OGMORE VALE &
IT WAS fours night last Friday at the Con where the Vetz were looking to make it three titles on the bounce.
Highlights of the first round was a second 180 of the season for Dai Frowen of the Con A, and the Nanty Rug four of Johns Collins and Clayton, Roy Nutt and Andrew Williams putting the fancied Inn four of the Hillman boys, Chris, Andrew and John plus Mark Lewis to the sword.
The quarter-finals saw the battle of the two Blaengarw rugby sides where the As came out on top, then the Vetz shading past the Con A, the Social then beat the Junction and the Odds Bs proved too strong for Nanty Rugby. The first semi saw the Blaen Rugby four of Peter Jones, Steve Dent, Phil Rice and Will Struthers up against the Vetz quartet of Mike Huntley, Andrew Woods, Lee Haines and Richard Watkins. Struthers snatched the opening leg for the Rug with a cool 60 finish before Woods replied for the Vetz with double eight. The final leg saw both teams miss doubles with the Rug missing 11 darts after Phil Rice had landed a 180, but up stepped Huntley for a catwalk finish as he hit double 15 to see his boys into the final where they would meet the Social four of Nick Winn, John Picton, Chris Packman and Bleddyn Lyons as they overcame the Odds quartet of Aaron Williams, Peter and Lloyd Owen and Paul Jones with Packman taking out double four for the first leg then “the lyon” nailing double nine for the second.
The best-of-five final provided a feast of top class darts with the Vetz taking the opening two legs as the Social missed vital doubles in the first and then saw Woods take out 111 before Haines secured the second with double two. The Aberkenfig boys then staged a great fight back with Picton rolling back the years hitting consistent threefigure scores and that kid Lyons again showed his bottle with double two in the third and double 18 in the fourth to make it a last-leg shoot out.
Both sides then threw some great darts with Winn “nicking” a 180, however Haines then sealed the game to keep the crown up in Ponty for another year.