Bottom Railway extend lead at top of the table

THE Bottom Railway BA opened up a 14 point lead at the top of Blue Ball Division One with their 7-2 win over the Royal Oak DP in the Loughborough and District Pubs and Clubs Darts League last week.

Andy Hibbert hit his fifth maximum of the season and Chris Peat a 137 finish for the Bottom Railway, whilst Kev Thomas hit his third maximum and Gaz Smith a 160 finish for the Royal Oak DP. Gaz now leads the field for the highest checkout of the season beating the previous best 157 finishes by Spot On MP’s Mitch Gregory and Navigation Wagg’s Gang member Daz Wagg. Once again Dan Jones and Lyndon Hextall hit maximums for the Navigation Tap Tappers, their seventh and eighth of the season respectively, but this time they were also joined by team mate Rebecca Barrow as the Navigation Tap Tappers beat the Arena Gladiators 7-2.

In Wanty’s Division Two, leaders Brush Club AW bounced back from last week’s defeat with a 9-0 whitewash of Tap and Mallet CD and Top Railway A move up to third place as a result of a 5-4 win against Tap and Mallet JB.

In S H Cox Division Three the Three Crowns Barrow beat Generous Briton Dad’s Army 7-2 to stay top, five points ahead of the Blacksmith Blue Army, who won 5-4 away at the Black Swan. The Three Nuns Exiles remain third after their 7-2 win over Crown Inn Glory.

In Generous Briton Division Four, Spot On Rejects also returned to winning ways with a 6-3 result over Blue Ball B, and the Crown Rejects won 5-4 against the Peacock Feathers.

In Navigation Division Five golden couple Dan and Leila Clements both hit maximums for leaders Swan in the Rushes Black Pearls in their 7-2 win over Crown MA, and second place Dewdrop Blues beat third place Royal Oak Old Uns 6-3 to open up an eight point gap between them.

Finally in Jim Kidger Division Six, the Crown Jewels won the top of the table clash with the Plough Ernie’s 7-2 to cut their lead at the top of the division to one point, and Shaun Cave hit a maximum for Shepshed Dynamo B&W as they beat the Swan in the Rushes Savvies 6-3.

The draw for the third round of the Kater 4 Knockout Cup for games to be played on Thursday, August 3 is as follows: Spot On Lads v Royal Oak Shooters, Spot On Dinosaurs v Navigation Tap Tappers, Top Railway A v Beacon Yer Lolly, Three Crowns, Barrow v Spot On Rejects, Blue Ball MS v Tap & Clapper, Three Nuns Left Footers v Navigation Wagg’s Gang, Bottom Railway BA v Spot On MP, Tap & Mallet JB v Swan in the Rushes Savvies

The draw for the second round of the Plate Knockout Cup to be played on Thursday, August 3 is as follows: Bull & Bush Laughing Boys v Three Nuns Exiles, Crown MA v Arena Gladiators, Shepshed Dynamo B&W v Generous Briton Team GB, Swan in the Rushes Black Pearls v Dewdrop Blues, Crown Rejects v Crown Inn Glory, Generous Briton GB Luffs v Tap & Clapper Bob Bradley’s, Plough B v Blue Ball Lions, Blue Ball B v Top Railway DUI’s The full results for Thursday, July 20

were: Blue Ball Division One: Navigation Wagg’s Gang 4-5 Royal Oak Shooters, Arena Gladiators 2-7 Navigation Tap Tappers (Lyndon Hextall 180, Dan Jones 180, Rebecca Barrow 180), Blue Ball Lions 6-3 Spot On MP (Played 6/7), Three Nuns Left Footers - Bye, Royal Oak DP (Kev Thomas 180, Gaz Smith 160 Finish) 2-7 Bottom Railway BA (Andy Hibbert 180, Chris Peat 137 Finish). Wanty’s Division Two: Brush Club AW 9-0 Tap and Mallet CD, Tap and Mallet JB 4-5 Top Railway A, Beacon Yer Lolly - Bye, Spot On Lads v Shepshed Dynamo Gate Crashers & Spot On Dinosaurs v Spot On Guy ‘n’ Gals - No games to be re-arranged. S H Cox Division Three: Three Crowns, Barrow 7-2 Generous Briton Dad’s Army, Bull & Bush Laughing Boys 6-3 Beacon Reds, Three Nuns Albion - Bye, Three Nuns Exiles 7-2 Crown Inn Glory, Black Swan JS (Pete Brooks 125 Finish) 4-5 Blacksmiths Blue Army. Generous Briton Division Four: Spot On Rejects 6-3 Blue Ball B, Crown Rejects 5-4 Peacock Feathers, Twelve Degrees 26ers, Tap & Clapper & Plough B - All Byes. Navigation Division Five: Dewdrop Blues 6-3 Royal Oak Old Uns, White Hart Stags v Tap & Clapper Bob Bradley’s - No game to be re-arranged, Crown MA 2-7 Swan in the Rushes Black Pearls (Dan Clements 180, Leila Clements 180), Blue Ball CS - Bye, Generous Briton Luffs 6-3 Windmill Wild Hearts. Jim Kidger

Division Six: Plough Ernie’s 2-7 Crown Jewels, Barrow, Swan in the Rushes Savvies 3-6 Shepshed Dynamo B&W, Blue Ball MS 4-5 Three Nuns Bad Habits, Top Railway DUI’s & Generous Briton Team GB - both byes