Crawley & Horsham Darts Scene

Swan Pair Through In Singles Play-offs by Ian Holman
added Monday 15th March 2010

The Swan pair Graham Brook (above left) and Adam Campbell (above right) made it through to the Crawley Monday League Singles Semi-Finals in the 'A' Division play-offs at the Labour Club on Monday 8th March. Brook progressed without dropping a leg and beat Con Club Bumbles' Paul Burrows in the Quarter-Finals Campbell beat Labour Reds' Kevin Reilly 2-1 to book his place in the last four. Earlier in the evening Reilly put out last seasons winner Kevin Fishwick (Sperry) in the best game of the night. Reilly hit two maximums as he took the opening leg then Fishwick replied with a 180 as he comfortably took the second leg, before Reilly struck the all important finish in the decider. Sperry's Ernie Potter also hit a 180. The 'B' Division play-offs took place at Three Bridges Football Club on the same evening with Labour Rebels' Stuart Campbell coming through to face Pelhams' Steve Masters. Maximums here were struck by last season's runner-up Owen Grantham (Labour Rebels), Ross Mitchell (Guns and Roses) and Dick Brice (Pelhams).

Sperry's Lead Cut To Eight Points by Ian Holman
added Monday 8th March 2010
Kevin Reilly

Steve Mecrow and Phil Smith both hit maximums for Sperry and Paul Trivass hit one for Royal Oak as Crawley Monday League 'A' Division leaders Sperry won there match 5-4. The current champions lead at the top was cut to eight points as The Swan beat The Moonraker 9-0 with Richard Allen checking out on 104 for the Moonraker. Third placed Labour Club are are a further five points behind with a game in hand on the top two as they made it ten league wins on the trot, beating The Lions 7-2 with finishes of 112 for Lee Nichols and 102 for Dan Bradford. Kevin Reilly (pictured) hit his fourth 180 of the season as Labour Reds beat Con Club Bumbles 5-4 in the other top flight match. Pelhams now hold a massive 17 point lead on second placed WKD in the 'B' Division following a 9-0 win against Guns and Roses. Brett Davies hit a superb 153 checkout for WKD as they beat Lost Legion 7-2. Steve White finished on 112 for Conservative Club as they ended up losing 5-4 against The Downsman. Labour Rebels beat The Plough B 6-3 and The Swan B got the better of Popes Mead 5-4. The latest results, tables and stats are here.

Gale Still Tops Merit Table After Singles by Ian Holman
added Monday 1st March 2010
Darren Gale

CC Bumbles' Darren Gale (pictured) has increased his lead at the top of the Crawley Friday League Merit Table after the Singles competition last Friday to 23.5 points. Charcoal Burner's Lee Gladman is second with RS Bumbles' Anthony Morley flying up to third place. Diamonds' Colin Whiley is fourth with Charcoal Burner's Dean Edlin in fifth. The top 40 positions and an explanation on how points are awarded is here. The top 16 players at the end of the season will be invited to play in the 2010 Bedford Sports sponsored Merit Cup.

The Imperial Withdraw From Monday League
by Ian Holman
added Monday 22nd February 2010
Bullseye

The Imperial have withdrawn from the Crawley Monday League having played four matches in the second half of the season. all matches from the second half have been scraped with the first half results standing.

Labour Rebels Pair Produce Upset by Ian Holman
added Sunday 21st February 2010
Owen Grantham and Micky Norman

Labour Rebels pair Owen Grantham and Micky Norman (pictured) were in good form as they became the first 'B' Division pair to win the Crawley Monday League's Steve Webb Pairs, taking the title with a 3-1 win in the final against last season's champions Kevin Fishwick and Terry Harmsworth (Sperry). The sixth staging of the event attracted a strong field of 36 entries to the Crawley Labour Club on Monday 15th February where the prize fund was £180. 15-year-old Owen Grantham saved his best form for the final as he scored well and took out all three doubles. On route to the final the Rebels pair beat The Royal Oak's Claire Nicholson and Gary Kozel, team-mates Stuart Campbell and Paul Richardson, Tracy Jenner and Mike Kramer (also team-mates), Sperry duo Steve Mecrow and Phil Smith and then Ash Comper and Ross Mitchell from The Crown. In the other half of the draw last season's champions Fishwick and Harmsworth beat last season's runners-up Ian Holman and Rob Metcalfe (Labour Club) in the opening round before going on to beat Ty Coward and Kevin Reilly (Labour Reds), Paul Comper and Steve Critchley (Con Club Bumbles) and semi-finalists Warren Grantham and Lee Nichols (Labour Club). Labour Club pair Dan Bradford and Lee Nichols both hit 180s during the evening.

Sperry Sneak Past The Lions In Cup by Ian Holman
added Sunday 14th February 2010

Current league and cup champions Sperry were made to work hard for their place in the Quarter-Finals of this season's Crawley Monday League Knockout Cup as they scraped through 4-3 with Crawley star Kevin Fishwick (pictured) winning the decider 3-1 against Richard Dixon. Fishwick took out a 109 finish in the match and The Lions' Grant Rose hit a 180. In the other Second Round tie Con Club Bumbles beat Lost Legion 5-1 with maximums from Dave Critchley and Paul Burrows. In the Consolation Cup, 'B' Division sides The Plough B and The Downsman both advanced to the Quarter-Finals beating 'A' Division opposition. The Plough 'B' beat The Plough Ifield 5-1 with Xavier Neau-Gaterell checking out a 104 finish while The Downsman ran out 4-2 winners against The Imperial.

Burner Now Eight Points Clear At Top by Ian Holman
added Sunday 24th January 2010
Double Ten

Charcoal Burner are now eight points clear of second placed CC Bumbles in the Crawley Friday League Premier Division. Pelhams have slipped to third with Longley C moving off the bottom above Dingles. Bridges lead the 'A' division by two points from Labour Blasters and Three Bridges hold a nine point lead in the 'B' Division. Dave Miles' report is here. The latest results, league tables and stats are here. Full fixtures and results for the season are here.

Sussex Suffer Heavy Defeat by Barry Moody
added Monday 7th December 2009
Michael Hammond

Sussex hopes of promotion this season in the Rileys Inter Counties League took a jolt after losing 23-13 to top of the table London at the Roffey Social & Sports Club at the weekend. Previously unbeaten Sussex were outscored in Saturday’s 'B' team matches, with London hitting 117 tons to Sussex's 96 and winning the Ladies match 4-2 and the Men’s 8-4. Rhonda West (Lewes) started the day well for Sussex gaining the lady-of-the-match award with a 15.26 winning average, but, in a much changed side only Teresa Weir (Eastbourne) was the only other Sussex lady to come out on top. The Men’s 'B' also began well with wins for Dave Creasy (Eastbourne), Russell Vanner (Brighton) and man-of-the-match Peter Stoner (Worthing) averaging 25.05 in a 3-0 win. From that point London were in charge taking seven of the remaining eight games to finish the day 12-6 ahead. Simon Morris (Newhaven) was the only winner for Sussex in that spell. On Sunday the Ladies 'A' fought back from 3-0 down with wins for Hayley Gatford (Bognor) and lady-of-the-match Donna Rainsley (Hailsham) with a 22.77 winning average. Sadly for Sussex the visitors took the final game to win 4-2 and make the overall match score 16-8 to London. Ken Sowerby (Worthing) made a bright start for Sussex on his return to the Men’s 'A' side winning 3-0 with a 26.84 average. As on the previous day London once again raised their game to win the next five sets and with them, securing the three bonus points. Now playing for pride the Sussex men at last began to hit the winning doubles and they levelled their match score at 5-5. Jason Hills (Bognor), Jim Withers (Eastbourne), Michael Donegan (Newhaven) and team mate Michael Hammond (pictured) were all winners with Hammond taking the match award for a 29.18 winning average. London finished their highly successful weekend by taking the last two games for a 7-5 win in a match where Sussex hit 92 tons to the visitor’s 87 with both teams sharing twelve maximums This defeat puts Sussex seven points adrift of the Division Two promotion places and makes a win against newly promoted Devon in Exeter in January essential.

Roffey Slip Up by Ian Holman
added Wednesday 9th December 2009

Newhaven fought back from four-nil down to beat Roffey 5-4 in the Sussex Winter Super League and join them at the top of the league this week. Newhaven's Darren Woolgar took man of the match with a 27.94 average. Kez Botting (pictured) took out a 170 finish for Roffey while team-mates Neil Smith finished on 135 and Tony Peters on 109. Smith also hit a 180. Newhaven's Michael Donegan hit his fourth 180 in as many weeks and also finished on 100 and Dean Watts hit a 180. Lewes beat Eastbourne DGH 6-3 with Ian 'Sid' Perkins continuing his good current form with a 28.36 average that included two 180s and a 116 finish to take man of the match. Keith Price also hit a 180 for Lewes as did DGH's Paul Whittlesey and Steve White. Whittlesey also checked out on 133 and Jill Campbell-Miles took out 106. Eastbourne Rail beat Roffey Royals 6-3 with Paul Russell the man of the match with a 27.33 average. 180's were hit from Rail's Jim Withers and Gavin Studholme and the Royals' Ian Holman and Nathan Pearce. Clive Pearce also took out 105 for Royals'. Worthing beat Brighton Red Oaks 8-1 with James Greenfield in top form with a man of the match winning 31.31 average that included a 118 finish. Ken Sowerby hit a 180 for Worthing as did Oliver Sopp and Martin Baker for Red Oaks'. The match between Bognor Regis and Brighton Newmarket was postponed and has been re-scheduled for 6th January. The latest results, league tables and stats can be found here. Team pages can be found from here.

Labour Club Win Paul Matthews Trebles by Barry Moody
added Thursday 12th November 2009
Bullseye

The dominance of Sperry over the last three years in the Crawley Monday League's Paul Matthews Trebles was ended after both their trebles were eliminated in this season’s playoffs at a packed Three Bridges Football Club. Last year’s winning trio lead by Steve Mecrow were beaten 2-0 in the first round by Labour Rebels and Phil Smith’s attempt to regain the Paul Matthews Rosebowl after two years, ended in a semi-final defeat at the hands of The Swan. This followed wins for The Swan against Royal Oak, The Lions and Tom Walker’s Swan trio to put Adam Campbell’s treble, including Graham Brook and Paul Chesworth, through to the final. Meanwhile the Labour Club’s trio lead by Lee Nicholls with Ian Holman and Nigel Panton, reached this stage with wins over Royal Oak, Labour Rebels and Justin Peters’ Swan treble. The final proved to be a tightly fought affair with the Labour Club decisive on their doubles to win 2-0, Ian Holman checking out on 78 to take the Rosebowl and the £60 prize money. Dave Smith of the Lions hit the only maximum of the evening. Losing semi-finalists were Sperry – Phil Smith, Mal Bradford, Kevin Fishwick and The Swan -- Justin Peters, Dave Chamberlain, Gavin Walker.

Sussex Storm Back To Beat Norfolk by Barry Moody
added Tuesday 3rd November 2009
Ian Perkins

Sussex continued their campaign to regain their place back in Division One of the Rileys Inter Counties league with their second successive win, beating Norfolk 19-17 at the Roffey Social Club. With an unchanged squad after the 19-17 win in Buckinghamshire last month, Sussex again made heavy weather of the match, trailing the visitors for most of the weekend, until they won six of the last seven games on Sunday afternoon to grab the bonus points. The ladies “B” side forced a 3-3 draw, thanks to Audrey Bowman’s 3-2 win in the final game, where the Littlehampton player gained the Lady-of-the-Match award with a 17.70 average on her County debut. Laura Macintosh, Portslade and Jill Campbell-Miles, Hastings were the other winners for Sussex. The Mens “B” team began badly losing the first four games until Brighton’s Craig Deeley stopped the rot with an impressive 3-0 win. Ian Perkins (pictured), Lewes continued the Sussex fight back with his second successive Man-of-the-Match award, winning 3-0 with a 28.36 average There were further wins for Don Stone, Eastbourne, Mark Davis, Lewes, and Newhaven pair Simon Morris and Gary Edgar to gain a 6-6 draw. Paul Eves, Newhaven, Craig Deeley, Ian Perkins and Mark Davis all hit maximums. On Sunday the Ladies “A” team had a good start with Lisa Tanner, Eastbourne winning 3-2 to take the Lady-of-the-Match award for an 18.71 average. Sadly for Sussex, the visitors showed why they are top of the Ladies league, winning four of the next five games to record a 4-2 win. Hayley Gatford, Bognor was the other winner for Sussex on her “A” team debut. Norfolk increased their overall lead to four points with wins in the opening two games of the Mens ”A” match, but success for Sussex players Jason Yates, Roffey and Paul Russell, Eastbourne reduced the margin. Wins for Michael Hammond, Newhaven, Jim Withers, Eastbourne, Keith Price, Brighton and Andy Derrick, Hastings levelled the match score at 17-17. A Man-of-the-Match performance from Hastings star Spencer Ellis gained the Mens “A” side their first win and put Sussex into the lead. Spencer won 3-1 with a 28.81 average hitting ten tons and a maximum. Team manager Michael Donegan, Newhaven won the final game of the day 3-2 to clinch the 8-4 win and a 19-17 overall result to ensure that Sussex had gained the bonus points. Sussex Mens “A” outscored Norfolk by 94 tons to 90 and Michael Hammond also hit a maximum. The next challenge to Sussex comes at the Roffey Social & Sports Club in December when London are the visitors. They are currently top of the table after an impressive 27-9 thrashing of Buckinghamshire.

Jason Yates Wins Super League Singles by Barry Moody
added Tuesday 27th October 2009

Roffey made up for their disappointing second place finish in the League’s West Division this season, six points behind Champions Worthing, when they took two of the major titles at the playoffs at Roffey Club on Sunday. In the “Blue Riband” event Jason Yates (pictured) collected the £240 prize money and the “Brookes Sports” Cup after defeating Newhaven’s Darren Woolgar 3-0 in the final. Jason fought through the ninety strong field with wins against Simon Smith, Dave Creasey, Kevin Downes, Reg Harding Jnr and semi-finalist Dean Edlin, Mid Sussex. Disappointed at his defeat Darren was consoled by his £120 finalist’s prize, his route to the final having included wins against Craig Deeley, John Reed, James Greenfield, Ian Perkins and semi-finalist Kevin Fishwick, Crawley. Further success came for the Roffey team when Ron Clarke and Neil Smith won the "Harveys” Rosebowl and its’ £250 cash prize, beating the Hastings pairing Andy Derrick and Spencer Ellis by 3-2 in a tense final. Losing semi-finalists here were Dave Mansell / Dean Edlin, Mid Sussex and Rod Hawkins / Jim Withers from Lewes & Eastbourne Rail. The Champion of Champions event attracted a field of forty eight players, each of whom had won a match award during the season. The winner, from the league Champion side Worthing, was Peter Stoner when he beat Bevendean Reds star Russell Vanner by 3-2 in a close fought final. Peter took the £250 prize after his progress through the class field had included wins against Mark Davis, Spencer Ellis, Colin Whiley and semi-finalist Ian Perkins, Lewes. Russell reached the final after defeating Wayne Self, Roy Lindfield, James Greenfield and semi-finalist Dave Mansell, Mid Sussex. More than £4400 in prize money was distributed to the nineteen teams in the League.

Worthing Win Super League Play-off by Barry Moody

Worthing won this season’s County Super League Championship in one of the most exciting playoffs for years at the Roffey Social Club, defeating the East Division winners Lewes by 5-4. The Globe team had previously won their Division by six points from Roffey and they have now succeeded in keeping the “King and Barnes” Cup in West Sussex for the second year in succession. Ken Sowerby started the ball rolling for Worthing with a 3-1 win over Paul Telford which included a maximum. John Johnstone continued Worthing’s winning start beating Ricki Blay 3-1. The next game proved to be a high-scoring tussle with both players averaging 25 plus, Ian Perkins hitting a maximum but Richard Stanford winning 3-1 to give Worthing a 3-0 lead. James Greenfield was next up for Worthing and his 3-0 defeat of Daniel Sains included a sixteen dart leg with a 180. Lewes were now desperate for a win at 4-0 down and Keith Price came to the rescue of the Tally Ho side beating Steve Hart 3-0 with a 30.06 average. The Harding family continued the fight back for Lewes with Dave Harding winning 3-0 against Andy Stanford and Reg Harding Jnr. beating Chris Walker 3-0. Dave’s win in 19, 15 and 15 darts, included the best finish of the evening 120 and gained him the man-of-the-match award for a 30.67 average. With the score now at 4-3 to Worthing Paul Paice was looking to secure the match for the Globe. He took the first leg against Rod Hawkins but the County star got back into the game with a 106 checkout. Paul again took the lead going out on 68 in the third leg but Rod came back to level the score with a 16 dart leg. The match score was then levelled, to the delight of the packed Club, when Rod secured a 3-2 win with a game shot of 78. The match decider appeared well balanced with Lee Gladman (pictured) taking the first leg for Worthing and Gavin Redshaw equalising for the Tally Ho with an 85 checkout. However Lee got the upper hand in the third leg, going out on in 15 darts including a 116 finish, with Gavin stranded on 160. The Worthing man then showed his scoring powers with three tons in succession to win the game in 16 darts and secure the Championship title for Worthing, for the first time in their thirty years in the League.

Sussex Start With A Win by Ian Holman

Roffey players, Jason Yates and Kez Botting were amongst the winners as Sussex beat Buckinghamshire 19-17 on the opening weekend of the BDO Inter-County Championship. The Mens 'B' squad did the county proud on the Saturday with a 10-2 result with wins from Andy Sexton, Ken Sowerby, Ian Perkins, Craig Deeley, Kez Botting, Simon Morris, Don Stone, Chris Gatford, Gary Edgar and Russell Vanner. Perkins taking man of the match with a 26.54 average in his 3-1 win against Brendan Docherty. Botting won his set 3-2 with a 21.86 average that included seven tons. The Ladies 'B' squad lost 4-2 with wins from Hayley Gatford and Laura MacIntosh giving Sussex an overnight lead of 12-6. Buckinghamshire fought back well on the Sunday as the Sussex Ladies 'A' squad drew 3-3 with wins from Donna Rainsley, Sam Harding and Lisa Tanner. after some close sets the Mens 'A' squad were made to work to see Sussex to victory as they trailed 8-2 with wins from Keith Price and Paul Russell. Michael Hammond then won to give Sussex an 18-17 lead and it was left to Jason Yates to seal victory as he came from one leg down to beat Peter Fennemore 3-1 with a 22.67 average. Buckinghamshire's Mark Day grabbed the Mens 'A' man of the match with a 28.36 average with legs of 18,18 and 17 darts. Paul Russell had the highest winning average for Sussex with a 26.08 average in a 3-2 win that included a 14 dart winning leg and a 128 finish. Neil Smith, who had been selected for the 'A' squad has decided to give the county scene a miss for the time being.

Justin Peters Wins Alan Bowyer Singles by Ian Holman
Bullseye

The Swan kept hold of the Alan Bowyer Singles Memorial Trophy as Justin Peters was spot on as he won the competition at the Labour Club on Monday 28th September without dropping a leg all night. The opening competition in the Crawley Monday League attracted an entry of 46 players with Peters making his way to the semi-finals where he beat Sperry's Steve Mecrow. In the other semi-final defending champion Adam Campbell beat Labour Club's Ian Holman 2-0 to make it an all Swan final. Dave Chamberlain of the Swan and Richard Dixon of The Lions both hit maximums. The Royal Oak's Paul Woods hit the highest finish of the night with a 130 and Labour Club duo Warren Grantham had finishes of 124 and 104 and Ian Holman a 112 finish. £200 was paid out in prize money, £90 to Peters, £45 to Campbell, £20 to Mecrow and Holman and £25 to the league's charity. Full results are here.

Worthing Win West Division Title by Ian Holman
Double Ten

Worthing won the Sussex County Super League West Division with an 8-1 win at Broadbridge Heath in their final league fixture. Worthing were strong favourites from the start of the season and finished the season with fifthteen wins and three defeats. Roffey were runners-up for the second year running after 8-1 and 7-2 wins against Bevendean Reds while last season's champions Crawley finished in third spot after losing their last match 6-3 against fourth placed Mid Sussex. Worthing go on to play in the league play-off against East Division champions Lewes on Wednesday 14th October at Roffey Social and Sports Club. The final league results and table can be found here. Final stats will be updated soon. This season each side in the West Division have their own page on this site which can be viewed from here.

Davis And Perkins Win Again by Ian Holman
added Monday 11th January 2010
Bull

Brighton duo Mark Davis and Ian Perkins continued their good form by winning the Mens Pairs at the St Peters New Year Open in Mitcham on Sunday 3rd January beating Peter Arnold and Lee Nicholas 3-0 in the final to take the £260 winning prize money. Along the way to the final they had some useful wins against Graham Hollis / Steve Mead, Aaron Turner / Paul Neat and Lionel Sams / Roy Turner. Perkins also collected £25 as he made it to the last eight of the Mens Singles. Crawley Open winner Clive Barden scooped £500 for winning the Mens Singles in an all Kent final, beating Nick Buckingham (£250) 4-0. Losing semi-finalists were Dave Webb and Tony Denman (£125 each). Tricia Wright (£125) beat Sharon Cullip (£60) 3-0 in the Ladies Singles final while Cullip and Julie Cartwright won the Ladies Pairs, beating Kathy Nye and Julie Barrett 3-0. The competition was well attended with almost £2000 paid out in prize money.

Perkins Retains Bournemouth Title by Ian Holman
added Tuesday 12th January 2010
Ian Perkins

Ian Perkins retained his Winton Winter Classic title in Bournemouth on Monday 28th December beating Hampshire's John Williams 5-1 in the final to collect £400 prize money. Fellow Sussex team mate Mark Davis made the last eight before being beaten 3-1. The previous day Perkins lost out in the final of the Poole Invitation Open, going down 4-3 in the final against Paul Hogan.

Mark Davis Wins Christmas Open by Ian Holman
added Monday 21st December 2009
Double Ten

Brighton's Mark Davis won this year's Christmas Open at the Labour Club on Sunday 20th December, beating last year's winner John Ferrell in the final. Davis's route to the final saw him beat Brian Charlton, Ian Holman, Steve Mecrow and semi-finalist Peter Sopp. Ferrell beat in-form Ian 'Sid' Perkins, Anthony Morley, Rob Cross and then Kevin Reilly in the semi-finals. Oliver Sopp beat Nathan Pearce in the Youth final while Ty Coward and Warren Grantham beat Ian Holman and Justin Terry in the Flying Pairs final. Davis picked up the impressive Joan and Andy Kane Christmas Open Cup as well as £140 in prize money.

More Success For Perkins by Ian Holman
added Monday 14th December 2009
Ian Perkins

Brighton's Ian 'Sid' Perkins (pictured) continued his excellent form yesterday (Sunday 13th December) when he beat Surrey's Steve Mead 5-2 in the final of the Purley Open. Perkins then made it a double when partnering Steve Mead in the Flying Pairs by taking the final 3-0.

Perkins In Great Form At Grand Prix by Barry Moody
added Monday 7th December 2009
Ian Perkins

The first of this season’s Holston sponsored Grand Prix events at the Roffey Club proved to be a money-spinner for Sussex County star Ian Perkins (pictured) from Brighton. Perkins scooped the top prize of £250 when he defeated the previous Essex winner Gary Miles, in the final of the Mens Singles then paired up with his Super League team-mate Mark Davis to share £140 by winning the Mens Pairs. All this after Perkins and Davis had won both these events at the Dave Young Memorial Open the previous day at Broadbridge Heath. Organisers Sussex Super League were well pleased with an entry of more than 130 competitors for the first of the new campaign, defying the severe weather conditions over the South East area. In the Mens Singles, Perkins came through a 99 strong field, reaching the final with wins against Dave Horan, Adam Campbell, Chris Clewer, Jim Withers, Billy Meakins and semi-finalist Spencer Ellis, Hastings. Gary Miles route to the final saw him beating Simon Welsh, Craig Deeley, Lee Williams, Richard Howson, Mark Davis and semi-finalist Andy Derrick, Tonbridge. The final was a high scoring affair with Perkins coming out on top 3-0. Eastbourne’s Norma Self celebrated her selection for the Sussex County team against London by defeating last year’s unbeaten Grand Prix winner Donna Rainsley 3-2, in the Ladies Singles final with Surrey girls Julie Hopkins and Penny Lambert the losing semi-finalists. The Sussex ladies again proved to be the best on the day when Elaine Chapman and Donna Rainsley won the Ladies Pairs, beating their County team mates Rhonda West and Sam Harding 3-0 in the final. The losing semi-finalists were Worthing duo Audrey Bowman and Helen Jones and from Surrey, Julie Hopkins and Penny Lambert. The Mens Pairs final was another Sussex v Essex classic with Brighton’s Davis and Perkins taking on the father and son duo Gary and Harry Miles. The match went to the fifth leg and ended with Perkins clinching a 3-2 win to take the £140 prize money. Losing semi-finalists here were Andy Sexton and Michael Donegan, Newhaven and Derrick and Ellis. The Youth Singles was strongly contested and again provided an all Sussex final. Brighton’s Ollie Sopp defeated his County team-mate Nathan Pearce 2-1 to collect the prize money and forty points with semi-finalists Tom Newbie, Surrey and Warren Grantham, Crawley. The ever popular Flying Pairs event finished off a busy day with a final featuring hot favourites Tony Ayres and Kez Botting. The form book went out of the window when Mark Davis and Chris Gallagher took the deciding leg to win 2-1 and collect the £90 prize money. Losing semi-finalists were Jim Withers /Simon Morris and Penny Lambert/Ian Perkins. The £1123 paid out in prize money was the best yet for one day’s events In the Grand Prix.

In-Form Perkins Wins Dave Young Memorial
by Barry Moody
added Tuesday 1st December 2009
Ian Perkins

Brighton star Ian 'Sid' Perkins (pictured) celebrated his elevation to the Sussex County “A” team next Sunday, when Sussex meet London in the Inter Counties League at the Roffey Social & Sports Club, by winning the “Dave Young “ Memorial Open at Broadbridge Heath Village Centre on Saturday 28th November. Perkins is on a winning streak after successive “B” team Man-of-the-Match awards for Sussex this season and recent wins at two Victoria Open events in Coulsden. He continued his run of form in this year’s tournament, staged to commemorate the well known Horsham player who passed away in 2003. Organisers Andy Mason and Dave Ansell were delighted to announce that the Help For Heroes charity will benefit by more than £240 from the day’s proceeds of an auction of darts shirts donated by PDC players. The Open field of sixty nine players included several top PDC and BDO stars and an early shock was the second round defeat of last year’s Champion Shane Burgess by Rob Cross from Edenbridge. Ian Perkins battled through to the final with wins against Stuart Cole, Dave Creasy, Tony Ayres, Andy Derrick and semi-finalist Eastbourne’s Paul Russell. His opponent on stage was Pelhams player Mick Clarke who progressed to the final by beating Jill Campbell-Miles, Bak Ko, Adam Hart, Dave Bullen and in the semi-finals Rob Cross. The final, scheduled over seven legs, proved to be a tale of top class finishing by Perkins who won 4-0 with a superb 27.08 average, to make him a deserved winner of the magnificent “Dave Young Memorial” Cup and the £300 first prize. Highest finish award was won by Sussex “A” team player Andy Derrick (Tonbridge) who collected the £50 award for his 164 checkout in his match against Perkins. The First Game Losers competition provided a win for Horley’s popular player Alex Whiteside who beat Richard Kinchin from Storrington in the final 3-2. Losing semi-finalists were Gary Trodd (Croydon) and Alan Wyatt (Horsham). The Open Pairs event finished off the day and saw Ian Perkins achieve a unique double, sharing the winner’s £110 prize money with his Brighton partner Mark Davis. This dynamic duo recently won the last in the series from the Surrey Grand Prix Pairs and here they defeated the Surrey pair of Gary Trodd and Danny King 3-1 in the final. Losing semi-finalists were Rob Cross/Bob Abbott and Mick Clarke/Alex Whiteside. Organisers, the Sussex County Super League, distributed more than £1030 in prize monies on the day from entry fees and sponsorship provided by Broadbridge Village Club, Andy Mason and Dave Ansell.

Perkins Wins Victoria Open by Ian Holman
added Monday 23rd November 2009
Ian Perkins

Sussex county player Ian 'Sid' Perkins (pictured) was in good form as he won the latest and his second Victoria Open in Coulsdon on Saturday 21st November taking out a 121 finish in the final leg of a 4-1 final win against Surrey's Ben Burton. In the semi-finals Perkins beat Lee Williams (Surrey) 3-1 and Burton nudged a 3-2 win against 18-year-old Harry Miles (Essex). Recently Perkins and fellow Sussex county player Mark Davis won the final pairs competition of the Surrey Grand Prix series when they beat Kurtis Atkins and Ryan Hitchens in the final.

Tough Weekend In Scotland For Ayres by Ian Holman
added Monday 9th November 2009
Tony Ayres

Billingshurst's Tony Ayres had a tough weekend in Scotland despite beating World Grand Prix Quarter-Finalist Jacko Barry. This was Ayres' only win of the weekend as he lost out to number one seed Ronnie Baxter 4-1 in the Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier in the opening round and was beaten again by the same man in the second round of the first of two Players Championships and then suffered a 6-1 loss in another opening round defeat in Sunday's Players Championship against Roland Scholten despite taking out a 12 dart leg (180, 85, 180, 56). Scholten was in top form hitting 7 maximums in the seven legs to Ayres' 4 maximums. Other results in the Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier saw Andy Relf beat Dave Ansell 4-0 in the Preliminary Round, Relf was then beaten 4-3 by Matt Draper in the First Round and Adrian Gray lost by the same score against Louis Blundell in the First Round. Steve Maish went on to beat Hampshire youngster Arron Monk 5-3 in the Final Qualifying Round. Other results in Saturday's Players Championship saw Andy Relf lose 6-2 against Mark Dudbridge, Dave Ansell lose 6-1 against Lionel Sams in the First Round. Adrian Gray won his First Round match 6-1 against Shayne O'Connor, he then beat Peter Manley 6-3 before going out 6-0 to Gary Anderson in the Third Round. Wes Newton won Saturday's final 6-5 against Steve Beaton. Sunday's Players Championship proved even better for Gray as he beat Matt Clark 6-5, Lee Williams 6-4 and Martyn Turner 6-5 to make the Fourth Round (last 16) where he lost out 6-2 against eventual runner-up Michael van Gerwen. Relf and Ansell both suffered First Round exits. Relf lost 6-4 to Wayne Atwood and Ansell lost 6-0 to Steve Hine. Colin Osborne beat van Gerwen 6-4 in the Final.

Just One Win For Ayres In Holland by Ian Holman
added Thursday 5th November 2009
Tony Ayres

Needing to pick up a decent return in the Players Championship events in Nuland, Holland over the weekend of 27th and 28th October to stand a chance of qualifying for the World Championships Tony Ayres came home with just one victory. This came in Saturday's competition as he beat Adrian Gray 6-4 in a Preliminary Round tie. Ayres then lost out to Toon Greebe 6-3 in the First Round. Greebe went on to beat Barrie Bates and Mark Walsh before losing a last leg decider against eventual runner-up Wes Newton. Steve Beaton won the competition with a 6-1 win in the final. Andy Relf was also a First Round casualty as he lost 6-4 against Pim van Veenendal. Ayres was defeated 6-5 by Steve Hine in the First Round of Sunday's competition. Gray also lost 6-5 against Wayne Jones and Andy Relf lost 6-2 against Peter Manley, both in the First Round. James Wade beat Brendan Dolan 6-2 in the final.

Ayres Beats Van Gerwen In Dublin by Ian Holman
Tony Ayres

Billingshurst's Tony Ayres (pictured) picked off another top scalp on the PDC circuit with a 6-5 win against former World Master Michael van Gerwen at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin in the Players Championship event held there on Saturday 3rd October. Having already beaten his Kings Arms teammate Dave Ansell 6-2 in the First Round Ayres beat the dutchman and was then knocked out in the Third Round (last 32) by eventual winner Adrian Lewis 6-3. Adrian Gray beat Stephen hardy 6-1 but then lost 6-5 against Mark Dudbridge while Davey Mansell and Andy Relf both suffered 6-3 First Round exits. Mansell lost against Andy Callaby and Relf against Dave Ladley. Lewis beat Andy Hamilton 6-4 in the final. In the second Players Championship event held on Sunday 4th October all five Sussex players were First Round casualties. Ayres lost 6-3 against Kirk Shepherd, Gray lost 6-3 against Steve Brown, Mansell lost 6-5 against Jonathan Overton and Relf lost 6-4 against Wayne Atwood. Phil Taylor went on to beat Wez Newton 6-1 in the final.

Sussex Youth Beat Dorset by Ian Holman
Sussex Youth started the new season with an 11-6 defeat in Devon. Sussex winners were Mark Fluck, Dave Hurd, Oliver Sopp and Joe Osman for the Under 18s and Matt Walton and Jake Watts for the Under 21s. This was followed by a 9-8 win against Dorset at Roffey Social & Sports Club on Sunday 27th September with wins from Nathan Pearce, Joe Osman, Aaron Edgar and Oliver Sopp for the Under 18s, Ellie Sopp, Emily White and Shona sawyer for the Girls and Ant Caswell and Greg Upton for the Under 21s. Further details will follow soon.

King Wins At Three Bridges Again by Ian Holman
Danny King (pictured) won yet another competition at Three Bridges Football Club on Friday 18th September. The 'open' competition run by the Crawley Summer League attracted a field of 48 players with King beating Jason Yates 2-1 in the final. In the semi-finals King beat Pete Crossley 2-0 and Yates beat England Open Boys Youth champion Nathan Pearce 2-1.

Gary Newman Wins Mid Sussex Comp by Ian Holman

Gary Newman (pictured) was in good form as he won the inaugural Mid Sussex Conservative Club Open on Sunday 13th September beating Ian 'Sid' Perkins 4-3 in the final. Newman checked out on 156 and 145 in his opening match before going on to beat super league teammates Dave Mansell and Dean Edlin to reach the final. In the final Perkins lead 3-1 before Newman won three straight legs to collect the winners trophy and £100 in prize money.

James Wade Wins At Surrey Grand Prix by Ian Holman

World number two James Wade (pictured) was a surprise entry in the fifth in the series of six Surrey Grand Prix events at the New Haw Social Club on Saturday 12th September. after some tight matches Wade won the mens singles beating Paul Neate 4-3 in the final having beaten Rob Feeley 3-1 in the last 32, Ian 'Sid' Perkins in the last 16 3-2, Tony Ayres 3-2 in the quarter-finals (Ayres hit two 180s in this match) and Doug Harwood 4-2 in the semi-finals. In the mens pairs Mark Davis and Perkins beat Tony Ayres and Ian Holman in the quarter-finals but then lost out in the semi's against eventual winners Aaron Turner and Neate. Youngster, Joe Davis reached the final of the youth competition where he lost out to the more experienced Kurtis Atkins.

Ayres Beats Gary Anderson In Austria by Ian Holman
Tony Ayres

Tony Ayres (pictured) played in his first PDC competitions since the Las Vegas Desert Classic last weekend (5th and 6th September) in Salzburg, Austria. Needing to move up the Players Championship Order of Merit to stand a chance of qualifying for the World Championships at the end of the year Ayres picked up a valuable £500 in prize money. In Saturday's competition he beat Joe Cullen 6-1 in the first round and then went on to beat Gary Anderson 6-3 for a place in the last 32. Unfortunately this is where T-man's run came to an end as he lost to Germany's Michael Rosenauer 6-3. Dave Ansell beat Davor Bradara 6-0 in the preliminary round then lost 6-3 against Gary Blades. Andy Relf lost 6-2 in the first round against Colin Lloyd whilw Adrian Gray was beaten by eventual champion Adrian Lewis 6-0 in the first round. Rosenauer went on to lose 6-5 to Lewis in the quarter-finals. Lewis's win included a nine dart leg as he beat Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez 6-4 in the final. In the second event on the Sunday Tony Ayres beat Reinhard Holzer 6-0 in the first round and then lost to Steve Beaton 6-3 in the second round. Adrian Gray made it to the last 16 with wins against Michael Barnard 6-3, Maik Langendorf 6-1, Steve Maish 6-3 and Steve Brown 6-5. He then lost out to Vincent van der Voort 6-5. There were first round defeats for Dave Ansell and Andy Relf. Ansell lost 6-1 against Gary Welding and Relf lost by the same score against Brendan Dolan. Jamie Caven won the event with a 6-2 win against Steve Beaton in the final.

Nathan Loses Out In Masters by Ian Holman
Nathan Pearce

Nathan Pearce (pictured) was eliminated in the first round of the Boys Winmau Masters Singles in Bridlington on Friday 4th September, losing 4-0 against Northern Ireland's Kevin Winsink. Surrey's Kurtis Atkins also lost in the opening round, 4-2 against Republic of Ireland's Mark Finneran. Jamie Lewis of Wales went on to win the title. In the Men's competition John Ferrell beat Northern Ireland's Andy Martin by three sets to two before going out 3-1 against England's Ian White in the next round. Rod Hawkins lost in the first round 3-2 against Belgium's Davyd Venken. Martin Adams beat Robbie Green 7-6 in the final to retain the trophy. Donna Rainsley was in good form as she made it to the last 32 of the Women's Masters beating the Netherland's Wilke Heinemans 4-2 and Surrey's Apylee Jones 4-1. Rainsley missed out on a place in the last 16 when she lost to eventual winner Linda Ithurralde from England 4-3. The Girls Masters was won by England's Zoe Jones.

Donna Rainsley Does County Proud In World Pro Playoffs by Ian Holman

In the Women's World Pro Playoffs held in Bridlington on Thursday 3rd September Donna Rainsley (pictured) made it all the way to the last eight where she lost out to eventual qualifier Rhian Edwards 3-2 having beaten Lynn Gilham 3-0, Jan Robbins 3-1, Nicola O'Donovan 3-1 and Michelle Webber 3-2. In the Men's competition Sussex had three players competing. John Ferrell (pictured) made it to the last 32 with wins against Steven Plunk and Ian Jolly, both by two sets to nil before losing 2-0 against Scotland's John Henderson who went on to qualify for the main draw in Lakeside next January. Paul Russell and Rod Hawkins both lost out 2-1 in their opening matches against Dutch players. Russell lost to Willem Mandigers and Hawkins to Jac Proosten.

Clive Barden Wins Crawley Open by Ian Holman
Clive Barden won the 2009 Crawley Open on Monday 31st August from an entry of 83 players, beating John Ferrell 3-0 in scintillating fashion in the final. Losing semi-finalists were Phil Brindley and John Jenkinson. Further details to follow.

Ayres Wins Surrey Competition by Ian Holman
Tony Ayres

Tony Ayres (pictured) picked up £220 in prize money as he won the latest Surrey Grand Prix Mens Singles title on Saturday 22^nd August at the New Haw Social Club, beating Aaron Turner 4-0 in the final. On route to the final Ayres beat Mark Davis in the quarter-finals and Danny King in semi-finals. This was the fourth in the series of six Surrey Grand Prix events that features Mens and Ladies Singles , Mens and Ladies Pairs and Youth Singles. The first Grand Prix Mens Singles final saw Aaron Turner beat Johnny Haines in the final with Ian Holman making the quarter-finals. In the second Grand Prix, John Watson beat Ben Burton in the Mens Singles final with Tony Ayres making the quarter-finals. Former World Championship semi-finalist Dave Askew beat Ian Perkins in the third Mens Singles final as Mark Davis made the quarter-finals. Current overall leaders are Aaron Turner (Mens), Laura Turner (Ladies) and Kurtis Atkins (Youth). The next Grand Prix event takes place on Saturday 12^th September. Further details can be found here.

Ayres Retains S & B Singles Title by Ian Holman
Tony Ayres

Billingshurst's Tony Ayres (pictured) retained the S & B Singles at the Crawley Labour Club on Sunday 16th August, coming back from 1-0 down and 2-1 down to beat Guildford's Rob Feeley 3-2 in an entertaining final that saw Feeley hit two maximums. Losing semi-finalists were Danny King and Lee Burlton.

Reilly & Colgate Win Chairman's Cup by Ian Holman
Kevin Reilly and Alan Colgate were the winners of this years Chairman's Cup (flying pairs) competition at the Labour Club on Sunday 16th August beating Chris Gallagher and Lauren Hitchens 2-1 in the final.

John Ferrell Makes British Masters Semis by Ian Holman

Sussex County player John Ferrell (pictured) did the county proud when he made it to the last four of this years British Masters at Daventry on Sunday 16th August. Ferrell beat Simon Whalley (Essex) 3-1, David Burrill (Avon) 3-2 and Andrew Keen (Bedfordshire) 3-2 before losing out to eventual winner Reece Robinson (Hampshire) 3-2 in the last four. Robinson went on to beat Kent's Steve Douglas 3-0 in the final. In the Ladies competition Laura MacIntosh also went out to the eventual winner Apylee Jones 3-0 in the opening round. Jones beat Oxfordshire's Linda Jones 3-2 in the final.

Crawley Narrowly Miss Out In Final by Ian Holman
Last year's Sussex Super League champions Crawley almost caused an upset when they came up against Surrey champions Rhodrons in the final of the Regional Play-Offs of the British Champions Cup. al Roffey Social & Sports Club on Sunday 2nd August. Crawley were given a bye to the semi-finals where wins from Colin Whiley, Kevin Fishwick, Adam Campbell, Andy Gurr, Tony Ayres and Ron Clarke earnt them a 6-3 win against Berkshire champions Debbie's Boys. Rhodrons won through to the final with wins against Middlesex champions Father Teds and the Kent champions Tovill Club. The opening four sets in the final were played alongside each other with the Surrey side taking a 3-1 lead as former PDC player Jimmy Mann came from 2-0 down to beat Colin Whiley 3-2, World number 14, Mark Walsh beat Andy Gurr 3-0, Ronnie Godbeer beat Steve Mecrow 3-0 with Crawley's win coming from a 3-0 win from Ron Clarke against Grant Firmager. The final five games were then played with Crawley needing to win four of the five sets to snatch a win. Things were firmly put in Rhodrons favour when Paul Moreton beat Kevin Fishwick 3-0. Tony Ayres gave Crawley hope when his 3-1 win against Mark (Spike) Harris soon followed. Nick Edwards then completed a 3-1 win against Andy Turnbull and Adam Campbell finished off a 3-1 win against Keith Holmes. The result came down to the set between Phil Smith and Lionel Sams which was being played ironically on the stage. Smith had earlier taken a 2-0 lead but the former top 30 PDC player fought back well to win 3-2 and deny Crawley victory and a trip to the finals in Daventry.

Pearce Wins England Youth Singles by Ian Holman
Nathan Pearce

Roffey Royals and Team Mason's Nathan Pearce (pictured) won the England Open Boys Youth Singles at Selsey on Sunday 28th June, checking out on 100 in the deciding leg of the Final against Matthew Hall. Having received a bye into the last 32 Pearce started off with 2-0 wins against Gary Thorne, Jacob Watts and Sam Fuller. In the Semi-Finals the Sussex county youth player beat the Labour Club's Easter Open winner Kurtis Atkins 2-0 before he took on Hall in the best of five leg Final. The Final saw Pearce record a 22.87 average. The tournament win for Pearce also earnt him a spot in the Winmau World Masters Youth Championships to be held in Bridlington in September. The previous day in the Mens Singles, this year's Merit Cup winner Jason Yates came through four rounds to make the last 32 with wins against Robin Hunt 3-1, Chris Stevens 3-2, Joe Clark 3-0 and Joey Ten Berge 3-0. In the round of the last 32 Yates lead 2-0 against eventual Quarter-Finalist Vegard Elvevoll before going down 3-2.

PDC Order of Merit (15th Mar 2010)
48 Adrian Gray	287 Shayne Burgess
64 Tony Ayres	383 Davey Mansell
142 Jim Withers	--- Dave Ansell
189 Andy Relf	--- Andy Mason
236 Danny King	--- Matthew Wenham
278 Ian Perkins

Latest Results
(Monday 1st March 2010) Crawley Monday League 'A' Division
Labour Club	7-2	The Lions
Labour Reds	5-4	Con Club Bumbles
The Moonraker	0-9	The Swan
Royal Oak	4-5	Sperry