Trades Make The Grade

Tradesmans have been crowned Monday Premier League champions after an emphatic 10-1 win over Bluebird A that was largely down to an eighteen ton plus haul from John Mann.

Tradesmans went into the game needing just six points to put the title out of reach of their neighbours and rivals, Octagon A.

And the rampant Stonehouse team secured enough points to crown them champions in the first seven games; a run which included the only maximum of the game from Alec Turner.

Mike O'Brien was also prominent for the league winners with twelve ton plusses overall and a 16 dart leg in his 3-2 singles win whilst the high checkout honours went to Jaden Whitting's 104.

Mann (31.98) stepped up last on in the individual phase to produce a dominant display with his 3-0 win coming in just 47 darts as Mann reeled off legs in 17,16 and 14 darts.

Despite his team finishing on the wrong end of a hiding, Alan Masters still managed to produce some outstanding scoring with thirteen tons to his name for the Compton team.

Octagon A comfortably secured second place with a 9-2 win over Victory A and followed that with an 8-3 success over their stablemates, the Octagon B team.

An Octagon A team on a mission shot out of the blocks in their tie with Victory A with a 25 dart 801 leg from Lewis Dare, Paul Palmer and Neil White (32.04).

Dare and White (27.32) then teamed up in the doubles to bag a brace of 22 dart 601 games, which put the Stonehouse side 3-0 up overall.

Richard Wheatley and Quinton Taylor then helped themselves to an 18 dart 601 doubles game in their 2-1 win to put the Honicknowle team's first point on the board.

The leg won by their opponents, Palmer and teammate Lee Hellings, was worked hard for as they clinched a 17 dart 601 leg in a high class contest between the quartet.

Both Taylor for the Victory and Palmer for the Octagon notched 180s in that particular tie with this being two of three overall in the game as Dare hit the other in his singles win.

Dare added twelve more three figure scores to that maximum and was only outscored in the match by teammate Hellings who reached fourteen three figure scores for the evening.

White won his individual game 3-1 with the help of a 17 darter with opponent Wheatley hitting an leg in 18 thanks to the highest checkout of the match; a fine 124 three dart combo.

Victory's only singles win of the match came from Darren Collis who won 3-1 partly thanks to a brilliant 115 checkout.

Octagon A's second match of the rearranged games saw Paul Palmer and Lee Hellings notch a brace of maximums each in an 8-3 win over Octagon B.

Alfie Ford produced a 119 checkout to finish a 15 dart leg whilst Hellings (30.67) won in 16 and 11 darts in his 3-0 triumph.

Victory B made it three wins from three in their rearranged games to secure third in the league with first coming from an 8-3 success at against Indian B.

Paddy Archibald checked 96 in one visit whilst Scott Cook and Paul Gavican both hit maximums with Gavican adding twelve more three figure scores to take his tally to thirteen ton plusses.

Ant Pearn was also prominent with ten tons whilst the only moment of magic from the defeated Stoke village side came from a maximum for Gary Clarke.

This win was followed with an 11-0 triumph in Victory B's next game against Firkin Scholar who finish bottom of the overall standings.

Paul Gavican was once again prominent with fourteen ton plusses including a 120 checkout whilst also adding a leg in 18 in a 3-1 singles win.

The Honicknowle team's final tie saw Dan Johnson reach ten tons in an 8-3 win over Union Inn that produced four maximums.

Dave Hollow and Steve Towl both struck for the defeated Plympton side whilst Paul Gavican and Paul Goundry both added one each for the triumphant Victory.

Ant Pearn was also once again prominent as he reached ten tons of his own whilst Scott Cook made it three wins from three rearranged games to give him a shot at the league's singles title.

Cook's win left him tied on 68 points from twenty-four games played with Harry Bull after the youngster's 3-1 win in Indian A's 7-4 defeat against King Billy.

Bull belied his inexperience to chalk up thirteen three figure scores on the night, including a maximum, and won with legs in 13 and 18 darts.

Andrew Cook and Scott Wapshott were the top performers for the Devonport team with the former hitting a brace of 18 darters and thirteen three figure scores partially aided by a 120 checkout.

Wapshott also won a leg in 18 whilst following that with an 11 darter in a 3-1 success and also notched a pair of maximums on his way to ten ton plusses.

Bull would go on to meet Scott Cook in a playoff match in which Bull defeated his more than worthy opponent to take the singles title in a 3-0 win to make him the youngest ever winner of the prestigious crown.

Victory A needed to take all eleven points from their final match of the season away at Union Inn to seal fourth spot in the standings.

However, the Honicknowle team had to yield to King Billy who took fourth as the Victory only managed a 7-4 win despite eleven tons and two maximums from Quinton Taylor.

Taylor's teammate Darren Collis won a leg in 17 darts in his 3-0 win whilst Nick Furneaux was Union's best player with twelve ton plusses and a leg in 18 which pushed Taylor to play some of his best darts in their tie.