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PDC News - Koningshof Players Championship by Ian Holman Crawley's Martin Burchell (pictured) lost in the First Round of both this weekend's PDC Players Championship events in Koningshof, Holland. On Saturday 30th August he lost out to Edwin Max by three sets to one then on Sunday 31st August by three sets to nil against James Barton. Phil Taylor was in top form again, winning both competitions, beating James Wade 3-1 in Saturday's final and Terry Jenkins 3-0 in Sunday's.

Ayres Retains Crawley Open Title by Barry Moody and Ian Holman Billingshurst's PDC star Tony Ayres (pictured) retained the Crawley Open title on Monday 25th August at a packed Crawley Labour Club without dropping a leg in a strong field of 96 players that included players from across the south of England. Ayres' run to the final included wins against Crawley's Colin Whiley, Feltham's Alan Casey and in the final 2006 winner Jim Withers (Eastbourne). Ayres picked up £300 in prize money from the 'Scottish & Newcastle' sponsored event. On his way to the final Withers defeated Crawley's Adam Campbell, Kent star Ritchie Buckle and Brighton's Ian Perkins. The Ladies event attracted a small entry but produced a top-class final featuring two county stars. Emma Little from Orpington defeated Hailsham's Rhonda West 3-2 to reach the final where she met Barking's Donna Shearer, who impressed against Chatham's Ged Carney in the semi's. Little won the final 3-0 to collect the £60 cash prize. The plate event went to Ticehurst's Richard Ford as he beat Gravesend youth player Josh Payne 2-0 in the final. Losing semi-finalists were Lisa Tanner (Eastbourne) and Andy Baller (Horley). Finally, the flying pairs competition was won but youngsters Rob Cross (Edenbridge) and Tom Sawyer (Eastbourne). They beat Alex Whiteside (Horley) and Kevin Fishwick (Crawley) 2-0 in the final with Cross checking out on 155. The losing semi-finalists were Dave Weir & Gary Payne and Kevin Reilly & Tony Ayres. Full results will follow.

Early Exits At Wandsworth by Ian Holman Eleven players from the Crawley and Horsham area competed in the latest Wandsworth Open competition at Greensides Social Club on Sunday 17th August with only Rob Metcalfe (pictured) making the Third Round from a total entry of 64 players. In the First Round, Danny King beat Ant Caswell and Gary Kennard beat Kevin Downes. Tony Ayres, Nigel Panton and Kevin Reilly were also beaten at this stage. In the Second Round, King lost 3-2 against Alex Obalim despite going 2-1 up with an 11 dart leg. Ian Holman lost to eventual runner-up, John Jenkinson and there were also defeats for Gary Kennard, Stan Jackson and Andy Mason. Rob Metcalfe also lost out to Jenkinson in the Third Round after beating former winner and UK Open qualifier Alan Casey in the Second Round. In the Semi-Finals Jenkinson beat Ben Burton 4-3 and Ian Long beat Spike Harris 4-3. The Final saw Long beat Jenkinson 5-0.

Andy Derrick Wins The August Three Bridges Open by Ian Holman Hastings super league player Andy Derrick won the latest Three Bridges Open competition held at Three Bridges Football Club on Sunday 10th August beating Ian Holman 3-1 in the final. Derrick won the opening leg of the final then Holman responded with a 156 checkout in the second leg. Derrick then took the next two legs for victory including a 116 finish in the third leg of the match. Derrick made his way to the final winning board 3 with victories against Andy Mason 3-0, Kevin Reilly 3-0, Gary Newman 3-0 and Mark Davis 3-2. He then beat last weeks S & B Singles winner Tony Ayres 3-1 in the semi-finals, checking out on 102 and 130 along the way. Holman came through board 1 with wins against Amber Scott 3-0, Danny King 3-2, Andy MacIntosh 3-1 and Gary Kennard 3-1. In the semi-finals Holman beat board 2 winner Steve Mecrow 3-2. Ayres won board 4 beating Ant Caswell 3-0, Henry Keet Jnr 3-0, Kurtis Atkins 3-1 and Daryl Pilgrim 3-1. Mecrow won board 2 beating Gary Blackwood 3-2, Anthony Hopkins 3-0 and Steve Hart 3-0. There were seven 180s recorded. Three from Derrick, that included two in the final and one each from Ayres, Ryan Hitchens, Holman and Andy MacIntosh. In the Flying Pairs competition that followed the Singles, Gary Kennard and Gary Newman were on for a 9 dart leg in their opening tie after they both hit 180s at the start of the second leg. They blew there chance only to go on and lose the leg against Ant Caswell and Steve Hitchens. Tony Ayres and Dave Mansell went on to take the pairs with a 2-0 final win against Mark Davis and Kevin Reilly. Full singles results are here.

Pebsham Miss Out On National Finals by Barry Moody Pebsham Hollington Oak failed in their bid to reach the national finals of the British Champions Cup for the second time when they lost 6-3 in the regional final against Surrey's Walton Working Mens Club at Slough. Currently top of the East Division of the County Super League, last years Sussex champions beat the Berkshire representatives 5-4 in the first round with wins by Adrian Gray, Adam Bryant, Steve Barraclough, Andy Nye and Phil Wanstall. They then progressed to the final after demolishing the Oxfordshire champions 6-3 with wins from Mick Evans, Mark Card, Nye, Wanstall, Bryant and Gray. In the final the surrey side gained their revenge for last season's defeat and reversed the 2007 result to qualify for the finals at Daventry. Pebshams winners were Gray, Nye and Wanstall. Sussex representatives in the Ladies playoffs once again were the Littlehampton Coconuts. In a tight first round match they lost out to Epsom Ladies from Surrey 4-3 with Trish Kidd, Hayley Gatford and Donna Gainsley winning for Littlehampton. The eventual winners were last year's qualifiers from Middlesex.

Ayres Win S & B Singles Cup by Ian Holman Tony Ayres (pictured) won the S & B Singles Cup at Crawley Labour Club on Sunday 3rd August, beating Rob Metcalfe 3-0 in the final. On route to the Final Ayres beat fellow PDC player Danny King and then Clive Pearce in the Semi-Finals. With Pearce having beaten last year's champion Mick Clarke in the Quarter-Finals. Former S & B winner Metcalfe, beat Steve Mecrow in the Quarter-Finals and Stuart Campbell in the Semi-Finals. The Chairman's Cup (Flying Pairs) event which followed was won by Adam Campbell and Roy Oxlade, beating Andy Mason and Gary Kennard in the Final. Further details and full singles results will follow.

Panton In Form At Wandsworth by Ian Holman On an otherwise poor day for the areas players Nigel Panton (pictured) beat Surrey County A player Steve McHale in the opening round of the latest Wandsworth Open competition on Sunday 27th July before losing out to eventual winner Clive Barden in the next round. Barden took his second straight Greensides title beating Justin Thurley 5-2 in the final. Ian Holman lost in his second match of the day and their were opening round exits for Stan Jackson, Andy Mason and Kevin Reilly.

Mansell Makes Third Straight Final by Ian Holman Having recently appeared in the last two Three Bridges Open finals, Dave Mansell made it three finals in a row as he beat Robbie Feeley 3-1 at the Semi-Final stage of the 2nd Park Barn Open in Guildford on Saturday 26th July. In sweltering conditions Mansell went on to play Surrey's Spike Harris in the final but unfortunately lost out 4-3 having won the opening leg with a 104 checkout. Mansell also finished on the bull to make it 3-3. It was a good day for players from Sussex as Gary Kennard made the Semi-Finals where he lost out to Harris 3-0. Harris also beat Gary Newman in the Quarter-Finals and Feeley beat Kez Botting at the same stage. Ian Holman made the Third Round (last 16) where he lost out to Feeley.

PDC News - Bobby Bourn Memorial Players Championship by Ian Holman Danny King (pictured) was just one leg away from beating world number six Adrian Lewis for the second time this year at the Bobby Bourn Memorial Players Championship at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on Saturday 19th July. Lewis won the First Round match by three sets to two taking the final set two-one. Back in March, King beat Lewis by five legs to three in the Blue Square UK Open Southern Regional Finals in Brentwood. Tony Ayres won 3-0 in the Preliminary Round in Blackpool against higher ranked Nigel Birch before losing out 3-1 against Dickie Foster in the First Round. Martin Burchell also faced a First Round exit 3-1 against Paul Cooper while fellow Team Mason sponsored player Jim Withers went one better by winning his First Round match against Kevin Reade 3-0 then losing out 3-0 to world number ten Wayne Mardle. Withers picked up £75 in prize money. Phil Taylor went on to retain the title for a sixth successive year beating Ronnie Baxter 3-0 in the Final.

Best Final Yet As Burchell Beats Mansell In July's Three Bridges Open by Ian Holman Martin Burchell (pictured) followed up his appearance in the PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic last week by winning his second Three Bridges Open at Three Bridges Football Club on Sunday 13th July, checking out on 143 (T20, T17, D16) in the deciding leg of an entertaining final against last month's runner-up Dave Mansell. Mansell was in good form throughout the competition hitting five 180s. The last of these came in the fourth leg of the Final. Trailing 2-1 the Roffey player levelled with a 12 dart leg, finishing on the bull. In the Semi-Finals Burchell beat Gary Miles 3-0. Miles couldn't match his form from the previous rounds having beaten Lee Ashby 3-0 in the Board 1 Final that included a 12 dart leg. In the Board 1 Semi-Finals Miles beat Andy Gurr 3-0 that included legs of 11 and 12 darts. Miles also beat Andy MacDonald 3-0 and James Gorringe 3-0. Mansell beat Derek Furminger 3-0 in the other Semi-Final. Burchell won Board 2 with wins against Gary Newman 3-1, Michael Morley 3-0 and Chris Clewer 3-2. Furminger won Board 3 with wins against Ian Holman 3-0, Nigel Panton 3-2 and Shane Anderson 3-1. Board 4 saw former winner Tony Ayres take a 2-0 lead in the opening game only for Lee Williams to fight back to win 3-2. Following that two times winner Danny King scraped through to the Second Round with a 3-2 win against Stan Jackson. Dave Mansell made his way to the Board final with wins against Roy Oxlade 3-0 and Lee Williams 3-1. Danny King went on to beat Paul Oakley 3-1 and Kevin Fishwick beat Kevin Reilly 3-0. Fishwick then beat King 3-2 in the Board Semi-Final before going out 3-2 against Mansell. Burchell went on to complete the double by winning the Flying Pairs with Fishwick. They beat Lee Ashby and Kevin Reilly 2-0 in the final. A total of 13 maximums were recorded in the Open Singles. As well as the five from Mansell, Gary Miles hit three and there were two from Lee Williams and one each from Tony Ayres, Andy Gurr and Danny King. Michael Morley and Gary Newman both his 180s in the Flying Pairs. A full list of results are available here.

PDC News - PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic by Ian Holman Having battled through five rounds of qualifying, Crawley's Martin Burchell (pictured) was beaten in the First Round of the PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic at Mandalay Bay by US number one Darin Young by six legs to four on Wednesday 2nd July. Burchell put up a spirited display in the match that was screened live on Sky Sports. In the opening leg, Burchell had the throw and missed one dart at double top as Young took advantage. The american then went two up before Burchell checked out on 58 for an 18 dart third leg. Young then restored his two leg advantage despite Burchell hitting his first of two 180s. The Diamonds star then checked out on 24 for a 14 dart leg and missed one dart at double eleven in the next that would have levelled the score. The seventh leg saw missed doubles from both players with Burchell eventually hitting the double five to trail 4-3. Young then won the next in 15 darts with a 158 finish leaving Burchell needing to win three legs on the spin. Burchell won the next in 19 darts but Young sealed victory with a 14 dart tenth leg. Burchell's average for the match was 26.78 per dart (80.34 per throw). Earlier in the week Burchell came through the qualifying from a field of just over 200 players as one of eight qualifiers from the first of two qualifying competitions and winning £2000 in prize money for his efforts. This included a 5-4 victory against PDC ranked number 48 Dennis Smith in his fourth game. In the deciding leg Smith was sitting on a double when Burchell checked out on 146. Burchell's other wins came against Gregor Cruickshank 5-2, Danny White 5-0, Mark Carter 5-2 and Kit Young 5-0.

PDC News - PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic Qualifying by Ian Holman Crawley's Martin Burchell (pictured) qualified for the PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic having come through a field of just over 200 players as one of eight qualifiers from the first of two qualifying competitions. Burchell was in good form winning five matches that included a 5-4 victory against PDC ranked number 48 Dennis Smith in his fourth game. In the deciding leg Smith was sitting on a double when Burchell checked out on 146. Burchell's other wins came against Gregor Cruickshank 5-2, Danny White 5-0, Mark Carter 5-2 and Kit Young 5-0. The others qualifiers are Adrian Gray, Mervyn King, Co Stompe, Shaun Brenneman, Mark Walsh, Robert Thornton, Steve Maish, Jelle Klaasen, Barrie Bates, Mick McGowan, Dennis Smith, Kevin Painter, Matt Clark, Sam Rooney and Alan Tabern. They join the World's top twelve players and four top North American players in the First Round. Eight of the areas players missed out on joining Martin Burchell. In the first qualifying competition held on Monday 30th June both Tony Ayres and Danny King (pictured) made the last 64. Ayres beat PDC ranked 56 Alan Caves 5-2 but then lost out to PDC number 28 Alex Roy by the same score. King beat John Ferrell 5-4 but then crashed out 5-0 to the highly talented Alan Tabern (PDC ranked number 14). Phil Smith beat Gordon Dixon 5-3 but missed out on a clash with Diamonds team mate Burchell when he was narrowly beaten 5-4 by Mark Carter. Andy Mason beat Dave Ansell 5-2 before losing out 5-3 against Robert Watson-Lang and there were Preliminary Round defeats for John Dawes, Nigel Panton and Team Mason's Jim Withers. Dawes was beaten for the second day running by qualifier Shawn Brenneman, this time 5-1, Panton lost 5-1 against John Ferrell and Withers lost 5-2 against Terry Stewart. The second qualifying competition held on Tuesday 1st July saw Preliminary Round victories for Tony Ayres (5-2 vs Darren Moulsley), John Dawes (5-3 vs Napoleon McPherson), Danny King (5-1 vs Bryan Willis), Andy Mason (5-3 vs John Hursey) and Jim Withers (5-0 vs Kenji Mayama). Dave Ansell beat Phil Smith 5-4 and Alan Wyatt lost 5-1 against John Worthington. In the First Round Tony Ayres beat Danny King 5-1, Nigel Panton beat Scott Clifford 5-0 and Jim Withers beat Steve Mason 5-1. Dave Ansell was beaten 5-1 by Dave Cameron, John Dawes lost 5-2 against Joe Slivan and Andy Mason lost 5-0 against Tom Wilson, In the Third Round (last 64) Tony Ayres lost 5-3 against Denis Ovens, Nigel Panton lost 5-0 to Dave Honey and Jim Withers was beaten 5-4 by John Kuczynski.

PDC News - Las Vegas Players Championship by Ian Holman Tony Ayres (pictured) beat PDC ranked number eight Roland Scholten in the Second Round of the Las Vegas Players Championship yesterday (Sunday 29th June) by three sets to one having put out top Canadian player Gerry Convery by the same scoreline in the First Round. Ayres was then beaten 3-0 in the Third Round (last 32) by Steve Grubb. Along with Ayres, Eastbourne player Jim Withers (who recently joined up with Team Mason) also made the last 32 on his PDC debut winning 3-2 against Robbie Newland in the First Round and 3-0 against Dave Smith in the Second Round before narrowly missing out on a chance of playing Michael van Gerwen in the last 16 when Bill Davis beat him 3-2. Broadbridge Heath player John Dawes lost in the Preliminary Round 3-0 against Shawn Brennermann and there were First Round exits for Dave Ansell, Martin Burchell, Danny King and Andy Mason. Ansell lost 3-0 against Scholten, Burchell lost 3-2 to Lee Holden, King lost 3-0 against Bill Davis and Mason lost out 3-0 to Alan Matthews. Phil Taylor went on to win the competition with a three sets to one victory against Ronnie Baxter in the Final.

Ayres Makes West Sussex Semis by Ian Holman Tony Ayres (pictured) picked up £50 in prize money as he made the Semi-Finals of the West Sussex Summer Open at the Chichester Snooker Club on Sunday 22nd June, going out 4-2 to eventual winner Ricky Williams. At the Quarter-Finals stage Ayres beat PDC ranked number 20 Andy Jenkins. Danny King won the Plate competition and picked up £70 in prize money.

BDO News - Winmau World Masters Sussex County Qualifiers by Ian Holman Local youth players Nathan Pearce and Paul Richardson have qualified for the England playoffs of this years Winmau World Masters in the Boys Youth section. They qualified at the Brighton Trades & Labour Club on Sunday 22nd June and will join Oliver Sopp and Tom Sawyer in Tonbridge on 17th August as Sussex representatives. Sopp beat Warren Grantham to claim his place. In the Mens section the qualifiers were Ian Bingham, Paul Eves, Michael Hammond and Paul Russell. Ian Holman lost out in the Preliminary Round against one of last year's qualifiers Ken Sowerby (2-0, 2-1) while Kevin Reilly crashed out in the First Round against Russell (2-0, 2-0) and Rob Metcalfe also lost out in the same round against Peter Sopp (2-0, 2-0) having won a Preliminary Round tie. In the Ladies section the qualifiers were Sue Bird, Elaine Chapman, Donna Rainsley and Lisa Tanner. Talya Bingham and Ellie Sopp both qualified from the Girls Youth section.

Reilly Beaten In Wandsworth Quarters by Ian Holman Kevin Reilly (pictured) was beaten in the Quarter-Finals stage at the latest Wandsworth competition held at Greensides Social Club on Sunday 22nd June. From a field of 65 entries Reilly won three matches all with a 3-2 scoreline to meet eventual winner Clive Barden in the last eight. Barden struck two 180s as he beat Reilly 3-1 in a high scoring game. Rob Metcalfe made it to the last sixteen with a 3-1 win in his first match that included a 110 checkout and a 3-2 win against John Jenkinson. Metcalfe eventually lost 3-1 to Joe McLaughlin. Ian Holman went out in the First Round, 3-2 against Chris Copeland having lead 2-0. Barden, who picked up £210 in prize money beat PDC player Ben Burton (£100) in the Final 4-3.

Essex Youth Player Wins Bridges Open by Ian Holman Essex youth player Alex Tinsley won the latest Three Bridges Open competition, held at Three Bridges Football Club on Sunday 15th June, beating Dave Mansell 3-1 in the final having won Board 3 with wins against Gary Newman 3-1, Mark Davis 3-1 and Steve Souter 3-0. Mansell won Board 1 with wins against Dan Bowers 3-1, Stan Jackson 3-0, Dave Wright 3-2 and Ryan Hitchens 3-1. The Board 2 winner was Dean Edlin. He beat Andy MacDonald 3-0, Ken Sowerby 3-0 and Anthony Morley 3-0 hitting finishes of 120 and 112 along the way. Andy Derrick started in good form on Board 4 beating Andy Gurr 3-0 with legs of 14, 15 and 16 darts. He then beat Mick Clarke 3-2 and Chris Gallagher 3-1. In the Semi-Finals, Mansell beat Edlin 3-2 and Tinsley beat Derrick 3-1.Just four 180s were recorded on the day. They were struck by Mick Clarke, Dean Edlin, Ryan Hitchens and Steve Souter. The highest finish of the day went to Ryan Hitchens with a 152. A full list of results can be found here.

PDC News - Bristol Trade Centre Players Championship by Ian Holman Tony Ayres beat Martin Burchell by three sets to two in the Preliminary Round of last Saturday's Players Championship event held at the Dolman Stand Exhibition Hall at Ashton Gate, Bristol. Danny King was also defeated in the Preliminary Round, 3-1 against Mark Tiller. In the First Round both Ayres and Andy Mason lost their games 3-0. Ayres lost out to 25th seed Wes Newton and Mason to Tony Littleton having received a bye in the Preliminary Round. In Sunday's competition Ayres made it through to the First Round with a 3-0 win against Karl Loiseau, Burchell lost 3-0 against Mark Layton in the Preliminary Round while King and Mason received byes. Ayres then lost 3-1 to Co Stompe, Mason lost 3-0 to 23rd seed Andy Smith and King was edged out 3-2 by PDC ranked number 48, Dennis Smith.

BDO News - Gold Cup Sussex County Qualifiers by Barry Moody The BDO Gold Cup Sussex County playoffs were held at the Brighton Trades & Labour Club on Sunday 8th June. Although the turnout was poor, the event attracted a class field of County and Super League players with their goal being a place in the televised national playoffs at the Lakeside Club in Frimley Green where prize money on offer exceeds £20000. In the Mens Singles there was success for Eastbourne's Paul Russell (pictured) as he defeated Brighton's Ian Perkins 3-1 in the final. Losing Semi-Finalists were Brighton pair Geoff Taylor and Oliver Sopp. Russell almost made it a double success by winning the Mens Pairs with Dave Creasey, but they suffered a 4-3 loss against Brighton duo Taylor & Rod Hawkins. Losing Semi-Finalists were Peter & Oliver Sopp and Perkins & Mark Davis. The Ladies Singles was won by Ree Collins, who beat her team mate and last year's winner Sue Bird 3-2 in a closely fought Final. Losing Semi-Finalists were Sam Harding (Lewes) and Hayley Gatford (Bognor). Sue Bird made up for her Singles defeat when she teamed up with Rhonda West to win the Ladies Pairs. They defeated Donna Rainsley and Hayley Gatford 3-2 in the Final. Ian Holman was the area's only representative at the event. He lost 3-1 to Chris Gatford in the Mens Singles and suffered a 4-0 defeat with Colin Mills in the pairs against Perkins and Davis.

PDC News - UK Open Finals by Ian Holman Tony Ayres (pictured) made it through to the last 64 of the Blue Square UK Open Finals at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton on Thursday 5th June and earnt £1000 in prize money, beating David Howells 6-3 in the opening round and following it up with a tough 6-5 win against Paul Whitworth, checking out on double four in the final leg having hit a 10 dart finish to go 5-4 up (180, 180, 105 (20, T20, 25), 36). In the Third Round, Ayres came up against current world number one and 2006 & 2007 UK Open champion Raymond van Barneveld and was beaten 9-0 despite hitting three 180s. Unfortunately Danny King slipped up in the opening round against twice world champion Dennis Priestley in front of the Sky television cameras on the main board, going down 6-1 despite having darts at doubles in two of his losing legs. King was 5-0 down before he pulled off the games only 180 at the start of the sixth leg to take it in 20 darts, finishing on double top. Martin Burchell made it through to the Second Round, winning 6-3 against Darren Sutton having lead 5-1. He then held a 4-3 lead against David Platt before he fell to a Second Round defeat,  6-4.

Ayres Hits A Grand Prix Hat-Trick by Ian Holman Billingshurst's Tony Ayres (pictured) made it a hat-trick of Sussex Grand Prix Mens Singles wins on Sunday 1st June by beating Thurrock man Gary Miles 3-2 in the Final of the fifth event of the season at Roffey Social & Sports Club. Losing Semi-Finalists were Surrey's Steve Lovett and Kent's Andy Derrick.  Losing Quarter-Finalists were Martin Burchell, Graham Judge, Paul Russell and Jim Withers. Lisa Tanner won the Ladies Singles beating Lauren Hitchens in the Final. Jane Johnson and recent Sheppey Classic winner Norma Self were losing Semi-Finalists. In the Youth competition Ryan Hitchens beat Harry Miles in the Final and losing Semi-Finalists were Tom Sawyer and Michael Smithers. Steve Lovett & Michael Hammond won the Mens Pairs event for the second month running. They beat Brighton pair Mark Davis and Ian Perkins in the Final. Losing Semi-Finalists were Jim Withers & Don Stone and Doug Mason & Nigel Panton. Elaine Chapman & Angela Frewin won the Ladies Pairs beating Sue Bird & Rhonda West in the Final. Losing Semi-Finalists were Teresa Weir & Mandy Perry and Lauren Hitchens & Julie Hopkins. Finally the Flying Pairs was won by Mark Davis & Tim King. They beat Tony Ayres & Paul Oakley in the Final. Losing Semi-Finalists were Harry Miles & Richard Biggs and Phil Smith & Tom Sawyer. Full results will follow.

Tony Ayres Wins His First Three Bridges Open by Ian Holman Three Bridges Football Club's seventh Three Bridges Open competition held on Sunday 25th May attracted a decent pool of 44 players. Tony Ayres (pictured) and Danny King both made the final for the third time with Ayres winning the title with a 3-0 victory. The Billingshurst player made it through to the Quarter-Finals without dropping a leg in wins against Steve Hart, Roy Oxlade and Neil Clarke. His opponent in the last eight (Adam Campbell) put up a good effort despite going down 3-1. Campbell had earlier beaten Dan Gardner 3-1 and hit a 14 dart winning leg against Wayne Dodd in a 3-0 win. Danny King started with a 3-2 win against Kevin Reilly and then beat Warren Grantham 3-0. King's Quarter-Final win was 3-1 against fellow PDC player Martin Burchell. Burchell had earlier beaten Ian Holman 3-1, Andy Mason 3-1 and Steve Mecrow 3-0. John Ferrell beat Mick Clarke 3-1 and Nigel Panton 3-0 to book his place in the last eight where he had to fight back from 2-0 down to beat Harry Miles 3-2. Miles had earlier beaten Peter Sopp 3-1, Ken Sowerby 3-1 and Easter Open finalist Kevin Fishwick 3-2. In the other Quarter-Final, Alex Whiteside nudged past Dave Mansell 3-2 having beaten Chris Clewer 3-0, Stan Jackson 3-1 and Danny Fleming 3-1. Mansell beat Andy Gurr 3-2 and Oliver Sopp 3-2. In the Semi-Finals, King beat Ferrell 3-0 and Ayres beat Whiteside 3-0. Eleven 180s were recorded, three from Kevin Fishwick, two from Tony Ayres (both in the final) and one each from Neil Clarke, John Ferrell, Derek Furminger, Danny King, Steve Mecrow and Kevin Reilly. Steve Mecrow hit the day's best out-shot of 153, Andy Gurr hit a 149 checkout, Harry Miles finished on 130 and Martin Burchell recorded checkouts of 116 and 102. The Flying Pairs competition that followed was won by Martin Burchell and Dave Mansell. They beat Kevin Reilly and Danny King 2-0 in the Final. Full Singles results can be found here.

Reilly Makes Semi-Finals In Coulsdon by Ian Holman Eight players who compete in the Crawley & Horsham leagues took part in the first Victoria Open held at the Victoria Club in Coulsdon on Sunday 18th May with Kevin Reilly making the Semi-Finals. Reilly opened up with a 3-1 win against Nigel Panton in the opening round that included finishes of 108 in the second leg and 120 in the fourth leg, Panton missed the bull for a 167 checkout to level the scores in the fourth leg. Also advancing to the Second Round were Danny King (3-0 vs Sharon Norris), Doug Mason (3-0 vs Lynne Barry) and Andy Mason (3-0 vs Simon Reynolds). Ian Holman lost 3-0 to eventual runner-up Graham Dando, Tony Ayres lost 3-1 to fellow PDC player Richard McLaughlin and Tommy Lewis lost 3-0 to eventual winner Alan Casey. Reilly beat Darren Barry 3-0 in the Second Round, Doug Mason beat Andy Mason 3-0 and King beat Steve Mead 3-0 with legs of 14, 13 and 21 darts. Alan Casey went on to beat McLaughlin 3-1 then Doug Mason 3-0 in the Quarter-Finals. Reilly advanced to the last four with a 3-2 win against Mark Calver while Danny King was beaten 3-0 by Roger Dan. In the Semi-Finals, Dando beat Reilly 3-1 and Casey beat Dan 3-0. Casey won the final against Dando 4-3. Ayres went on to win the First Round Losers competition while Holman and King were Semi-Finalists in the Flying Pairs as were Panton and Lewis.

Danny King Wins Merit Cup by Ian Holman  Greyhound's Danny King won the Inaugural Merit Cup competition (sponsored by Bedford Sports) at Three Bridges Football Club on Friday 16th May, beating Rugby Club's Alex Whiteside 6-4 in an entertaining final. The competition that involved 16 of the top players from the Crawley Friday League Premier Division saw an early surprise result when Bridges' Justin Terry beat Greyhound's Neil Smith 4-3. Eventual runner-up Whiteside had a tough opener, coming back from 3-1 down to beat Diamonds' Kevin Reilly 4-3. He then went on to beat Terry 4-1 in the Quarter-Finals and Greyhound's Mick Clarke 5-2 in the Semi-Finals. King advanced to the Semi-Finals without dropping a leg in wins against Diamonds pair Ty Coward and Phil Smith. He then went on to beat Rugby Club's Tommy Lewis 5-1. Other First Round results included Diamonds' Martin Burchell beating Greyhound's Pete Crossley 4-1 and Phil Smith beating last week's Singles champion Stan Jackson 4-1. In the other Quarter-Finals games Mick Clarke beat Burchell 4-3 and Tommy Lewis beat team-mate Andy Gurr 4-2. Full results can be found here.

Metcalfe Misses Out In UK Open Qualifier by Ian Holman Rob Metcalfe (pictured) missed out on a place in the televised Blue Square UK Open Finals in June when he was eliminated in the opening qualifying round at the Aylesbury Ex-Services Club on Sunday 11th May. Having won the pub qualifier at The Rose & Crown in Crawley in April Metcalfe took a 3-1 lead against 2005 and 2007 qualifier Ian Wise. Unfortunately the Buckinghamshire players' experience then told as he won the next four legs to go through 5-3. Wise eventually missed out on a place in the Reebok Finals place when he lost in the final qualifying round against Bedfordshire's Michael Smith. The Finals will be televised on Sky Sports from 5-8 June.

Ayres Wins Second Straight Sussex Grand Prix Title by Ian Holman Billingshurst's Tony Ayres won his second straight Sussex Grand Prix Mens Singles title at Roffey Social & Sports Club on Sunday 11th May beating Sid Perkins in the final. In the Semi-Finals Ayres beat fellow PDC player Martin Burchell while Perkins got the better of Phil Smith. Losing Quarter-Finalists were Dave Creasey, Paul Russell, Ken Sowerby and Dave Wye. The Ladies Singles was won by Sussex 'A' player Donna Rainsley, who beat Lisa Tanner in the final. Losing Semi-Finalists were Mandy Perry and Norma Self. In a repeat of the Crimbo Singles Youth competition Thurrock's Harry Miles got the better of Oliver Sopp in the Youth Final. Semi-Finalists were David Weir and Jake Watts. Steve Lovett & Michael Hammond won the Mens Pairs beating Gary Miles and Paul Oakley in the final. Losing Semi-Finalists were Derek Furminger and Gary Newman & Danny King and Tony Ayres. The Ladies Pairs was won by Lisa Tanner and Norma Self. They beat Donna Rainsley and Bridget Guilford in the final. Finally the Flying Pairs was won by Jane Lewis and Gary Miles. They beat Angela Frewin and Andy Derrick in the final. Losing Semi-Finalists were Kerry Simmons and Kevin Reilly & Donna Rainsley and Martin Burchell. Full results can be found here.

Second Round Exit For Metcalfe In Wandsworth by Ian Holman Following his UK Open qualifying effort Rob Metcalfe played in the latest Wandsworth competition at Greensides Social Club on Sunday 11th May. He won his First Round game by two sets to nil (2-1, 2-0) against Greig Venables. Metcalfe then won the opening set of his second Round game against John Jennings before losing the next two sets 2-0 and 2-1. London County player and Middlesex Youth Luke Langley won the competition by beating Clive Barden by three sets to one in the Final having beaten his Youth team-mate Grant Taylor in the Semi-Finals. Barden beat former winner Richie Buckle in the other Semi-Final.

Gary Miles Wins Three Bridges Open by Ian Holman Thurrock's Gary Miles won the latest Three Bridges Open competition held at Three Bridges Football Club on Sunday 20th April, beating Surrey PDC player Ben Burton 3-0 in the final. Burton won Board 1 without dropping any legs. His wins came against Pete Crossley, Warren Grantham, Danny Fleming and Tim Churchill. Churchill beat former winner Danny King 3-0 in the Board Semi-Final. The win included the days highest finish of 160 in the second leg. Graham Hollis won Board 2 with wins against former finalist Darryl Pilgrim 3-2, Alex Whiteside 3-2 and Tony Reeves 3-0. In the opening game on Board 2 Sussex Youth player Paul Richardson caused an upset when he put out PDC player Andy Mason 3-0. Richardson then took a leg off Whiteside in his Second Round defeat. Tony Ayres won Board 3 without dropping a leg. His victims were Adam Campbell, Steve Mecrow and Paul Oakley. Another former winner Gary Newman lost 3-1 in the opening round against Mecrow. Eventual winner Gary Miles had a tough opening game on Board 4 as Rob Cross took him to the deciding leg and missed the bull to put the Essex man out of the competition. Miles then went on to beat Mick Phelan 3-1, Phil Watham 3-1 and Doug Mason 3-0. In the Semi-Finals Burton beat Hollis 3-1 and Miles beat Ayres 3-0. Just six maximums were recorded. They were from Mal Bradford, Ben Burton, Danny Fleming, Derek Furminger, Gary Miles and Darryl Pilgrim. All results are now available here.

Ansell Beaten By Turner In Glasgow by Ian Holman Dave Ansell (pictured) lost by three sets to nil against Martyn Turner in the Preliminary Round of the inaugural 'Scottish Sun' Scottish Players Championship held at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow on Saturday 19th April. The two players met seven weeks ago in the Players Championship event at Brentwood where the result was the same. World number 18 Colin Osborne hit a nine dart finish against last year's Crawley Open runner-up Lionel Sams in the First Round. In the Third Round Phil Taylor's excellent run of PDC competition wins came to an end as he was beaten by three sets to one against Mervyn King. King went on to win the competition without dropping another leg, beating Kevin McDine (Quarter-Finals), Mick McGowan (Semi-Finals) and Mark Dudbridge in the final. Tony Ayres, Martin Burchell, Danny King and Andy Mason did not compete in the competition.

Holman & Reilly Hit 180s In Barking by Ian Holman

Ian Holman and Kevin Reilly (pictured) both hit 180s at Barking Pool Club on Sunday 13th April. Two Open Singles competitions were held after a low turnout of just 13 players. The first competition was based on a round-robin format playing five legs of 501. Reilly progressed to the Quarter-Finals with a 4-1 win against Caswell Moseley after a 3-2 loss against Charlie Cooper. Holman missed out on a last eight place with a 5-0 defeat against Paul Everson (Woolwich) and a 3-2 win against Glen Scherer. In the Quarter-Finals Reilly lost 3-1 against 16-year-old Billy Beasley. In the final Kevin Turner beat Michael Barnard 4-3. The second competition was based on a knockout basis over 5 legs of 1001. Holman progressed to the Quarter-Finals with a 2-0 win against Charlie Cooper and Reilly received a bye. In the Quarter-Finals Reilly beat Paul Everson 2-1 and Holman lost out against the 1991 World Youth champion Michael Barnard. Barnard finished the first leg in just 30 darts but was up against it in the second as Holman held a 300 lead at one stage having hit a 180. Missed doubles cost Holman the leg as Barnard finished with scores of 140, 180 and checked out on 114 for a 2-0 win. Reilly played well in the Semi-Finals against Basildon's Kevin Turner but lost 2-0 despite hitting a maximum in the second leg.

Rob Metcalfe Wins UK Open Pub Qualifier by Ian Holman

Rob Metcalfe won the Blue Square UK Open pub qualifier held at The Rose & Crown in West Green, Crawley on Tuesday 8th April, beating Ian Holman 3-1 in the final from an entry of just 10 players. In a high scoring final Holman's only consolation was a 180 in the first leg. Metcalfe goes forward to one of four regional finals to be held on 10th / 11th May. Eight players from each Regional Final go forward to the televised Finals held at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton in June.

Burchell Wins Three Bridges Open by Ian Holman

Crawley's PDC player Martin Burchell (pictured) won the fourth Three Bridges Open at Three Bridges Football Club on Sunday 6th April, collecting £117.50 in prize money from an entry of 47 players. Having received a bye in the First Round Burchell went on to beat fellow PDC player Andy Mason 3-1, fellow Diamonds team-mate Steve Mecrow 3-0 and Surrey PDC player John Ferrell 3-1 to win Board 2. In the Semi-Finals he beat Board 1 winner Alex Tinsley (Essex Youth) 3-0 then former Sussex County player Jim Withers 3-1 in the final. In the other Semi-Final, Board 4 winner Withers beat Board 3 winner Graham Hollis (Surrey) 3-0. The Flying Pairs was won by Tara Deamer and Danny King. They beat Tim Churchill and Kevin Fishwick 3-1 in the final. Further details plus a round-up of all the results will follow. The next Three Bridges Open is held on Sunday 20th April. For further details please see the competition poster here.

Burchell Beats Jan Van Der Rassel In UK Open by Ian Holman

Martin Burchell (pictured) made it through to the Third Round of the Blue Square UK Open Midlands Regional Final at the Telford International Centre on Sunday 30th March with wins against Chris Cooper (5-4) and Jan van der Rassel (5-2). Burchell was eventually beaten in the round of the last 32 by fellow Sussex Super League player Adrian Gray 5-2. Tony Ayres registered a Preliminary Round win against Matt Sheehan (5-3) before going out to World number 23 Mervyn King 5-1 in the First Round and there were Preliminary Round defeats for Dave Ansell (5-0 against Carlos Rodriguez), Danny King (5-3 against Matt Chapman) and Andy Mason (5-1 against Geoff Wylie). Burchell won £200 in prize money.

Ayres Loses Out To Baxter In Telford by Ian Holman

Tony Ayres (pictured) was the only PDC player in the area to get beyond the First Round at the Midlands Players Championship at the Telford International Centre on Saturday 29th March. Dave Ansell and Martin Burchell both exited the competition at the Preliminary Round stage. Ansell, who is still looking for his first win on the PDC circuit lost by three sets to nil against Pete Allen and Burchell lost 3-1 against Peter Wright. Tony Ayres, Danny King and Andy Mason all received byes to the First Round where Ayres beat Richard Plowman 3-0, King was beaten 3-0 by Joey Palfreyman and Mason lost 3-0 to Kevin Dowling. In the Second Round Ayres lost 3-0 against world number 15 Ronnie Baxter. Ayres won £75 in prize money.

Tony Ayres Wins Easter Open by Barry Moody

The first Easter Open at the Crawley Labour Club, sponsored by the Scottish and Newcastle Breweries on Monday 24th March proved a great success, with more than seventy entries from all over the South of England competing for prize monies in excess of £650. The Open title was won by PDC star Tony Ayres (pictured) from Billingshurst when he defeated Crawley newcomer Kevin Fishwick 3-0 in the Final to take the £200 first prize. Kevin beat Eastbourne’s Jim Withers 3-2 to reach the Final, collecting the £100 runners-up prize. Tony’s Semi-Final win was 3-1 against Thurrock's Gary Miles. In the Quarter-Finals Ayres beat Croydon's Rob Hodgkinson 3-0, Miles beat Crawley's Ian Holman 3-2, Withers beat Chelmsford's Martin Compton 3-2 and Fishwick beat Horley's PDC star Danny King 3-0. The Ladies Singles final featured two Sussex County players both from Eastbourne and the £100 prize  was won by Sue Bird defeating the Crimbo ladies winner, Teresa Weir 3-0. Losing semi-finalists were Lisa Tanner (Eastbourne) and Kim Nicholls (Wandsworth). There was a surprise result in the Youth event when Sussex star Ollie Sopp (Brighton), failed to repeat his win in last month’s Grand Prix. Ollie went down 2-0 in the final to Thurrock's Harry Miles who went through the field without dropping a leg. Losing semi-finalists here were Tom Bingham (Sidley) Ben Souter (Crawley). The day’s events were concluded with the ever-popular Flying Pairs attracting 64 entries. The winners were Ian Holman and Martin Compton who collected £64 after defeating Ian Barrett and Chris Clewer in the final. Losing semi-finalists were Ian Bingham & Adam Campbell and Oliver Sopp & Steve Souter. The club’s raffle raised £180 for the Crawley special needs school Manor Green. Full results to follow.

King Wins Good Friday Singles by Ian Holman

Danny King (pictured) won the Crawley Friday Leagues Good Friday Singles at Three Bridges Football Club beating Pete Crossley 3-0 in the final. On route King beat fellow PDC player Tony Ayres 3-0 in the last 16 round and former winners Alex Whiteside 3-1 in the Quarter-Finals and Mick Clarke 3-2 in the Semi-Finalists. In the other Semi-Final Crossley beat Rob Cross 3-1. In the other Quarter-Finals ties Mick Clarke beat Neil Smith 3-1, Pete Crossley beat Zak Halsey 3-0 and Rob Cross beat Andy Mason 3-1. 180s were hit by Tony Ayres, Andy Baller, Dave Critchley, Rob Cross, Pete Crossley, Dave Fry, Andy Gurr, Andy McDonald, Clive Pearce and Neil Smith (2). Nick Burgess hit a 130 finish and Colin Whiley a 120. Ian Holman and Phil Smith won the Flying Pairs competition beating Nick Burgess and Andy Mason 3-0 in the final. There was also an extra 601 one leg Singles competition played that was won by Tony Ayres. Ayres beat Phil Smith in the final despite Smith opening up with five straight tons. Full results can be found here.

PDC News - Blue Square UK Open North-West Regional Final by Ian Holman

Billinghurst's Tony Ayres (pictured) made it to the Third Round of the Blue Square UK Open North-West Regional Final at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan on Sunday 16th March with wins against Andy Pearson (5-2) and Dave Jowett (5-1). Ayres bowed out to Mark Frost 5-3 at the last 64 stage earning himself £100 in prize money. It was a grim day up north for the other players from the Crawley and Horsham area. There were First Round exits for Dave Ansell, Danny King and Andy Mason. Ansell went down 5-0 against Chris Thompson, King was unfortunate to go out 5-3 against Robert Watson-Lang and Mason lost 5-1 against Dale Pinch. Martin Burchell's world ranking gave him a bye to the Second Round where he lost 5-2 to Simon Whatley. Phil Taylor went on to win the competition beating Adrian Lewis 8-7 in the final.

Metcalfe Makes Third Round In Wandsworth by Ian Holman

Just three players from the area travelled to Greensides Social Club in Wandsworth on Sunday 16th March with Rob Metcalfe (pictured) beating Henry Murphy 3-2 and Terry Nicholls 3-0 before a 3-1 Third Round exit against Dave Webb. Stan Jackson lost 3-2 in the First Round against Ron Green. Ian Holman had a bye to the Second Round and led Johnny Stefano 2-0 with a 111 checkout in the second leg before poor finishing saw him go out 3-2.

PDC News - Stan James Players Championships - Wigan by Ian Holman

Crawley's Martin Burchell (pictured) returned to form at the North-West Players Championship at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan on Saturday 15th March, making the Third Round with wins against Dan Cook (3-1) and Steve Musson (3-0). Burchell then went two sets up against World number five Terry Jenkins before last years Premier League runner-up fought back to take the final three sets despite Burchell having a shot at a double to put him out in the fourth set. Tony Ayres exited the competition in the First Round, losing 3-0 to World number 20 Chris Mason having beaten Chris Dalglish 3-0 in a Preliminary Round tie. Dave Ansell hit a 180 on his way to a 3-0 First Round defeat against World number eight Roland Scholten. Danny King lost 3-0 against Mick Sawery in the Preliminary Round and Andy Mason lost to Canadian Gary Mawson by the same score. Burchell won £150 in prize money. Alan Tabern went on to win the final 3-0 against Chris Mason.

Ayres & West Hit Top Form In Grand Prix by Ian Holman

Tony Ayres (pictured) and Rhonda West were both in top form in the third Sussex Grand Prix event of the 2007/8 series held at Roffey Social & Sports Club on Sunday 9th March. Tony Ayres won the Mens Singles from an entry of 68, beating Andy Derrick in the final 3-1 with a 27.42 average. Ayres also picked up the Mens Pairs title along with Danny King. They beat Croydon's Steve Mead and Middlesex's George McKie 3-1 in the final. In the Ladies Singles Rhonda West beat Sue Bird 3-0 in the final and then teamed together to take the Pairs, beating Surrey's Jane Lewis and Angela Frewin 3-0 in the final which included a 16 dart final leg. Rob Cross won the Youth Singles beating Warren Grantham 3-1 in the final. The Flying Pairs went to Steve Mecrow and Paul Russell. They beat Steve Mead and Alan Wyatt 2-0 in the final.

PDC News - Blue Square UK Open Southern Regional Final by Ian Holman

Danny King (pictured) produced a shock result in the Blue Square UK Open Southern Regional Finals in Brentwood on Sunday 2nd March with a 5-3 First Round win against World number six Adrian Lewis having already knocked out Australian Pat Orreal 5-2 in the Preliminary Round. King took control against Lewis by racing into a 3-0 lead with legs of 17, 18 and 15 darts that included a 180 in the third leg. Lewis hit back with legs of 18 and 13 darts before King held his nerve to win two of the next three legs. In his game against the former Australian Army Commander, King took the opening four legs. Orreal then took the next two before King wrapped up the win with a 17 dart leg. King slipped to a 5-2 defeat in the Second Round against Irishman Jason Barry despite winning the opening leg in 14 darts and a 28.44 average. Tony Ayres also reached the Second Round with 5-1 wins against Mark Carter and Alan Caves. Against Caves, Ayres was in blistering form taking the opening three legs with checkouts of 115, 116 and 120. With two 180s along the way the 5-1 result produced a World class average of 103.1 per throw (34.37 per dart). Ayres lost in the Second Round against teenage sensation Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman took the opening three legs with 18, 13 and 16 darts. Ayres hit back with a 17 dart leg and van Gerwen wrapped up the game with legs of 20 and 18 darts. Ayres averaged 29.10 against van Gerwen's 29.47. Martin Burchell played well in his First Round defeat against Carlos Rodriguez having received a bye in the Preliminary Round. Burchell bounced back after losing the opening two legs to lead 3-2 and 4-3 before the Spaniard hit legs of 15 and 16 darts to take the match. Burchell hit two 180 along the way and ended up with a 26.61 average. Dave Ansell received a bye in the Preliminary Round and came up against World number 18 Colin Osborne, losing 5-1 having hit a 180. Andy Mason lost 5-1 in the Preliminary Round against Hampshire's Aaron Monk. Ayres and King both won £100 prize money. Colin Lloyd went on to win the competition with an 8-6 win against Phil Taylor in the final.

PDC News - Stan James Players Championships - Brentwood by Ian Holman

Five players from the area took part in the third PDC Players Championship tournament of the year played at The Brentwood Centre in Essex on Saturday 1st March. Martin Burchell lost three sets to one in the Preliminary Round with a 24.02 average against Richard Foster (28.13 average). Danny King won his Preliminary Round tie 3-0 against Kieron Leal, losing just one leg with a 24.37 average. In The First Round Tony Ayres (pictured) beat Chris Sargeant 3-0 and Andy Mason had his first PDC win, beating Gary Witcombe 3-0. Danny King lost 3-1 against Ricky Williams and Dave Ansell lost 3-0 against Martyn Turner. The Second Round saw Tony Ayres go out 3-0 against 13 times World Champion Phil Taylor. Ayres performed well with a 28.62 average but he only had a shot at a double in the final leg as Taylor averaged 32.32. Andy Mason lost 3-0 against World number three James Wade. Phil Taylor went on to win the competition without dropping a set and beating James Wade 3-0 in the final.

Gary Newman Takes Bridges Open by Ian Holman

Burgess Hill's Gary Newman was the winner of the fourth Three Bridges Open held at Three Bridges Football Club on Sunday 24th February taking home £150 in prize money after beating Daryl Pilgrim 3-0 in the final. Sixty entries took part in this month's competition. In the Semi-Finals Board 1 winner Gary Newman beat Board 2 winner Rob Cross 3-2 and Board 4 winner Daryl Pilgrim beat Board 3 winner Kevin Fishlock 3-2. England international Tricia Wright won the £45 furthest lady prize after going out to the eventual winner in the Third Round (last 16). Newman won Board 1 with wins against John Devine (3-1), Steve Mecrow (3-1), Tricia Wright (3-0) and Dean Edlin (3-1). Rob Cross won Board 2 with wins against Jacob Sway (3-0), Pete Crossley (3-2) and Andy Derrick (3-2). Board 3 was known as the board of death this month with Danny King beating Dave Creasey 3-1 in the opening round. Results in the Second Round saw Ben Burton beat Tony Ayres 3-2 and Danny King beat Adam Campbell 3-2. In the Third Round Ben Burton beat Danny King 3-1. Kevin Fishlock came through as board winner with steady darts thrown throughout the afternoon. His victims were Simon Langridge (3-0), Nigel Panton (3-0), Andy McDonald (3-1) and Ben Burton (3-2). Daryl Pilgrim won Board 4 with wins against Sue Bird (3-2), Roy Oxlade (3-0), Lance Thompson (3-1) and Doug Mason (3-0). Andy Derrick had a 12 dart leg with scores of 100, 140, 100 and a magnificent 161 check-out. Other high finishes came from Pete Crossley (148), Kevin Fishwick (129) and Doug Mason (115). 180s were hit by Pete Crossley (2), Derrick Furminger, Andy McDonald, Daryl Pilgrim, Tony Reeves (2), Neil Smith and Lee Williams, Danny King and Graham Judge won the Flying Pairs competition that followed beating Tony Reeves and Dave Creasey 2-0 in the final. Full results can be found here.

Withers Takes Sussex Grand Prix by Ian Holman

Jim Withers (pictured) won the Mens Singles at the second Sussex Grand Prix event of the season at Roffey Social & Sports Club on Sunday 17th February beating Surrey's Graham Hollis in the final from a record breaking entry of 97 players. Losing Semi-Finalists were Dave Mansell and Paul Russell with losing Quarter-Finalists Ben Burton, Steve Hitchens, Don Stone and Lee Williams. Lisa Tanner won the Ladies singles from an entry of 22, beating Sue Bird in the final. Losing Semi-Finalists were Trish Kidd and Norma Self and losing Quarter-Finalists were Teresa Weir, Louise Gray, Marie Barthropp and Jane Lewis. The Youth Singles had 17 entries with Oliver Sopp beating Sam Barnard in the final. Losing Semi-Finalists were David Weir and Jake Watts. There were 40 entries in the Mens Pairs with Graham & Paul Hollis beating Sid Perkins & Mark Davis in the final. Losing Semi-Finalists were Don Stone & James Packer and Paul Russell & Dave Creasey. Losing Quarter-Finalists were Sean Brooks & Gavin Studholme, Graham Judge & Andy Derrick, Kevin Reilly & Steve Mecrow and Craig Deeley & Michael Hammond. Lisa Tanner completed the double by winning the Ladies Pairs with Clair Birch with Marie Barthropp and Julie Austin runners-up. Losing Semi-Finalists were Teresa Weir & Mandy Perry and Jane Lewis & Jane Johnson. The Flying Pairs was won by Julie Hopkins and Steve Lovett. Runners-up were Phil Smith & Graham Judge. Losing Semi-Finalists were Nathan Pearce & Steve Mead and Luke Watham & Paul Hollis. A full list of results can be found from here.

Roffey Side Make National Finals by Terry Thornton

Roffey Social & Sports Club reached the national finals of the Carlsberg/Holsten National Pub/Club Tournament having qualified at the regional finals at the Embassy Club, Bunn Leisure Caravan Park, Selsey on Saturday 16th February. 24 teams from Oxfordshire, Kent, Sussex, Dorset & Isle of Wight played down to eight qualifiers. The teams were divided into 4 groups of 6, the first 4 teams in each group played each other with the winners of each game playing the other two teams. Roffey Social & Sports Club received a bye, then were drawn to play The Worsley, from Wroxall, Isle of Wight, who earlier had put out a team from Oxford 5-4. The format was three doubles, 1 leg 701 & six singles 501 best of 3. Roffey started with John Dawes & Ron Clarke, then Doug & Andy Mason, finally Gary Strong & Alan Wyatt, taking all three doubles matches. John Dawes won his singles 2-1, leaving Ron Clarke (pictured) to take the match with an 2-0 win. Roffey qualified for the National finals at their first attempt. The finals are due to be played in April at The Holt Suite, Villa Park, Birmingham where £9000 in prize money is up for grabs to be split between the 32 qualifying teams.

Reilly Exits At Quarter-Finals Stage In Wandsworth by Ian Holman

Just four players from the area competed in the latest Wandsworth competition held at Greensides Social Club on Sunday 10th February with last months Semi-Finalist Kevin Reilly (pictured) losing 3-0 in the Quarter-Finals against former London County player Ray Cornibert. Reilly beat two recent winners on route with a 3-0 1st Round win against Richie Buckle and a 3-1 3rd Round win against Dave Deruyter. In the 2nd Round he beat London County Ladies player Tara Deamer 3-1. Stan Jackson, competing in the competition for the second time made it to the 3rd Round with wins against Richard Harris (3-2) and Kirk Deruyter (3-1). He lost 3-1 to Dan Gardner in the 3rd Round. Ian Holman also lost to Dan Gardner 3-1 in the opening round while Rob Metcalfe lost 3-2 in the opening round against London County 'B' player Dave Goodwin. Oxford's John Jukes won the competition with a 5-3 final win against Middlesex County player Mark Haggerty. In the Semi's Jukes beat Grant Taylor (Middlesex Youth) 4-1 and Haggerty beat Cornibert by the same scoreline. The next Wandsworth competition is held on Sunday 16th March.

PDC News - Blue Square UK Open South West Regional Final by Ian Holman

Danny King (pictured) gave World number 23 Mervyn King a scare in yesterday's Blue Square UK Open South-West Regional Final at Wellsprings Leisure Centre in Taunton. Having beaten Tony Littleton 5-4 including finishes of 135 & 120 in the Preliminary Round, Danny went on to beat Crawley Friday League rival Martin Burchell 5-2 in the First Round and lead Mervyn King 2-0 and 3-2 in the Second Round before going out 5-3. Andy Mason had a 4-1 lead in his preliminary round game against Brian Jones but eventually lost 5-4 while Tony Ayres lost 5-1 against Stephen Hardy and Dave Ansell lost 5-2 against Paul Cooper despite hitting three 180s. The competition was the fifth of eight qualifying events as players aim for a top 128 ranking to qualify for the televised finals at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton in June. Danny King's effort earnt him £100 in prize money. Further news can be found here.

Ayres Makes Lindford Semi-Finals by Ian Holman

Billingshurst's Tony Ayres (pictured) was beaten 4-0 in the Semi-Finals of the Lindford Working Mans Club's Open competition on Saturday 2nd February by fellow PDC player Ben Burton. Surrey's Burton went on to win the final by the same scoreline against Ian Critchett. 56 players entered the event including five other players from the Crawley & Horsham area. Danny King and Andy Mason were beaten in the Third Round (last 16), Ian Holman lost in the Second Round while Doug Mason and Nigel Panton lost in the opening round. On route to the last four Ayres beat Tony Speight (4-0), D Wye (4-0), Ron Attwill (4-0) and Billy Meakins (4-0). Finishing let Doug Mason down as he exited 4-2 in the opening round against John Andrews. Nigel Panton led 2-0 before going down 4-2 against Ben Simpson. Ian Holman, Danny King and Andy Mason received byes to the Second Round where Holman played poorly and lost 4-0 against Scott Charlton. Andy Mason beat D Hooker 4-1 before losing to Semi-Finalist Danny Pinhorn 4-0. King beat Kerry Collins 4-2 then lost 4-2 against Kevin Merritt. In the early round losers competition Doug Mason lost 2-0 in the Semi-Finals against Aaron Monk having won three matches to get there including a 122 checkout in his opening game. Nigel Panton lost 2-0 in the opening round and Ian Holman lost 2-0 in the Quarter-Finals. Exhibition matches involving world number three James Wade and Peter Manley rounded up the evening.

John Ferrell Wins The Third Three Bridges Open by Ian Holman

Surrey's John Ferrell was the winner of the third Three Bridges Open held at Three Bridges Football Club on Sunday 27th January, beating Billingshurst's Tony Ayres 3-0 in the final. In the semi-finals Ferrell beat Paul Oakley (Thurrock) 3-0 and Ayres beat Gary Miles (Thurrock) 3-0. Ferrell picked up £182.50, Ayres £91.25 and Oakley and Miles £45.62 each. 73 players entered the popular competition with Ferrell winning Board 3 with wins against Nigel Panton (3-1), Ben Burton (3-0), Gary Blackwood (3-0) and Rob Cross. Ayres won Board 2 with wins against Andy Gurr (3-2), Graham Parker (3-0), George McKie (3-0) and Martin Burchell (3-0). Gary Miles won Board 1 with wins against Zach Halsey (3-0), Ken Sowerby (3-0), Rob Metcalfe (3-0) and Alan Colgate (3-0). Paul Oakley won Board 4 with wins against Roy Oxlade (3-0), Joe Shanahan (3-0), Matt Wenham (3-2), Dan Gardner (3-1) and Ian Holman (3-2). Former winner Danny King was surprisingly beaten 3-0 in his opening game against Colin Mills. At least fourteen 180s were hit on the day with John Ferrell hitting four, Tony Ayres and Gary Miles two and one each for Ian Holman, Dave Mansell, Steve Mecrow, Rob Metcalfe, Kevin Reilly and Matt Wenham. Alex Whiteside hit the days best checkout with a magnificent 164 in his opening round win. Neil Smith hit a 155, Ian Holman a 106 and Colin Mills hit two finishes of 100. In the flying pairs competition Paul Oakley and Lee Passey (£99) beat Gary Miles and Ben Burton (£49.50) 2-1 in the final from an entry of 33 pairs. Losing semi-finalists were Colin Mills & Andy Mason and Peter Sopp & Oliver Sopp. Full Singles results can be found here.

PDC News - Stan James Players Championships - Gibraltar by Ian Holman

The first Stan James Players Championships events of the year took place in Gibraltar at the weekend of 19th / 20th January with Tony Ayres (pictured) beating Denis Ovens by three sets to two in the Second Round of Saturday's competition and Danny King winning his first ever match on the PDC circuit. Having beaten PDC ranked number 38 Matt Clark in the opening round on Saturday Ayres gained revenge on Ovens (ranked 17 in the world) who beat him 5-2 back in September in the ITV Wildcard Qualifier of the PartyBets.com Grand Slam Of Darts. Ayres lost in the Third Round on Saturday against PDC number 24 Andy Smith 3-1 and picked up £150 in prize money. Danny King beat Darrell Thorpe 3-1 in the First Round before losing 3-0 to PDC ranked 27 Alex Roy in the Second Round. Martin Burchell lost 3-1 against former World Championship finalist Peter Manley in the opening round and Andy Mason lost 3-0 against Redhill's Dave Askew. In Sunday's competition Tony Ayres and Danny King both lost 3-2 in the opening round. Ayres lost against PDC number 31 Adrian Gray and King against PDC number 39 Colin Monk. Andy Mason picked up his first set on the circuit as he went down 3-1 against PDC number 48 Steve Smith. Martin Burchell progressed to the Second Round with a 3-2 win against Sean Palfrey but then bowed out by the same score against World Championship qualifier Jamie Caven. King and Burchell picked up £75 prize money each over the weekend. World Champion John Part won Saturday's competition with a 3-1 final win against Chris Mason. Redhill's Dave Askew made the last 16. On Sunday James Wade won the competition with a 3-1 win against Denis Ovens. John Ferrell made the Quarter-Finals with wins against Rico Vonck (3-0), Vincent van der Voort (3-2), Alan Tabern (3-2) and Adrian Lewis (3-1). Ferrell was beaten 3-2 by Ovens in the last eight.

PDC News - Blue Square UK Open North-East Regional Final by Ian Holman

The first PDC competition following the 2008 World Championships was the Blue Square UK Open North-East Regional Final on Sunday 13th January at the Gateshead Stadium. The event was the fourth of eight qualifying events. Prize money is then totalled up and the top 128 qualify for the televised finals at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton in June. Martin Burchell (pictured left) and Tony Ayres (pictured right) both received byes into the Second Round where Burchell hit a 148 finish but then missed a 130 checkout in the deciding leg against Chris Allen and was beaten 5-4. Ayres progressed with a 5-2 win against Dave Honey that included checkouts of 160 and 148. In the Third Round Ayres was beaten 5-4 by Eddie Lovely and missed the chance of a board final (last 32) against John Ferrell. Ayres won £100 in prize money. Colin Osborne went on to win the final 8-6 against Denis Ovens.

Reilly Makes Wandsworth Semis by Ian Holman

Eleven local players made the trip to Wandsworth last weekend for January's Open competition at Greensides Social Club. Two of the players clashed in the opening round with Doug Mason beating Warren Grantham 3-0. Stan Jackson also lost 3-0 on his debut performance at the venue 3-0 against John Jukes. Andy Baller lost 3-0 to last October's winner Dave Deruyter and Andy Mason lost 3-1 to Paul Hackett. The other six players all advanced to the Second Round with Danny King beating London County player Ian McNeil 3-1 after losing the opening leg and finishing the third leg in 17 darts. Ian Holman beat Terry Nicholls 3-0 with opening and closing legs of 19 darts, Nigel Panton hit a 106 checkout as he beat Tony Reeves 3-1, Tony Ayres beat another London County player Steve McHale 3-1, Kevin Reilly (pictured) had a 17 dart leg as he beat Kevin Heston 3-1 and Martin Burchell, who also had a 106 checkout to finish his 1st leg in 18 darts beat Mark Haggerty 3-0. The Second Round saw Tony Ayres beat Doug Mason 3-1 with a 13 dart 1st leg, Nigel Panton was beaten 3-1 by Grant Taylor, Martin Burchell was edged out 3-2 by Roy Peacock, Danny King advanced with a 3-1 win against Jimmy Foster, Kevin Reilly beat Harry Bailey Snr 3-2 and Ian Holman beat John Millett 3-0. The Third Round (Last 16) saw Danny King beaten 3-1 by PDC ranked 43 Lionel Sams 3-1, Tony Ayres beaten 3-2 by eventual runner-up Wayne Banks 3-2 and Ian Holman beaten 3-2 by eventual winner Tricia Wright having lead 2-1. Kevin Reilly made it through with a 3-2 win against Rob Wigg. Reilly then went on to secure a Semi-Final place with a 3-1 Quarter-Final win against Michael Harkins. Reilly then bowed out on stage in the Semi-Finals 4-2 against Tricia Wright after leading 2-1. In the other Semi-Final, Wayne Banks beat Lionel Sams 4-0. Former World Ladies number four and England International Tricia Wright went on to beat Wayne Banks 5-4 in the final.