PORTERS Patriots went crashing through the 100-point barrier with an 11-0 whitewash of Waterloo in the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League, despite having to call in re-inforcements due to work commitments. The table-toppers had to include pub landlady Sharon Bishop in the line up and she didn’t disappoint, remaining undefeated throughout and only dropping one leg in a solid singles victory. Their total of 110 points from just 11 matches is an amazing achievement and they boast a 22-point advantage over their nearest rivals Octagon Social Club. Octagon secured all but one of the 11 points that were on offer at Duchy of Cornwall and had Dave Pethick clinching a 3-0 singles victory, aided

FIRKIN Scholar gave a good account of themselves when they played Maritime A and took them to the wire before the Monday Premier League table-toppers edged it 6-5, for their 20th consecutive victory of the campaign. Scott Hutchinson (100x15) top scored for the winners and had Tony Lamerton (25.91) emerging a 3-0 winner in 20, 21 and 17. Jim Orchard caught the eye when winning 3-1 in 19, 20 and 19 for Scholar and in a 2-0 double’s win for Mark Hatherley and Brian Lumsden, they finished in style when taking the second 601 leg in 16 darts. Porters A moved to within five points of the unbeaten leaders when they secured all but one of the 11 points that were on offer away at Indian Inn B. WINNER:

PLYMOUTH’S rising protégé took another big step in his darting education when he competed in the Junior Darts Corporation’s two biggest tournaments of the year. The Plymouth Studio School pupil participated in both the European Darts Open and the WDS Associates Junior World Darts championship over two days at the Action Indoor Sports Arena in Bristol. Kay did not have the best of starts in the Euros and in round one, against Buster Turner, had his back to wall when trailing the Hampshire thrower 5-1. But showing composure above and beyond his tender 15 years of age, Turner was pegged back to 5-5 to set up a decisive 11th leg. QUARTER FINAL SPOTS: Keelan Kay gave a good account at the Europea

PORTERS B took advantage of The Staddy’s inactivity in the final round of matches for 2017 and moved to the top of the Plymouth City Super League table after winning 8-3 away at the St Levan Inn. The Barbican side extended their unbeaten run to 19 matches and have a three-point lead over their rivals but The Staddy do have the advantage of a game in hand. John Mann emerged a 3-1 winner for Porters, aided by a leg in 14 while for the hosts, Sarah Brown equalled the week’s top checkout when, in a 3-0 victory over Mark Yeoman, she finished the second leg with a kill of 146. That mark was also equalled by Sean Burkitt and came in Maritime A’s 11-0 whitewash away at Victoria, the only team to win

KINGS Tamerton CC extended their lead at the top of the Plymouth and District Friday League table when they defeated their title rivals Porters A. The 8-5 reverse was only the third defeat in 45 matches that the Barbican side have suffered but now find themselves nine points off the pace but with a match in hand. The Tradesmans produced one of their best performances of the campaign to inflict on Queens Dock a 13-0 drubbing while in two much closer encounters, Indian Inn B and Porters B both won by the narrowest of margins against The Fawn and Jolly Miller respectively. City Social won in double figures when beating Maritime B 10-3 while Porters C, when hosting Waterloo C, came back from a 5

THE long-standing record of five Champion of Champions wins has been equalled. Simon Stevenson won his fifth title to clinch the 2017 crown, rivaling the record set by Flynn Jones between 1988 and 2003. Stevenson, who got his hands on the prestigious trophy for the first time in 2002, won it again in 2009, 2012 and 2014 before achieving the landmark on Sunday night at the Hyde Park Social Club in front of an appreciative audience. His assault on the record, that has stood for 14 years, began with a win against Steve Hiscox in clinical fashion when Stevenson (33.40) emerged a 3-0 winner in 16, 14 and 13. RECORD BREAKER: Simon Stevenson won the Champion of Champions trophy for the fifth time,

IS Simon Cunningham the forgotten man of darts? The left hander was on the brink of making his way up the Professional Darts Corporation’s (PDC) rankings but he cruelly had his ambitions taken away when a tumour appeared in the shoulder of his throwing arm . . . not once, but three times. His love for the sport was nurtured at the City Social Club, Plymouth, in 1990 and despite being only 16 years of age, showed above average promise for one so young. He would practice as often as he was allowed and in 1992 was invited to play for the club’s B team on a Monday night in the Plymouth and District Social Clubs League. The following season he was also playing on a Tuesday for the Stoke Social Cl

THE top four teams in the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League all achieved convincing victories, with all but the leaders winning in double figures. However, tabletoppers Porters Patriots achieved a 9-2 success when hosting Falstaff to maintain their big advantage over the chasing pack. John Mann top scored with 15 throws of a ton or more and was well supported by Andy Bates who notched 13, which included a brace of 180s. Maritime Musketeers took all available points against Waterloo Inn while Plympton Cons remain in the mix following a 10-1 victory against Fawn A. EYE-CATCHING: Chrissie Kinnaird caught the eye for Kings Arms when she emerged a 3-1 winner in 17, 18 and 16. City Social se

MARITIME A showed their title credentials when they defeated their Monday Premier League rivals for the second time in the campaign, preserving their winning run of 19 matches. They were convincing 8-3 winners away at Porters A and now command a lead of nine points at the top of the table. The fixture produced six maximum scores, three of which were recorded by Maritime’s Scott Hutchinson while for Porters, John Mann won 3-1 in 19, 19 and 16 and Scott Wapshott (100x13) top scored. YOUNG TALENT: Fifteen-year-old Jordan Grimshaw saved City Social from a whitewash when he emerged as their only winner in a 10-1 defeat by Firkin Scholar. Octagon Social Club defeated Brookside B 10-1, dropping jus

THERE is little change at the top of the Plymouth City Super League table after the leading two sides both won in double figures. The Staddy consolidated their position at the helm with an 11-0 whitewash of Clifton B while second placed Porters B made it 18 wins on the bounce when defeating Kings B 10-1. Mike Beard caught the eye for the winners when hitting a 13-dart leg before going on to a 3-1 singles success. Porters A achieved maximum points when hosting Victoria while in two closer encounters, Ships Tavern and Hyde Park both won by the narrowest of margins against Maritime A and Plympton Cons B respectively. ROBBO'S BACK: Dave Roberts came back to form after a long lay-off through inju

MARITIME suffered their first defeat of the season in the premier division of the Devon County Super League but still maintain in top spot, although their lead has been cut to four points. They were defeated 6-3 away at The Racehorse and it is fair to say that the Tiverton side deserved their win with some excellent performances, none more so than by former Plymouth player Adrian Lamerton (27.18). Mike Pearce (24.02) won the opener for Maritime but they then lost four on the bounce before Dan Johnson (22.17) emerged a 4-2 winner, after coming back from a 2-0 deficit. The hosts then wrapped up their victory before Scott Hutchinson (25.29) won 4-2. BEST AVERAGE: John Mann produced the top perf

KINGS Tamerton CC were the week’s biggest winners in the Plymouth and District Friday League when they inflicted on Porters C a 13-0 whitewash. Richard Lynch (30.33) was their stand-out player and finished a 33-dart leg with a checkout of 126. Porters A had Pete James posting an outshot of 120 in their 10-3 victory at Brookside while in a much closer contest, Indian Inn B edged out Waterloo C 7-6. STAND-OUT: Richard Lynch was the stand-out player for Kings Tamerton when finishing a 33-dart leg with a checkout of 126. Ryan Ring was on target with an outshot of 115 but finished up on the wrong end of an 8-5 scoreline when Octagon Social Club lost away at The Windmill. Royal Naval Arms A retur

SIMON Stevenson remains on course to equal the Champion of Champions record of five wins, when the tournament concludes a week today at the Hyde Park Social Club. The record set by Flynn Jones has stood for 14 years who co-incidentally, defeated Stevenson in the 2003 final. Stevenson (29.47), who last won the title in 2014, showed championship form in the last 16 when he defeated Kieran Burns 3-0 in 16, 16 and 19 and there was also a straight legs victory for Danny Allen over Dan Scott. JUST CHAMPION: Simon Stevenson will be bidding to equal the record of five Champion of Champions titles when he competes in the grand final at the Hyde Park Social Club on Sunday, December 10. In a repeat of

THERE have been some good darts players in Plymouth. There have been some great darts players in Plymouth. But there is one player that clearly earns his title as the darts doyen of Plymouth. I am of course referring to Fred Pritchard. Fred was the son of Harry Pritchard, a champion in his own right between1925 and 1935. The family hailed from Herne Bay in Kent and young Fred first found his way around the dartboard at the age of just nine years old. He took up the sport competitively at 19 and was successful almost immediately in his local leagues. Fred came to Plymouth aged 28 and his first ever team in the city was The Oxford – a hostelry now long gone, but it was in Claremont Street, jus

OUTSTANDING performances in week nine, reiterated once again that the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League, is the best in Plymouth. Eight of the 10 fixtures produced no fewer than 32 maximum scores with three players hitting three each and another four registering braces. To add to that tally, there were 16 checkouts of a ton or more, headed by Phil Hoyle’s mark of 149. That outshot came in an excellent fixture which Octagon won 8-3 when defeating Maritime Marauders. A total of 122 ton plus scores were recorded which included six 180s, three coming from Dan Puleston. WINNER: Alfie Ford was a winner for Octagon Social Club in their 8-3 defeat of Maritime Marauders. Alfie Ford emerged a 3-

THERE is little change at the top of the Monday Premier League table after the leading four sides all achieved comfortable victories, albeit in single figures. League leaders Maritime A triumphed 7-4 away at Indian Inn B but it was Teresa Brookshaw for the hosts who caught the eye, when she took her singles in three straight legs which started with a win in 14. Second placed Porters A returned from City Social with an 8-3 victory while Indian A, in third, achieved the same winning scoreline from their visit to Maritime B. Simon Washington for the hosts, however, won the plaudits when he top-scored with 15 throws of a ton more, 10 of which came in a 3-0 singles success. Shakespeare came from