Doubles Cup, 2008

Pictured : Practice darts. Only two of these "count"

Roger and I competed in the last 16 of Doubles cup competition last night at the Coach & Horses, Leadgate. We were knocked out in the first round 2-1, but we both played a decent game and made sure that our opponents (Stevie and Chris Chivers) had to beat us rather than us giving them anything. I felt a lot more stable following that practice routine I'll be explaining later in the week, and I got a fair few steady 60's, 59's and a couple of tons over the three legs. I missed a 112 finish by an inch on the last dart, but Roger finished the D10 I left.

Jay Coulson played his first game after a shoulder injury and did well to get into the second round, before losing to Tim Richardson and Davy Gill. There was the usual high standard on display at this stage of the competition, and several players seemed to be scoring several consecutive tons and showing just how well you have to play to progress into the final 8 teams.

The oche in the Coach & Horses was perfect, despite the stepped walk up when retrieving the darts. The lighting seemed to be the main factor, and I was able to totally concentrate on the board with no distractions in peripheral vision. Nights like these are a real highlight of the season, and Roger and I both enjoyed the event. I just wish I got more competitive matches like this to bring my game along.

Delves Club 8 - 2 Chelmsford

Delves Club beat us at a canter last night. They weren't playing as well as they can, but most of the times they needed to “up” the pace they were able to do so. One impressive string of scores from them came from Fish, with a 100 / 180 / 100 sequence.

Alan P from our team hit a 180 in his Singles game too, but lost the match due to narrowly missing his finishing doubles. Peter was easily our man of the match, winning his Singles game and his Doubles game paired with Mark.

No joy at all for me. I couldn't get steady shots into the board despite the great throw they have at Delves. I hit a large number of 45's and 41'1 and lost my Singles game to Dave Crawley who absolutely battered me, and I am desperate to show them the better side of my game in the return match next week.

Peter has given me a really interesting practice challenge and I'll blog it later in the week. Keep tuned, because I'd be surprised if many people will have heard about this new idea for “stance”.

Chelmsford 5 - 5 Leadgate Cricket Club

This was a much better showing from us tonight, as we drew with the team who had beaten us so easily last Tuesday. We lost the opening 1001x Team Game, but not by such a great margin this time, and we had a two darter left if they had missed their winning double.

Again, Gerry (the Celtic fan I mentioned last week) seemed to be their strongest player, and he was a real threat all night. It's hard to learn from players who just seem to hit such a high percentage of 20's, but I'd love to be able to play so solidly.

Paul C was back for our team after a few weeks off, and I think he was our steadiest player, winning his Singles game and contributing well all night. Roger played a decent game too, on a night when he wasn't expected to be available.

I played well in my Doubles game with Roger (a couple of 80+ scores and a 140 to allow us to overcome playing against the throw), but I was still happy seeing him hit the D1 I had trouble hitting. Also, I got a win in my Singles game against last week's opponent, Les.

All square on the night then, but we dropped the points last week, and it could cost us 4th position in the league.

Stance

I've been trying a new stance over the weekend (figure 1). Both feet firmly on the floor with the weight evenly spread between them, and a straight back with no lean whatsoever. This is so weird for me, because as you can see from figure 2 I normally put all of my weight on the right leg, with an awful lift of the left foot as I throw. I want to get rid of this lifting of the foot, even though I've made improvements over the last few months.

I've had some incredible practice shots with figure 1, regularly putting three darts in the same double bed, and my best ever shot on the Bull (50, 50, 25). But the bad shots are worse than ever, and after a fair bit of DartPro recording I've proved that figure 2 is the more accurate over a long enough stint on the oche.

The good news is that when I revert to figure 2 the lifting isn't as bad and it seems to have improved my overall stance. I'll stick to the old way for now, but during the close season I'm thinking of roughing it out and becoming good at figure 1. I daren't do anything drastic at this important point in the season, but I'll use it in practice to improve my balance etc. Figure 2 could never be used in a long tournament because it is so tiring, but I can throw all day in figure 1.

Leadgate Cricket Club 7 - 3 Chelmsford

We suffered a heavy defeat on Tuesday night. It wasn't just the 7-3 score, but more our really poor showing and overall performance. This doesn't detract from LCC in any way though, as they played consistently well all night and could have won more legs. At one point they were 300+ ahead of us in the 1001X Team game, which was a real first for us this season, and losing this opening game so emphatically set us off on the wrong foot.

Their veteran player Andy was as sharp as ever, and the rest of the team were playing up to his standards. Remember I've been praying for some good solid steady 60 shots? One of their players (Celtic fan – didn't catch his name) had this totally nailed with long strings of 60 / 60 / 100 / 60 throws.

For next week's return leg at least we know we can only play better, but we've put pressure on ourselves by losing so many points in the first leg.

Our only points on the night were a Doubles win for Pater and Alan, and Singles wins for myself and Willie. Peter narrowly missed a 164 finish (25 instead of the Bull), and Roger played a good consistent game, so it wasn't all bad.

Darts Exhibition Night

Pictured : Bob Anderson

Here are some further details of the event Alan from the Derwentside commented upon ;

On Friday 14^th March, the Derwentside are hosting a Darts Exhibition Night featuring Bob Anderson. Tickets are on sale now priced at £8, available from The Derwentside tel 01207 502562

The Limestone Cowboy has a string of world and international titles, including World Professional Champion 1988.

This should be another great night at The Derwentside, and I'll blog some pictures and a review of the event.

League Update 19th Feb 2008

The good news is that we've maintained our position in 4th place, but Coach & Horses are just 3 points behind us with two games in hand.


Pos... Team ............. Points . Played
.1) Cricketers ............ 137 ... 16
.2) Delves Club ........... 130 ... 16
.3) Chopwell Central ...... 123 ... 18
.4) Chelmsford ............ 110 ... 18
.5) Coach & Horses ........ 107 ... 16
.6) Commercial ............. 91 ... 18
.7) Shotley Club ........... 84 ... 16
.8) Turf ................... 79 ... 18
.9) Wheatsheaf ............. 70 ... 16
10) Derwentside ............ 69 ... 18
11) Jolly Drovers .......... 66 ... 16
12) Leadgate Cricket Club .. 65 ... 16
13) Smelters ............... 58 ... 16
14) Stanley Masons ......... 22 ... 18

Ruthless Xtra Strong Poly

I thought I'd mention on here that the Ruthless Xtra Strong Poly flights I've been using since November 2007 have been quite a discovery, and I won't be buying any other type now. I understand from hotshotscanada.com that the extra strong polyester they use is 33% thicker than other polyester flights.

I used to have to replace my flights every week (I once wrecked a set in a single session!), but these ones last far longer and retain a perfect “+” shape even after Robin Hood shots where a dart lands right on top of the previous one thrown.

The durability is great, but there are two other important advantages I've noted ; stem grip springs are no longer necessary, as the fit is so good there is no slack. Secondly, the tight fit means that I very rarely damage a stem with an incoming dart. Usually when that happens the dart bounces back and doesn't score, so they may even be improving the total number of scoring darts?

It's definitely worth adding a set to your next order to see for yourself. They're widely available, with Pure Darts being a good buying option.

Chelmsford 8 - 2 Jolly Drovers

We had a good night on Tuesday, matching last week's result with an 8-2 win. The games were closer than last week though, and I think the score line flatters us slightly. The problem for the Drovers seemed to be their strongest players were a bit off form and they let us off the hook when they had chances to take points. Still, we need those points given that we will soon sit a couple of weeks out due to the uneven number of League teams (15), and the other teams will be putting points on the board while we stand still. We don't get many League updates, but I think our scoring has been good enough to keep us in 4th place.

My own form continues to be erratic, but I was really thankful to win my games ; a 2 dart finish on 72 in the Team game (T12, D18), Peter got the D1 I kindly left him in the Doubles game (hey, he left me the 3!), and I did OK in my Singles to finish on D2 against the darts to Chris. An awful lot of my first darts were into the 1 or 5 though and this is not a great time for me at the moment.

Paul from the Drovers entertained us with some great jokes and it was a good night.

We have a break next Tuesday while the League Singles competition progresses. We'll still meet up in The Chelmsford though and there will be some sort of darts competition modest prizes to go for. I just hope I don't hit form on a night that doesn't matter.

Brief respite

Pictured : A 141 finish

It's been a terrible few weeks on the practice board, but this was a good shot for once. A 141 finish, and done my own way too. According to DartPro when you hit the T20 with the first dart you should be looking at T19 to leave D12, but with 81 left I always go for 15's to leave 18's. Probably not the most logical option, but just being comfortable with what you're doing can work sometimes.

This is my third highest finish in the last two years, so I'll take some encouragement from this. I'd take a lot more encouragement if I could just hit some steady 60's though :o)

Jolly Drovers 2 - 8 Chelmsford

Pictured : The Jolly Drovers

We secured 8 valuable points on our travels tonight, on a night where we were scraping to get a full team of 6 players together. We again won the opening Team game and raced to an 8-0 lead before the Drovers put a more realistic slant on the score line to win the final two 501 Singles games against Lena and Mark H.

I've been struggling for a couple of weeks now on both the practice board and the match board, so I was really relived to win my Doubles game against the run of play with Willie, and also an unmemorable Singles game with a D1 finish. It might be just the thing to kick start a return to form.

The Drovers is one of my favourite venues. As soon as you walk in you are immediately impressed with the atmosphere and decor, and they serve some great food at the end of the match.

Chelmsford 5 - 5 Smelters

Our return leg against The Smelters ended in a draw last night. I thought The Smelters were the stronger for having Harry in their team after he sat out the first leg, and he scored well all night.

Yet again we won the opening Team Game, making it an incredible 86% success rate in this 1001X game for the season so far. From that point we seemed to cancel ourselves out, and neither of us took any big leads.

My own good run of results came to an end. I was beaten in my Doubles game with Alan P, and also in my Singles game against Brian. My big problem all night had been hitting the doubles, and I must have had six attempts at a finishing double in the three combines games I played in. This is simply not good enough, and I'll be bashing the practice board doubles overr the coming week prior to our game at the Jolly Drovers on 12th Feb.

League Table Update, 15/01/08

.......Team...... Points . Played
1 ) Cricketers ... 118 ..... 14
2 ) Delves ....... 115 ..... 14
3 ) Chopwell ...... 95 ..... 14
4 ) Chelmsford .... 83 ..... 14
5 ) Coach & Horses. 79 ..... 12
6 ) Shotley Club .. 69 ..... 12
7 ) Commercial .... 67 ..... 14
8 ) Turf .......... 65 ..... 14
9 ) Wheatsheaf .... 57 ..... 12
10) Derwentside ... 50 ..... 14
11) Jolly Drovers . 50 ..... 12
12) Smelters ...... 46 ..... 12
13) Stanley Masons. 40 ..... 12
14) Leadgate CC ... 35 ..... 12
15) Castleside Inn. 11 ..... 14

Smelters 4 - 6 Chelmsford

A good night again for us, picking up 6 points and keeping the momentum going on a night where several of our players were missing and our non-playing Captain needed to play.

We won the opening team game and then continued to take a 0-3 lead. This seemed to spur The Smelters into action, and they took the next four games and make it 4-3. Chelmsford ended strongly though, taking the final 3 games to win the game 4-6.

I was pleased with my own game tonight, hitting the winning shot in the Team game, playing well in my Doubles game with Alan P, and doing just enough to win my Singles game with the aid of a fluke T18 while score building.

The Harrows Magnums

Harrows Magnum 97% Tungsten, 27 grms

Zeeple has asked for a closer look at the Magnums, so here we go.

The knuring is very light, and almost more like an engraved diamond pattern. The middle dart has some of the deep grooves missing, which leads me to suspect they are "rejects". I definitely would have sent them back if I'd paid £30 for them rather than them being a gift. Its purely cosmetic though, and they throw really well.

They are exactly 5 cm in length, with 2.5 cm points. The 97% tungsten content means they are extremely durable ; After 3 months of hammer they are still unmarked in any way, and remain in an almost new condition. This was not the case with the 85% tungsten darts I used to use, and they'd have all sorts of marks after this time. Also, there is no visible oxidation with the Magnums to date, and they remain shiny.

Nearly

My 180's have really dried up recently. It is not through lack of trying and near misses, but this practice shot took the biscuit! The first two darts went exactly where I aimed them, but the third dart seemed to hit the Treble wire and take both flights off the other two as it bounced out and fell to the floor.

The stem on the lower dart seems to have lost it's grip on the flights and is due for replacing, but it was still an incredible fluke to lose both flights on the shot.

Heavy darts, apparently

Pictured : Unicorn "Phil Taylor" 95% tungsten

The Harrows Magnum 97% 27grm darts I'm using are great, but they are now extremely hard to get hold of. Harrows have stopped manufacturing them in the 27 grm weight, and the last few UK suppliers have seemed to run dry over Christmas. This means as soon as my set are lost or stolen (it happens - especially when you only have one set of them!) I will have real problems in replacing them.

The pictured dart seems to be a fairly close match though. Slightly less tungsten in the alloy, but the same overall shape, and Unicorn seem to offer a 27 grm option across most of their range. These will probably be the replacements I get if I need them. it's just strange that a 27 grm option seems to have been dropped by Harrows in their top end darts. I don't consider them to be that heavy, but the trend seems to be on lighter darts than in earlier days when 30+ grms were freely available across the range.

One nice feature of the Unicorn darts are that they are all guaranteed to be within 0.1 grm of each other within the set of three, and they're engraved with their weight to that precision. Unicorn also offer a "Latinum" finish, but I' not too sure what this means - even after scrutinising the specs on their web site. It's something to do with the finish of the grip rather than the alloy I think. Maybe a gimmick, but who knows.

Chelmsford 8 – 2 Shotley

We played well as a team to get these 8 points. Shotley seemed to be slightly weaker than last week, with at least one of their key players missing. Still, as predicted all of the games were closer than the score suggests, and it was the finishing which was the difference.

We again won the opening 1001X team game, but this time it was far closer, with both teams seeming to average just 50 or so per shot as we both took our time to settle into the game.

Shotley’s 17 year old player gained more of the experience he needs and won his Singles game. Their only other point came in their Doubles game against myself and Mark H.

I was really pleased to keep my nerve and win my Singles game though. I was again playing against the darts and my opponent’s first shot was a 140. I replied with two tons, an 80+ and a 70+ to leave me approaching my finish. I missed a D20 opportunity before winning the game with a 4 finish (S2, D1). This was definitely a game I would have lost last season, and sometimes it seems better to come from behind rather than set the pace. I’m sure this doesn’t matter for the better players who just “play the board” though.

We have a break next Tuesday for the Doubles competition which Roger and I are still in. I’ll need to do some focussed practice this week, as we could be up against some of the top players in the league and we were lucky to get through the first round.

Remaining Fixtures

15/01/08 - Shotley Club (H)
29/01/08 - Smelters (A)
05/02/08 - Smelters (H)
12/02/08 - Jolly Drovers (A)
19/02/08 - Jolly Drovers (H)
04/03/08 - Leadgate Cricket (A)
11/03/08 - Leadgate Cricket (H)
18/03/08 - Delves Club (A)
01/04/08 - Delves Club (H)
08/04/08 - Derwentside (A)
15/04/08 - Derwentside (H)
06/05/08 - Commercial (A)
13/05/08 - Commercial (H)
03/06/08 - Chopwell Central (A)
10/06/08 - Chopwell Central (H)

Shotley Club 6 - 4 Chelmsford

Pictured : A practice maximum

We had a narrow defeat tonight against a very evenly matched team, who are just three places below us in the League. Things appeared to be going badly for us in the opening 1001X Team game, and we fell more than 300 points behind. Somehow we managed to retain our great form in this event we were guilty of daylight robbery as I sunk the winning 47 finish (15, D16).

The rest of the games swung very evenly between the two teams. I was really relieved to win my Singles game against the darts, despite some worrying practice darts all week, and Shotley's 17 yr old player did really well to win his Singles game too.

So, next week will be a really interesting return game, with each and every one of us thinking we can win our games.

Powerball

Here's something I've been using for the last two weeks. It's an exercise device for the hands, wrists, and arms. I don't know if it will help the darts, but it can't hurt.

Once it's in full swing it can theoretically weigh 40 lbs, but with my modest record of 10,743 RPM it's probably only weighing 10 lbs. Still, not bad for a piece of plastic the size of a tennis ball though. Further info available from http://www.powerballs.com/ and http://www.lovepowerball.co.uk/

After the Christmas break

After the long break over the Christmas period we restart out League campaign at Shotley Club on Tuesday night. We've been using taxis all season, but due to Shotley being so close we'll be getting the bus along. After missing the taxi in the last game at The Turf I may even walk - on purpose this time!

Roger came down for a practice night on Sunday. It's been very quiet on some nights over the festives, and Sunday was one of them. The darts were fairly poor, and we'll have to play better than that on Tuesday.

The Turf 4 – 6 Chelmsford

We had a very quiet night up in Consett tonight. The Turf struggled to put a full team out and by the time we kicked off it had all fallen a bit flat, with none of us enjoying the throw and generally not settling. No complaints though – this is all great experience, and not all throws will be ideal. I think the stark lighting and uneven floor put me off the most.

We again won the opening Team game. At this point in the season we have a very respectable 80% success rate in this 1001X game, which is a huge improvement on last season where we seemed to lose most of them.

Alan P and I lost our Doubles game, but at least I made amends for my defeat in the home game by getting a Singles win tonight. I think the D10 I hit was my only third decent shot of the night, and I was really struggling.

The rest of the games swung from team to team, with Roger needing to secure the win with the final Singles game of the night. Congratulations to their bar manager, who scored a 180 and won his earlier Singles game.

A taxi mix-up saw me walking back home and missing last orders in The Chelmsford. It was so easy when we had the coach!

An Interview With Nannette Brooks

L to R : Rosemarie Duff / John Lowe / Nannette Brooks

Nannette Brooks is the No.1 Trinidad & Tobago Ladies' darts player, and I'm really pleased that she has provided an interview for the blog. Over the last two events in Barbados that I attended she has shown a real determination to win which I hope I can learn from.

Nannette's darting honours include:

• MVP ladies at the Caribbean Championships 2006
• Caribbean Ladies singles1994 1996
• Americas Cup ladies singles 2002
• Caribbean Cup ladies doubles(with Ann Marie James Murray) 2006

ST : How do you overcome nerves in the big games?

NB: I have discovered that there is not much I could do about that as once you are playing darts the butterflies will be there. None the less I have found that as a game progresses or as a day of tournaments progresses it gets a lot easier. Hats off to those who can play without anxiety.

ST : What practice routines do you use?

NB : To be honest I do not practice very much. It is a bit of a joke among the Trini dart players. However, I will have no choice next year when the national team starts to practice in preparation for the Caribbean Cup. We start to prep in January and we have some long evenings of practice ahead of us. I look forward to seeing great strides in my game as a result.

ST : What is the darts scene like in Trinidad & Tobago?

NB : We have leagues all year round. There are twelve teams in the association and there are many young people becoming involved.

We host the Caribbean Championships next year so there is a lot to do as the event is one of the biggest in the region. The America's Cup will also be held here and this will include the USA and Canada....some formidable opponents!!!!!!! It really is one of the nicest events......very competitive, but at the end of the day we can all say we have seen great darts and renewed wonderful friendships.

Chelmsford 6 – 4 The Turf

Pictured : Three practice darts in the D18

We had an interesting game against The Turf on Tuesday night, taking the lead in the opening 1001 Team Game with an average throw of 71.5. This is our best Team Game in my memory, and The Turf had more than 300 points on the board as our winning double went in.

We raced to a 3-0 lead with the next two Doubles games, but from that point The Turf turned it around and started to take their chances to finish games.

I played OK in my Singles game but lost to a spectacular 110 finish in two darts (T20, Bull) leaving me to rue yet another messed up D20 finish. This was despite some heavy practice on D20 alone during the week.

This was the first time I had played against The Turf, who are currently directly below us in 6th place. We have a week off while the next round of the Team competition is played, but I'm looking forward to seeing what their place is like in the return leg on 18th December. There are quite a few characters in this team, so it should be a good one.

Witney - The Legends of Darts, Part 4

Here's that fabulous memento I was presented with in Witney on Friday.

Witney - The Legends of Darts, Part 3

Cliff Lazarenko collects his prize from Paul Booth

What a thrill I got on Friday night when Colin arranged for me to play on stage, partnered with the Witney's Mayoress (Chrissy Curry) against John Lowe and Eric Bristow. I threw some terrible shots before finally getting a steady 60. By that time the legends were miles ahead and John Lowe sunk the D5 to win.

This was my first time on a proper stage, and I was just as awful as I imagined I'd be!

It's weird – it's not the nerves, it's the total lack of connection with the dart board itself. All you can think of is what is happening behind you, and not the thing you are straining to hit with a dart!

Everything the Mayoress scored was doubled by MC Paul Booth, so by the time I hit the very ordinary 60 Eric Bristow whispered in my ear “So did he double that score for you?!” Absolutely class!

A magic moment in my life, and I will absolutely treasure the glass trophy I was presented with at the end of the evening. I'll post a photo of it on here soon – it is some classy work by the Witney Trophy Centre.

Witney - The Legends of Darts, Part 2

(left to right) John Lowe, Keith Deller, Eric Bristow, and Cliff Lazarenko

Congratulations to Cliff Lazarenko who was the very popular winner of the Witney Legends of Darts tournament on 30/11/2007.

Cliff is back from illness and started slowly with a few stray shots, before buckling down and grinding out a hard fought victory against Keith Deller in the final.

Best wishes to Cliff in his recovery and hopefully we'll see more trophies being collected by this true legend of the game.

Witney - The Legends of Darts, Part1

Organiser Colin Smith (left) with MC Paul Booth

What an superb personal success for Colin Smith : Witney's “An evening with the Legends of Darts” was meticulously organised by Colin over the last few months, and on Friday 30^th November 2007 it all paid off as Witney hosted a highly professional event which will live long in the memory of the 200 strong crowd who witnessed a little piece of history in the small Oxfordshire town.

Everything about this event gleamed, from the four darts legends on show (John Lowe / Eric Bristow / Cliff Lazarenko / Keith Deller) to the big screen video (John Richards of Phototechniques Ltd), the oche and lighting, the superb trophies (Witney Trophy Centre), the pumping rock 3 piece live music (The Dirty Earth Band), right through to the ultra professional graphics and printing work (Ken Smale / Blenheim Clolour Ltd Eynsham). This list is by no means comprehensive, and just shows the amount of work Colin had to go to in pulling this event together.

Chelmsford 7 – 3 Stanley Masons

It was a fairly off key event tonight, with many of us just not playing as well as last week. At least we secured 7 points on a night where (just as last week) very little separated the two teams.

We won the opening 3 games to take a good lead. Willie and I played well in the Doubles game and I finished on D4 to get the point.

Annoyingly I was the first player to lose a Singles match. I was throwing against the darts against Derek, but I still got three darts at my favourite D20 before missing and letting Derek finish well on 16 to take the point. I won't be doing any more of those practice photos on here, where all of the darts are crammed into the D20 bed ;o)

Mark H also lost his Singles game despite some good early scoring, but that and a Doubles defeat were the only low points on a night when most of the team finished reasonably well.

Man Of The Match goes to Peter M, who won every game he was involved with and did well on a night where most of the games were a little under par.

I'll be getting a League table update shortly and I expect to see The Chelmsford in the top third. Quite a change from last season.

Practice night

Pictured : Tonight's practice highlights

I had a great night on the practice board tonight, beating my current averages in 501 legs and getting reasonably close to most things I aimed for.

I've peaked too soon for Tuesday night's return game against Stanley Masons obviously.

The Trinis

Thanks to Rose Duff for sending me some great pictures. From left to right we have Rabbit (T&T No 1), Hank (Cayman No1), myself, Rose, and Nannette Brooks (T&T No 1 Ladies player).

They'll all be having a great time at the Caribbean Cup in Trinidad next Summer, but I'll have to wait until October before I see them again in Barbados.

Better balance

Pictured : The new dart config

This picture shows the better balance I'm now getting following the changes described in the earlier post. I's just a steady 60, but the angle of attack is typical of what I'm now getting following the changes.

Of course I still have really poor practice nights where the results aren't good, but this now has absolutely nothing to do with the darts themselves. One more avenue of “excuses” closed off to me then :o)

Changes to the darts

Pictured : The new stems and flights

Since switching to the Harrows Magnums in early November I've need to make changes to the stems and flights to get the balance right.

I noticed with the Short stems that the balance just wasn't right, and I'm now using Medium stems. This corrected the feel of the darts as I threw them, but it then became apparent the the Pear shaped flights were no longer giving enough “lift”. I therefore changed from Pears to Standard. They are the Ruthless Xtra Strong Poly type, which cost marginally more than normal (40p instead of 30p), but are far more durable and keep their shape far better than the old Poly Plains I was using.

I'm also using stem grip springs, and they seem to hold the flights far tighter in the stem, so I no longer need to continually push the flights down into the stem.

Stanley Masons 2 - 8 Chelmsford

Pictured : Practice darts

Yet more valuable points for us on our travels tonight at The Stanley Masons. The scoreline may flatter us on a night where the teams were both evenly matched, but we have become accustomed to sinking the doubles and nabbing the points this season. Not a problem!

I had a slightly uncomfortable time on the oche tonight, but dear me these new darts of mine seem to find their way into the doubles. I finished on 32 in my Doubles game with Alan P (D8, D8), and then 65 in my Singles game (25, D20). Whenever I have problems building scores the doubles seem to go well, and vice versa. No Man Of The Match this week - we just played a good game as a team.

Good hospitality from the Masons as always, and they'll be keen to turn this one around in the return match next Tuesday. Special mention to the Masons' choice of music during the game. Just hearing "Highway To Hell" by AC/DC was a treat, even if it was not the Bon Scott version :o)

The Trinidad Guardian

Pictured : Rosemarie Duff

Rose was showing me a portfolio of her reporting work, and has sent me the following link for her write-up on the Barbados Darts Festival 2007.

Thanks to Rose and the rest of the Trini's, who were great hosts at one of their hotel parties after the Solidarity House finale. I look forward to seeing them all again next year, and I'm keeping in touch with a few of them on e-mail.

Witney

Thanks to all the people who check this blog from time to time. It's really encouraging to see site stats which show people from the flags on display as having visited over the past few days.

I hope to have a good story on 30th November. I'll be going to Witney (Oxfordshire) again to catch up with my friends down there and also see John Lowe / Eric Bristow / Cliff Lazarenko / Keith Deller in action.

There'll probably be some sort of amateur competition in The Three Pigeons on the Saturday night, so I'll be sure to pack my darts!

It is a made up fact that Witney is twinned with the American town of Witney, Houston TX.

Barbados 4/11/2007 : The Cockspur Mens Singles, Solidarity House

Pictured : (L-R) Jan, Tricia Sime, Ray, Len, Rob Sime

Guess what? Still no glory for me, but this one really rattled me. I was prepared and focused, and probably playing the smoothest darts of the fortnight. I was up against Guyana's Number 2, Fitzgerald in the first round. When bulling up to see who threw first I hit the 50. I then played consistently but suffered with three bounce outs at just the wrong moments in the 2-1 defeat. There were even two bounce outs off the T20 wire in the same throw, meaning I walked back with a score of 20 instead of the 140 I should've had. It's a cruel game.

Glory for the touring party's Rob Sime though. He played the best I've ever seen him play over the last two Bdos tourneys. He battled all the way to the final. By this time I had truly found my place and was marking the final! Rob was just edged out by Rabbit, Trinidad's number 1 player.

Special mention to Karen Lowe and Janice Simpkins, who were runners up in the Ladies' Doubles, and for times during the final seemed to have a hand on the trophy.

Barbados 2/11/2007 : The B&H Mens Pairs, Solidarity House

Pictured : Me, John Lowe, Debs

Les and I again paired up for this doubles game. We beat John Simpkins (touring party) and his Bajan partner 3-1.

In the second round we went out 3-1 against Dave and Terry from the touting party. Les and I played OK, but couldn't quite match them. I hit a nice 87 finish (T17, D18). Les and I both had chances to hit the other winning doubles, so the games were close.

I marked the board on stage in the finals, which saw Winston Coduggan and Anthony Forde (both Bajan) beat Rabbit and his partner (Trinidad) with a convincing 3-0 score.

Barbados 30/10/2007 : The A & T Hideaway

Pictured : Me and Mapp in the doubles

At last a bit better news to report in two great pairs competition at the A & T Hideaway. The pairs are all drawn from a hat in this event, so you can get to play with a Bajan team mate.

In the first competition I partnered Mapp (Bajan). We beat Terry (touring party) and his Bajan partner, with me hitting both winning doubles in the 2-1 result. It was sheer relief to at last get past a first round, but Anthony Forde and his partner (Bajans) beat us 2-0 in the next round. Again, we had looks at winning doubles, so we were kicking ourselves.

Better things happened in the next competition though. This time I was partnered with Compton Bates (Bajan). The first round was shaky for us, but we still got a 2-1 win against two Bajan women. Compton and I really raised our game in the second round against the two alpha males who had won the earlier competition. I hit a D5 to make it 1-1 and take us to a tense final game. At one point Compton and I were looking at an 11 dart finish, but annoyingly failed to finish the game and we lost 2-1. Great excitement though, and it was a real buzz to take part in a battle like that.

Barbados 28/10/2007 : The Right Guard Mens Singles, Almond Bay

Pictured : me and Debs on the caramaran

My lovely girlfriend Deb (look, she reads this!) partnered Karen Lowe in the women's pairs, but sadly they went out 2-0 in the first round.

I played far better this time and pushed the experienced Dave Jenner (touring party) all the way in a close match which ended in a 3-2 defeat for me. I never have any complaints when I raise my game to the opposition and do my best.

As you'll see from the other match summaries I didn't win too many games, but it really wasn't bothering me too much on this great holiday.

Barbados 26/10/2007 : The Warrens Motors Mens Pairs

Pictured : Scum like me and Les - in Barbados!

We played our first competition of the holiday at the Almond Bay venue. My girlfriend Debs had the sternest possible of tests in her Ladies Singles game against Bajan Eloise. Debs hit a nice 123 (T20, T20, T1) and pushed all the way before going out 2-0 in the first round.

My doubles partner Les and I fared no better, losing by the same score, but we both played a strong game with chances to hit winning doubles in both games. In what must be a “first” for me I hit three consecutive tons, but all to no avail as Skinner and his new doubles partner finished in style (Bull finish on the last dart).

Janice seemed to get the furthest of all of us, and told me to mention her superb 65 finish on the blog!

Cup Night – The Commercial

Pictured : Two good markers and a D8 practice shot

We had a night away from the League on Tuesday, and played our Cup games (the Doubles / Pairs Competition) up at The Commercial in Leadgate.

Our Captain Lena was involved in making the draw, and somehow she managed to draw myself and Roger to play against her and Willie in the first round. This turned out to be a lucky move, because all four of us played so badly there was no way we could have beaten decent opposition to get into the next round. We just had to be glad that the draw guaranteed a Chelmsford representative to go through to the next round, to be played in May 2008.

As it turned out Roger and I won 2-0, but the people in the next round will be keen to play us after seeing the badness on display. We just couldn't get going, and the only positives I can take from it are that I hit both finishing doubles when I had the chance. Roger and I will really need to step up a gear to compete with the others we saw winning their games. I remember one leg where any sub 100 shot was almost a disappointment to them. Us four couldn't buy a ton.

The new Harrows Magnum darts are still going well though, and they seem to hit the doubles nicely – even on nights like Tuesday when things aren't going well.

There wasn't any good news from our team mates playing at different venues, and I think Roger and I are the only ones to progress. This is one night where I had very poor focus, and the darts weren't pretty.

Introducing the new hay makers

Pictured : Harrows Magnum 97% tungsten

I did promise myself not to tinker with the darts I have been using for the last two years, but I picked these up as a gift from the organisers in Bdos, and they are superb.

They are the same weight and length as my old ones (Hi-Tec, The Vice), but because of the incredibly high tungsten content (97% as opposed to the old 85%) they are ever so slightly slimmer. I've been using them since I got back, and although the bad shots are just as bad as always, when things go right with these it is incredible. I will definitely give them a full 3 months before even considering going back to the Hi-Tecs – there just seems to be nothing to lose.

The points are very well machined, and the darts spin in the point protector totally true. This is not the case with the cheaper Hi-Tecs, where there is a slight wobble. There are some very slight discrepancies between the three darts when it comes to the knurling, but any difference in the throw would be negligible beyond belief.

When they hit the board they just hit it with such authority. I really hope I can make these work for me. I think the real difference will be psychological though. I just love them so much I feel far more confident with them.

Barbados 2007 : Hotel snaps

Golden Lion 5 – 3 Chelmsford (Cup, 12-5 on aggregate)

Last week while I was away we lost 7-2 to the Golden Lion in the cup. Tonight's 2^nd Leg match was therefore a formality, but we still patched up a team (well, 5 of the required 6 people) to play them in Leadgate on a cold evening.

Players like GL's Chris made this fairly one sided, but we still managed to get a respectable scoreline, enlisting Leadgate Cricket Club's Andy to make the numbers up for us. You may notice the two legs have a different total of points, but we just played the game the best we could with full allowance made by both teams for the need to make up the numbers on a quiet Thursday night and just get on with it.

I won my Singles game to get one of the points, as one of their top players took far too many shots to finish. I was in the high 200's when he took his first shot at a double, and I just rode my luck incredibly to finally get the untidy 26 finish (S4, D11, oh dear!).

So we're out of the cup, but we'd always find it difficult to raise a team on a Thursday night, so maybe it is best for us to exit at this point. Good luck to GL in the next round though, and it was a worthwhile experience to play against this high standard of opposition.

An Interview With John Lowe

Pictured : John Lowe in the Rostrevor Apartments Hotel Bar, Barbados

John and Karen Lowe were superb hosts as usual, and I was delighted that John agreed to grant me an interview for the blog :

ST : What are the main mistakes you see inexperienced players making?

JL : Too much movement when throwing. If the head moves an inch the darts will err by half an inch. This means a S20 will become a S5 or a S1, and a T20 will become a S20. Right handed players sometimes push their elbows out too far, and that too causes unwanted movement.

If you watch the good players all of them keep their heads straight and still during their throw.

ST : Given just one hour before a competitive match, how would you practice?

JL : I'd spend 45 minutes going around the board on the Doubles only, being sure to include plenty of D20 / D6 / D3 / D11 shots. If you can hit them, the other doubles are similar shots.

The final 15 minutes would be spent concentrating on T20 and the Bull. In the USA the “nearest to the bull” decides who goes first, so it is especially important to include the Bull in practice as this is an important advantage.

Throughout these practice shots it would be a case of fine tuning the co-ordination and rhythm.

ST : What is the single most useful piece of advice you could give to an inexperienced player?

JL: Some people seem to throw with a terrible product. I'm not just pushing Unicorn here, but I've seen people use unco-ordinated flights of different colours, and just generally poor equipment. Get decent darts and try a few changes to stem length etc to get the correct balance. I've seen people use flight protectors [small metal “tips” which attach to the back of the flight] just to put some weight at the back of the dart. It is better to use the barrel shape and stem length to achieve this balance.

There is a psychological side to darts, so it is better to compete with good equipment which you are fully comfortable with.

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Many thanks to John for this. He really was enthusiastic to pass his thoughts on to this blog, and there's more : John has revealed details of his new coaching book to be released in December 2008 (yep, a whole year away). It may sound like a plug, but think of this : Darts is one of the few games which doesn't have a recognised form of coaching, so this new offering from JL had me really interested.

The working title is “The Art Of Darts – A Master Class”. Following firm interest from at least four publishers it will be Hodder & Stoughton who will release this important work. The book will include photographs and instructions regarding how to stand / throw / release / grip , as well as “style” and all those other aspects we spend our time on improving.

There were initial discussions on separating the contents into 3 volumes, but JL is fairly sure that this will be what we all want it to be – a single coaching manual from a 3-times World Champion.

Chelmsford 2 - 8 Cricketers

Pictured : Yet more practice darts, all for the Bull probably

We were up against a very strong Cricketers team tonight, and very grateful to grab 2 points against them. Last week while I was away I believe we got 3 points against them, so these 5 points in total are very useful against a team who will be "brushing" our immediate neighbours in The League.

On a night where Cricketers hit two 180's our own Alan Parkin hit one too to make it a night of quick fire games.

We went 0-1 down in the opening Team Game and were looking to be outclassed by a Cricketers team full of big names and more importantly they were "on form".

Alan and Willie won their doubles game to avoid the brush, and Man Of The Match Alan was unlucky not to win his Singles game after scoring 180 / 140 but then fluffing a X4 finish.

I won our only other point in my Singles game against Nev, as he uncharacteristically allowed me in to sink a D16 finish after a few stray shots from him. I'd hit a 140 and a 94 to leave the 32, so I was happy to forget my ordinary form in the Team and Doubles games.

Just two points then, but we really grafted for them, and the scoreline is a fair result on the night.

the Blog's back open

Pictured : Colour co-ordinated practice shots

I'm back from Barbados and I have some great stories to relay over the following days. An interview with John Lowe, and some heroics from Rob Sime and Karen Lowe / Janice Simpkins to report.

My own darts weren't too good, but that's life. i was knocked out in the 1st round in two competitions and then in the 2nd round of three competitions. That was the best I did, but I had some fun and learnt just a little bit more about how to compete. No complaints from me, at another successful Barbados darts Festival. More to follow . . .