EVERSON’S SPORTS AND TROPHIES (YSTRAD MYNACH) MERTHYR SUMMER DARTS LEAGUE

CHAMPIONS OF CHAMPIONS CUP PRELIMINARY ROUND MERTHYR LABOUR CLUB ............................... 5 HILLS PLYMOUTH CRICKET CLUB ............. 4

CURRENT Winter League champions and last year’s semi-finalists the Merthyr Labour Club were hot favourites to take this year’s title, winning their section with ease and beating tonight’s opponents twice along the way. But they were made to work very hard for their win in this game going all their way to the very last leg in a thrilling finish.

The home side started very well with Wayne Davies and Chris Galleozzie breaking the throw of John Harnedy and Jason Woodford in the first pairs and then a superb hold from Anthony Carstairs 120 away, 100 and Gareth Dunn 100 over Keith Harnedy and Jared Lewis saw the title favourites go 2-0 ahead. The final pairs saw the Cric finally get into the game with the dynamic duo of Phil Lewis and Dean Lewis 100 holding throw over Ron Morgan and Kevin Forbes to halve the deficit ahead of the match-deciding singles battles.

John Harnedy levelled the match at two apiece with a break of throw over Wayne Davies and then a fine hold from Jason Woodford over Anthony Carstairs 111, 140 saw the visitors turn the tables for a 3-2 lead. Kevin Forbes edged past Phil Lewis 102 away with a hold of throw to square the contest again but back came the Cric with Dean 100 holding over Chris Galleozzie 140 for a 4-3 lead and stand just one point away from a famous victory. Recently unseated singles champion Gareth Dunn 100, 121 held throw over Keith Harnedy 100 to make it four apiece setting up a last-leg shoot out which saw veteran Ron Morgan beat young Jared Lewis against the throw to see the hosts scrape over the line into the first round proper.

PENYDARREN SOCIAL CLUB B ........................... 4 MARTYRS ...................... 5

THIS was another thrilling preliminary round contest, again going to the wire before revealing the winner in a dramatic turnaround.

Colin Howe 100 and Bradley Howe dished out the dreaded “Tin Hat” to the unfortunate Ray Smith and Graham Elias in the opening pairs but the scores were soon level with Nathan Moran 92 away and Kendrick Howe holding over Ray Phillips and Peter Worrell. The first break of throw came in the final pairs with Steve Smith and RL Smith edging past Steve Evans and David Howe, earning the Pen a narrow lead heading into the singles legs.

The first singles saw the score line read 3-1 with Steve Smith holding over Colin Howe 140 and then the home side went 4-1 with Nathan Morgan breaking the throw of Steve Evans to stand just one more win away from the first round proper. Peter Worrell though had other ideas and a great break over Kendrick Howe kept the match alive and gave the Martyrs some hope. David Howe 100 held throw over Graham Elias to pull the visitors to within a point and then an excellent break from Ray Phillips 122 over RL Smith saw the scores at four apiece with one left to play. A dramatic last leg saw veteran Alun Pearce enter the fray and in a tensely fought affair he held throw over another veteran Ray Smith 60 away 122 to snatch a last-gasp victory for a delighted Martyrs side.

CHAMPIONS OF CHAMPIONS FIRST ROUND YE-OLDE EXPRESS ...... 5 COLLIERS ARMS .......... 2

THE Express were made to work hard for this win against a very gallant visiting Colliers Arms.

Peter Locke and Wayne Titcomb got the home side off to a good start breaking the throw of John Jones and F Murphy but back came the away side with a break of their own with Dean Thomas and Mark Segerson getting the better of Phil Williams and Brian Nicholas to level at one apiece. The break of throw theme continued in the final pairs with Steve Haman and Roy Evans beating Paul Thomas and Martin Treen grabbing the hosts a 2-1 lead.

A tremendous first singles leg saw the first hold of the match with Peter Locke 135, 140 beating Dean Thomas 100, 125, 140 for a 3-1 home lead but the Colliers pulled a leg back in the next game with Paul Thomas 2x100 holding over Wayne Titcomb 100, 137 to stay in the game. Phil Williams beat Mark Segerson to put the Express 4-2 ahead and one step away from the quarter-finals and this they duly achieved in the next game with Steve Haman breaking Martin Treen for a fine 5-2 win.

MERTHYR EX CLUB ..... 3 MARTYRS CLUB ........... 5

THE Martyrs remained at the Pen Club to play their first round game against the Merthyr Ex and this game again provided top class entertainment.

Jason Davies 72 away and Wayne Jones took the opening leg against the darts for the Ex over Colin Howe 100, and Bradley Howe 92 away, 100 but the Martyrs were quick to reply with Ray Phillips and Peter Worrell beating Jason Baynham 100 and Paul Bayliss to level at one game each. Shane Williams and Steve Mahoney then regained the lead for the Ex with yet another break of throw as they beat Steve Evans and David Howe just ahead of the singles.

Colin Howe 2x100 broke the throw of Jason Davies 100 in the first singles to level the game but the Ex struck back again with Jason Baynham 80 out breaking Steve Evans to lead again at 3-2. Peter Worrell broke Denzil Griffiths in a tight game to make it three apiece and then further wins from David Howe 100 and Ray Phillips over Matthew Sullivan and Paul Bayliss 2x100 respectively earned the win for the Martyrs and a place in the quarterfinals.

HEOLGERRIG SOCIAL CLUB A ........................... 3 TOMMY’S BAR .............. 5

THIS was another splendid game with league debutants Tommy’s Bar gaining an excellent win over the vastly experienced crew at the Heolgerrig A .

N Griffiths and Chris Brogden 125 held throw in the first pairs over Ray Williams 100 and Mervyn Matthews to put the visitors into an early lead but this was short lived as Trad Davies and Iory Haines holding over George Scott 121 and C Bailey to level at 1-1. The first break saw Kevin Roberts and Colin Morgan 121 edge past S Davies 117 and D Wells to earn the home side a 2-1 lead going into the singles.

George Scott broke the throw of Ray Williams in the first singles to square the contest at two apiece and then a fine hold from S Davies 123 over Kevin Roberts 120 saw the away side go 3-2 ahead. A splendid showing from Mervyn Matthews 121, 140 saw him hold over N Griffiths to level at three apiece but then great wins from D Wells and Chris Brogden over Iory Haines and Colin Morgan saw the visitors safely through to the next round.

RED LION ....................... 5 HEOLGERRIG SOCIAL CLUB B ........................... 4

THIS local derby saw near neighbours face each other in what turned out to be a fantastic game going right to the wire before giving a winner.

Veteran Craig Sims 100 and Dai Richards took the opening pairs against the darts with a great win over Kristian Dowd and Bob Watkins to put the hosts ahead and then a second break of throw saw the sides draw level with Richard Cahlane 2x100 and Jordan Davies beating Robert McCarthy and Ian Davies. A third consecutive break saw the home side regain the lead heading into the singles with Paul Thomas and Richard Howard getting the upper hand over Gary Watkins and Alun Pedlar.

Craig Sims 100 held throw over Bob Watkins in first singles to extend the Reds’ lead to 3-1 but Heolgerrig remained in touch with Kristian Dowd 180 holding over Dai Richards to trail by just one. Ian Davies beat Alun Moore to put the hosts 4-2 ahead and just one more win away from the next round but the Social kept plugging away with Richard Cahlane holding over Robert McCarthy and a splendid break from Islwyn Price 123 over Paul Thomas saw the scores level with one game to go. A titanic last leg battle saw Richard Howard break the throw of Jordan Davies 103 and the hearts of the visitors to secure a place in the next round.

MERTHYR VALE EX CLUB (DAGGERS) ......... 4 GRAWEN ARMS ............ 5

WOW! What a game this was. Phil Locke and Steve Thomas 93 away put the away side into an early lead with victory over Lloyd Davies 100 and Phil Morris and soon the score line read 2-0 with Dean Smith 100 and Marcus Davies 140 breaking the throw of a battling Warren Rees 100 and Karl Manns. The final pairs saw the home side get into the game with Derek Dobbins and Bobby Terrett beating Lyn Jones and Roy Element against the darts to halve the arrears with the singles legs to come.

Phil Locke 100 extended the Grawen’s lead to 3-1 with a break over Lloyd Davies 100 but back came the Daggers to claim the next two points with Warren Rees and Derek Dobbins 121 beating Tony Hedges and Dean Smith 121 respectively to level the match at three apiece with three to play. Steve Thomas 97, 2x100 took the seventh leg for the Grawen with a hold over Karl Manns 140 to lead 4-3 but back came the home side with Phil Morris 100 edging past Marcus Davies for a level contest. The final leg of the match saw Roy Element 100, 140 in fine form holding over Bobby Terrett 140 to see the away side narrowly throw to the quarter-finals.

MERTHYR LABOUR CLUB ............................... 4 PENTREBACH LABOUR CLUB ............................... 5

NOPE this is NOT a misprint and your eyes do not deceive you.

Craig Clayton and Les Thomas 100, 122 took the opening pairs with throw over Wayne Davies and Chris Galleozzie but back came the favourites with Kevin Forbes and David Rowlands 100 holding over Dai Jones 115 and Malcolm Price for a level game. The final pairs went the way of the away side with veterans Graham Price and Gary Champion 2x100 beating Anthony Carstairs 100 and Gareth Dunn for a 2-1 lead going into the singles.

Kevin Forbes 100 levelled the match with a good hold over Craig Clayton 125 in a great first singles and then the Labour Club took the lead for the first time with Gareth Dunn getting the better of Gary Champion against the throw.

Les Thomas levelled with a great win over Anthony Carstairs 122 and a splendid hold from Dai Jones over Chris Galleozzie saw the away side go 4-3 up. Wayne Davies held throw over Malcolm Price to level the match at 4-4 and in the last game a battle of the captains saw Graham Price 100 hold throw to beat David Rowlands to put the Pentrebach side into the next round and end the favourites campaign in dramatic fashion.

SUPPLEMENTARY CUP FIRST ROUND FARMERS ARMS B ....... 5 JOHN STREET CLUB (TREHARRIS) ................ 0

THE John Street Club travelled the long way to the Farmers B and suffered a nightmare on the doubles going down 5-0.

A Thomas 105 and Andy Clarke got the home side off to a winning start with a break over M Evans and R Beasley and 2-0 soon followed with Neil Roberts 101 and Brian Evans holding over G Evans and C Samuel.

The final pairs saw the break of throw habit continue with Matthew Evans and Dean Moulds beating C Jones and Martin Jones for a 3-0 lead going into the singles legs.

Thomas 101 held throw in the first singles over B Lewis putting the hosts 4-0 ahead and victory was made complete in the next leg with Matthew Evans beating C Samuel to seal the hosts’ place in the next round.

MERTHYR CONSERVATIVE CLUB 5 ABERFAN HOTEL ......... 1

EDDIE Cunnington and Colin Lloyd took the opening pairs over Jamie Murtagh and Ross Andrews getting the Con Club off to a perfect start and they doubled their lead in the next leg with Greg Howells 100, 140 and Geoff Jackson holding over Steve Probert and D Murtagh.

The final pairs saw Wayne Williams and P Bunce get the Aberfan Hotel into the game with a fine hold over Jonathon Davies and Chris Stansfield. Chris Price 100 took the first singles over Steve Probert to increase the hosts’ lead to 3-1 and further wins from Jonathon Davies and Myrfryn Hughes over Jamie Murtagh 100 and Ross Andrews respectively saw the hosts safely through to the quarter-finals.

VNU ................................ 5 SILVER BULLET ............ 1

D CLAYTON and Errold Jones put the hosts into a very early lead with victory over Sharif Rasul and Steffan Williams 120 and then a hold from Mark Hadley and G Jenkins 100 over Steven Walker 100 and Neil Winstone saw the VNU go 2-0 ahead. Chris Davies and Anthony Morris got a hold of throw in the final pairs over John Hobby and Rhiannon Jenkins to get the Bullet firing ahead of the singles.

Andrew Fitzpatrick 100 held throw over Steffan Williams 120 in the first singles edging the hosts further ahead at 3-1 and then wins from Mark Hadley and Errold Jones against Chris Davies and Sharif Rasul 140 in order saw the home side safely through to the next round.

CYFARTHFA ARMS ...... 2 DOWLAIS CON CLUB ... 5

MARK Thomas and J Richards put the Con ahead with an opening game win over Dominic Illari and P Foxhall but a swift reply from Jarred Russell 100 and K Driscoll saw them hold over A Williams and Scott Keefe to level. The final pairs went with throw as George Quirk and S O’Brian beat J Bailey and L Price to put the away side 2-1 ahead going into the singles matches.

Mark Thomas took the opening singles against the darts over R James for a 3-1 lead with Scott Keefe then holding over P Fox- hall for a 4-1 advantage. K Driscoll held throw over A Williams 112 to pull a point back for the home side before J Richards 100 clinched victory for the visitors with a fine hold over Dominic Illari to book a place in the quarter-finals.

GUEST KEEN BOWLS CLUB B ........................... 5 BAILI-GLAS ................... 2

KERRY Ryan and Stewart Charleston 2x100 got the Baili off to a great start with a comfortable hold over Teg Powell 100 and Carl Jones but then five wasted darts from Tim Charleston and Andrew Morgan cost them very dear as Wayne Robinson and Roy Wilkes 125 came from nowhere to take the leg and level at one apiece.

More missed doubles in the final pairs from Alan Mee and Cled Jones again cost the Baili dear as Wayne Benbow and Steve Wilkes took the game to give the Guest a 2-1 lead going into the singles.

Wayne Benbow 134 held throw over Kerry Ryan making it 3-1 to the home side and then the luckless Stewart Charleston lost out to Teg Powell as the Guest went 4-1 ahead.

Darting legend Alan Mee broke the throw of Wayne Robinson 120 away to cut the deficit to 4-2 and give the visitors hope but then a succession of missed darts at a winning double from Andrew Morgan proved decisive as Steve Wilkes popped a bull finish to put the home side into the next round at the expense of the Baili who had another night to forget.

ANGEL INN .................... 2 PENYDARREN SOCIAL CLUB A ........................... 5

AN ENTERTAINING tussle saw Phil Bond and P McCarthy get a winning start for the visitors with a hold over Mark Davies and Glenn Callan but the Angel bounced back with Chris John and Rhys Phillips holding over Jonathon Evans and S Clark to level the match at one apiece.

Graham Hancock and Steve George then put the home side ahead with a hold over R Beynon and Nigel Owen as the sides prepared for the singles battles ahead.

Nigel Owen 100 levelled the contest with a break over Chris John 125 and then a hold from Phil Bond over Mark Davies edged the Pen ahead at three apiece.

R Beynon 100 put the visitors ahead with a break over Mark Jones and then a fine hold over Jonathon Evans over Ron Davies 140 secured the away side a fine 5-2 win.