Devon start their BICC campaign with a 600-mile trip

DEVON begin their 2019-2020 British Inter County Championship campaign this coming weekend when they make a 600-mile round trip to Lancashire.

Now with Premier division status, after being promoted from division one last season, where they won eight of their nine matches, losing only to Hertfordshire.

Lancashire finished their campaign last season as runners-up to Yorkshire, missing out on the title by just 12 points but they are not to be feared, as Devon proved in the final match of the 2017-18 campaign when they defeated them 20-16.

Danny Bull and Fred Goldsmith will be making their debut in the Devon B side, and there will be a welcome return to the fold for Martyn Bevan following a long lay-off after making his debut in the 2001-2002 season.

Martyn, (pictured left) now aged 37, played Super League for the Rose and Crown in Crediton and following his county debut in 2001 went on to play 62 games for Devon, winning 36 of them, finishing one of his eight years as Devon’s No.1 player.

He is thought to be the first Devon player to attend Q School and in 2011, on the first day of competition, boasted a 6-0 win over the 2001 BDO World champion John Walton.

He fell out of love with the game about 10 years ago and stopped playing, got married and with a young family, moved to Newton Abbot where he played in the lower leagues of the town.

Bevan was persuaded to return to super league and last season played for Exeter Eagles, where he finished 11th with a running average of 24.24.

Plymouth’s Fred Goldsmith is new to Devon, but not new to the British Inter County Championships having played for Cornwall for five years including their promotion year of 2018-19 when they finished as league champions.

Fred (pictured right), who started playing at just 15 years of age, is well known around the Plymouth darts circuit having played for numerous teams over the years.

His first taste of Super League came when playing for Ker St Social Club under the captaincy of Bobby Hillon but left to start up his own team at The Grenville and they went through the season undefeated.

Last season in the Devon Super League he was a valued member of the Poison Ivy side that won the division one title and now, in the premier division, the team are playing at the Octagon Social Club.

Last but not least, Danny Bull is relishing the prospect of playing county darts after some excellent performances in the Plymouth darts leagues.

Now aged 39, Danny first started playing when 14 years old in the Plymouth Social Clubs League and follows in the footsteps of his father Eddy, who was a formidable player in the 60s and 70s and they have both passed on their experience to Danny’s son Harry, who plays for Devon Youth.

Danny has been prominent over the years in Plymouth’s top tournament, The Champion of Champions, making the quarter-finals and semi-finals for the last two years respectively.

A former Devon Super League player for Porters, this season Danny (pictured left) will be playing for The Maritime.

Men’s A: Ben Chamberlain, Dave Matthews, Glyn Wells, John Burton, John Mann, Mark Shears, Mark Turner, Mike Pearce, Neil White, Paul Milford, Scott Hutchinson, Thom Humphrey.

Ladies’ A: Chrissie Kinnaird, Jodie Hawton, Kelly Gabriel, Lisa Hughes, Maria O’Brien, Merryl Dennis.

Men’s B: Anthony Moss, Danny Belsten, Danny Bull, Dean Angell, Fred Goldsmith, Kieran Burns, Lee Hellings, Lewis Dare, Mark Vellacott, Martyn Bevan, Paul Palmer, Phill Ward.

Ladies’ B: Anna Johnson, Cat Callard, Hayley Brant, Karen Matthews, Sarah Brown, Tracy Ware.