LOCAL derbies normally bring the best out of participating teams, irrespective of the sport, and the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League fixture played at the Maritime Social Club, between the Marauders and Governors, was no different. There was more than just pride at stake when these two stablemates squared up and their passion could not be questioned after they put on the scoreboard 130 throws of a ton or more, including seven maximums, two each from Keelan Kay and Mike Pearce, and 39 scores of 140. Marauders edged this thriller 6-5, despite leading 3-0, and in arguably the most competitive singles encounter of the match, Dave Matthews won 3-2 (16, 17, 15) against Keelan Kay (17, 22).

PORTERS consolidated their position at the top of the Plymouth City Super League when they inflicted on one of their title rivals, only their third reverse of the campaign. The Barbican side were good value for their 8-3 victory against Plympton Cons A and also recorded the week’s top checkout when Lewis Dare (100x13) finished at the first time of asking from 130 in a 3-0 singles victory. Mike Beard was also prominent and hit a total of 13 ton plus scores, which included a brace of 180s, when winning his singles 3-1. Dave Collins (100x16) was best for Cons and remained in joint second place in the singles table when edging John Mann 3-2. The Staddy continue their rich vein of form and took a

MARK Shears (pictured below), produced an outstanding performance, equalling the season’s top game in the Plymouth and District Friday League when taking his 1001 singles in 26, to finish with a single dart average of 38.50. His feat came in The Windmill’s 8-5 loss at home to Royal Naval Arms A, but this was an outstanding achievement, buoyed further by the fact that his first six visits to the oche returned no fewer than 795 points. Andy Bates (100x14) won well for the Keyham side while Steve Marker (100x13) also caught the eye for Windmill. Mark Sargeant hit two maximums as Fawn edged out City Social C 7-6 and there were also victories by the narrowest of margins for Dinky Diner A and Wate

MARIA O’Brien, Plymouth’s top lady darts player and England international produced one of her best ever performances on the oche this afternoon when she came within just one victory of appearing in the PDC William Hill World Championships at the Alexandra Palace, next month. A top-class field of 153 players competed in the UK and Ireland Women’s qualifier at Milton Keynes for a spot in the world's biggest darts event, looking to join Anastasia Dobromyslova after the Russian star won the Rest of the World Women’s Qualifier last weekend in Germany. Maria opened up with a 4-0 defeat of Yorkshire’s Paula Burgess before winning again in four straight legs to end the hopes of Surrey’s Kirsty Chubb

VICTORY A are the first team to make it to the 100-point barrier in the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League and it took them just 12 matches, following a 10-1 win against Duchy of Cornwall. In a high-scoring fixture that produced six maximum scores, two from Victory’s Paul Flower, the hosts had Neil White (pictured below) emerging a 3-1 winner in 17, 18 and 20, while also prominent with 3-0 successes were Gary Phillips (26.84) 15, 17, 24 and Scott Lawrey (26.84) 16, 19, 21. The Honicknowle side have a two-point advantage over last week’s leaders Porters Patriots who defeated Maritime Marauders 7-4 in yet another high-profile fixture that produced 123 scores of a ton or more. John Mann (1

BREWERY Tap were the biggest winners in the Monday Premier League and their 10-1 defeat of Porters B has seen them emerge as the new leaders. But the title race remains competitive as ever with only three points separating the leading five teams and having all now played the same number of matches after previous tabletoppers Victory Inn sat out their bye. This was an outstanding fixture, inspired once again by Antony Hayman (180x2), who won 3-0 in 12, 16 and 15 to post a single dart average of 34.95. Hayman’s team-mate Paul Goundry (pictured left) was the only loser, going down 3-2 to Dave Meyrick, despite hitting checkouts of 126 and 124 while Matt Nicholson for Porters, despite being edged

DARTS players came from far and wide at the weekend to play in the Devon Open which took place at the Cavendish Hotel, Torquay, a tournament which boasted a total prizefund of £5,000. The ladies’ event was won by Tavistock’s Anna Johnson (pictured below) who opened up with two 3-1 victories over Ann Peppin and Jo Moore before she defeated Lea Hadleigh and Cathy Campbell, both in three straight legs, to take her place in the final. Her opponent was former England international Sue Gulliver, a player who had also won the Devon title back in 2011, but that form counted for nothing as Anna claimed victory by a 3-1 margin. Anna checked out at the first time of asking from 90, on the bull, to edge

THE start of the Devon Open on the same night reduced the Plymouth City Super League fixtures to just seven matches but Plympton Cons A took full advantage to move up into second spot. They defeated Ker St Social Club 8-3, buoyed by an excellent showing in the individual phases by Dave Collins (pictured below), when he emerged a 3-0 winner in 17, 18 and 16 for a single dart average of 29.47. Ships Tavern came from 2-0 down to edge out Plympton Cons B when, with the scoreline evenly poised at 5-5, Paul Carpenter clinched the deciding 11th point when defeating Henry Cooper 3-1. Maritime C overcame Victoria 8-3 and had young Frankie Stout winning 3-1, aided by a checkout of 106, but his mark fo

PLYMOUTH’S only professional darts player, Simon Stevenson, will be in the 64-player field, when the Ladbroke’s Players Championship finals commence at the Butlins Minehead Resort on Friday afternoon. Featuring the leading stars from the 2018 Players Championship Order of Merit, following 22 one-day ProTour events, the tournament offers a £460,000 prize fund, including £100,000 to the winner. Stevenson made a good start in Players Championship 21 when he defeated Martin Atkins 6-3 but missed doubles cost The Mirror Man further progress when bowing out 6-2 to Germany’s Martin Schindler. The following day, Players Championship 22 concluded the 2018 programme and Simon was again unlucky when ed

PORTERS A were the only team to win in double figures when taking maximum points off Ford Hotel and are now only seven behind Monday Premier League leaders Victory A, but with the advantage of a game in hand. Victory defeated The Tradesman 8-3 and had Darren Collis (100x13) as their leading marksman while third placed Maritime Social Club lost some ground on the leading duo when they went down 7-4 at Octagon A in a high-quality fixture. The best singles of the match saw Dave Hall edge out Maritime’s Kieran Burns 3-2, with both players hitting 15 and 17 darters while Danny Allen (180x2) also impressed in a 3-0 victory aided by legs in 14 and 15. Plympton Cons defeated Victory Inn B 7-4, but t

IT is still very competitive at the top of the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League with only two points separating the leading three teams. Tabletoppers Maritime Marauders won their derby match 7-4 against Musketeers in an excellent fixture that saw 106 ton plus scores recorded which included 32 throws of 140. Dave Matthews emerged a 3-1 winner in 17, 17 and 20 while Phil Evans (100x15) and Peter Holland (100x13) were on target or Musketeers. Another outstanding fixture was witnessed at the Brewery Tap when the hosts defeated Maritime Governors 7-4 who now drop off the pace. There were 113 ton plus scores recorded led by Maria O’Brien (100x16) and Jordan Grimshaw (100x13) for “Tap” while

PORTERS maintained their three-point advantage at the top of the Plymouth City Super League when defeating Cherry Tree 9-2 and had Paul Palmer (100x13) earning the plaudits with some excellent checkout skills. Palmer (pictured below) won the opening treble with a kill of 106 before going on to a 3-0 singles victory taking the first leg in 15, checking out from 104, claiming the next in 18 with a 106 outshot before winning the third in 19 for a 28.90 average. Octagon consolidated second spot with a 9-2 victory away at Kings Arms and had Fred Goldsmith (100x14) top scoring while Plympton Cons A suffered only their second defeat of the campaign when they were edged out by The Staddy. With the m

THERE was a big shift towards the Plymouth and District Friday League title when the leaders won in double figures and their nearest rivals lost for only the third time in 32 matches. Kings Tamerton CC secured all but one of the 13 points that were on offer when they hosted Dinky Diner A and are now 23 points ahead of Royal Naval Arms A although the Keyham side do have a game in hand. They had Andy Bates (27.05) winning his singles in 37 but were eventually defeated 8-5 on their visit to City Social A. Mark Hatherley (27.81) secured his individual game in 36 as Indian Inn B won 9-4 away at Queens Dock, the same winning scoreline that was also achieved by Victory Inn B, Mainstone Social Club

KER St Social Club have lost their place at the top of Devon County Super League's premier division after they were beaten 7-2 by Winchester Warriors. The Exeter side were good value for their win and are now the new leaders with an eight-point advantage. Gary Phillips (24.99) won after being pushed the full distance while the Devonport side’s only other success came from Scott Lawrey (25.69) who won in four straight legs. Poison Ivy continue to do well in division one and are just a single point behind the leaders after defeating Heathcoat Club (Tiverton) 7-2. Neil White (23.24) opened their account with a 4-2 victory and the same winning margin was also attained by Mike Pearce (22.74). Ke

HIGH standards were attained once again in the Porters Function Room 501 Top 20 League when eight of the 10 fixtures produced no fewer than 32 maximum scores. Maritime Marauders are now the new leaders after taking all available points away at Cherry Tree with only one leg dropped in the singles. They laid the gauntlet down in the first discipline when Dave Matthews, Tex Pearce and Mike Pearce were successful in 26 for a 30.81 average and they also achieved the week’s highest finish when Dan Puleston (pictured below) obliged when requiring 156. Porters Patriots defeated Brewery Tap 7-4 in a match that saw 114 ton plus throws recorded which included seven 180s are and Patriots drop down into

VICTORY A have had their lead cut to five points in the Monday Premier League after losing for only the second time in 21 matches. In a high-scoring fixture that produced 103 throws of a ton or more Steam Packet B edged out the tabletoppers 6-5. Rob May was a 3-1 winner for the Devonport side aided by a leg in 15 and Victory’s Tony Tasker was also on target with a win in 15 as he secured his singles in three straight legs. Gary Phillips top scored with 17 throws of a ton or more which included two maximums, his 21st and 22nd of the season. Maritime defeated Ford Hotel 8-3 and are now just five points off the pace with a game in hand and had Dan Scott emerging a solid singles winner aided by

PORTERS are the new leaders of the Plymouth City Super League after taking maximum points from their visit to Maritime C while previous table-toppers Octagon Social Club drop down into second spot after being edged out 6-5 at home to The Tradesman. Octagon battled back from a 4-1 deficit to draw level at 5-5 when Alfie Ford defeated Neil Reid (180x2) 3-2, before Paul Tackle won the 11th and decisive points with a 3-1 victory over Octagon’s Dave Hall. Kings Arms inflicted on The Clifton an 11-0 whitewash while St Levan Inn and The Albermarle both won 7-4 against Compton Social Club and Ships Tavern respectively. Cherry Tree defeated Ker St Social Club 8-3, the same winning scoreline that was

ANTONY Hayman has produced some outstanding performances in recent weeks within the Plymouth darts leagues and his most recent exploit has seen him set a new mark for the season’s best game in the Plymouth and District Friday League. Inspiring Brewery Tap A to a 10-3 victory against Bull and Bush, the marksman (pictured below) won his 1001 singles in 26, for a 38.5 single-dart average and top scored with 13 throws of a ton or more which included three maximums. Kings Tamerton CC consolidated their position at the top of the table when winning 13-0 away at City Social C, one of five teams to win in double figures and had Richard Lynch (30.33) catching the eye when winning his singles in 33 da

COMPETITORS still competing in Plymouth’s most prestigious darts tournament are just one win away from an appearance on finals night. There are now just 16 players left in Champion of Champions 2018, which includes reigning champion Simon Stevenson, who is looking for an unprecedented sixth title. He eased past Paul Barclay 3-0, aided by a brace of 180s, achieving a 28.90 average with legs won in 16, 15 and 21. Ralph Lancaster continued his bid for a second title, 22 years apart from his first and dispatched Pete James in three straight legs. Neal Hotchkiss progressed against the 2016 runner-up Glenn Halford, but credit is due to both players who shared no fewer than 20 throws of a ton or mo

DEVON returned to winning ways in the British Inter County Championships and have now moved up into fourth spot on the back of a 20-16 victory over Oxfordshire. When the ladies win, Devon win and it happened again this weekend with both ladies team producing emphatic victories. Although the visitors won the first point of the match Devon Ladies’ B side followed with five on the bounce which included a 3-0 victory for Lisa Hughes (21.17) who finished an 18-dart leg with a kill of 155. Tracy Ware (16.71), Sarah Brown (17.93) and Karen Matthews (15.59) all won 3-1 while Cat Callard (16.29) came out on top after being taken the full five legs. But there was another disappointing performance from