WINNING away to former leaders Cornwall keeps Yorkshire top of the Cosmo Darts Premier Division table extending their lead over Lancashire who move up three places in the table to take over from Cornwall in the number two spot.
Cornwall’s defeat saw them drop one place to third, seventeen short of Yorkshire. Hertfordshire played only their second fixture of the season but romped home with a resounding (28-8) win at London and although they are still lying next to bottom of the division they have two games in hand on the majority of teams above them.
Essex, who had a bye, drop into the bottom spot but, like Hertfordshire, have games in hand on nine teams above them.
Hampshire’s Paul Walker had the top average of 31.31 for the men’s ‘A’ with a straight 4-0 win. Topping the ladies ‘A’ was Glamorgan’s Eve Watson who won 3-1. Top of the ‘B’ averages Rob Rickwood and Amy Evans, Rickwood averaging 31.46 in his 4-1victory while Amy won 3-0 with a super 24.64 average.
Suffolk, continue to lead the field in the Andy Wheeler Fisheries Championship Division but their lead is shortened after they went down away to Gwent. Humberside lost second place as they finished on the wrong side of Northamptonshire which saw them drop to third place below both Suffolk and Cambridgeshire whose win away to Derbyshire has lifted them up two places in the table to second only six points less than the leaders.
Despite a home win over Kent Cheshire remained at the foot of the table but with games in hand on all the teams above them.
The Championship’s men’s ‘A’ went to Kent’s Mike Brett who had a 4-1 win with a 31.35 average. Not far behind Brett and just losing out were Lee Budgen and Tavis Dudeney who both had a 31.31 . The ladies ‘A’ average went to Jo Oldershaw who in her straight 3-0 win had a tremendous 27.83 average.
After only the first four fixtures, Middlesex have opened up a gap of sixteen points at the top of the L-Style Division One after adding their latest win away to Devon to their account.
Black Country, who played their fixture one week earlier, had moved up into second place but after the majority of scheduled games were played they dropped to fourth place, now twenty-seven points behind Middlesex but from one game fewer.
Clwyd moved up from fourth to second after their home win over Berkshire while Merseyside, who were third, dropped to fifth after losing at Black Country.
A 24-12 home win over Cleveland has seen Somerset move up from seventh to third in the table, trailing Middlesex and Clwyd. Although Buckinghamshire lost at home to West Midlands they moved off the foot of the table and were replaced by Devon who are on the same total points as Buckinghamshire, both teams having games in hand on five of the teams above them.
A superb 33.16 average saw David Davies top the men’s ‘A’ averages with a 4-1 result. The men’s ‘B’ accolade going to Black Country’s Rob Smith who had a 4-1 win. Ryan Palmer narrowly missed out with his 31.31 average. Black Country also provided the ladies ‘A’ top average as their Tammy Chance won 3-2 with her 22.49 average. The top women’s ‘B’ average of 20.31 was shared by Jackie Brighton and Alison Gabriel-Wotton, the former winning 3-0 and the latter by the same 3-0 margin.
Division Two produced a top of the table clash between leaders Worcestershire and second placed Salopian. Salopian went on to win the fixture to narrow the gap between the two teams to one single point.
A home win over Gwynedd sees County Durham hold on to third place and reduce the arrears on the leaders to just three points. Wiltshire’s win over Northumberland lifted themselves off the foot of the table and moved up three places with Gwynedd replacing them following their defeat at County Durham.
Men’s ‘A’ games top average went to Paul Harvey who in his 4-0 win with 32.85. Jenny Jones had the ladies ‘A’ top average of 22.33 as she won 3-2. Paul Johnson had a 4-0 win and topped the men’s ‘B’ charts with a 30.36 average while the ladies’ B’ top lady was Gwynedd’s Emily Mitchell who had a 20.31 average in her 3-0 win.
Division Three had Norfolk staying top of the table with a convincing home win over Wirral who lost second place and dropped to fourth some twenty-nine points behind their victors.
Gloucestershire’s huge home win over bottom placed Isle of Wight has lifted them up four places in the table to second.. In the only other fixture played on the scheduled date West of England won their home tie with Montgomery and Radnor.
Andy White with a 30-36 average and 4-0 win topping the ‘A’ averages and Jimmy Bristow topping the ‘B’ for his 27.70 average and 4-1 success. The women’s top averages went to Norfolk’s Nikki Goldsmith (22.57) and Roz Bulmer (18.11).
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Images: UKDA
