was a nip and tuck thriller, and in keeping with the whole weekend was played in competitive spirit with vociferous support from both sides, while being very respectful of their opponents.
In the Island Championship, Ken Waters took the trophy with a straight legs victory. The 13 sets match began with the first four contests being shared. Guernsey drew first blood, Chris Hamon opening their account in the final leg. The next match also went the distance, but it was the blue shirted hosts that came out on top courtesy of Chris Herivel. John Gauvain restored the Guernsey lead, again in the fifth leg, and Jack Williams then restored parity once more to square the overall score.
The fifth match saw Alderney take the lead for the first time, Matt Aldcroft taking the point. Guernsey hit back with two wins to regain the advantage. Both John “Doom Bar” Enevoldsen and Jamie Roussel came away with whitewash victories. Jasper Osborne edged the hosts back in front with a win in the fourth, but Dave Green promptly equalised in a match that went all the way.
With four games remaining it was still very much all to play for, with Guernsey holding a slender five four advantage and the next two games on stage both went the full distance. Aaron Frost and Dave Young came away with their hands raised in victory and now it was Alderney with a one point lead.
The penultimate match went to Guernsey, Darren Luxton’s win in straight legs set up a grandstand finish which was a fitting way to end a fabulous weekend of darts. The Guernsey players then formed a “guard of honour” to welcome both players to the stage. The tension increased, as did the volume and the support for both Alderney’s John Adamson and Terry Martel of Guernsey was outstanding. With the pressure on, Martel found the outer ring in the third leg to secure a hard fought victory for the Green Army.
Guernsey Men
This was the first time that Alderney had held an event of this kind, and everyone involved in the organising of it deserves huge credit for putting on an excellent weekend, which I have no doubt will be the first of many that the island will host in the years to come.
Over in Guernsey, the Winter Leagues have come to the end of their respective seasons.
We start with the individual Leagues. In the Western Individual, Kyle Hutchinson emerged victorious in the Premier Division, finishing just ahead of Michael Ogier and Callum Ferbrache who were tied for second place. Chris Hamon was top of the table in Division One, and Renars Kultenko took the Division Two title. Phil Mason claimed top spot in Division Three.
They, along with the other trophy winners, were given their respective spoils of victory at the Presentation Night by none other than “The Artist” Kevin Painter.
It was Leyton De La Mare who emerged as the Premier Division Champion in the GDL, just ahead of Adie Exall with Carl Gauvain in third place. Richard Moullin edged out Alan Billien to be top dog in Division One. Division Two went the way of Terry Martel, with Jake Desperques a single point behind in second spot. Andy Walford was an easy winner of Division Three.
In the Team competitions, it was Britfits who dominated the Herald League, taking not only the Division One crown but dominating the end of season competitions as well. Demon 5 were runners-up, followed by Bulls Up, Flight Club and Leftovers. Division Two Champions were Dart Vadars. Ups and Downers gave them a real run for the money but couldn’t quite overtake them and had to settle for the silver medal. Honeycombs were third. Hopefuls came next with Dolly Mixtures taking the dreaded wooden spoon.
Britfits – Herald League Champions
Division One of the Triples League was retained by the aptly named Not Us Again GTW. Spitfires and Venture Inn Stagger Out took the minor honours. Boys From The North, Tornados and Dillgafs rounded out the top six. Seventh spot went to Busters, with Kwitchabitchin in eighth position. Flying Jacks just avoided the relegation trap door, Venture Inn Fall Out and Foresters will compete next season at the lower level.
Discombobulated will go up as Division Two Champions, and joining them in the upper echelon will be The Bull Bags. Third place went to Dart Vadars, with All Hits and Giggles ending up in fourth. The Bowlers and MCC gave fifth and sixth places a look that wouldn’t be out of place at a Test match. Fontaine Filles finished in seventh, followed by Gerry and The Scoremakers. Lodgers Return and Scorpions were next with Daarty Bit Ches propping up the rest.
A new Open took place at the RAF Club. Mark Fletcher and Yvonne Le Gallic took the Mens and Ladies events, with Kieran Queripel winning the Steve Allez Memorial Plate.
Keiran Queripel with Shaun Allez (left) and Jason Allez (right)
There has been plenty of action on Jersey too. We have to start with congratulating Lewis Bell on a magnificent year on the JDC Advanced Tour. Lewis took Event 12 with a superb 6-1 win over the highly rated Luke Littler on his way to finishing fourth on the JDC Order of Merit, which has also secured him a spot in the England A team. He is really making some significant and positive strides in the game, and it was great to see him featured on BBC Jersey. Lewis is rapidly becoming the flag bearer for Channel Islands darts and this column has been championing him for quite some time. We shall be all be watching him with much anticipation over the next year and beyond!
Another recent event was the King’s Coronation Cup. A good turnout saw Craig Quemard lift the Men’s title, with Ema Hawley taking the Ladies title.
The most poignant event of the Jersey darts Calendar has also just taken place. The Little Ed’s Memorial Open remembers Eddie Le Bailly Jnr, who was tragically taken from us at a young age. This is the tournament that the Jersey darts fraternity want to win more than any other. Eddie was a popular and well respected player throughout the Channel Islands and is still very much missed by all who knew him.
Therefore it was only fitting that the final match was a brilliant game. Lewis Bell gained the win over Craig Quemard, with an average of 102. I am even more pleased to report that £1,470 was raised for charity, and the JSPCA will I am sure be delighted with this simply fabulous amount which has been donated to them.
Lewis Bell with Angela Le Bailly, and “Tedward”
Finally, we conclude our extensive round up with the Jersey White Collar Darts. Nine weeks ago, sixteen players new to the game began their training under the ever-watchful eyes of some of Jersey’s top players at the JMI Mechanics club.
It was all leading up to the big finals night at the Royal Jersey Hall, with the sixteen players competing head to head in a knockout competition. The First Round draw was as follows:
After a night of intense battle, it all came down to two players. It was Andrew Millett who took the title of White Collar Darts Champion, defeating Justin Spanswick in the final.
This event can and does provide a pathway. A previous winner, Adam Clarke, is now in Jersey’s A team and I’m sure the players in this year’s event will now be looking at competing in the Jersey leagues with the aim of representing Jersey in team competition.
All eyes now turn to the WDF World Cup this September in Denmark, with both Guernsey and Jersey competing. The build-up to the World Cup will be featured in the next column along with the latest news from the Alderney Individual League.
—–ENDS—–
Worlds: “The Pearly King”
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