Mariner pair double up for exciting win
A LITTLE bit of history was made at the Westcourt Hotel last Sunday week when the Fosters Duleek & District League ran three big competitions on the one day.
Like the previous Singles tournament, there was a large attendance as players and spectators turned out for the Doubles (the main event) as well as the Divisional Singles for Division 2/3 players and the Plate competition for first-round losers in the Doubles.
Overall, the system worked well, albeit with a few tweaks possibly required for next year’s competitions.
The Doubles Competition began with 50 pairs, and after some time - and some surprises - it came down to the last eight teams, namely Paddy Kavanagh & Stephen Murtagh (Carranstown), Robert Smith & Damian Hethrington (Mariner), Paul Mc Auley & Niall Courtney (Hill Bar), Johnny Andrews & Ian Kells (Morning Star), Stephen Gibney & Willie Campbell (Thatch), Niall Barry & Thomas Brodigan (Greyhound), Ollie Thompson & James Keogh (Greyhound) and Paul Collier & Simon Rogers (Cottage Inn).
In the semi-finals the Mariner pair of Smith and Hethrington had a decisive 4-0 win over Greyhound’s Barry and Brodigan, and in the second semi Carranstown’s Murtagh and Kavanagh just got over the line with a 4–3 victory over Morning Star pair Andrews and Kells.
The final, played over nine legs, went down to the wire. Murtagh and Kavanagh led almost throughout but couldn’t shake off the Drogheda pair who fought back to all square at 4-4.
In the deciding leg Smith and Hethrington put together some very high scores, and together with some decisive finishing they secured victory and the Doubles title for the current season. It was the second success in consecutive years for a Drogheda pair in this competition.
With both teams having their chances on day, before the title was secured by a Drogheda pair, for the second year running.
The Divisional Singles had 45 entries, the highest in some time, and provided some very good games throughout the day, with the semi-final pairings being Derek Thornton (Admirals) v Conor Campbell (Thatch) and Sam Henry (Thatch) v Pat Mc Keown (Lynchs).
Both those matches went all the way to the final leg, with Thornton and McKeown winning through, and it was Lynchs player McKeown who proved just too strong on the day to take the trophy back to Slane despite a strong challenge from Drogheda contenders.
The Plate Competition saw 30 players at the start line and after some quick, decisive rounds it came down to a final between Damian Grimes (Matthews) and Thomas Farrelly (Carranstown), with with Grimes just coming out best - 2-1 - in a very tight decider.
The highest checkout prize on the day went to Ian Kells of Morning Star who had a 150. •The League committee would like to thank the sponsors of board signs etc, Fosters who had a promotion on the day, the Westcourt Hotel, management and staff for their help and sponsorship, and everyone who helped out with the charity raffle - including sellers, groups and individuals who sponsored prizes. Some €425 was raised, coupled with €400 on singles day, and along with a contribution from the League itself, €1,000 will be divided between various local charities.
The League Committee are planning to run a darts exhibition in the Westcourt Hotel later this year, possibly in August or September.