WORTHINGTON’S MERTHYR & DISTRICT DARTS LEAGUE

ACTION this week in the Worthington’s Merthyr & District Darts League centred around the first round games in both the Worthington’s Cup and Lord Raglan Supplementary Cup.

There was some fantastic entertainment to be found wherever you looked with some contests keeping you guessing right to the end on just who would reach the quarter-finals.

A “cupset” or two along the way? Well the games were there for a possible shock but did they happen?

WORTHINGTON’S CUP FIRST ROUND MERTHYR VALE EX CLUB B (DAGGERS) ...... 5 DOWLAIS CON CLUB ... 0

A GALLANT effort here from the Dowlais Con who travelled to the home of one of the Division One stalwarts and were put to the sword by their hosts who were determined to get back on the winning trail.

Phil Morris, Lloyd Davies, John Terrett and Dai Phelps 100 got the home side off to a winning start with a break over Cornelius Corcoran, A Norbury, A Williams and J Thomas in the fours leg and then a hold from Karl Manns and Warren Rees 2x100 over Gary Flye and G Thomas 100 in the first pairs saw the Daggers earn a second point. The second pairs leg also went the way of the hosts with former Pairs champions Derek Dobbins 180 and Dai Phelps 125 battling past Simon O’Brien 125, 140 and Mark Thomas 125 in a great game with a break of throw giving the Daggers a 3-0 lead going into the singles legs.

In-form Karl Manns 121, 140 held throw in the first singles over J Thomas putting the home side just one more win away from the quarter-finals and the win duly arrived in the next game with Derek Dobbins 140 breaking A Williams 100 to steer the hosts safely through to the next round.

GUEST KEEN BOWLS CLUB A ........................... 5 DYNEVOR ARMS .......... 0

CREDIT here to the Dyn who travelled to the home of the Division One champions and gave their hosts something to think about, despite the one-sidedlooking scoreline.

But for poor finishing the away side could have had a point or two on the scoreboard as just reward for their valiant effort. The awesome foursome of Steve Thomas 100, Tex Pearce 118, Lyndon Price 100 and Andrew Coombs broke the throw A James, N Jones 140, NC Jones and W Morgan putting the hosts ahead and they then doubled their advantage with Justin Davies and Phil Williams 100 apiece just holding over Ashley Mayne 100, 140 and Steve Barnett in a hard-fought game which might have been won by the visitors but for poor finishing. M Edmunds 140 and B Edmunds then put Scott Bayliss 125 and Jamie Evans 100 under pressure but the home duo dug out a win to put the Guest 3-0 ahead going into the singles matches.

Justin Davies 2x140 was in fine form for the hosts in the first singles, successfully holding over Steve Barnett for a 4-0 lead which then became a 5-0 win with Phil Williams 100, 125 then breaking Neil C Jones 2x100 in a great game to end the match.

WHITE HORSE .............. 0 HILLS PLYMOUTH CRICKET CLUB ............. 5

THE Cric made the journey to the White Horse and found the venue very much to their liking recording a fine 5-0 win to book their place in the quarter-finals.

Phil Lewis 121, Craig Clayton 100, the excellent Adam Evans 134, 180 and Rhys Lee took the opening fours leg with a hold in 24 darts over Roy Evans, John Thomas, Trevor Jones and Wayne Morgan for an early away lead and then a high quality first pairs saw Jason Castaldi 2x100, 140 and Adam Evans break Roy Evans 140 and John Thomas 100 to put the visitors 2-0 ahead. Dean Lewis 121 and Keith Harnedy 100 then battled past Shaun Price 100 and Gary Price in another close game with a hold of throw to see the Cric have a 3-0 advantage going into the singles games.

Adam Evans 134 broke Gary Price in the first singles making it 4-0 and 5-0 duly arrived with Jason Woodford 100 holding over Shaun Price to claim a place in the last eight.

PENTREBACH LABOUR CLUB ............................... 5 SILVER BULLET ............ 1

THE home side got under way here with Dai Jones, Gwyn Jones, Les Thomas and Graham Price breaking the throw of Steffan Williams 100, Cael Howells, Steven Walker and Dean Jenkins to go 1-0 ahead and then a fine hold from Les Thomas and Graham Price 100 over Brian Birch and Cael Howells saw the hosts go 2-0 ahead.

Marc Roberts and Dean Jenkins called the shots for the Bullet in the second, and final pairs, with a fine hold over Dai Jones and Gwyn Jones 117 to halve the deficit and get the visitors a foothold in the match going into the singles.

Dai Jones got the home side back on the right foot in the first singles with a fine hold over Marc Roberts 100 for a 3-1 lead which then became 4-1 with Josh O’Keefe breaking Mark Birch 100. The home side now stood one more win away from the next round and this they achieved in the very next game with veteran Graham Price holding against Owain Pugh 100 in another close encounter.

MERTHYR VALE EX CLUB A (DAGGERS) ...... 1 GUEST KEEN BOWLS CLUB B ........................... 5

THE big guns Mark Benbow 100, Steve Wilkes 100, Steve Esterbanez and Mark Virgin 140 were rolled out early for the Bowls as they held over Nicky Baldwin, S Sullivan, B Lloyd and Robert Lloyd for an early lead which then became 2-0 with Mark Benbow 140 and Teg Powell 100 breaking the darts of Nicky Baldwin and G Robertson 100.

Mark Virgin and Wayne Robinson then made it 3-0 with a battling hold over Steve Llewellyn 100 and Mike Terrett as the sides prepared for the matchdeciding singles legs.

Wayne Robinson 2x100 broke the throw of Mike Terrett 125 in the first singles for a 4-0 lead before Mike Griffiths 100, 130 put in a great effort to break Mark Virgin 125 and get a point on the board for the home side. Steve Esterbanez 100 then clinched victory for the Bowls Busters with a fine break over Nicky Baldwin 125 to end a fine game.

ROSE & CROWN ............ 2 BAILI-GLAS B ................ 5

THE defending champions from the “BGB” continued the defence of their title with a fine away win at the Rose despite the odd hiccup or two.

The Fab Four of Geraint Thomas 100, Andrew Rough 119, 135, Jeff Pearce 105 and Steve Haman 100 took the opening fours leg with a comfortable hold over Steve Evans, Trevor Williams, Rhys Donovan and Stuart Hughes but the home side were quickly back on level terms with Robert Phelps and John Wood 138 securing a shock hold over Geraint Thomas 100 and Jeff Pearce. Andrew Rough 140 and Mervyn Matthews then regained the lead for the Baili with a hold over Paul O’Dell and Liam Russell ahead of the vital singles legs.

The first of the singles legs saw something of an earthquake shock with Kristian Dowd holding over Steve Haman 2x100 to again draw the sides level. Andrew Rough 137 held throw over Paul O’Dell to put the away side ahead at 3-2 and then the first break of the match saw the Typhoon Geraint Thomas 100, 140 blow in to beat Kevin Morgan and put the champions one win away from the next round. A battle of two promising prospects then saw Russ Matthews 100 hold throw over John Wood to steer the Baili into the next round and one step closer to defending their crown.

HEOLGERRIG SOCIAL CLUB ............................... 3 YE-OLDE EXPRESS ...... 5

THIS was a highly entertaining contest from start to finish which got under way with Peter Locke, Steve Nicholas 100, Wayne Titcomb and Owain Davies 140 holding over Ray Williams, Iory Haines 100, Bob Watkins and Colin Morgan 140 for an away lead which then became 2-0 with Peter and Darren Locke 100 apiece breaking the throw of Ray Williams and Mike Evans 100 apiece.

The veteran duo of Iory Haines and Trad Davies then got the home side into the game with a break over Dean Thomas and Owain Davies to halve the deficit going into the singles games.

Iory Haines levelled the match at two apiece with a fine hold over Steve Nicholas but then a 15-dart leg from Wayne Titcomb 100, 180 in a hold over Colin Morgan nudged the visitors ahead at 3-2. Peter Locke made it 4-2 with a break over Trad Davies but the home side held in there with Mike Evans battling past Paul Thomas to get within a point of their opponents. A great eighth leg then proved to be the last with Darren Locke breaking Bob Watkins 180 to see the Express through to the next round.

MERTHYR CONSERVATIVE CLUB 4 GRAWEN ARMS ............ 5

THE Division Two league leaders gave an excellent account of themselves when they entertained their Division One stalwarts in a quite pulsating game.

Craig Thomas, Colin Lloyd, Jonathon Davies 100 and Eddie Cunnington set a possible shock in motion in the fours leg, breaking the throw of Phil Locke 100, 135, Kerry Green, Roy Element and Steve Thomas and then it became 2-0 with Craig Thomas 2x100 and Jonathon Davies holding over the mighty Phil Locke 100 and Jason Launchbury 135. The old heads of Kerry Green and Marcus Davies 100 then calmed things down for the Grawen holding throw over Chris Price 2x100 and Chris Stansfield to pull to within a point heading into the singles legs.

The living legend Adrian Thomas broke the throw of Chris Price to level at 2-2 with the excellent Kerry Green 100, 102, 140 in a 17-dart leg beating Chris Stansfield to put the Grawen ahead for the first time at 3-2. Jonathon Davies 100 held throw over a stunned Phil Locke 2x100, 140 to level as the Grawen ace missed the double and then Craig Thomas 100, 180 broke the throw of Jason Launchbury putting the Con just one point away from a famous and shock victory. Steve Thomas 100 kept the match very much alive with a break over Eddie Cunnington to level at 4-4 setting up a lastleg shootout which saw Marcus Davies 100, 125 hold his nerve and throw to beat Greg Howells and send a relieved and delighted Grawen side into the quarter-finals.

LORD RAGLAN SUPPLEMENTARY CUP FIRST ROUND MERTHYR LABOUR CLUB ............................... 5 ANGEL INN .................... 0

THE Labour Club find themselves in the Supplementary Cup for the first time in many, many a year but they still show their desire to win everything they play for with a strong showing over the visiting Angel.

Wayne Davies 2x100, Kevin Mahoney, Gerald Williams and Ron Morgan put the hosts ahead with a break over Chris John, John Pugh, Rhys Phillips and Graham Hancock and then 2-0 followed with Kevin Forbes and Gareth Dunn 100 apiece holding over Mark Davies 100 and Glenn Callan. An 18dart leg from Chris Galleozzie 2x100, 140 and Jason Baynham saw them break Ron Davies and Steve George 125 earning the home side a 3-0 lead heading into the singles legs.

Chris Galleozzie 138, 140 kept up his high scoring, and winning, streak with a hold over Vic Jones 100 and a following break from Ron Morgan over Brent Morgan 2x100 saw the Labour Club through to the next round.

LORD RAGLAN ............. 1 PENYDARREN SOCIAL CLUB A ........................... 5

THE Pen were quickly into the running here with Peter McCarthy, S Clark, Glen Jones and Wayne Lee successfully holding over Mike McLoughlin 125, Mike Matthews, Karl Hunt and Kierion Meek 120, 135 and 2-0 soon followed with Richard Beynon and Nigel Owen getting the better of Lance Thomas and Kevin Snowden.

The final pairs leg scored another success for the away side as Jonathon Evans 140 and Phil Bond held over Kierion Meek 100, 140 and Brian Meek for a 3-0 lead going into the singles legs.

Mike McLoughlin put a point on the board for the home side with a hold over Nigel Owens in the first singles but the relief was brief as Phil Bond 100 held over Kierion Meek 101 making it 4-1 before Richard Beynon 100 broke the throw of Kevin Snowden to put the visitors safely into the next round.

COLLIERS ARMS .......... 2 ABERFAN SOCIAL CLUB X ........................... 5

THE X finally hit the spot with a badly needed win as they claimed victory at the Colliers Arms.

Greg Butler, Glen Kitchen, Gethin King 120 and Peter Emanuel put the visitors into the lead with a hold over Martin Firth 180, Jimmy Rees, Martin Treen 140 and F Grey and a break from Greg Butler 2x100 and Glen Kitchen 100 over Jamie Rees and Jimmy Firth saw the Pen go 2-0 ahead. Martin Firth 180 and Martin Treen 121 then got a point on the board for the hosts ahead of the singles with an excellent break over Peter Emanuel and Gethin King.

Peter Emanuel 100, 125 broke the throw of Martin Treen in the first singles putting the away side 3-1 up before Jimmy Rees beat Gethin King for a second home point. Wyndham Green put the X one win away from the next round with a win over Martin Firth with S Rees 120 then securing that win with a hold over F Grey to take a place in the next round.

IMPERIAL HOTEL ........ 2 BAILI-GLAS A ................ 5

THE Baili A got back into win mode with this potential banana skin trip to the Imp.

They got off to a good start with Byron Jones 100, 121, Hywel Llewellyn 140, Brian Roberts 100 and Ian Thomas holding throw over Alan Hancox, John Jenkins, Chris Llewellyn and Terry Dowman but then the Imp got mischievous with Anthony Prosser 121 and John Donovan holding over Byron Jones 121 and Hywel Llewellyn to level and then an earthshattering break from Wayne James and Paul Prosser 154 out over Viv Morgan and Brian Roberts 100 to put the hosts 2-1 ahead going into the singles matches.

Tim Charleston broke the throw of Terry Dowman to get the Baili back on level terms and a following hold from Big H Hywel Llewellyn 140 against Anthony Prosser saw the Baili go 3-2 ahead. Byron Jones held throw over John Jenkins to make it 4-2 with Andrew Morgan then breaking the excellent Chris Llewellyn 3x100 to seal a morale boosting win for the visitors and a place in the next round.

PENYDARREN SOCIAL CLUB C (SEASIDE) ........ 5 PARK VIEW ................... 3

GREAT game here and credit the Park View for their part.

Johnny Murphy 100, 140, Robert Pike 140, Nathan Morgan and Jack Stent got the home side off to a great start with a break over Josh Moore, Jack Hodgkins, Mark Evans and Bryn Williams and 2-0 then followed with Ceri Stent 140, 70 out and Kevin Hyde holding over Ian Laing and Kieron Pike 100.

The final pairs leg also went the way of the hosts with Johnny Murphy 2x100, 60 out and Ceri Richards breaking the throw of Gavin Moore 2x100 and Andrew Williams for a 3-0 lead as the Pen seemed set for an easy win.

Kieron Pike 100, 123 out gave the visitors a sense of hope with a break over Kevin Hyde in the first singles and then a hold from Ian Laing 100, 134 over Ceri Richards saw the Park back to within a point. Steve Smith 100 edged past Andrew Williams 100 with a hard fought hold to put the Pen 4-2 ahead but then the Wolf was at the door again with Mark “Wolfie” Evans 116 holding over Robert Pike to pull to within a point again. Drew Bradley then calmed things with a hold of throw over Gavin Moore to take the match 5-3 for the home side and a place in the next round of the Lord Raglan Cup.