WORTHINGTON’S MERTHYR & DISTRICT DARTS LEAGUE

DIVISION ONE PENYDARREN SOCIAL CLUB B ........................... 0 BAILI-GLAS B .............. 11

THE former champions from the Baili B are well in the hunt this time around and their latest outing to the Pen B provided them with plenty more points to add to their tally.

The visitors started well with Geraint Thomas 100, Andrew Rough 140 and Mervyn Matthews holding throw over Nathan Morgan, Kendrick Howe and Graham Elias in the opening triples and then they made it 2-0 with Jeff Pearce 180, Steve Haman and Matthew Quinlan breaking Steve Smith, 108, 140, RL Smith and Dai Richards in the second and final triples leg.

The pairs legs started with Geraint Thomas and Andrew Rough holding over Dai Richards 119 and Graham Elias making it 3-0 and this then became four with Jeff Pearce and Steve Haman 2x100 getting the better of Nathan Morgan 140 and Kendrick Howe 159 against the darts. The final pairs saw the Baili go 5-0 ahead with Paul Thomas and Mervyn Matthews 100, 140 overcoming a battling Steve Smith 2x100 and RL Smith ahead of the singles match-ups.

The first singles saw Geraint Thomas 100, 3x140 beat Steve Smith 2x100 against the throw advancing the score to 6-0 and this then became 7-0 with the Andrew Rough 100, 125, 2x140, 174 holding throw over RL Smith for a comfortable 2-0 win. Jeff Pearce 100, 140 kept up the momentum for the away side with victory over Graham Elias and then a good showing from Paul Thomas 2x100, 116, 140 saw him beat Nathan Morgan 2-0 with a hold of throw. The returning Matthew Quinlan 3x100, 140 beat Kendrick Howe against the darts by a 2-0 margin for a 10-0 lead with Steve Haman 101, 134, 140, 124 out holding throw 2-0 over Dai Richards 140 to complete an 11-0 whitewash of their shellshocked hosts.

MERTHYR LABOUR CLUB ............................... 9 HEOLGERRIG SOCIAL CLUB ............................... 2

THE defending champions from the Merthyr Labour Club are in no mood to give up their title without a fight with their latest showing earning them a fine win over the visiting Heolgerrig Social.

The Labour Club started much the better, taking the opening triples against the darts with Wayne Davies 100, Ron Morgan and Anthony Carstairs 140 beating Meirion Evans, Allen Moore 100, 140, and Richard Calahane and 2-0 quickly followed with Kevin Forbes 2x140, Rob Evans 100 and Kevin Mahoney 100, 140 holding throw over Trad Davies, Iory Haines and Mike Evans

Wayne Davies and Kevin Forbes 100 apiece took the first pairs for the hosts with victory over Kevin Roberts and Bob Watkins 100 apiece for a 3-0 lead and then a hold from Ron Morgan 180 and Gareth Dunn over Iory Haines and Trad Davies saw the hosts take a commanding 4-0 lead. The final pairs saw the visitors finally get into the game with Mike Evans and Colin Morgan holding throw over Rob Evans and David Rowlands 125 in a hard fought game to slightly cut the deficit going into the singles games.

The first singles saw Wayne Davies 100, 2x140 including an 18-dart leg beat Meirion Evans 3x100 by a 2-0 margin for a 4-1 lead and this then became 5-1 with Kevin Forbes 2x100, 122, 2x140, 124 out in legs of 15 and 16 darts beating Kevin Roberts 2x100 with a 2-0 break. Anthony Carstairs 2x100, 135, 140 held throw over Colin Morgan 2x100 making it 7-1 before veteran Iory Haines 2x100 held throw over Ron Morgan 2x100, 115 earning the visitors a valuable second point. Gareth Dunn 3x100, 140 including a 17-dart leg beat B Watkins with a 2-0 hold making it 8-1 before home captain David Rowlands 2x100, 2x140 beat Meirion Evans 2x100 with a break of throw for an excellent 9-2 victory.

BAILI-GLAS A ................ 5 MERTHYR VALE EX CLUB B (DAGGERS B) ... 6

THIS was a hard fought contest from beginning to end with the hosts suffering yet again from a severe bought of double trouble costing them very dear.

The Daggers stole the opening triples with Lloyd Davies 100, Nicky Baldwin and Phil Morris beating Terry Morgan 100, 121, Wayne Robinson 100 and Tim Charleston with a hold of throw as the home trio missed a succession of doubles before the visitors took the winning double. The home reply was instant with Ian Thomas, Alan Mee 100 and Andrew Morgan 100 breaking Warren Rees 100, Karl Manns and Dai Phelps for a level game going into the pairs legs.

The first pairs saw Lloyd Davies and Warren Rees hold throw over Ian Thomas 2x100 and Terry Morgan for a 2-1 away lead as more home doubles went missing. Missed double syndrome saw Kerry Ryan 140 and Mark Hulbert lose their throw to Nicky Baldwin 121 and Phil Morris 100 as the Daggers went 3-1 ahead and then it became 4-1 with Karl Manns 140 and Dai Phelps 100 holding over Alan Mee and Wayne Robinson 100 as the sides prepared for the singles battles.

Alan Mee 121, 140, 180 held throw 2-0 over Lloyd Davies 100, 125 in the first singles getting the Baili a second point to trail 2-4 but back came the away side through Warren Rees 100, 140 who scored a 2-0 hold over a battling Terry Morgan 2x100. A splendid showing from Mark Hulbert saw him score a 2-1 hold over Nicky Baldwin 100 making the score 3-5 and then a break from Andrew Morgan 2x100, 140 over Phil Morris 100 saw the Baili close to within a point. Kerry Ryan 2x100 held throw in game 10 by a 2-0 margin over Karl Manns squaring the match at five apiece and in the deciding game Dai Phelps 2x100 held throw over Tim Charleston 121 to snatch a narrow 6-5 victory for the visitors.

DIVISION TWO ABERFAN SOCIAL CLUB A ........................... 3 PENYDARREN SOCIAL CLUB C (SEASIDE) ........ 8

THE Pen C followed up last week’s excellent cup win with another fine showing as they gained a splendid away win at the Aberfan A.

Drew Bradley, John Sedgemore and Connor John 100 lost out in the opening triples as the home side broke the throw with Arwel Galliers, Josh O’Keefe 100 and Wyndham Green 100, 125 in fine form but the Pen were quick to reply with Kevin Hyde 2x100, Ceri Stent 140 and Barrie Gilby breaking back beating Alan Phillips, Vic Jones and Charlie Davies for a level game heading into the pairs legs.

Jack Colston and G Jones regained the upper hand for the home side with a break over John Sedgemore 100 and Robert Pike 140 but again the lead was short lived as Wyndham Green and Kevin Downing 100 broke back against Ceri Stent 121 and Kevin Hyde 2x100. The break-of-throw theme continued in the final pairs with Drew Bradley 100 and Connor John losing out to Josh O’Keefe 100 and Peter Emanuel 121, 140 as the hosts gained a 3-2 lead heading into the singles.

The singles proved to be a nightmare for the home side with the Pen marking up all six points on their side of the scoreboard. Barrie Gilby 2x100 produced another break as he beat Vic Jones 2x100 in the first singles and then the first hold of throw saw Kevin Hyde beat Jack Colston 2x100, 120 making it 4-3 and 5-3 followed with Connor John 2x100 getting the better of G Jones 112. Drew Bradley 100, 135 continued the onslaught for the visitors with a fine win over Kevin Downing, making it 6-3 with further wins from Connor John 3x100 and Robert Pike 100, 140 over Charlie Davies 100, 125 and Peter Emanuel 100 respectively completing the 8-3 win.

ROSE & CROWN ............ 7 ABERFAN SOCIAL CLUB X ........................... 4

THE Rose were in blooming good form when they faced the visiting Aberfan X and got off to a great start with John Wood, Phil John 100 and Rhys Donovan 123 breaking Greg Butler, G King and Glen Kitchen and then they rattled off a second leg with Paul O’Dell, Kevin Morgan and Kristian Dowd 120 holding over Byron Jones 100, 140, Mike O’Neill and Phil Green 140 for a 2-0 lead going into the pairs legs.

Greg Butler 100 and Glen Kitchen got the away side into the match with a hold in the first pairs over Paul O’Dell and Kristian Dowd but back came the Rose with John Wood 100 and Phil John holding over Phil Green and G King for a 3-1 lead which then became 4-1 with Kevin Morgan 100 and Stuart Hughes breaking D Thomas and Byron Jones ahead of the singles encounters.

Greg Butler took the first singles against the throw with a fine win over John Wood 100 for a second point for the visitors but the relief was short lived as Kristian Dowd 3x100, 125 edged past Glen Kitchen 3x100, 180 by a 2-1 margin in a splendid game as the home side took a 5-2 lead. Paul O’Dell 3x100, 140 was successful in his battle with Mike O’Neill 125, 140 putting the Rose 6-2 ahead and this then became 7-2 with Kevin Morgan 2x100 holding over Phil Green 100 by a 2-0 margin. The visitors then, much to their credit, rallied in the remaining two games with Byron Jones 2x100, 140 and Dai James 100, 125 getting the better of Rhys Donovan 2x100, 140 and Phil John 4x100 respectively to earn the Social Club an extra two deserved points.

COLLIERS ARMS .......... 6 WINCHESTER BAR ....... 5

THE Winch must still be wondering just how they managed to lose this game as they somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Andrew Morgan, J Pike and John Andrews fired the first shots for the Winch with a hold of throw over John Jones, Keith Lewis and Jimmy Rees and then the visitors went 2-0 up with D Davies, J Moore and G Moore breaking Martin Firth, Martin Treen and F Grey as the teams prepared for the pairs games.

Martin Treen and Keith Lewis took the first pairs against the throw beating Andrew Morgan and John Andrews to get the Colliers up and running but the relief was short lived with D Davies and G Moore breaking Trevor Lewis and Jimmy Rees. Martin Firth and John Jones then reduced the arrears to just a single point with a break over J Pike and J Moore with the singles up and coming.

Andrew Morgan edged the Winch 4-2 ahead with a break over John Jones in the first singles and then they took what looked like an unassailable lead with John Andrews holding over Keith Lewis as they went 5-2 ahead. Martin Treen kept the hosts’ hopes alive with a hold over D Davies and then an inspired performance from Trevor Lewis saw him beat G Moore to pull back to within a point of their opponents. Martin Firth levelled the match with a hold over J Pike squaring the match at five apiece and then in the final game local hero Jimmy Rees broke the throw of J Moore and the hearts of the Winch as he took the game and completed a fantastic fightback for a delighted Colliers side.

MERTHYR EX CLUB ..... 6 MARTYRS CLUB ........... 5

THE home side started well with Jason Baynham, Matthew Sullivan and Wayne Jones 132 breaking Steve Evans, David Howe 100 and Ray Phillips and 2-0 then appeared on the scoreboard with Jason Davies 100, Andrew Davies and Wayne O’Neill holding over Peter Worrell 125, Roy Phillips and Alun Pearce.

The pairs saw a change of fortune for both sides with David Howe 100 and Roy Phillips getting the Martyrs moving with a hold over Jason Baynham 100 and Steve Mahoney and a break from Steve Evans and Ray Phillips over Paul Bayliss and Wayne O’Neill saw the sides draw level at two apiece. The final pairs saw the Martyrs turn the match around with Peter Worrell and Alun Pearce 100, 135 holding over Jason Davies and Shane Williams 100, 140 to put the away side ahead for the first time in the match.

Peter Worrell 2x140 edged the visitors further ahead with a break over Shane Williams 2x100, 140 but the Ex bounced back in the next game with Jason Baynham 2x100 beating David Howe 100 in a hard fought game to trail 3-4. Andrew Davies 2x100, 140 levelled the match at four each with a good win over Steve Evans and then they regained the lead with Jason Davies 2x100 beating Alun Pearce 140 in another tight game. Roy Phillips 2x100 broke the throw of Wayne Jones 2x100 to square the match at five apiece and then in a tense last game Matthew Sullivan 2x100 broke Ray Phillips 100, 140 by a 2-1 margin to earn the Ex a last-gasp win.

PENTREBACH LABOUR CLUB MERTHYR CONSERVATIVE CLUB 6 .............. 5

A HARD fought game began with Jonathon Davies, M Hughes and Eddie Cunnington holding over Les Thomas, L Jones 140 and A Thomas 100 and a break by John Hulbert 100, Geoff Jackson and Greg Howells over Gary Champion, Tony Galliers and Graham Price saw the Con go 2-0 ahead.

Jonathon Davies 140 and M Hughes held the first pairs over M Price and Eddie Jones for a 3-0 lead before Les Thomas and Graham Price got the home side into the game with a fine win over Colin Lloyd and John Hulbert. The final pairs saw Chris Price 100, 123 and Ron Phillips hold throw over Tony Galliers 119, 140 and Gary Champion gaining the Con a 4-1 lead going into the match deciding singles battles.

Jonathon Davies 100, 134, 2x140 took the first singles over Gary Cham- pion 100 putting the away side 5-1 ahead and this then became 6-1 with M Hughes 2x100 holding over L Jones 100. A Thomas 140 beat Chris Price 2x100 with a hold of throw gaining the home side a second point and then they secured a third with the terrific Tony Galliers 4x100, 105, 106, 140 beating Greg Howells 140. Three then became four with Graham Price 2x100, 135, 140 holding over Eddie Cunnington 100 before Les Thomas 2x100, 125 claimed a vital fifth point for the hosts with a break over Ron Phillips 100, 125.

DIVISION THREE LORD RAGLAN ............. 7 IMPERIAL HOTEL ........ 4

BOTH these sides show erratic form and in this encounter it was the Lord who showed their better side running out 7-4 winners. Anthony Prosser 140, Adrian Williams and Paul Prosser got the Imp off to a good start with a hold over Kevin Snowden, Alan Driscoll and Lance Thomas but the Lord hit back in the next game with Mike Matthews, Karl Hunt 100 and Brian Meek holding against Wayne James 100, Trevor Williams and Terry Dowman for a level game entering the pairs.

Wayne James and Trevor Williams edged the Imp back ahead with victory in the first pairs over Mike Matthews and Kevin Snowden 100 but back the home side with Brian Meek 100 and Kieron Meek holding over Paul Prosser and Alan Hancox for a level game. The first break of throw of the match saw Mike McLaughlin and Lance Thomas beat Anthony Prosser 2x100 and Adrian Williams to give the Lord the lead for the first time heading into the singles.

Mike McLaughlin scraped past Wayne James 100, 118 in the first singles putting the hosts 4-2 ahead and this then became 5-2 with Lance Thomas 100 breaking the throw of Trevor Williams. Kieron Meek 140 kept the ball rolling for the Lord with victory over Terry Dowman and with Brian Meek 100 then making it 7-2 with a win over Adrian Williams the home side looked like cruising through the remaining legs.

The Imp though had other ideas and wins from Paul Prosser and Anthony Prosser 140 over Kevin Snowden 101 and Karl Hunt 100 saw the visitors secure another two points.