Premier race is going down to wire

IT is turning into an absolute thriller at the top of the Dundalk Darts League Premier Division as holders Uncle Toms Cabin continue to battle it out with Avenue Celtic.

Last week’s action saw the Avenue team go back on top of the table with a narrow 4-2 win over the Punters Sharks, while the Blackrock side had to settle for a 3-3 draw with the thirdplaced Bodhran team.

The highlights of the Avenue’s match were mostly contained in the game between Mickey Kelly and Mickey Donnelly, which the former won 3-2 to level the match up after the Greenacres side had edged the first two games.

Gary Loughran and Austin Thompson won the last two ties to send their team top on leg difference.

This was a result of superb performances from Darren Ludlow, Alan Dullaghan and Ciaran Keenan earning a point for the Bodhran team, coming from 3-1 down to force a draw, with their captain Ludlow’s defeat of Owen Caffrey particularly noteworthy.

In the other Premier match Uncle Toms overcame the Malthouse 4-2 in a cagey affair where Wayne Fry was outstanding for the victors.

Division One saw the Punters Panthers extend their lead at the top to four points with a revenge 5-1 victory over Harrys Bar who had knocked them out of the cup a week previously.

Father and son David and Chris Murden were triumphant in the last two games to ensure they went four clear of Commercial Classics who had a bye week.

The other matches in this division resulted in a draw between Stags Head and the Punters Pumas, and a 5-1 win for the Bodhran Blues over the McManus Maniacs in a game where Paul Kelly was man of the match.

The Bodhran Eagles lost their unbeaten record in division two to high-flying Courtneys. Their 4-2 victory closed the gap between the two to just a point, with Tony Fenton and Jonathan Smith in inspiring form.

The Bodhran Hawks and Castle Bar Knights are still in the hunt in this division also, after respective 4-2 and 5-1 victories over the Stags Blue and Clans teams.

Elsewhere, Callans reversed their cup defeat to Commercial Celtic with a 5-1 win.

This week sees the start of the open shield, with six preliminary round matches taking place on Thursday.