JOHN Goves, the inaugural winner of Champion of Champions in 1985, rolled back the years with a performance in the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League, that inspired Torpoint Cons to a 7-4 victory against Indian Inn. He secured his singles 3-1, aided by a leg in 15 and top scored with 14 throws of a ton or more which included an out shot of 120. Only eight weeks into the new campaign, Porters Patriots can already boast a 16-point advantage over their nearest rivals, following an11-0 drubbing of The Clifton. In winning their 601 doubles, John Mann (100x14) and Robbie Bisgrove took out an 18-darter and Mann was also on target in his singles with a 15-dart leg. INSPIRED: John Goves rolled b

KEELAN Kay will take another big step in his darts education when he competes this weekend in the Junior Darts Corporation’s two biggest tournaments of the year. On Saturday, at the Action Indoor Sports Arena in Bristol, he will be among some of the top players in the world competing in the European Darts Open. This competition is open to all players between the ages of 10 and 18 and will be played over the best of 11 legs throughout, including the final which will be take place at 6pm. KEELAN KAY: Competes in the two most prestigious darts tournaments of the year on Saturday and Sunday when he lines up in the European Open and WDS Associates Junior World Championships. On Sunday, the Plymou

PLYMOUTH marksman John Mann achieved a man-of-the-match performance whilst inspiring Cornwall to victory in the British Inter County Championships. In the final fixture of 2017, Cornwall defeated Nottinghamshire 24-12, ensuring that they finish the year top of division one, eight points clear of their nearest rivals. John Mann produced checkouts of 136, 144 and 141 inspiring Cornwall to a BICC victory. In the Men’s A encounter, Mann took the first three legs of his singles in 12, 18 and 15 which he finished with checkouts of 136, 144 and 141 respectively, for a three-dart average of 100.20. But all credit to his opponent. Nottinghamshire’s Peter McConville (28.05) replied by taking three on

DEVON darts players had to start out on their long journey to Crewe on the day prior to their British Inter County Championship fixture against Cheshire, so only five matches were able to be played Friday evening. That included an 11-0 win for Plympton Cons A who defeated Clifton B without dropping a leg. Dave Collins won well aided by a leg in 13 and Kelvin Rowe was on target with two maximums. Dave Collins who won legs in 13 and 17 before going on to a 3-0 singles success. Porters B continued their unbeaten run when they took all but one of the 11 points that were on offer when visiting Victoria. Mike Beard notched a brace of 180s and Malcolm Johns achieved an outshot of 115. Another win i

DEVON have now plunged into the relegation zone, following a 21-15 defeat away at Cheshire, their third defeat on the bounce in the premier division of the British Inter County Championships. The Ladies’ B side have been the mainstay of the Devon squad this season, winning all their matches, but against a Cheshire Ladies B side who had previously not won a match, crashed to a 5-1 defeat. Anna Johnson was the lone winner when, after trailing 2-0, she triumphed 3-2 with a 20.29 average. The Men’s B side now had it all to do and they started well when Lee Alderman (24.65) emerged a 4-2 winner after going 2-0 down. FORM PLAYER: Mark Turner returned to form and produced a man-of-the-match perform

WHAT more does Maria O’Brien have to do in order to be picked for England? She produced another epic performance yesterday, competing for Devon in the premier division of the British Inter County Championships and in winning 3-0 in 20, 18 and 13, she achieved a stunning single dart average of 29.47. That average was not only good enough to win her the lady-of-the-match award, but it was the best average by any other lady player in the British Isles. LEADING LADY: Maria O'Brien is leading the way at the top of the British Inter County Championships performance table with the best average of 26.37 after her four victories. The stats show that she is the best lady player in the country at the m

KEELAN Kay has moved up into second place in the JDC Order of Merit after an admirable performance, when competing in Tour 6, at Rileys Sports Bar, Coventry, yesterday. The Plymouth Studio School pupil opened with 3-0 victories over Nathan Walker and Liam Earwicker before he faced his first big hurdle of the afternoon in the form of Levy Frauenfelder. The Dutch marksman was part of the Netherlands team that won the WDF Europe Cup back in July, but that form counted for nothing as The Lord of the Board edged him 3-2 after a well contested quarter-final tie. MUTUAL RESPECT: Keelan Kay congratulates Tour 6 winner Jarred Cole after their well contested final in Coventry yesterday. Kay, who won T

PORTERS B remain in third place with an unblemished record after 16 matches in the Plymouth City Super League, and are now moving in on the second placed berth, as well as a game in hand on the tabletoppers. They defeated Ships Tavern 8-3 and had Mike Beard and John Mann both hitting a brace of 180s while Malcolm Johns emerged a 3-0 singles winner, aided by a leg in 13. League leaders The Staddy also won with an identical scoreline when hosting Compton and had Dave Algar hitting a 15-darter in a 3-2 singles win, while Dartsworld, in second spot, emerged 7-4 winners away at Plympton Cons A, having Simon Stevenson (100x16) as their leading marksman. DECISIVE: Steve Harris won the decisive poin

ANGIE Trout last night recorded one of the best games every accomplished in a Plymouth darts league by a lady, when she achieved a 29.21 average. Playing for Friary A in the KSSC Mixed League, she secured her 701 singles in just 24 darts, aided by four tons and a top score of 140. Angie also plays in the Devon County Super League and represents The Levy Ladies, who currently top the table undefeated.

PORTERS A remain defiant in their quest of the Plymouth & District Friday League title and still top the table, as well as having a match in hand over their championship rivals. Second placed Kings Tamerton CC won 12-1 against Indian B only for the tabletoppers to match them with victory away at Maritime B. Pete James (100x12) top scored and Harry Bull was on target with a brace of 180s while Antony Hayman (30.33) equalled the week’s best game. He secured his singles in 33 darts, after having started with an opening 12-dart salvo that scored 480 points. TOP GAME: Antony Hayman equalled the week's top game when securing his singles in 33 darts which began with 480 points being scored with his

OFTEN over the years, I have been asked the question: "Who is the best player to have played darts in Plymouth? I always answer that to single out any one individual would be inappropriate. There are three though, that arguably have been the best and I had the privilege to play against all three, at varying times, when the Plymouth darts scene was enjoying its first purple patch throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Cliff “Ticker” Inglis, the first man to win the Winmau World Masters in 1974 and Fred Pritchard, the South West Area News of the World champion no fewer than 15 times are two. The third player to make up my illustrious trio is Tim Green. He was brash, he was flamboyant . . . but he had

THE top-of-the-table clash between the only previously unbeaten sides in the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League ended with Porters Patriots defeating Maritime Marauders 8-3, to open a substantial 13-point lead over the chasing pack. The high-quality fixture produced107 throws of a ton or more, including seven maximums, three of which were thrown by Patriots’ Andy Bates. CONSISTENT: Steve Packer threw a consistent game in helping Octagon to arguably their best performance of the season and emerged a 3-1 singles winner in 17, 16 and 20. Only four points separates the five teams behind the leaders and Octagon Social Club are now in that mix after arguably their best performance of the seas

TEAMS are at the season’s mid-point in the Monday Premier League and only five points separate the two leading contenders. Table-toppers Maritime A had Paul Palmer (100x14) as their leading marksman in their 8-3 victory away at City Social while Porters A, in second spot, also won on the road and returned from Prince Maurice B with a 9-2 success. The Barbican side had Scott Wapshott on target with two maximum scores and John Mann emerged a 3-0 singles winner with his best legs being won in 17 and 19. Shakespeare emerged 7-4 winners away at Maritime B and they had Rich Coombs notching a brace of 180s from an 11-ton haul. DECISIVE: Quinton Taylor hit two maximums in a 3-1 singles victory to cl

PLYMOUTH darts player Cat Callard is the new Civil Service Sports Association’s national champion. Regional representatives from England and the Home countries assembled at the Best Western Stoke-on-Trent Moat House and Callard, who was representing the South West of England, was untouchable throughout. UNTOUCHABLE: Cat Callard won the Civil Service national ladies title dropping just two legs throughout the tournament before emerging a 3-0 winner in the final. In winning the national title, she dropped just two legs all day, gaining a 2-0 victory in the semi-final before going on to oust the North-West representative, Carolyn Worsley 3-0 in the final.

THE Staddy consolidated their position at the top of the Plymouth City Super League when winning 8-3 away at Plympton Cons B, inspired by two good performances. Warren Gordon was on target with three maximum scores of 180 while Jim Pitkin (30.67) emerged a 3-0 winner in 13, 17 and 19. Maritime A, who had Phil Hoyle notching two 180s, defeated Darts World 7-4, the same winning scoreline that was also achieved by Ships Tavern when hosting Kings Arms B. Kelvin Rowe (100x12) and Dave Collins (100x12) top scored for Plympton Cons A in their 7-4 win away at Compton Social Club while Porters A edged out The Clifton by the odd game of 11. TOP GAME: Jim Pitkin threw the week's top game when winning 3

MARITIME Social Club maintained their unbeaten record in the premier division of the Devon Super League, recovering from a 4-1 deficit to edge out Exeter’s Winchester Warriors. They have been close to their first defeat before, having won by the narrowest of margins in four of their last five fixtures, but still boast a 10-point lead over second placed Exeter Eagles. The first singles of the night laid the fourendations for a high-quality fixture when Winchester's Owen Bates (26.24) defeated Neil White (28.33) 4-3 with the Plymouth marksman’s legs coming in 16, 17 and 16. Only Dave Matthews (25.01) was a home winner from the first five encounters, winning 4-1, aided by a checkout of 113 when

MARK Shears earned the plaudits in the Plymouth and District Friday League when he won a 1001 leg in 29 darts for the third time this season. He claimed an overall average of 34.52 but finished with a burst that saw him score 375 points with his last eight darts, finishing in two from 100, averaging 46.88 on his final three visits. Despite leading 4-2 and 5-3, his Windmill side were edged out 7-6 by Waterloo A who had Martin Dean making a kill of 111. MARK(ED) MAN: Mark Shears has hit no fewer than three 1001 legs in 29 darts this season in the Plymouth and District Friday League alone. There is little change at the top of the table after the top six sides all won in double figures. Royal Na

MARATIME Marauders remain eight points behind the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League leaders, despite achieving a 10-1 victory away at Waterloo, as the same winning scoreline was also attained by the table-toppers Porters Patriots when hosting Kings Arms. The leaders had John Mann on target with three maximum scores and Andy Bates emerged a 3-0 singles winner, aided by a leg in 15, while Malcolm Johns equalled the week’s highest checkout with a mark of 126. Peter Holland (100x13) top scored for Maritime Musketeers in their 11-0 drubbing of Duchy of Cornwall while two 180s from Lewis Dare was the highlight of Falstaff’s 9-2 victory against The Clifton. DAN'S THE MAN: Dan Johnson's outsho

GARY Phillips earned the plaudits in week 16 of the Monday Premier League when, in helping Brookside A to a 9-2 defeat of Porters B, he recorded checkouts of 100, 106 and 111. The week’s highest outshot also came in the same fixture when Andy Bates for the visitors finished at the first time of asking from 158. As teams prepare for the final match to close out the first half of the season, Maritime A boast a six-point advantage at the top of the table, following their 9-2 victory against Prince Maurice B, with Dan Johnson (100x12) top scoring. HAT-TRICK: Gary Phillips recorded three checkouts of a ton or more, inspiring Brookside A to victory against Porters B. Porters A consolidated second

FORTY-TWO years ago tomorrow, one of Plymouth’s finest darts players and many will say the best, entered the Guinness Book of Records, and recorded a feat which still stands to this day . . . and may never get beaten. On Tuesday, November 11, 1975, Cliff “Ticker” Inglis gave an exhibition at The Bromfield Working Men’s Club in North Devon and playing over a leg of 1001, went out in a remarkable 19 darts. Inglis admitted afterwards that the first dart slipped out of his hand and went into double 20, but unperturbed he threw 160-180-140-180-121-180 before checking out on double 20 with the first dart of his next visit for a stunning single dart average of 52.68. When you consider that the min