This document contains reports for matches during the Summer 1997 season. They are in reverse order so that the latest is at the top
| 15 September | St Annes | won 8-1 |
| 8 September | St Annes (Away) | won 6-3 |
| 1 September | Aquarius (Home) | won 5-4 |
| 18 August | Chelmsley Wood Royal British Legion (Away) | won 6-3 |
| 11 August | The Raven (Away) | lost 1-8 |
| 4 August | St Annes Mixed (Away) | won 8-1 |
| 28 July | St Annes (Away) | won 7-2 |
| 21 July | Aquarius (Home) | won 5-4 |
| 14 July | Chelmsley Wood Royal British Legion (Away) | won 5-4 |
| 7 July | The Raven (Home) | lost 4-5 |
| 30 June | St Annes Mixed (Home) | won 5-4 |
| 23 June | St Annes (Home) | lost 4-5 |
| 16 June | The Aquarius (Away) | lost 4-5 |
| 9 June | Chelmsley Wood Royal British Legion (Home) | won 8-1 |
| 2 June | The Raven (Away) | lost 3-6 |
| Played | Won | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 10 | 5 | 79 | 56 | 20 |
This last game of the season started in confusion. We thought we were playing at St Annes but, just before we left, Bob Harris rang from St Annes to say that they were on their way back. Checking the fixture sheet showed that we were indeed at home. Once St Annes arrived we found out that, despite last week's win, we were in third place in the league, The Aquarius having won 8-1 against St Annes Mixed. Wih the Aquarius playing the league champions, The Raven, we needed a good win to clinch second spot.
Bomber Harris led off against one of the Danks brothers, St Annes better players. Jason Danks played well below his best and allowed Bob a comfortable 2-0 win. Deano Willis played at number two and put in a super performance to win 2-0. The Old Bill moved up the order to number three, had a good first leg and then won a rather scrappy second.
In at number three came Bud Reid to play the other Danks brother. This was Bud's best performance of the season capped with a thirteen dart game in the second leg. Match score now 4-0.
Steve 'the dart' Davies played at number five having been the only player to lose last time the teams met. Indeed he was playing the same opponent and you could see the pressure in Steve's face. He struggled to break in the first leg and took forever to hit double one at the end of it. He did though and then relaxed winning the second quite easily.
Cowboy Dave put in another good performance at number six also winning 2-0. His improvement this season has been marvellous to watch and he should be one of our key players in the winter season. Bulldog played himself at number seven and played well to win 2-0. The match score was now 7-0 and we had not dropped a leg in the singles.
Husband and wife team Super Simon and Christine 'The Bogeywoman' Moss played in the first doubles. Both threw well but were beaten by better finishing. Last up were Alan 'as been Smith and Cowboy Dave. They played the Danks brothers and had a good win.
Well that's it for the Summer season. We still don't know our final position in the league but The Aquarius would have had to beat The Raven 7-2 for us not to have at least a share of second place. I will be updating this page for the winter season and will try to publish some individual statistics once I've worked them out so please keep visiting this site. If you would like to suggest any improvements to the site please use the guest book.
After last week's important win over the Aquarius, this proved a fairly relaxing game. On paper St Annes is a strong team and the latest league showed them in fourth place but with a chance of second. They did not really provide any evidence of this form in this match. Incidentally our league position was joint second with the Aquarius, both teams having a record of played 13 won 8 lost 5 for 65 against 52 points 16, with two games remaining.
Back to the match. Bomber Harris played at number one, won the first leg convincingly but then struggled to finish the second. A stronger opponent would have made him pay for some sloppy throwing but Bob won 2-0. At number two Mr Cool returned to the singles but did not throw well eventually losing 2-1.
Bud Reid also made a return to the singles this week and threw competently to win 2-0. Deano Willis played at number four, had a cracking 13 dart first leg, only just managed to break in the second and then threw steady darts in the third to win 2-1.
The Old Bill played at number five and had a strange game. He struggled to start in the first leg but won it, broke first dart in the second but lost and then struggled to break in the third and won. Match score now 4-1.
Cowboy Dave was still brimming with confidence after last week's superb performance. This week he went about his business like a rancher rounding up his cattle. It was a cool display, though not as cool as Craig, and meant that the match was decided with three legs still to play. His 2-0 win shows that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the winter. Last up in the singles was Jeff 'No Fear' Tune. It was obvious that he prefers the early slots as he was soundly beaten in the first leg. His opponent then must have taken pity on him and Jeff somehow managed to win the next two. It wasn't pretty but it was effective.
With the match won, Bulldog played The Dart and The Bogeywoman in the first doubles and himself and Super Simon in the second. Unfortunately both pairings lost although none of them threw badly.
There is now one match to go and we know that The Aquarius have got to play league champions The Raven. We have to play the weaker of the two St Annes teams who we have already beaten 5-4 at home and 8-1 away. It's a funny old game though and we won't be counting any chickens.
This was the match we had to win and the team was up for it. Bulldog thought hard and long before selecting what he believed to be his strongest side.
Bomber Bob Harris returned to number one and lost 2-0 to The Aquarius' star player. Both players threw well and the game could have gone either way. At number two was Jeff 'No Fear' Tune. Jeff broke and finished well in both legs in his 2-0 win. At number three Deano Willis was back from holiday looking tanned and relaxed (Deano is disappointed that no young women have sent him any email or messages via the guest book). Deano threw steady darts on his return and won 2-0 quite comfortabley.
The Old Bill, reinstated at number four, showed why he is top of the averages for The Dream Team. Good breaks of 60 and 80, steady scoring, and lethal, if unusual (Bill finished the first leg double 18 double 11), finishing led to an emphatic 2-0 win and a match score of 3-1.
Number five spot was taken by Lee 'the cab' Featherstone who broke and scored well. Unfortunately Lee couldn't finish and lost 2-0.
Game number six was the game of the night. Cowboy Dave Downes rode into town with his guns blazing. He stampeded through the first leg against an opponent who has beaten Deano on the last two occasions against the Aquarius. In the second leg Cowboy failed to break with his first 12 darts. His opponent meanwhile was down to below 100. Dave threw back his poncho, lit a cheroot, pulled his hat down at the front and went for his guns. 142 break, 81, 42 and double 18 in 10 darts and it was all over. His opponent lay in the middle of the road waiting for the undertaker. Dave blew the smoke from the end of his darts and rode off into the sunset. Yippee Ki Yay!
Last up in the singles was Alan Smith. Alan the 'as been has put his board up at home and is improving each week. This week featured a 160 in amongst some steady scoring and he won 2-0. With the match won, Bulldog played Bud Reid and Craig in the first doubles and himself and Steve 'the dart' Davies in the second. Unfortunately both pairings lost although none of them threw badly.
This was the match we had to win. Wins in our last two matches should give us second place in the league. Watch this space.
Back to winning ways again but it was closer than the score suggests.
Super Simon Moss again played at number one but should lose the Super tag. Simon played one of the weaker members of the opposition team and if he had thrown half as well as he can he would have walked it. Unfortunately, despite several good practice games earlier in the evening, Simon struggled to break failed to score much above 30 and couldn't finish, even with at least 24 darts at the double in both legs.
Jeff 'No Fear' Tune played at number two and easily won 2-0 as did Bomber Harris at number three. Lee 'the cab' Featherstone returned at number four and played the opposition captain. She threw good darts as did Lee but he couldn't hit his double and she did. Match score now 2-2.
The Old Bill Townsend dropped down a spot this week and came up against the best player that the CWRBL played in the singles. Bill was comprehensively beaten 2-0. Alan Smith moved up the order to number six and won his game quite comfortably. Last in the singles was Cowboy Dave who also produced a competent performance to win 2-0. Match score now 4-3.
Last time we played the CWRBL the score was 3-4 and we had to win both doubles games to win. This time the task was slightly easier although the CWRBL put four good players in the doubles (Why they weren't in the singles is anyone's guess). First up were Steve 'the Dart' Davies and Bud Reid. Bud felt he had a point to prove and threw very well supported ably by Steve. With the match won Alan and Jeff were able to relax and stormed to a win in the last doubles.
Next week is Bank Holiday so there's no game. If there are enough of us we might have a "friendly" against the A team, but our thoughts will be looking to the following week and the crucial home game against the Aquarius.
This match was a case of "after the Lord Mayor's Show" with an 8-1 loss following an 8-1 win. Both Deano Willis and Mr Cool Craig Townsend were away on holiday but it is doubtful that their presence would have made a difference.
Super Simon Moss was brought back into the team and played at number one. The first leg was very one sided with Simon struggling to break. The second leg was much closer and indeed Simon reached his double first. Unfortunately the pressure was too much for him and he lost 2-0. Bomber Harris played at number two also losing 2-0. Jeff 'No Fear' Tune came in at number three and threw very good darts to win 2-1. The recovery was short lived however.
The Old Bill was our number four but he struggled losing 2-0. Steve 'the dart' Davies played at number five without his family there this time but, although he threw better than last week he also lost. Cowboy Dave returned to the side at number six but was unable to find his form losing 2-0. Last up in the singles was Alan 'as been' Smith who showed flashes of form but still lost.
In an attempt to gain some respectability Bulldog played Bill and Steve and Alan and Dave in the doubles but both pairings lost close games. Whilst this was a disappointing result, The Raven are undoubtedly the best team in the league and will deserve the title. The match was closer than the score suggests with many of the Dream Team having chances to win legs and indeed games. Second place is still there to go for and we believe that we will make it. The crucial game will be against The Aquarius on September 1st but we are at home and should win.
Before starting this report I would like to thank Nick Steenstra of Hendersonville, North Carolina for leaving his comments in our Guest Book . We are always interested in hearing from other people with an interest in darts.
This week's team saw only one change from the side which won last week. Bulldog dropped himself and let Mr Cool back into the side. So Bomber (or Rolf) Harris started at number one. Bomber had been at the venue for some time practising and so his arm was warmed up. The same was not necessarily true of his brain as the following will demonstrate. Bob lost the first leg but then won the second. In the third Bob threw well and was ahead of his opponent who had struggled to break. Bomber somehow managed to leave himself 11, he walked up to the oche and calmly threw 5, double 4. The checker, Old Bill Townsend, said "Game" Bomber shook hands with his opponent and they turned to leave. "Hang on" said the marker "that's not right, that's too many.". The players and the checker looked again and had to agree. Bob's opponent threw his next three darts but didn't finish. Bob again walked to the oche needing 11. This time, with even more style, he threw 5, double 2. "Game" said Old Bill and the players again shook hands. "Hang on" said the marker "that's not right. You still need double one". Bob said "Oh" , walked back to the oche, still holding his last dart, and threw the double one he needed. "Game" said Old Bill and this time Bob and his opponent were able to shake hands and walk away.
Jeff 'No Fear' Tune came next competently dispatching his opponent 2-0 without breaking sweat. Deano ('Can you repeat that I'm young free and single') Willis again played at number three. Dean is one of this season's most imporved players and he produced a storming display, including a 160, to win 2-0. The Old Bill played at number 4 with Bomber checking. The opposition presented Bob with a calculator but he had little time to use it as Bill raced to a 2-0 win. Match score now 4-0
Steve 'the dart' Davies played at number five with his family there to watch him. Whether this put him off or whether it was his opponent, Steve could not hit his doubles and eventually lost 2-1. Enter Mr Cool on his return. Throwing very well Craig won 2-0 and secured the match win. Alan ''as been' Smith threw last in the singles and struggled against a good woman opponent but eventually won 2-1.
Having won the match, Bulldog played himself and 'Super' Simon Moss in the first doubles. Both threw well reaching the double whilst the opposition still had over 200 on the board. A couple of misses and a coupe of good scores by the opposition made the game look closer than it was but the outcome was not in doubt. In the last doubles 'Cowboy' Dave made a return plying with the player of the night Deano. It wasn't a great game but it was a winning one.
Before this match the Dream Team were lying in third place in the league behind the Raven and the Aquarius. A win against the Aquarius next Match would put us into second place with first place well within reach.
Apologies first for the delay in publishing this report but work commitments meant that your normal correspondent was unable to witness the Dream Team's latest heroics. A source close to the team (my wife actually) was able to provide me with enough information to write the following report.
Bob 'Bomber' Harris threw first after a week's absence and played well to win 2-0. Jeff 'No Fear' Tune threw next also winning 2-0. Dean kept his number three spot and won 2-0 without really throwing great darts. The Old Bill Townsend also retained his usual position and after a few shaky weeks produced his normal performance winning 2-0. Match score now 4-0.
Steve 'the dart' Davies came in at number five and played very well to win the first leg. He lost the second but gritted his teeth to win the third and secure the match win. The determination shown by Steve would have been useful for Bulldog, our captain. Unfortunately he played poorly and lost 2-0. Alan 'We haven't got a nickname for him' Smith played at number seven, lost the first leg and could have lost the second had he not thrown a magnificent 150 finish when his opponent was on a double. He was also behind in the third leg but stuck to his task to win the game.
With the match secured, Bulldog gave games in the doubles to two of our less regular players. Lisa 'the laugh' Hawkes played with Bomber and although they lost it was Lisa who threw the best darts. Chris 'the Bogeywoman' played with Mr Cool Craig Townsend in the second doubles game. Chris threw by far the better darts and the game was easily won.
This win takes the Dream Team to an astounding played nine won five position. Bulldog has predicted that the team will not lose another game this season and, with more arrows hitting the target than at Custers Last Stand, who will say that he is wrong.
As I write this my hands are still shaking with excitement. A glorius win in what has to be the longest match ever, leaves the Dream Team with a played eight, won four, lost four record. They have now won as many games this season as in the previous two seasons combined. This was also the first time that they have won two consecutive games. It almost didn't happen though, read on.
With Bomber Harris and Alan Smith both absent, Jeff 'No Fear' Tune made a welcome return. Still in some pain after his mauling by his own dog, Jeff played at number one and produced the best darts he has thrown so far this season. Unfortunately they were not quite good enough and were matched by some equally good darts by his opponent, who finished on 101 in the third leg . Lee 'The Cab' Featherstone moved up the order to number two this week by request and justified the move with a fighting display to win 2-1. The Old Bill retained his number three spot despite two consecutive losses. He was in no mood to make it three in a row and, despite not throwing his best darts, won convincingly 2-0.
Deano Willis came up against an opponent who he had played before and who he desperately wanted to beat. He threw well but the added personal pressure eventually told as he lost 1-2. Cowboy Dave threw at five and produced his best performance of the season. It was a gritty rather than elegant game with Dave coming out of it as the 2-1 winner. At number six Steve 'the Dart' Davies made a return to the team and won 2-1 in another close but long game. Match score now 4-2
Captain 'Bulldog' Terry Galt played himself at number seven needing to win to secure the match. In all three legs he threw well, outplaying his opponent, but struggled to finish. During this game last orders were called at the bar and the food arrived, normally this is served after the match. Bulldog lost the singles 2-1 and then decided to play himself with Lee The Cab in the first doubles game. Neither player threw well and they were well beaten. Match score now 4-4.
It was left to the Old Bill and No Fear Jeff to play the last game. They produced steady but uninspiring darts, but fortunately so did their opponents. The opposition reached their double first however and had nine darts at it before Jeff stepped up requiring 62. His first dart was for treble ten but slipped into the 15. Steadying himself Jeff carefully threw another into the 15 and then after a little glance, fired the last dart into the double sixteen. A massive cheer rang round the Farthings, both from the Dream Team and from the 'A' team, who had returned from a 9-0 thrashing by the Minworth Social but who gave good support. The match finished around 10:45 with the entire team, players and non-players, feeling drained but elated.
Finally, the Dream Team are also a lucky team. Last week Clive Carroll won the card twice at the Chelmsley Wood Legion and then won £100 on their fruit machine. This week, after some persuading, Bud Reid took the card round. Both his numbers were then drawn out leaving him £15 better off. He's already volunteered to run the card at the next home game.
At last!!! A bit of good fortune goes the Dream Team's way. After a number of matches where the Dream Team should have won but lost, a match where they should have lost but won. Having beaten the opposition 8-1 when playing them at the Farthings, the team approached this match with some confidence. 16 of the 17 players registered were present, the absentee being Jeff 'No Fear' Tune still recovering from being mauled by his own dog.
Bob Harris started proceedings playing well to win 2-0. Deano Willis came next and played extremely well to also win 2-0. Old Bill Townsend came next and suprisingly lost for the second week running as did Bud Reid playing at number four. Things then went from bad to worse with Cowboy Dave Downes returning to the team and getting hammered 2-0 and Lee 'the Cab' Featherstone losing 2-1 in a game he could, and should, have won. Match score now 2-4.
Last up in the singles was Alan Smith making his singles debut after winning in the doubles last week. This was a scrappy game and Alan could, and should, have lost. He stuck in there though eventually winning 2-1.
Needing to win both doubles games, Bulldog picked two strong pairings. First Bob and Alan won a very good game which could have gone either way. Last up were Deano and Craig 'Mr Cool' Townsend. Dean started with a ton and turned away smiling only to have the smile wiped from his face as the opposition threw 120. Both pairs matched each other dart for dart, some good some dire, reached their doubles at about the same time, and then proceeded to miss consistently. Eventually both pairs required double one and, after a few more throws at it from all players, Deano eventually hit it and raised both arms as the cheer went up from the capacity crowd.
Two steps forward, one step back. That's the story of the Dream Team's season so far. A win last week had the team in bouyant mood. Bob Harris had returned from holiday but unfortunately 'No Fear' Jeff did not show. He had apparently been savaged by his own dog??!! There was only one change to last week's team therefore with Bob replacing Jeff at number one. Bob won his game 2-0 giving the team the start they wanted against their bogey team. Unfortunately there was little to cheer about from then until the sixth game.
Deano (He told me to put "Young Free and Single") Willis played well but lost 0-2. Old Bill Townsend never showed any form as he crashed to his first loss of the season 0-2 (he will be back!!). Super Simon Moss looked anything but super, as nerves again got the better of him, losing 0-2. I feel that the captain will probably rest Simon for a few games now. Mr Cool, Craig Townsend, was at number five. He lost the first leg but then rallied well to win the second. Unfortunately he struggled to break in the third leg and lost 1-2. Match socre now 1-4
After his debut win last week Lee Featherstone retained the number six spot. This was a cracking game of darts with Lee coming back from losing the first leg to record a good 2-1 win. Bud Reid had the number seven spot needing to win to make the doubles count. To be fair to Bud, he threw quite well, should have won the first leg and was beaten by good darts in the second. Match score now 2-5
In an attempt to make the score look respectable, Terry played two strong doubles pairings. Bob Harris and Old Bill easily won the first game and Lee 'The Cab' Featherstone was joined by new signing Alan Smith and won the second game, although a little less comfortably.
As promised Terry made some changes to the team for this match. The first change was at number one with Bob Harris on holiday, his place being taken by the returning Jeff 'No Fear' Tune. Jeff was obviously still in holiday mood, never hitting form and losing 1-2. Deano Willis retained the number two spot winning 2-0 with some style. Old Bill Townsend played one of the lady members of the St Annes team and lost the first leg losing his 100% record. He recovered however to win the next two legs.
The next change to the team was the introduction of Simon Moss for his season debut in place of Steve Davies. Although playing one of the oppositions's best players there was no real excuse for the 0-2 loss. Simon struggled to start in the first leg and did not score fast enough in the second. The potential is obviously there though and I feel that his time will come. Mr Cool, Craig Townsend was up next. Possibly a little lucky to be playing at all after two poor performances, Craig rose to the occasion winning 2-0. Match score now 3-2.
With the results of the last two weeks in mind no one was counting chickens new signing Lee Featherstone played at number six and although he played rather nervously he showed some signs of talent in his 2-0 win. Bud Reid came next moved down to the number seven spot to consolidate the back end of the team (Well actually he was there because the captain made a cock-up in picking the team). Bud never looked in trouble as he won 2-0 guaranteeing the win.
Both doubles pairings lost. The first saw Lisa 'the laugh' and Chris 'the bogeywoman' play together. Neither, unfortunately, ever got going. In the final game Bulldog joined another new signing, Clive Carroll. Terry started well but quickly declined to his form of previous weeks. Despite finishing poorly the team win now leaves the Dream Team with a played five won two record which compared to the winter's played 12 won 2 record is a minor miracle. Let's hope it can be sustained.
Despite the disappointing result of last week, the team were in high spirits with Bulldog Terry Galt providing new T-Shirts designed and printed by him. Indeed the high spirits seemed to have carried into the darts as the Dream Team won the first three games.
Jeff Tune was on holiday and his number one spot was taken by new signing Bob Harris. Bob produced a competent performance in his 2-0 win. Dean managed to win 2-1 although he struggled in the second leg. Old Bill Townsend was magnificent and a little unlucky. In the first leg in one throw Bill put his first dart in the treble 20, the second bounced out of the same bed and the third went into the treble knocking the first dart out before falling out itself. Bill still won the leg and the next where he only needed 12 darts despite socring seven with three of them.
Craig 'Mr Cool' Townsend threw in the fourth leg but lost 0-2. Bud Reid struggled to finish in the second leg of his game but still won 2-0. The score was now 4-1. Steve 'the dart' Davies was very disappointing again losing 0-2 and 'Bulldog' Terry Galt never looked the same player as last week also losing 0-2. Score now 4-3.
Bill and Dave Downes played the first doubles game and had nine darts at a double but lost. With the score at 4-4 Terry was joined by Bob Harris for the final game. As in the final game last week this was a very close game of doubles with the lead swinging first one way and then the other. Bulldog and Bob also had nine darts at the double but, although Bob hit the wire, failed to close out the game. This result left the team feeling sick as the proverbial parrot and Terry has promised sweeping changes for next week.
This was a disappointing result following last week's win against CWRBL. It was an exciting contest however.
Jeff Tune won the first game 2-1, his third win in a row, but still did not look at his best. Dean Willis played well in the second game but lost 0-2.Bill Townsend continued his impressive 100% record with a 2-0 win in the third but his son Craig was unable to follow his example losing 0-2. Bud Reid had his first outing of the season and was an impressive 2-0 winner to take the match score to 3-2.
The turning point of the match probably came in the sixth game when Steve Davies was well ahead in both legs but could not finish. The captain Terry Galt played superbly to win the last singles game 2-0 and to take the match score to 4-3.
Bill and Dave Downes played the first doubles game but could not beat two very good players. With the score at 4-4 Terry was joined by Simon Moss for the final game. This was a very close game of doubles with the lead swinging first one way and then the other. The Dream Team reached their double first but both players failed to hit it. The Aquarius on the other hand hit theirs straight away to wrap up the match.
Tension was high at the start of this match. The first home game of the season and the first since the refurbishment of the Farthings. This, together with having to play a team new to the league, made the game a real journey into the unknown.
Jeff Tune was far from impressive although he won the first game 2-0. Dean Willis also did not look comfortable but won 2-1. Bill Townsend won 2-0 as did Craig. Cowboy Dave Downes played better than the 0-2 scoreline suggests. Steve Davies was a comfortable winner and captain Terry Galt struggled to win 2-1. This left the score 6-1 after the singles.
The first doubles game saw husband and wife team Simon and Christine Moss win with relative ease whilst the second saw a winning debut for Lisa 'the laugh' Hawkes playing with Bud Reid. Strangely, following this 8-1 win, there were few complaints from the Dream Team about the state of the throw!
The usual first game of a new season anticipation filled the air in the small bar of the Raven as all thirteen of this season's Dream Team players surrounded the only available table.
First up for the Dream Team was Jeff Tune a transferee from the Farthings 'A' Team. He had played for the Flights last summer topping the averages. This first game did not see Jeff at his best and some might say that he was lucky to win 2-1 even though he threw three tons in the game. Second up was Dean 'the deal' Willis who threw well once he had started but unfortunately broke too late in both legs. Bill Townsend was an impressive 2-0 winner and his son Craig also threw well but lost 1-2. Dave Downes, Steve Davies and captain Terry Galt all lost in disappointing form.
With the match already lost 2-5, Terry gave three of the non-players a game in the doubles. Gary Baynham and Bud Reid lost but Simon Moss, playing with Bill, let his partner do the scoring before finishing crisply.