Darts Upset: Black Country’s Home Hopes Dashed by Leicestershire

In a surprising turn of events in the UKDA National League L-Style Division One, the Black Country darts team, previously sitting comfortably in third place, suffered a significant 20-16 home defeat against fifth-placed Leicestershire. This unexpected setback has seen Black Country tumble two spots down the league table to fifth, now trailing leaders Clwyd by a substantial 26 points. The weekend saw both the men’s and ladies’ teams mirroring each other’s fortunes, with the men’s sides drawing 6-6 and the ladies’ sides losing 2-4 on both Saturday and Sunday. Despite the overall team loss, several players delivered exceptional individual performances, including Scarlett O’Sullivan, Andy Garratt, Heather Wright, and the standout Kieran Bridgwater, who achieved an impressive 33.40 average.

A Disappointing Weekend on the Oche

The highly anticipated fixture against Leicestershire, a team with a game in hand but trailing Black Country in the standings, proved to be a challenging one for the home side. The final score of 20-16 in favour of Leicestershire signifies a crucial loss for Black Country, impacting their aspirations in the L-Style Division One.

Consistent Results Across the Teams

A peculiar aspect of the weekend’s matches was the identical pattern of results across both days and genders:

• Men’s Teams (A & B): Both sides finished their respective matches in a 6-6 draw.
• Ladies’ Teams (A & B): Both sides unfortunately recorded a 4-2 loss.

This consistency, while interesting, ultimately wasn’t enough to secure an overall victory for Black Country.

Individual Brilliance Shines Through

Despite the team’s struggles, several players delivered remarkable individual performances, earning them ‘Match Awards’ and showcasing their talent. Darts averages, for those unfamiliar, represent the average score a player achieves per three darts thrown, with higher numbers indicating better performance.

• Ladies’ ‘B’ Team Star: Scarlett O’Sullivan was outstanding, securing a dominant 3-0 win against Nicky Cropper with a strong 14.88 average.
• Men’s ‘B’ Team Hero: Andy Garratt demonstrated nerves of steel, winning a thrilling deciding leg to take his match 4-3 against Derek Allsopp, boasting an excellent 27.16 average.
• Ladies’ ‘A’ Team Top Performer: Heather Wright fought hard for a 3-2 victory over Liz Brunt, achieving a commendable 16.74 average.
• Men’s ‘A’ Team Standout: The performance of the weekend came from Kieran Bridgwater, who was in superb form. He delivered a fantastic 33.40 average in his flawless 4-0 straight sets win against Scott Hope, a truly exceptional display of darts.

League Table Impact

The defeat has had a tangible impact on Black Country’s standing in the UKDA National League. They have now dropped two places from third to fifth. With 95 points, they find themselves a significant 26 points behind the current leaders, Clwyd, making their path to the top much more challenging.

Detailed Match Results

Here’s a closer look at the individual match outcomes:

Black Country Men’s ‘A’ (6) vs. Leicestershire Men’s ‘A’ (6)

• Dave Edwards (18.58) 0-4 Jason Lole (24.14)
• Connor Whitehouse (27.23) 1-4 Ben Quenby (27.56)
• Trev Brennan (28.92) 4-1 Ricky Sudale (24.31)
• Paul Wells (25.56) 2-4 David Barker (27.41)
• Tom Bissell (28.66) 4-1 Ryan Hawkes (27.14)
• Jamie Rollinson (27.93) 2-4 Sam Whittaker (26.72)
• Kieron Bridgwater (33.40) 4-0 Scott Hope (26.04)
• Steve Jones (29.23) 4-1 Paul Ablett (27.06)
• Michael Powell (27.87) 4-2 Mark Thompson (24.71)
• Dan Homer (20.51) 0-4 Andrew Hibbert (23.58)
• Grainger Jordan (23.92) 3-4 Martin Giddings (22.74)
• George Willetts (27.19) 4-3 Jaikob Selby-Rivas (26.46)

Black Country Men’s ‘B’ (6) vs. Leicestershire Men’s ‘B’ (6)

• Neil Steventon (25.24) 4-2 Nigel Ward (21.63)
• Wayne Hobday (22.58) 4-3 Tom Mills (22.75)
• Matthew Lloyd (24.30) 1-4 Adam Marziano (24.73)
• Matt Coleman (22.49) 2-4 Janek Hill (24.12)
• Al Smith (16.38) 0-4 Ash Clarke (21.32)
• Sam Bissell (24.38) 2-4 Ryan Carter (25.15)
• Mark Rollinson (25.77) 4-2 Ian Turner (24.89)
• Andy Garratt (27.16) 4-3 Derek Allsopp (25.40)
• Mark Jones (24.47) 2-4 Grant Brown (26.10)
• Rich Bowen (26.11) 4-1 Andy Shillcock (23.65)
• Rhys Butler (25.52) 0-4 Mark Faulkner (27.45)
• Ian Townsend (21.93) 4-2 Neil Pullen (21.04)

Black Country Ladies’ ‘A’ (2) vs. Leicestershire Ladies’ ‘A’ (4)

• Abbey Hunt (16.64) 2-3 Ella Coburn (17.72)
• Sarah-Jane Parker (12.42) 0-3 Shannon Reeve (16.34)
• Heather Wright (16.74) 3-2 Liz Brunt (16.14)
• Doreen Hunt (14.74) 3-0 Kelly Welsh (13.88)
• Stella Sims (14.23) 0-3 Kirsty Mcilvenny (15.34)
• Chez Allcock (16.65) 2-3 Lauren Hall (18.14)

Black Country Ladies’ ‘B’ (2) vs. Leicestershire Ladies’ ‘B’ (4)

• Scarlett O’Sullivan (14.88) 3-0 Nicky Cropper (13.91)
• Grace Angell (14.29) 0-3 Caroline Newberry (14.45)
• Kirsty Shaughnessy (14.32) 0-3 Melanie Bell (14.59)
• Paige Robbins (16.45) 1-3 Janine Gough (19.22)
• Sarah Tromans (13.30) 3-1 Angela Lenton (13.78)
• Leanne Wilson (14.70) 0-3 Paula Swain (21.47)