West Midlands Darts, once championship leaders, faced a crucial match against Northamptonshire, hoping to reclaim their top position. However, a tough weekend saw them suffer a significant 22-14 overall defeat. This loss not only dashed their immediate hopes but also caused them to drop to fifth place in the standings, while Northamptonshire climbed to fourth. Despite having games in hand, the path back to the top has become considerably more challenging.
The Stakes: A Battle for the Top
Before this crucial encounter, West Midlands Darts, former leaders of the Andy Wheeler Fisheries Championship Division, had slipped to fourth place after a bye week. They arrived in Northamptonshire with high hopes, aiming for a strong performance to propel them back to the coveted top spot.
On paper, West Midlands seemed to have the edge. They were fourth with 147 points from six games, while their hosts, Northamptonshire, were seventh with 138 points from eight games. This suggested a favourable matchup for West Midlands, but the weekend had other plans.
Ladies ‘B’ Set the Tone: A Tough Start
The weekend began on a challenging note for West Midlands, as their Ladies ‘B’ team struggled from the outset. They lost the opening three games:
- Gemma Button defeated Tara Simmons-Fullwood (3-0)
- Lindsey Wingell defeated Sarah Maybury (3-0)
- Lexi Jayne Rooksby defeated Gemma Barrett (3-1)
Hannah Davies provided a glimmer of hope, stopping the losing streak with a dominant 3-0 victory against Taylor Johnson, earning her the Lady of the Match award with an impressive 18.03 average. Despite a late win from Kelly Aston (3-2 against Hollie McKain), Northamptonshire secured the Ladies ‘B’ match 4-2 after Jackie White sealed their win by defeating Shellbie Guest 3-2.
Men’s ‘B’ Follow Suit: A Half-Time Deficit
The Men’s ‘B’ team mirrored the Ladies’ ‘B’ struggles, finding themselves significantly behind by the halfway point. Lee Rose gave Northamptonshire an early lead, winning 4-3 against Ian Stanton. While Callum Parkes squared it for West Midlands with his own 4-3 win over Chris Shipley, the home side then took control, leading 5-1 at the break with wins from:
- Dean Joseph (4-2 vs Mark Craddock)
- Andy Wakeling (4-3 vs Kieran O’Mahoney)
- Chris Jones (4-2 vs Rob Thompson)
- Liam Johnson (4-1 vs Connor Lucas)
In the second half, West Midlands showed some fight. Dean Fullwood secured their second win (4-0 vs Steve Stanbridge). However, Dan Hutchinson pushed Northamptonshire to an unassailable 6-2 lead (4-2 vs Jordan Craig). West Midlands then mounted their best run, winning three consecutive games:
- Cameron Baird (4-0 vs Jamie Preston)
- Sean Craig (4-1 vs Mick Rooksby) – Sean Craig earned the Match Award with a 25.20 average.
- Justin Evans (4-1 vs Paul Walker)
This brought the score to a tense 6-5, with the final game deciding the Men’s ‘B’ outcome. Ultimately, Northamptonshire’s Callum Johnson defeated Martin Price 4-3 in a full seven-leg thriller, securing a 7-5 victory for the home team.
Ladies ‘A’ Salvage a Draw
The Ladies ‘A’ match also started poorly for West Midlands, losing the first two games 3-1 to Northamptonshire’s Ellie Moore and Angela Barrow. Jacqueline Maiden momentarily halted the home team’s momentum with a 3-1 win, but Debbie Dexter restored Northamptonshire’s two-game lead with another 3-1 victory.
Evonne Taylor then stepped up for West Midlands, delivering a superb 3-0 win against Rebecca Rose (21.78 average) to claim the Lady of the Match title. Hannah Davies followed with a crucial 3-2 victory over Rebecca Langridge, resulting in a well-fought 3-3 draw for the Ladies ‘A’ teams.
Men’s ‘A’: Hopes Fade Away
With West Midlands trailing 14-10 overall, their Men’s ‘A’ team needed a dominant 9-3 victory to secure an overall win. These hopes quickly faded.
Northamptonshire took an early lead with Jamie Elliott’s 4-3 win over Dean Fullwood. Ryan O’Connor levelled for West Midlands (4-1 vs Martin Biggs), but Northamptonshire then surged ahead with 4-2 wins from Michael Feasey and John Regan. Despite Daniel Hands’ 4-3 win, West Midlands went into the break trailing 4-2.
The second half saw a bright start for West Midlands, with Richard Platt delivering a Man of the Match performance, winning 4-3 against Darren Williamson with an outstanding 28.90 average. However, Northamptonshire quickly regained control with two close wins, pushing them to a 6-3 lead.
Although Jack Aldridge secured a 4-0 win for West Midlands, further victories for Northamptonshire’s Phil Coward and Luke Smith sealed an 8-4 win for the home team in the Men’s ‘A’ match.
The Aftermath: A Drop in the Standings
The final overall score of 22-14 in favour of Northamptonshire dealt a significant blow to West Midlands’ championship aspirations. This defeat saw West Midlands drop one place to fifth in the table with 161 points. Northamptonshire, on the other hand, climbed three places to fourth with 163 points.
While West Midlands still holds two games in hand over Northamptonshire, and one game in hand over the top three teams (Middlesex, Hampshire, and London), they now face a tougher challenge. They currently trail Middlesex by twenty-four points, Hampshire by fifteen points, and London by five points. The road back to the top just got much steeper, making every future match critical.
Source: Based on an article from Darts World Magazine.
