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.