Nights Off

We don't have any league games for the next two Tuesdays due to there being an odd number of teams in the league.

We'll be holding Team Nights in The Chelmsford when the games are usually played and will try to get some practice before our final 4 games of the season against Stanley Masons (A) and Castleside. All we can do is sit out the next two weeks and hope we can hold on to 10th place in the league.

Chelmsford 2 – 8 Steel Club

Not a great night for us as you can see from the score. I wasn’t happy with the way I played at all, and I had a poor evening. I could tell in the warm-up darts that my throw wasn’t really there, and I hate it when this happens on match nights.

As in the previous week Steel Club were hitting reasonably high scores, but it was their finishing which really impressed. In most of the games if one of them was looking at a finish they’d get it. The only exception was Davey, who was their best player over the two legs. In his Singles game he quickly got down to his finish with a couple of 140’s and some other good shots, but ended up on D1. Willie had kept himself in the game and could have won on D18, before Davey finally sunk the D1.

Unlike the away leg last week we didn’t play well as a team, but Steel Club seemed to almost drop to our level, and there were chances for us to win a few more games.

Peter is Man of The Match this week for his Singles win and his Doubles win paired with Brian.

Lost Darts

Well, they're not so much "lost" as "found". I know the people from other teams sometimes drop in on this blog, so if you know who these belong to they're behind the bar at The Chelmsford.

They've been there for a few weeks now, and we don't know whether they're from an opposing team or not.

Steel Club Feedback

As mentioned in the match report this is one hell of a place! The atmosphere is great for darts, but perhaps if I were a local there I’d be investing in body armour rather than those new darts I’m eyeing up :o)

The board is a well lit Winmau Blade II, but there are huge problems with the oche in my opinion: my trailing leg was constantly being knocked by people passing through the bar, and there are distractions in the line of sight from the people around the pool table on the left hand side.

The beer is about the cheapest you’ll find up here. Most beers seemed to be around the £1.40 mark. After the fight one of their team asked what entertainment we’d be laying on for them when they visit us next week. We just said "Our bar prices!" You simply could not spend your money in this place.

The after match buffet was great; hot and cold fare, and plenty of it. This was a really memorable night, and our visit to Steel Club is in my opinion one of the highlights of our season as a team.

Steel Club 7 - 3 Chelmsford

What a night we had at Steel Club. "Raucous" is the only word to describe the atmosphere! My Doubles game with Roger was interrupted by a fight a few yards away at the pool table, and it took a few minutes for the dust to settle. Needless to say, the darts players had absolutely nothing to do with the trouble, but some of them had to give statements when the police arrived. On to the darts . . .

We lost the opening team game by a big margin. Although SC played some mixed darts on the night their finishing was superb. My average score over my three throws in the team game was just 50, and a little under my recent form.

Jean and Alan then lost their Doubles game, followed by Roger and I losing ours. At 3-0 down we were throwing fairly well, but couldn’t quite rise to their level. Brian and Willie stopped the rot with a fine Doubles win to get us on the scoreboard.

Jean was unlucky in her Singles game and pushed her opponent all the way, but in the next Singles game Alan sunk D8 for another precious point.

In my Singles game I was throwing against the darts but still got down to a finish in 7 throws. This wasn’t quick enough though, and my opponent finished cleanly with me requiring 76. Roger lost his Singles game too, but Brian topped a great personal performance with a Singles win. Willie lost the final game to give us a fairly respectable haul of three points against the league leaders. I thought we really pulled together as a team, and this was not the St Valentine’s Day Massacre which some may have predicted :o)

Man of the Match this week is Brian. He won Singles and Doubles points, and really rose to the opposition.

Steel Club Preparation

Pictured : Pigs do fly?
My practice has been quite average this week, but I have still managed to make February my best month to date on DartPro, averaging just short of 60 per throw including the finishes. The doubles have been hit with far greater precision, and I’ll be practising hard on doubles in the final few sessions before Tuesday’s baptism of fire at the Steel Club.

I’m still not happy with my scoring though, and this could result in me chasing games and adding unwanted pressure. I’ll not even get to the doubles if I don’t improve the scores on the opening 9 darts.

If Middlesbrough can beat Chelsea 3-0 and even have one goal incorrectly disallowed, anything is possible, and this has been a great source of inspiration and motivation before the game – pending selection of course.

League Tables, Feb 06

1) Steel Club, 144
2) Cricketers, 136
3) Chopwell Central, 123
4) Coach & Horses, 122
5) Leadgate Cricket, 106
6) Commercial, 104
7) Smelters, 97
8) Castleside Inn, 92
9) Shotley Club, 85
10) Chelmsford, 78
10) Derwentside, 78
12) Stanley Masons (A), 73
13) Jolly Drovers, 57
14) Black Diamond, 56
15) Stanley Masons (B), 51

Stanley Masons "B" 3 – 7 Chelmsford

Pictured : Roger warming up

You’ve seen the blood, sweat, and tears on this blog, but at last I have a great result and a satisfying personal performance to report upon. I’m even taking the unusual step of naming myself as the Man Of The Match for hitting the highest score of the night (140), and finishishing sweetly on 76 (S20, S16, D20) and 91 in two darts (the highest finish of the game) to blag two of the valuable points in my Doubles and Singles matches respectively.

We started poorly, losing in the opening 1001 Team Game, and needing approximately 250 points as the Masons sunk their winning double. They were on form, and we knew we needed to do better.

We then took the next 4 points to set up a decent 1-4 lead, but Alan then suffered some appalling luck and saw 137 points "on the floor" due to three bounce-outs on the wire and he lost his Singles game.

Roger was next up and lost his Singles game too, but we then took the next three consecutive points to win 3-7 on the evening, and we’re now looking forward to our big test against league leaders Steel Club next week. Lambs to the slaughter, or heroes in the making? We’ll see . . .

Stanley Masons "B" Feedback

Normally we play in the large lounge on their proper, raised oche. This season however the Masons seem to prefer to have the teams playing in the front Bart. It creates a far better atmosphere, and I totally agree with them on this choice, on what was a tight and competitive evening.

Great food as usual, with broth and cold buffet. Their drinks are reasonably cheap too, and this was a very enjoyable evening.
Their board was a Winmau SFB, with rounded wires which caused many bounce-outs. The lighting was strong, but not on the board itself. The oche was a strip of wood anchored to the floor, and wasn’t quite as authoritative as the raised proper oche they had in the other room.

Chelmsford 8 – 2 Stanley Masons "B"

At this stage in the season the result is everything, but this was a scrappy game in which few players shone. We really need to pile the points on before our game with Steel Club, and this was a good start.

We were leading in the 1001 Team Game, but were pipped at the finish as Masons took a 0-1 lead. They didn’t build on this however, and we won to next seven consecutive legs. Only Willie failed to win his Singles game, in one of those D1 marathons where both players struggle to hit D1.

I was paired with Alan in my doubles game, and although he wasn’t at his best he hit a 137 at just the right time, and I finished on 20 (S15, S1, D2).

In my Singles game my scores were poor. I looked at the marker board and my scores were 30’s, 45’s, and other miscellaneous junk. I finished reasonably well when presented with a double however, missing my first attempt at D16, but getting the 32 next time around (S16, D8).

Man of the Match this week goes to Roger, who finished his Singles game in just 7 throws, averaging 24 per dart. Brian was again consistent and is proving to be a reliable scorer since he joined us recently.

Some noteworthy finishes were Peter’s Bull out-shot on 68, and the unusual spectacle of Alan resorting to a "twirl" before hitting his D1 finish in his Singles game. He may have done it discretely, but he was still spotted doing it, and he will be mocked at our leisure for the rest of the week ;o)