Hotshot fights off rivals as Paisley league reaches its pinnacle
Burgh Bar’s Paul Hanvidge was on stunning form to secure the Paisley and District Darts League singles finals after a hard fought competition.
The Court Bar, in Paisley, played host as 16 qualifiers from across the league battled it out for the Gibby Bentley and Memorial Singles finals.
And, with the current champion out of the running due to illness, it was all to play for.
In the first match of the evening, St Peter’s captain Andy Callary dispatched Hazel Arms’ Derek Allan 4-0 to book e his place in the quarter finals, winning the game with legs of 16, 18 and a final leg of 17 darts.
The next game saw Keystone A’s Iain Borland sweep past Chris Dowling, of Railway Inn, by a 4-1 winning margin.
The third match between Hagg Bar C player Fraser Dempsey and Keystone A’s Tam Norton ended up with a 4-1 victory to the Hagg Bar player.
The next player through to the quarter-final stage was Hanvidge, of Burgh Bar, as he breezed past Hagg Bar A’s Ian Thomson with a 4-1 win.
Into the bottom half of the draw and it was Hagg Bar A player and former champion Dougie Low who won through 4-2 against Martin Brophy from Flying Horse A.
He would be joined by Henry Kerr, of Railway Inn, as he defeated Hagg Bar A’s George Dickson 4- 2. Richie Baillie, of Hagg Bar A, was the next qualifier as he beat home team player Paul Carruthers 4-1.
The last player to reach the last eight stage of the tournament was Andy Goodwin, of Keystone A, as he got past Flying Horse A’s Shaun Arthur 4-1.
The first match of the quarter finals put Callary against Borland and it was the St Peter’s player who was the first player into the semi-finals after a fine 4-0 win.
The game was of a very high standard, with both players hitting 180s and Callary finishing one of the legs in 15 darts.
Callary would face the winner of the next game between Hanvidge and Dempsey, which was decided by a 4- 0 score in favour of Hanvidge.
The next match between Low and Kerr ended up in a 4-2 victory to Low.
Baillie was the last player into the semi-finals as he had a great 4-0 over Goodwin.
The first semi-final between Callary, of St Peter’s, and Hanvidge, of Burgh Bar, served up a real treat as Hanvidge opened the game with a 16 dart leg to take a 1-0 lead.
Callary hit back with a 13 dart leg, including a 180, to level the game, before Hanvidge hit back with a 13 dart leg of his own, which also included a maximum.
With the score at 2- 1 to Hanvidge, Callary then took the next two games to lead 3-2. Hanvidge then answered with a 20 dart leg to level the game and take it to a last leg decider. It was Hanvidge that held the initiative and he rattled off a 14 dart leg to seal his place in the final.
The second semi- final was between two Hagg Bar A players Low and Baillie and the camaraderie between the two showed as the game did not reach the same heights as the first semi-final.
Yet again, it ended in a last leg decider. It was Bailie who held his nerve and finished the match with an 18 dart leg to take the win 4-3 over his team mate.
It was down to the final two as Hanvidge and Baillie headed up to the board. It was Hanvidge who struck first with a 16 dart leg, including the inevitable 180. Baillie took the next leg in 21 darts to even the score at 1-1. Hanvidge then went on a winning run of three consecutive legs to take him to 4-1 and only one game away from the title.
Baillie, however, wasn’t going to make it easy for him and took the next game to make it 4-2, but Hanvidge then showed some tenacity to close out the match with a 14 dart leg.
Hanvidge took the title with a final score of 5-2 and with a 180 count of seven for the night.
Monday sees the last game of the season for second division teams and it is still unclear who will win the division.
The first division teams play their penultimate game of the season, with top of the table and relegation places yet to be decided.