Fixture number five in the UKDA National League Cosmo Darts Premier Division produced a battle of the ‘Roses’ when leaders Yorkshire played hosts to second placed Lancashire, the former having a twelve points lead on their visitors.
Saturday’s games saw the away side take an 11-7 lead into Sunday’s ‘A’ matches despite the ladies ‘B’ losing 4-2 as the men’s ‘B’ won 9-3. The ‘A’’ games were a complete reversal of the ‘B’ results as Lancashire won the ladies game 4-2 and Yorkshire finished on the right side of the 8-4 result for the men’s match. The overall result was 19-17 to Lancashire which sees Yorkshire hold-on to pole position with 112 points, Lancashire reducing the deficit to seven points with 105 points.
A 22-14 win at Hertfordshire keeps Cornwall in third place, reducing the gap on Lancashire to just two points and doubling their lead on fourth placed Lincolnshire from two to four points.
Topping the averages in the men’s ‘A’ games was Lancashire’s David Evans who won 4-1 with a 32.31 average against Yorkshire’s Peter Jacques, Keith Flint (Yorkshire) narrowly missing out with his 31.31 average and straight 4-0 win over Lee Wilson (Lancashire). Ally Smith (Lancashire) had the topped the ladies ‘A’ charts, beating Yorkshire’s Sally Whiting 3-0 with a 26.84 average. Hampshire’s Jane Monaghan was not far behind Ally Smith as she chalked up a 26.37 average in her 3-0 win over Dorset’s Bevvy Hoey.
David Moule (Hampshire_ had the best men’s ‘B’ average, 31.31 in a 4-0 win over George Grant (Dorset) while Lincolnshire’s Mandy Smith won 3-0 and averaged 23.12 in her game with Glamorgan’s Donna Buckley to top the ladies ‘B’ averages.
A 24-12 home win over Cheshire has seen Suffolk extend their lead at the top of the Andy Wheeler Fisheries Championship Division from six to sixteen points. Cambridgeshire lost their home tie with Northamptonshire 19-17 and as a result also lose their number two spot and drop to third place but on the same 100 points as Humberside whose 20-16 home win over Gwent has seen them move up from third to second in the division. Fourth placed Sussex, are only two points behind Humberside and Cambridgeshire and eighteen short of Suffolk after they won 23-13 at home against Derbyshire and despite trailing the three teams above them they do have a game in hand on them all.
Gwent’s Nick Kenny’s 4-2 win over Humberside’s Mike Atkinson saw him top the men’s ‘A’ averages while a 23-13 home win over Staffordshire produced the other three top averages for Oxfordshire. In the ladies ‘A’ match Deta Hedman averaged 25.05 in her straight 3-0 win over Staffordshire’s Sarah Cope and it was Hedman’s team-mate Nicola Curzon who topped the ‘B’ averages winning 3-1 against Rhiannon Scales (Staffordshire) with a 19.89 average. Again it was Oxfordshire claiming the men’s ‘B’ award when Pete Hall beat Staffordshire’s Stuart Livesley 4-0 and averaged 32.85, Sussex player Dave McLaren not far behind Hall with his 32.32 average in a 4-0 win over Derbyshire’s Liam Ryde.
Despite having a bye, Middlesex remain top of the L-Style Division One table and although second placed Clwyd lost 20-16 away to Merseyside they hold on to second place and have joined Middlesex on 100 points but having played one game more than the leaders. The win for Merseyside has seen them move up into third place with 93 points, one more than the team previously at number three, Somerset who went down 22-14 at Berkshire to leave them just one point behind Merseyside who have a game in hand on Clwyd and Somerset.
Although Clwyd lost 20-16 at Merseyside they actually had both of the ‘A’ team top averages as David Davies beat Mike Addison (Merseyside) 4-0 with a super 33.40 average and Leanne Topper took the ladies ‘A’ award for her 22.99 average in her 3-1 win over Adele Mulligan (Merseyside). Kate Hulme (Somerset) just missed out on the averages as she chalked up a 22.25 average in her 3-2 win over Berkshire’s Debbie Shadwell.
The men’s top ‘B’ team average of 30.36 went to West Midlands Ryan Locker who won 4-0 against Devon’s Jake Wreford. Cleveland Claire Stamper and Merseyside’s Claire New shared the top average of 18.56 for the ladies ‘B’ games, Claire Stamper winning 3-0 against Buckinghamshire’s Chardonnay Bowen while Claire New accounted for Clwyd’s Neeley Street with a 3-0 result.
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