A CAREER in any sport has to end at some stage, but when someone is forced into an early retirement due to a debilitating illness, then that is cruel, which is what happened when another of Plymouth’s top players, Ivor Newman, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Newman fell in love with the sport when he was just 17 years of age and began in the Yelverton and District League, playing for the Glenholt Country Club. After four seasons there, he started to ply his trade in the Country Inns League for the Westward Inn and in the 1982-83 campaign had the most wins of any player, having finished the season with an unblemished record. Still playing in the Country Inns League he moved to the Unic

AFTER an arduous season, that stretched over 12 months of two calendar years, Porters A have been crowned champions of the Plymouth and District Friday League. They took a maximum 26 points from their final two matches to claim the title with 14 points to spare. Second placed Kings Tamerton Community Centre won their penultimate fixture 11-2 before crashing to a 9-4 defeat against Royal Naval Arms A who had to settle for third place, despite winning their last 35 matches, since they were defeated back in April 2017. THREE GENERATIONS: Porters A won the Plymouth & District Friday League with half the team made up of the same family. Pictured from left to right are Danny, Eddie and Harry Bull.

ONE of the best ever fixtures in Plymouth darts was contested in the Monday Premier League and Maritime A just did enough to preserve their unbeaten record when edging out Brookside A 6-5. The match produced 111 throws of a ton or more, 10 of which were 180s, six ton plus checkouts and to add to that, Paul Palmer emerged a 3-2 winner over Scott Lawrey (180x2) aided by a leg in just 12 darts which started with back to back 180s. He unfortunately hit just 26 on his third visit, before checking out from 115. Maritime’s Billy Evans recorded a brace of 180s but was defeated 3-1 by Brookside’s Keelan Kay with one of his winning legs coming in 15 and he also posted checkouts of 120 and 124. Gary Ph

KINGS Arms made a remarkable comeback to recover from a 5-1 deficit in the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League and win 6-5 away at Indian Inn, taking the last five singles for the loss of just two legs. Warren Gordon won 3-0 aided by a 15-darter and at 5-5, Chrissie Kinnaird held her nerve to win the decisive point when defeating Steve Ebsworth 3-1. League leaders Porters Patriots made it 14 victories on the bounce when winning 7-4 at second-placed Octagon Social Club who are now 22 points adrift. Paul Tackle (100x18) caught the eye for Octagon while John Mann (27.33), for the winners, emerged a 3-0 winner in 14, 20 and 21. DECISIVE: Chrissie Kinnaird held her nerve to win the decisive p

DARTSWORLD lost ground on the Plymouth City Super League leaders when they were edged out 6-5, for their fourth defeat of the campaign. They led 5-4, but 3-0 victories for both Fred Goldsmith and Lee Hellings was enough for Octagon Social Club to prevail by the narrowest of margins. The highlight of the fixture though was a 28-dart (35.75) doubles success for Danny Allen and Keelan Kay before Allen went on to win his singles 3-1, aided by a leg in 13. Porters B made it 22 wins on the bounce when they defeated Plympton Cons A, despite having to field two reserves. TOP CHECKOUT: Plympton Cons' Andy Malinowski registered the week's highest checkout when finishing at the first time of asking fro

SIX of Plymouth’s leading darts players will fly to Bucharest today, to compete in the Romanian International Darts Open and Romanian Classic Darts Open which will take place from January 26-28. Lee Hunter, Mark Turner, Lewis Dare, Scott Lawrey, Gary Phillips and Billy Evans will be hoping to go as far in both tournaments as their ability will take them, chasing some of the prizemoney which totals over 10,000 Euros for the two events. EUROPE BOUND: Lee Hunter will be one of six Plymouth darts players who will contest two European titles in Romania this coming weekend. The winners of both tournaments will also win automatic entries into the 2018 Winmau World Masters. The Romanian tournament i

THIRTY years ago, one of Plymouth’s finest darts players produced arguably his greatest ever achievement when winning the Whitbread Flowers Dartsathlon. John Goves was one of the entries from 650 Whitbread outlets, that stretched from Warwickshire to Lands End, but won through to compete in the finals which took place on March 27, 1988, at the BAWA Leisure Centre, Bristol. Representing the Coach House Inn, South Brent, Goves was one of 28 qualifiers, from an original entry approaching 9,000 players, who had come through tough pre-qualifying rounds to earn their place in the line-up. On the day, Goves was untouchable and brushed aside his opponents one by one before he emerged champion, claim

ANOTHER disappointing performance from Devon in the British Inter County Championships has seen them sink to the bottom of the premier division table, six points adrift of relegation safety. This fixture, against fellow strugglers Cambridgeshire, was needed to be won to move up the table over their opponents and in all fairness, on reflection, this was a fixture that should have been won. The Devon Ladies’ B side gave the squad a good start despite losing the first and sixth points. In between, Michelle Andrews (20.04), Jodie Hawton (16.43), Anna Johnson (18.15), and Tracy Ware (15.50) all won 3-1. The Men’s B side built on that 4-2 lead when Ben Chamberlain (27.53) put in a good performance

CORNWALL remain top of division one after a defeat by the narrowest of margins in their British Inter County Championship fixture away at Northamptonshire, but the eight-point lead that they held at the end of 2017 has now been trimmed back to a single point. The Ladies’ B team took a share of the spoils when Claire Irons (15.49), Teresa Brookshaw (20.31) and Jacqui Champion (17.89) all won in three straight legs but the Men’s B side began lethargically. Only Rob Ruberry (26.84) was able to add to the Duchy’s points tally when he emerged a 3-0 winner from the first four sets, before Danny Robinson (19.78) was successful when also winning without loss. Another lapse occurred before Mark Odger

AFTER four arduous days of competition, Simon Stevenson returned to Plymouth in the early hours of Monday morning, with a much-coveted two-year Tour Card from the PDC’s Q School. Last Thursday, at the Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan, over 430 players began their campaign in the quest for one of just 23 tour cards that were on offer. The final two players on each of the four days won an automatic PDC Tour Card but other participants were awarded ranking points throughout the event, which formed the Q School Order of Merit table. A further 15 PDC Tour Cards were awarded to the leading players in the Order of Merit at the end of the four days which finished on Sunday evening and Plymouth marksm

TWO Plymouth darts players are on the cusp of gaining much coveted PDC Tour Cards after they both produced solid performances yesterday on Day Three of Q School at the Robin Park Leisure Centre, Wigan. After receiving a bye in the opening round, John Mann had consecutive 5-0 victories over Scotland’s Evander Stevenson and 24-year-old Sam Head from Portsmouth, which put him into the last 64. He then faced Cameron Menzies, another Scotsman and despite being only 28 years of age, has good pedigree. LAST 64: John Mann made the last 64 on Day Three of Q School helped by two 5-0 victories. He was competing at Q School for the first time after losing in the recent BDO World Championship in the last

PORTERS Patriots showed their pedigree when recording no fewer than 70 throws of a ton or more in defeating City Social 9-2 but Social played their part in an absorbing fixture that also produced six ton plus checkouts. Andy Bates emerged a 3-1 winner in 14, 15 and 17 and top scored with 19 ton plus throws which included outshots of 120 and 129 and was well supported by Antony Hayman (100x15). Glynn Wells (180x2) was outstanding throughout for Social and in winning 3-0 in 14, 15 and 16 for a single dart average of 33.40, he inflicted on John Mann his first defeat of the season. Mike Brookshaw (100x12) caught the eye for Indian in their 8-3 victory at Fawn A while Porters Pretenders had to wi

SIMON Stevenson picked up valuable merit table points after winning his way through to the last 16 on day two of Q School at the Robin Park Leisure Centre, Wigan yesterday. The final two players at the UK Qualifying School on each of the four days win an automatic PDC Tour Card while a further 15 PDC Tour Cards will be awarded to the leading players in the Order of Merit at the end of the four days. Stevenson began with a 5-1 victory over Q School debutant Paul Jenkinson before he defeated Tom Lonsdale 5-4. The Mirrorman was pushed the full distance again in his next encounter by the experienced Brian Woods who was a BDO World Championship semi-finalist in 2008 and a winner of 15 titles over

SCOTT Hutchinson earned the plaudits with an impeccable performance that inspired Maritime A to a 10-1 victory in the Monday Premier League against Octagon Social Club. The fixture, produced no fewer than eight maximum scores, three of which were recorded by Hutchinson who also achieved a 2-1 double’s win with partner Billy Evans, taking the decisive 601 leg in 17 before going on to a 3-0 singles victory in 15, 16 and 21 (28.90). He also top scored with 13 throws of a ton or more which included an outshot of 116. Porters A are just four points behind in second spot following their 11-0 whitewash of Steam Packet A. IMPECCABLE: Scott Hutchinson earned the plaudits with an impeccable performanc

JOHN Mann made a big impression on his first ever visit to Q School when winning his way though to the last 16 from a UK entry of 435 players when the 2018 event began in Wigan yesterday. The final two players at the UK Qualifying School on each of the four days will win an automatic PDC Tour Card. Other players will be awarded ranking points throughout the event, to form the UK Order of Merit and awarded one point per win from the first round which is drawn without byes which will help form the final Qualifying School Order of Merit. A further 15 PDC Tour Cards will be awarded to the leading players in the Order of Merit at the end of the four days and Mann is one of eight players currently

THE Staddy enhanced their Plymouth City Super League title chances with an 11-0 drubbing of Victoria Inn, a victory that now puts them just a point behind the leaders but with the advantage of a game in hand. The highlight of the match was a doubles victory in 32 darts (31.28) for Warren Gordon and Simon Kelly. Dartsworld remain in the hunt for honours after they also achieved maximum points at Devonport neighbours Ker St Social Club. The fixture produced five maximum scores, two of which were recorded by Simon Stevenson. PROWESS: Mike Beard showed his finishing prowess when achieving outshots of 108 and 132 in Porters 8-3 victory against Marititme A. A total of five 180s was also achieved i

DARTS enthusiasts in the Westcountry have a chance to see the new PDC World Champion in action, less than two months after he won the title with a resounding defeat of Phil Taylor at the Alexandra Palace in London. Rob Cross topped the PDC Challenge Tour at the end of 2016 which earned him a Pro Tour Card for 2017, his first year on the main tour. CHAMPION: The newly crowned PDC World Champion Rob Cross who is to put on a show in St Austell at the end of next month. He grabbed his opportunity by winning four Players Championships in his rookie year and reached the final in both the German Darts Grand Prix and the European Darts Trophy, both times losing to Michael van Gerwen. The 27-year-old

HE strode into the bar, darts in hand, like a gunslinger walking into a saloon in Dodge City – but this was the Jolly Miller public house and Flynn Jones had arrived in Plymouth. It was August 1988 that Jones made his presence known and it wasn’t going to be long before whispers circulated throughout the city’s darting venues that a talented marksman would soon be joining their ranks. Jones was introduced to the sport in 1975 when, as a chef with the RAF, stationed in Salisbury, he used to while away lunch breaks in the NAAFI on the dartboard. But, surprisingly, it was 1979 before he played his first competitive game. FORMIDABLE: The formidable pose of Flynn Jones which has brought him a hos

SIMON Stevenson is to return to Q School on Thursday after losing his PDC Tour Card in December. The 45-year-old finished outside of the top 64 Order of Merit, on completion of his two-year membership, which he won at the 2016 Q School at his first attempt. The ongoing growth of the PDC necessitates two venues to host Qualifying Schools from January 18-21 2018, with Wigan's Robin Park Tennis Centre hosting the UK Qualifying School and Halle 39 in Hildesheim, Germany being the location of the European Qualifying School. The UK Qualifying School will play down to the final two players on each day, to give eight automatic Tour Cards. The Mirrorman made steady progress throughout his rookie year

THE Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League does not finish until the end of July, but even at this early stage of the campaign, it is difficult to imagine any other team than Porters Patriots taking the title. They command a 21-point advantage over the chasing pack after 12 straight victories and were again in a rich vein of form when winning 7-4 at Maritime Musketeers, recording 58 ton plus scores which included five maximums. Andy Bates hit three of them and there was a brace for Antony Hayman who also threw the week’s highest checkout when finishing at the first time of asking from 150. Fred Goldsmith (100x11) top scored for Fawn B in their 10-1 win over Duchy of Cornwall while Brookside