Boulton is new Bentley singles champion

Competition was fierce as 16 teams vied for title on the night

Andy Boulton has hit the bullseye after being crowned Gibby Bentley Memorial Singles champion on finals night in Hagg Bar.

Boulton triumphed over the course of the fiercely contested night as he saw off the threat of current holder Paul Hanvidge in the final.

The evening saw the last 16 players meet up for finals night after the field had been whittled down from an original entry of 132.

The first match saw Hagg Bar A player Boulton made short work of St Peter’s Robert MacPhee as he triumphed 4-0. Boulton would face fellow Hagg A player Richie Baillie in the quarter finals.

The next game was the first to feature a former champion as Dougie Low of Hagg Bar A played John Peacock of Flying Horse A in his bid to regain the title he won six years ago. Low didn’t get off to the best start though but he soon picked up the pace to reel off four legs to take the match 4-1.

St Peter’s supplied both players in the next match as Joe Shirley faced Andy Callary and it was the younger of the two foes that advanced after a 4-0 win, so Callary would face Low in the second quarter final.

Defending champion Hanvidge, of Burgh Bar, was next to toe the oche against another former champion, Mick Malone, of Hagg Bar A, and the game lived up to expectations as it swung one way then the other.

Malone raced into a 3-1 lead before Hanvidge mounted his title defence with legs of 13 and 14 to even up the match before taking the deciding leg in 18 darts.

Hanvidge would face the winner of the game between Railway Inn’s Craig Moore and Court Bar’s Stevie Bogle and when Moore raced into a three-leg lead it looked all over.

But Bogle had other thoughts and won the next three to even up the game at 3-3 and take it to a last leg decider, which he then won to take the game.

The next contest was the only First Division v Second Division match-up as Flying Horse A player Martin Brophy saw off Jason Brown of Kelburne Cricket Club in a see-saw encounter that ended 4-3.

Brophy would play the winner of the last game in the round where threetime winner Drew Callary of St Peter’s encountered Hagg Bar A player George Dempsey and both players served up a treat of a game as they both hit 180’s.

But in a hotly-contested match it was Callary that won through 4-1, finishing off with a 15-dart leg.

The first of the quarter-finals was an all Hagg Bar A affair as Boulton faced up to Ballie.

Boulton sped into a two- leg lead before Baillie pegged the game back to 2-2. Boulton then stepped up the pressure with games of 17 and 12 darts to take the match 4-2 and become the first player into the last four.

The next match- up saw Low and Andy Callary face each other and it was Low who took the early lead and went up 3-0 before Callary fought back starting with a 16-dart leg to take it to 3-1 then also taking the next two legs to even the match at 3-3.

With the match finely balanced, it was Low who held his nerve and hit the double that he needed to take him into the semi-final stage.

Hanvidge was next up as he took on the challenge of Bogle and he wasn’t in the mood for a lengthy match as he rattled off legs of 15, 16 and 17 darts in his 4-0 win.

The last place in the semi- finals would go to the winner of the Drew Callary and Brophy match.

Callary also tried to impress his class early on as he rattled off legs of 15 and 17 darts to take a 3-0 lead. Brophy, however had other ideas and took the next game to start a comeback, but Callary was just too strong and took the next leg to win 4-1.

The first semi-final was another all Hagg Bar A game as Boulton played Low.

Boulton did not waste any time to win 4-0 with two 15-dart and two 16dart legs, including the highest finish of the night when he checked out on 147. Semi-final two between Hanvidge and Drew Callary saw Hanvidge go into a two-leg lead before Callary got one back to make the score 2-1.

Hanvidge then produced a 14-dart leg to go 3-1 up before Callary hit back with a 16-dart game to make it 3-2.

But Hanvidge restored his advantage to deny the three- time champion another tilt at the title.

The best of the nine-leg final proved to be a very high calibre affair between Boulton and Hanvidge, with Boulton taking the first leg in 15 darts before Hanvidge levelled the match at 1-1 with 16 great darts of his own.

Boulton then took the next two legs in 13 and 17 darts to go up 3-1 before Hanvidge replied with a 15-dart leg to make it 3-2 – culminating in a 102 checkout. But 13 darts later, Boulton was 4- 2 up before he also took the seventh leg of the match to clinch the title.