Salopians hit top form to boost their promotion bid

The ladies’ B team got Salopians off to a fine start with a 4-2 success.

Victories by Paula Davies and Sue Lane (13.81 one dart average) got the ball rolling. And despite setbacks for Karen Weston (13.70) and Kate Leach, deciding leg wins for Claire Boyle and Rachel Williams (13.40) closed out a second successive victory for the ladies.

Gary Crowther (23.12) increased the overall advantage by winning the first men’s B game only for Salopians’ progress to be checked with back-to-back defeats.

Salopians replied with a 3-0 success from Ben Bevan only for M&R to take the next clash to cut the overall deficit to one.

But that would be as good as it got for the Welshman as the Salopians took the remaining seven games. Paul Ashworth, Robert Paine and Steven Ritchie all recorded 3-0 wins before Mark Jones rounded off a fine B team performance by checking out 76 in the fifth and deciding leg of the final match as Salopians established a 13-5 overnight lead.

The ladies’ A, through Julie Griffiths, increased the lead before M&R replied with Sharron Shepherd beating Evonne Taylor, who had earlier checked out on 112 to finish off a 15-dart leg.

Allison Gallagher extended the ladies’ lead which was converted into a fourth overall victory of the season following wins for Steph Clark (23.86) and Sarah Roberts. Tracey Dean won the final game on her debut to put the Salopians 18-6 ahead.

Joe Higgins gave the men’s A side the prefect start but M&R hit back to move ahead in the A section.

Salopians quickly regained control and wins from by John Roberts, Ash Hilditch and Paul Rowley, Scott Dockerty and Mark Crutchley (27.33) secured the victory.

A man-of-the match display from Terry Nash (32.32), who used just 62 darts to claim four legs, and wins from Ben Morgan and Kacey Jones completed a 10-2 section win.

Salopians are now fourth in the table with games in hand over most counties in the league.