Handy Andy on target as Hough Green’s late checkouts beat Hotel

ON Friday evening in the Widnes & District Darts League, the Mill Brow SC RTB League continued.

In Division Two, the Cricketers Arms at home to the Birchfield conceded the first game as the Birchfield looking to keep their title and promotion chances alive took the opener through John Leather.

The Cricketers Arms levelled through Brian Mercer (13 darts), but Matty Fisher nudged the Birchfield ahead again once more.

But it was not for long, as the Cricketers’ opening pair, Brian Dwyer & Graham Fenney (15 darts) levelled the score for the second time.

Two in a row from Matty Fisher & John Leather and Paul Smith & Rob Baxter put the Birchfield into a healthy lead, but the Cricketers Arms were determined as a win from Peter Mason narrowed the gap to 4-3.

However, it was all in vain as Trevor Chadwick took the penultimate game for the Birchfield ensuring their victory. The Cricketers’ Graham Fenney won the final game but it was simply a consolation.

The Goldmine at home to Widnes Cricket Club in a top-of-the-table clash took the first two games through Ray O’Connor and Adam Durbin.

And despite the Cricket Club recovering a point through Ste Heesom, they were always chasing the game with the Goldmine taking the next contest through their opening pair John Taylor & Sean Bell.

The Cricket Club’s Billy Webb & Ben Hewitt narrowed the gap, but to no avail as the Goldmine took the next three games through Ray O’Connor & Barry Noonan, Sean Bell (16 darts) and John Taylor.

Widnes Cricket Club won the last clash, but the Goldmine secured the match and the vital two points to top the table.

Hough Green SC at home to the Mersey Hotel proved to be a tit for tat affair, with neither side getting a tight grip throughout.

The Hough Green conceded the first game to the Mersey’s Ray Cowley which was levelled through Keith Glover.

This pattern continued with Paul Cotty for the Mersey being cancelled by Hough Green’s opening pair Tony Barker & Dave McIntosh.

The win by Paul Cotty & Rob Cotty (19 darts) was then cancelled out by Keith Glover & Duane Lawton and the Mersey’s Danny Shipley’s success was nullified by Hough Green’s Ste Cosgrove which made it 4-4.

With the encounter nicely poised for a grandstand finish, a closely-fought contest was resolved as the Hough Green’s perseverance paid off as Andy McIntosh claimed the final game and the match for his team.