fonaCAB Central Darts League

"McCusker & Irwin make it back to back Andy Kearney Pairs wins"

The Suffolk Road venue was the place to be last Wednesday night with the much sought after Andy Kearney Cup up for grabs. There were top pairings everywhere with each board getting a sprinkling of the fantastic talent the Central Darts League has to offer.

Last 32: Board 1

The first game of the evening brought together one of the “Dark Horses” pairings of Hibs’s 58 Martin & Damien Corbett against outsiders D/C’s Davy Smith & Caolan Kearney. The two Hibs men threw steady darts and were victorious by a 2-0 scoreline. The next game on the same board were two previous winners and one of the favourite teams in Connor Hanna and Adam McDade against tough opponents Ben Lagan & Tommy Henry. In one of the games the Hibs pairing won in 25 darts with Adam hitting a 180 for good measure before sealing it on another 2-0 scoreline. The third game on board 1 brought together two pairs from the same club with Aaron & Eamon McGovern against Gary Healy & Daniel Haywood. No quarter was given and Aaron and Eamon took the first game only for Gary and Daniel to level but the McGovern family eventually prevailed and took the last leg to get through to the last 16. The last match of the round of 32 on board 1 was between Mark Lynch & Tucker Clarke against Matt Boyle & Stevie Lecky. The two Hibs 58 guys played well and took this one 2-0 with a very good 23 darter in the second leg for good measure.

Last 32: Board 2

The first match on board 2 was the game between the very experienced duo of Joe Doone & Ricky Saddler against the father & son pairing of Sean Patterson Snr & Jnr. Both games went right to the wire but it was the Patterson’s who hit the winning doubles to put them through to the last 16 contenders left on a 2-0 result. Another Father & son pairing of Tom & Tucker Kearney were up next against a strong pairing of Mickey McCartan & Gerard McGuinness. This match produced cracking tension and scoring with young Tucker taking out a 90 fin in the first leg. Mick & Gerard struck back to take the game to a decider by taking the second leg but finishing was there Achilles then as the Kearney’s punished missed darts by winning the third to progress. This board was turning out to be the one to be on if you were partnering your dad as the third match in a row featured Henry McTasney Snr & Jnr against Brendan McStravick & Ciaran Lynch only this time the family didn’t progress and it was Brendan & Ciaran who went through on a 2-0 score. The last match on Board 2 featured Rab Lyttle & Tony Kelly against another team to watch out for in John Doyle & Hugh McShane. The Clonard men took the first leg with scores of 100, 100, 100, 95, 93 & 74. Back came Star’s men in the second to take it with scores of 137, 100, 85, 85, 81. The third game was another cracker with Rab & Tony hitting scores of 120, 100, 100, 85 but Big Hugh & John just about won it with their scores of 140, 100, 85, 85, 81 to move on to the next round.

Last 32: Board 3

The first game of the night on this board brought together another outside bet for the trophy in Dan Delaney & Pearse Maguire who were drawn against two compatriots in Anto Smyth & Dan Sloan. The fancied duo showed just why they had that tag with a very good 2-0 victory with scores of 171, 140, 60, 60, 60 in the first leg and 133, 123, 95, 85, 60, 60 in the second to give their opponent not a sniff. Game 2 gave us a match between David Armstrong & Rhys Haywood and John McCann & Richard Mervyn. The Clonard boys took the first with the Ardoyne men levelling it taking the second but the experience of the falls road pairing just got them over the line 2-1. There was a very young pairing on the evening of Adam Lynch and Anto Officer who were second favourites in a two horse race (according to most pundits) but against Collie McPeake & John McLaughlin they showed anything is possible in darts and beat them 2-0. The last game on board 3 in the last 32 was between Ian Haywood & Martin Maloney and Dan Cahoon & Olcan Kearney. The Cassie’s men took the first leg with scores of 140, 10, 60, 60, 60. Stars pairing replied with 100, 100, 100, 100 in the second to take it to a decider but they couldn’t find the winning scores in the third and the Casement team went through.

Last 32: Board 4

The first match on board 4 was the game between the reigning champions Martin Irwin & Davy McCusker and Peter McAlorum & Fra Glennon. Davy & Martin won this one easily 2-0 one of the legs was in 21 darts but unfortunately nothing was put down so it’s a shame because to do a 21 darter they must have hit some scores. The same thing happened in the second game as Kevin O’Neill & Paul Goodman beat Jap McKinley and Jimmy Lavery 2-0 but nothing written down to breakdown how either team played. In the third game on this board two multiple Individual winners and also pairs winners partnered each other in Paul Condon & Gerry McCormick against Junior McManus and Paul Doonan. The experience of the Casement duo showed big time and they won 2-0 with scores of 140, 100, 100, 96, 60, 60 in the first leg and other scores of 139, 100, 100, 60, 60 in the second. The last game of this stage was between John Dillon & Hugh Grieves from Ardoyne against the really fancied pairing of Con Kielty & Billy McDade from the Strand. It was obviously a tight game as it finished 2-1 to the St. Mats pair but again no scores or details were noted down.

Last 16: Board 1

The first match on this board was between two players in Kevin O’Neill & Paul Goodman who have been playing great all year against father & son Sean Patterson Snr and Jnr. The game finished 2-0 (28 & 32) to the Swilly players who hit unbelievable scores of 134, 100, 100, 99, 85, 81 to our scores of 100, 85, 85, 78, 60, 60, 60 in the first game with myself also getting a dig at 74 and missing tops. In the second leg they again peppered the trebles with scores of 125, 125, 121, 99, 60 against 125, 100, 95, 90, 85 from us and when they missed a few digs at doubles Sean Jnr needed tops to level it and hit double 1 then split double 19 and the chance was gone. The second game on this board was between Dan Delaney & Pearse Maguire and Billy McDade & Con Kielty. This was the second cracker in a row. Dan/Pearse & Con/Billy all played fantastic with the Clonard Hibs teammates just about getting the win. They hit cracking scores in the first leg of 137, 127, 97, 83, 81 60 to their St. Mat’s opponents scores of 122, 100, 85, 85, 60, 60, 60 finishing on 4 which indicates a tight one and in the second leg they continued the barrage against the trebles with scores of 140, 121,99, 82, 82, 79, 60, 60 compared to their Strand opponents 129, 100, 83, 60, 60, 60.

Last 16: Board 2

The first match on board 2 brought together Hibs 58’s Martin & Damien Corbett against Davy McCusker & Martin Irwin. The sheet had it down as 2-0 to the Short Strand team in 31 & 38 darts but nothing else was recorded which is a shame as even a bad game between these pairing would have been an exciting encounter to report on. The next last 16 game was between team mates Brendan McStravick & Ciaran Lynch and Tom and Tucker Kearney. Again the scoresheet only told the ending and result but not the nerves and drama and unfortunately the Kearney’s were beaten 2-1 by their colleagues Brendan & Ciaran.

Last 16: Board 3

This board could have produced the nights pairs winners from any of the pairings they were that good. First Match up was Hibs 58 pair of Mark Lynch & Tucker Clarke against former winners Connor Hanna & Adam McDade. Mark & Tucker took the game 2-0 (30 & 38) with scores of 125, 100, 81, 81, 81, 60 in the first to Clonard’s scores of 140, 100, 96, 60 and the Hibs 58’s scores of 99, 77, 60, 60, 60 in the second to Adam & Connors 140, 95, 85, 78 won them the match. Up next were Paul Condon & Gerry McCormick against John Doyle & Hugh McShane. Three excellent games ensued. Doyler and Hugh won the first with scores of 140, 85, 85, 85, 81 in 35 darts with Big Paul & Gerry hitting cracking scores of their own of 140, 100, 95, 80, 60. Back came the Casement duo to win the second with scores of 100, 95, 93, 85, 82, 66 in 32 darts with the Clonard team also hitting scores of 140, 100, 85, 83. The third leg was nip and tuck but the Clonard teams scores of 100, 100, 100, 81 just about got them the win over Casements 100, 95, 82, 60

Last 16: Board 4

On this board the Cassie’s pairing of Cahoon & Kearney were drawn against Star Celtic’s McGovern Clan of Aaron & Eamon. It was a very tight affair but the Andytown duo just about deserved it with a 2-0 win with scores over the two legs of 100, 95, 85, 85, 82 to their Ardoyne opponents scores of 96, 92, 85, 85, 60. The second game again fell victim to the no scores or info bug but we do know that Adam Lynch & Anto Officer again produced a shock result 2-1 to get through to the last 8 which is an amazing achievement for these two young novice players.

First Quarter Final: Board 1

This Quarter would have been one to grace any pairs competition with both teams throwing excellent darts previously all evening. Swilly’s Kevin O’Neill and Paul Goodman vs Davy McCusker & Martin Irwin. What I can see from the matchcards was a close 2-1 win for the St Mathews team with Davy/Martin doing an excellent 125 fin in one of the legs in 30 darts and winning the other in 29 darts whilst the Suffolk pairing won their leg in 38 darts.

Second Quarter Final: Board 2

In the second Q/F game the draw paired Brendan McStravick & Ciaran Lynch against John Doyle & Hugh McShane. The more experienced duo from the Clonard team who top the league won this one 2-0 and eased their way into the semi-finals.

Third Quarter Final: Board 3

The third Q/F brought together two pairings from the one club but from two very different teams. Dan Delaney & Pearse Maguire were drawn against club rivals Mark Lynch & Tucker Clarke. Again I don’t have much to go on except that the Clonard boys won 2-0 and that Dan hit a 180 in one of the legs and a 120 checkout to put them through.

Fourth Quarter Final: Board 4

The last Q/F was between Dan Cahoon & Olcan Kearney and Adam Lynch & Anto Officer who had done unbelievably well to reach this stage. Unfortunately they came up against two players who gave nothing away and the Cassie’s team progressed through to the semi’s on a 2-0 score with a 104 finish in one leg.

First Semi-Final: Board 3

The all important draw brought out two potentially cracking games the first of which was between two pairs of teammates in Dan Delaney & Pearse Maguire vs John Doyle & Hugh McShane. This game went to the very last leg and Pearse Maguire hit a 180 in it but that’s all that was written down so unfortunately can’t report anything else but a 3-2 win for them. Unlucky for John & Hugh who played great on both nights.

Second Semi Final: Board 4

In the next game Davy McCusker & Martin Irwin were drew against Dan Cahoon & Olcan Kearney. It was explosive from the very start. In leg one Davy hit 2 X 180’s alongside Martin’s 140 to take it in a fantastic 23 darter. In leg two they again pummelled the trebles with scores of 140, 125, 100, 96, 81 taking it in another cracking 25 darter with the Cassie’s boys at least putting up more of a fight with scores of 129, 100, 100 in this one. That fight seemed to be building some steam as Dan & Olcan won the third leg with scores of 100, 100, 100, 85, 85 but the St. Mathews pair snuffed out any chance of a comeback with another maul of the treble 20’s in leg 4 with scores of 180 (Davy again) 140, 100, 87, 81 to put themselves into the final. Commiserations to Dan & Olcan who played great especially tonight until they ran into the Davy steam train.

Final Andy Kearney Pairs competition

After two weeks of fantastic darts it all came down to this final match between the defending pairs winners Davy & Martin and their challengers in Dan & Pearse. Dan & Pearse started off very well and upset the applecart winning the first leg in 33 with scores of 100, 99, 95, 78, 78, 66, 60. Davy & Martin got themselves level with a 35 darter in the next and scores of 140, 95, 93, 85, 85, 60, 60. This seemed to galvanise them as they just got better in the next hitting scores of 134, 125, 125, 100 to put themselves 2-1 in front even though Dan & Pearse weren’t giving up and themselves hit scores of 134, 100, 95, 85, 75, 72 in that game. In leg 4 the St. Mats pairing did a 28 darter hitting brilliant scores of 140, 123, 100, 85, 81 to their opponents, who were battling bravely, scores of 100, 100, 96, 95, 81, 78, 66 to leave it at 3-1. Dan & Pearse’s backs were against the wall with no more room for mistakes. They tried as hard as they could hitting scores of 133, 100, 85, 85, 60, 57 but it was of no avail as the heavy hitters from St. Mathews just kept pegging away and their scores of 140, 100, 99, 81, 81, 60, 60, 60 was just too much and too good on the evening and they took the 5th leg in 32 darts for a 4-1 victory and matching their success of last year. Congratulations to the winners Davy & Martin, commiserations to Dan & Pearse and thanks to all involved in the running of this fantastic tournament.....Next up back to league matches...Good luck to all involved...SP.

“ANDY KEARNEY PAIRS CUP PRELIMINARIES IN SUFFOLK INN”

The next two weeks see’s the prestigious and much sought after Andy Kearney Pairs competition take place in the Suffolk Inn. Credit must be given to the team members of the Swilly and their colleagues in the bar staff as it must have taken a great effort to get the four boards required to facilitate this great cup in place which they did well.

Preliminary Board 1:

In the first game of the night Star Celtic’s pairing of Daniel Anderson & Rhys Haywood threw great darts to defeat Donegal Celtic’s Joe Corr & Donal Crawford by a 2-0 score which was much closer than the result would suggest. Father & son duo Henry Snr & Jnr McTasney were next up and they took out the Hibs 58 pairing of Joe Dinnen & Conor Christi in a close encounter which finished 2-1 to the Crumlin Star team’s players. Brendan McStravick & Ciaran Lynch were next up on this board and they showed poise and determination when they defeated the Casement pairing of Sean Kerr & Mathew James by a 2-0 scoreline to progress to next week finals night. The first “Upset “ of the night and in the tournament was yet to come on board one as up next the pairing of Ricky Saddler 171 & Joe Doone took out the much fancied team from Clonard Hibs of Dessie Magee & Tommy Fitzpatrick by a 2-1 scoreline which raised quite a few eyebrows from the watching darts fans.

Preliminary Board 2:

The first game on this board paired Mick Sullivan & Dan Walker against Dan Cahoon & Olcan Kearney and the more fancied Dan and Olcan just about scrapped through on a 2-1 scoreline. The second game drew Jim Lavery & Jap McKinley from St. Mathews against Sean-Pol & Mark Coiley and the experience duo from the Strand won quite convincingly 2-0. The third leg on this board threw together experienced Casement pairing of Henry McCann & Vinty Lenzi who must have fancied their chances of going far in this cup. They however drew two of St. Mat’s best players in Billy McDade & Con Kielty and were on the wrong end of a 2-0 drubbing and out before they could even get started. The final game on this board showed all watching the standard needed to push for honours in this pairs competition. Adam McDade & Conor Hanna (180) 17 & 20 darts just about got the better of cracking pairing from Crumlin Star of Dougie Bowes & Peter Fitzpatrick (24).

Preliminary Board 3:

Ben Lagan & Tommy Henry won the first match on this board quite convincingly 2-0 against the host team of Michael Burns & Eamon McVeigh. Matt Boyle & Steven Lecky then scrapped through 2-1 against Freddie Stilges & Jim Flannigan (94fin) to progress through to next weeks games. Another father & son duo were up next in Tom & Tucker Kearney (one of whom hit a 180...please inform Big G). They were up against experienced Casement duo of Kieran McGuinness & Mickey Tierney but played extremely well to progress through to their own cup finals night next week. The last game of the evening on board three brought together John McCann & Richard Mervyn of Clonard Hibs against Casements equivalent of “Statler & Waldorf” of Muppets fame Martin Lawlor & Paul Wisdom. On this occasion the Casement duo couldn’t “Heckle” the Clonard guys out of their stride and were on the end of a 2-0 drubbing.

Preliminary Board 4:

The second “shock” of the night came in the first match on board 4. Donegal Celtic’s Davy Smith and Caolan Kearney defeated fancied Casement father & son pairing of Paddy & Colm McGuinness 2-0 even though one of the Casement Lads hit the big 180 (once again inform Big G). The next game on this board was between Martin & Damien Corbett against Patrick & Felix McGeown but it was the Hibs 58 pair that ran out deserved 2-0 victors to go through to next weeks play-offs. The last game of the evening and on board 4 was between D/C’s Sean Armstrong & Matt Doone who played against St. Mats pairing and one of the favourites Martin Irwin & Davy McCusker. The St. Mathews pair cruised through on a 2-0 scoreline to make it to next weeks entertaining looking draw.

Early start next week lads so please ensure your there and registered with the top table....and to all who are left, the very best of luck...SP

Clonard Hibs extend lead at top of table without throwing a dart!

All the chasing pack fought each other to a standstill with only Clonard Hibs (Bye) and Crumlin Star taking maximum points this week.

Casey’s 3 vs 5 Crumlin Star

Crumlin Star travelled up to Casement Park to take on their opponents Casey’s hoping to get back into the thick of the league champions race after a few dodgy recent results. Casey’s however didn’t read that script and their first man up Stevie Leckey 2-0 (24) 100, 100, 81, 80, 80, 60, 60 beat Peter Fitzpatrick 130, 100, 95, 95, 80, 60, 60. Fabulous Freddie Stilges 2-0 (24)121, 100, 100, 92, 83, 60 levelled the game at 1 vs 1 when he took the second game against Kevin Greeves. Olcan Kearney 2-0 (30 & 30) 174, 125, 100, threw some brilliant scores in beating John Dillon 100, 85, 60, 60 to put the home team back in front at 2 vs 1. Hugh Grieves 2-0 (26 & 26) 136, 100, 100, 83, 62 took the next for the Ardoyne team to level it again at 2 vs 2 in beating Eugene Brannigan 100, 81, 62, 60, 60. It was at this stage that Crumlin turned on the after burners and won the next three games on the trot all by similar 2 vs 0 scorelines to ensure their victory with the wins coming from Jim Flannigan 95, 81, 79, 79, 79 Dougie Bowes (22 & 26) 121, 119, 100, 100, 100, 85, 72, 66 & Ben Lagan (23 & 25) 140, 100, 100, 100, 95, 85, 82 over Gerry McIlduff 85, 78, 60, Colly McPeake 135, 81, 76, 70, 60 & Paul Smyth 121, 100, 87, 85, 70 2 vs 5. The last game however produced the man of the match and a third winner for Casey’s when Dan Cahoon 2-0 (20 & 26)140, 125, 100, 100, 85, 78 defeated Tommy Henry who himself hit great score of 100, 98, 97, 85, 82, 81, 60 to leave the final score 3 vs 5 to Crumlin.

MOM: Dan Cahoon

St. Mathews 4 vs 4 Casement

This game swayed first one way then the other with both teams having periods of control. Casement started off brilliantly with two hard fought 2-1 wins coming from Ricky Saddler (25 &27) 99, 99, 99, 99, 83, 79, 79 over Jim Lavery (26) 140, 121, 101, 100, 85, 81 and Vinty Lenzi (29) 140, 140, 100, 100, 78, 60 over Jap McKinley (24) 140, 100, 100, 85, 80, 60. The home team responded brilliantly by taking three in a row of their own through Con Kielty 2-0 (25 & 26) 100, 94, 83, 81, 81, 81 against Henry McCann, Billy McDade 2-1 (21+119 fin & 28) 140, 125, 100, 85, 84, 80, 80, 80, 80 over Gerry McCormick (26) 100, 83, 81, 81, 81, 81 & Martin Irwin 2-0 (25 & 27) 137, 99, 97, 81, 60, 60 over Paddy McGuinness 120, 119, 100, 98, 85, 83 to put themselves 3 vs 2 up. Paul Condon 2-1 (21 + 75fin & 28) 138, 118, 100, 100, 100, 85, 61, 60 levelled it again at 3 vs 3 by taking the next game against Gerard McGuinness (27) 100, 98, 96, 81, 80, 78, 63, 60. Davy McCusker 2-0 (21 & 23) 140, 109, 100, 100, 85, 80, 60, 60 then did what he normally does and produced another man of the match performance in the seventh leg by taking out Chopper McKay 98, 85, 76, 71, 60, 60 to put his team on the brink of victory. The last game of the evening was between the guile and experience of St. Mats captain Pat McGahan and the youthful exuberance of Casements Colm McGuinness. The young Casement lad 2-0 (24 & 26) played with a swagger that many an established older player would have been proud of and just got the better of Pat with scores of 140, 100, 96, 87, 81, 81 to the St. Mathews man’s scores of 100, 98, 85, 70, 66, 60, 60 to leave the final score a probably fair 4 vs 4 draw.

MOM: Davy McCusker

Star Celtic 3 vs 5 Swilly

The scorelines of these first three games this week just show how tight the league is and how competitive all the games are and will be going forward. The travelling Suffolk road team started off brilliantly with two great wins coming from Eamon McVeigh 2-0 98, 81, 81, 60, 60, 60 over Henry McTasney Jnr 75, 69, 67, 67 & Paul Goodman 2-1 (19 & 27) 140, 135, 93, 87, 82, 78, 60, 60 over Martin Maloney 100, 80, 70, 61, 60, 60, 60. Rab Lyttle 2-0 (24) 140, 84, 83, 78, 67, 66, 60, 60, 60 & Ian Haywood 2-1 (28) 101, 100, 95, 73, 71, 60, 60 levelled it at 2 vs 2 when they defeated father & son Tucker Kearney 140, 60, 60, 60 & Tom Kearney (31) 83, 79, 64, 63, 62, 60. Ciaran Lynch 2-1 (26 & 28) 140, 100, 100, 90, 81, 65, 61 took the fifth game in a close encounter with Gary Healey (31) 137, 87, 75, 60, 60 to put Swilly 2 vs 3 in front. Back came Star through their captain Henry McTasney Sr 2-1 100, 76, 76, 70, 63, 60 who levelled it against Michael Burns 98, 95, 95, 85, 83, 77, 73, 70. Swilly’s Patrick McGeown stepped up in the next game and continued his fantastic form all year winning 2-1 (22 & 22) and that was after losing the first with scores of 180 81, 67, 60, then coming back in the others with more great scores of 140, 100, 100, 95, 83, 81, 60, 60, 60, 60 to beat Daniel Haywood (25) 125, 100, 95, 88, 65, 60, 60, 60, 60, 60, 60 who also threw cracking darts to loose. This left it at 3 vs 4 in Swilly’s favour and they ensured both points went back up the road with them when Kevin O’Neill 2-0 (25 &27) 180 95, 91, 85, 84, 81, 60, 60 defeated Rhys Haywood 100, 95, 85, 85, 60 in the last game of another tightly fought and evenly contested match.

MOM: Patrick McGeown.

Donegal Celtic 4 vs 4 Hibs 58

Young pup Adam Lynch 2-0 (30) 100, 100, 100, 85, 67, 60 got his first league win and Hib’s first of the night when he beat Davy Smith 92, 85, 85, 83, 81. Joe Corr 2-1 99, 96, 92, 89, 84, 81 levelled it in beating Joe Dinnen 100, 100, 98, 60, 60. Sean Patterson 2-0 (21 & 30) 100, 100, 93, 81, 81, 81, 60, 60 put Hibs back in front at 1 vs 2 by beating Alan Hanna. Matt Doone 2-0 (27) 100, 100, 87, 81 brought the scores even again when he took out Damien Corbett 85, 83, 81, 81. Mark Lynch 2-0 (18 & 23) 140, 140, 100, 100, 95, 88 put his team back in front for the third time when he defeated Harry Smith 95, 90, 85 only to watch as D/C again levelled it through Gary Smith 2-1 (24 & 24) 140, 132, 100, 87, 85, 83, 81 who took out Hib’s Tucker Kearney 85, 85, 85, 81, 81, 80. D/C took the lead for the first time on the evening when Sean Armstrong 2-1 (25 & 27) 135, 100, 100, 99, 85, 80 beat Tony Corr (26) 140, 140, 123, 92, 83 to leave his team on the brink of another famous win but Hib’s star man Martin Corbett 2-0 (25 & 29) 140, 100, 96, 85, 82, 60, 60 beat Caolan Kearney to snatch a point from the jaws of defeat.

MOM: Mark Lynch.

The next few weeks its the prestigious Andy Kearney Pairs competition.....Good luck to all who take part.

**Thanks to all who turned out yesterday to the Hibs club for the Charity event with over £2,000 raised for Chest, Heart & Stroke. A plethora of great players from all over the league who gave their time, money and effort for this wonderful cause. Great darts, great camaraderie, great food, great memories, great prizes, not so sure about the topless Star Celtic/Swilly players dancing or the others who joined in, but here’s to many more to come and load more causes getting lots of cash in their coffers**.....Sean P

“Clonard Hibs win John Patterson Memorial Cup”

The Hibs rooms were the place to be this week for followers & players of the FonaCab darts league as the John Patterson Cup reached it’s climax. The all important draw was made and the same as last week it pitted the two “So Called Big Teams” against each other and gave the “two underdogs” the opportunity to reach a major cup final and pocket some serious prize money.

Semi-Final 1:

Casement 1 vs 5 Clonard Hibs

The scoreline might suggest a thrashing but this first game of the evening was far closer than it seemed. John Doyle 99, 99, 60, 60, 60 took the first leg against an unlucky Paul Condon 137, 85, 65, 60, 60, 60. Both guys had considerable darts at their doubles but the Hibs man prevailed. Adam McDade (32) 123, 100, 94, 80, 78, 65 made it 0 vs 2 when he defeated Paddy McGuinness 85, 63, 60, 60, 60. In the third leg it looked odds on that Casements Joe Doone 95, 87, 87, 85, 85, 85 would register their first leg of the semi but Pearse Maguire 98, 95, 78, 66, 60, 60, 60 came back very strong at the back end of the leg and made it 0 vs 3. Hugh McShane 100, 81, 81, 80, 60, 60 made it four on the spin when he defeated Colm McGuinness 140, 96, 85, 60, 60, 60 who had darts at doubles top, ten and five but just couldn’t hit them. The fifth leg was an absolute cracker between Chopper McKay and Tommy Fitzpatrick. Tommy tried as hard as he could to complete the whitewash with scores of 100, 82, 60, 60, 60, 60 but Chopper gave his team some hope with scores of 85, 85, 85, 83 and a brilliant 118 bull finish to make the score 1 vs 4. In the sixth leg Ricky Saddler tried as hard as he could with scores of 83, 83, 83, 79, 79 but that’s not good enough scoring to get Connor Hanna off your tail and he answered with cracking scores of 131, 121, 99, 96, 60, 60 in 28 darts to put his team through to the nights final.

MOM: Connor Hanna

Donegal Celtic 5 vs 4 Star Celtic

These two teams played out a cracking second semi-final with the pendulum swinging first one way then the other right up until the last. D/C’s Matt Doone 100, 98, 83, 64, 64, 63 won the first leg against Martin Maloney 85, 85, 60, 60, 60, 60. Henry McTasney Snr 100, 100, 70, 64, 60, 60, 60 played a great leg to level it in beating Davy Smith 100, 60, 60, 60 1 vs 1. Gary Smith 100, 85, 80, 60, 60 put D/C back in front by taking out Star’s Tony Kelly 100, 85, 60, 60, 60, 60 & his team mate Caolan Kearney 100, 81, 77, 60, 60 made it 3 vs 1 by taking the next against an unlucky Rhys Haywood 98, 95, 92, 61, 57, 57. Ian Haywood 85, 85, 85, 83 then showed Rhys how to do it when he defeated Harry Smith 98, 95, 86, 84, 81, 60 to pull it back to 3 vs 2. In the sixth leg Alan Hanna (33) 121, 95, 95, 95, 76, 60 produced a captains performance against Daniel Haywood who also hit great darts of 125, 83, 74, 70, 60, 60 to put D/C on the brink of victory at 4 vs 2. At this stage Star Celtic showed their mettle and produced a duet of fine wins from firstly Rab Lyttle 100, 100, 85, 81, 81 72 over Joe Corr and Eamon McGovern over John McLaughlin 100, 96, 95, 60 to bring it back to 4 vs 4. The last leg was a nail biter for all concerned. Stars Danny Anderson hit scores of 95, 85, 81, 60, 60 but they were just not enough as D/C’s Sean Armstrong’s scores of 125, 122, 98, 85, 81 proved sufficient to put his team through to the final on a scoreline of 5 vs 4.

MOM: Alan Hanna

Final:

Clonard Hibs 5 vs 1 Donegal Celtic

The two sides settled down to start the final which was marked and refereed by Sean Patterson Snr & Jnr. The first game brought together two cracking throwers in Tommy Fitzpatrick and Alan Hanna. Alan had just come off a MOM performance in his previous game and he started off brilliantly with scores of 133, 97, 79, 66, 66, 57 but Tommy, who had been beaten in his semi final game with a 118 finish against him in that, produced possibly the leg of the night with great scores of 100, 100, 85, 84, 60, 60 & 133 finish to take the opening game and set the standard for the rest to follow. In the second leg D/C’s Gary Smith (27) responded brilliantly with scores of 140, 100, 100, 82, 81, 60 to level it by defeating Dan Sloan 96, 96, 81, 60, 60. Leg three was another tight game but Pearse Maguire 140, 99, 83, 60, 60 produced the goods and the finish over John McLaughlin 120, 60, 60, 60, 60 to put Clonard 2 vs 1 up. Dan Delaney 133, 96, 95, 80, 79, 60 made it 3 vs 1 in taking the next over Caolan Kearney 92, 85, 65, 60 and you could virtually feel the confidence drain from the D/C team. With that thought in mind the last person you want to see getting up to practice is Connor Hanna who also produced a MOM in his semi final game. Connor produced again with scores of 100, 100, 100, 96, 96, 85 in 26 darts to defeat Matt Doone and leave the score 4 vs 1 to Clonard Hibs. In the sixth leg D/C’s captain Joe Corr 94, 84, 77, 68, 60 tried everything he could to stop the rot but John Doyle 177, 85, 85, 80, 60 was just too good and he took the leg and therefore the match for his team.

MOM: Connor Hanna

It’s back to league action next week and that week will end with a Charity event in the Hibs with the proceeds going to Chest Heart & Stroke. Hope to see lots of you there for an amazing Charity and some much needed fun....till next time, good luck...SP

CONGRATULATIONS TO CLONARD HIBS WHO CONTINUE ON THEIR WINNING WAY BY WINNING THE JOHN PATTERSON CUP WITH A FINE VICTORY OVER DONEGAL CELTIC,WHO ,THEMSELVES,DID VERY WELL TO REACH THE FINAL.

FULL REPORT WILL BE HERE SOON

“John Patterson Memorial Cup brings dramatic Preliminary & first round games”

Preliminary Round:

Casement 5 vs 1 Crumlin Star

Everyone waited nervously as Sean Patterson jnr made the preliminary draw for his Grandad’s cup and what a game he drew out. These two team are currently right up at the top of the league chasing Clonard Hibs with title aspirations but another big cup was on their minds last Wednesday night. Tommy Henry 100, 81, 81, 76, 60, 60, 60 got Crumlin off to a cracking start in the 701 formatted competition beating Henry McCann 100, 99, 97, 80, 60. Colm McGuinness 135, 100, 83, 81 levelled it in beating one of Crumlin star’s top men in Dougie Bowes 100, 100, 95, 85, 65. His dad Paddy 85, 85, 81, 81, 81, 70, 60 then stepped up and played calmly to put Casement 2 vs 1 in front by defeating Freddie Stilges 79, 79, 68, 68. Joe Doone 92, 81, 81, 81, 70 made it 3 vs 1 when he took out star’s Peter Fitzpatrick 100, 95, 85, 83, 60. Gerry McCormick 100, 60, 60, 60, 60, 60 ramped up the pressure even more when he took the 5th leg against John Dillon 82, 81, 81, 60, 60 to leave it at 4 vs 1. Peter McAlorum threw his heart out in the next game with scores of 140, 120, 88, 85, 60, 60, 60 but it just wasn’t his teams night as Kieran McGuinness 85, 85, 85, 64, 64 hit the double 1 after lots of attempts between them both to take Casement through to the first round proper.

MOM: Colm McGuinness

The all important draw threw up an unbelievable night of drama. The two Hibs teams drew each other in the first Quarter. Casement were up against St. Mathews and the current bottom four teams in the league all drew each other with Star Celtic battling the Swilly & Casey’s facing off against Donegal Celtic which ensured two underdogs into next weeks finale.

Quarter – Final 1:

Hibs 58 3 vs 5 Clonard Hibs

These two teams currently sit top & joint second in the league and the old rivals entertained their supporters with great darts from start till finish. Conor Hanna (28) 121, 96, 94, 86, 85, 83 got Clonard off to the best start beating Jap Craig 85, 85, 81, 81. Tony Corr 100, 100, 85, 85, 85 levelled it taking the next against John McCann 95, 95, 92, 83. Pearse Maguire 100, 100, 100, 97 made it 1 vs 2 by defeating Mark Lynch 100, 100, 85 and John Doyle 140, 140, 85, 85 played a cracking leg to stretch it to 1 vs 3 when he took out Damien Corbett 117, 81, 81, 60. Hibs 58 fought back valiantly in taking the next two games through first Tucker Clarke 100, 100, 100, 81, 81 over Hugh McShane 99, 99, 85, 81 & then Martin Mooney 100, 97, 95, 94, 78 over Dan Sloan 100, 100, 92, 83 to leave it at 3 vs 3. Dan Delaney (31) 134, 100, 100, 93 threw cracking darts in the seventh leg against Joe Dinnen to put his team on the brink of victory. The eighth leg paired 58’s Martin Corbett against Desi Magee of Clonard which is a game to grace any league anywhere. Martin hit scores of 140, 100, 97, 85, 81, 60 but couldn’t stop Dessie who with scores of 125, 100, 60, 60, 60 took the all important eighth leg to put Clonard through to next weeks Semi’s.

MOM: Conor Hanna

Quarter – Final 2

Star Celtic 5 vs 3 The Swilly

Board two’s game threw up the second cracking encounter of the night. Star Celtic started off like a runaway train. First Rab Lytle 123, 95, 92, 79, 60, 60 beat Ciaran Lynch 79, 75, 75, 70, 68, 60 then Daniel Haywood (29) 107, 100, 100, 85, 60, 60, 60 did the same against Tom Kearney 83, 83, 57, 57. Ian Haywood 81, 81, 60, 60, 60 made it 3 vs 0 to Star by defeating Swilly’s Mick Sullivan 98, 95, 80, 65, 60 and the game looked out of the Suffolk road teams reach. One of their star men Patrick McGeown (27) 139, 95, 85, 85, 85, 81 wasn’t ready to throw in the towel and he got his teams first win on the board in beating Danny Anderson 121, 100, 85, 81, 81, 68 in a brilliant game to make it 3 vs 1. Eamon McVeigh 140, 121, 70, 60, 60 made it 3 vs 2 by taking the next against Henry McTasney Snr 85, 66, 60, 60. In the sixth leg Rhys Haywood 133, 66, 60, 60 became the third member of the family to win in the same game, which must be some kind of a record when he beat Felix McGeown 4 vs 2. Paul Goodman (30) 121, 100, 99, 85, kept the Swilly in the tie in beating Eamon McGovern 95, 95, 95 to make it 4 vs 3. The Swilly must have thought they were in with a great chance with two of their stalwart’s still to come in the last two legs in Tucker Kearney & Brendan McStravick but Star’s Martin Maloney 100, 100, 85, 81, 66, 60 had his own script ready and took the eighth leg and the match against Tucker 98, 85, 80, 60, 60, 60 to put the Ardoyne team through to next weeks finals night.

MOM: Patrick McGeown

Quarter – Final 3

Casement 5 vs 3 St. Mathews

These two teams have had some close encounters so far this season and this proved to another nail-biting one. Ricky Saddler 98, 95, 95, 63, 60, 60 took the first leg against Jap McKinley 85, 83, 81, 65, 60, 60, 60. St. Mathews then hit a purple patch with two excellent wins, in two brilliant and tight games, coming from both Con Kielty (25) 140, 125, 97, 85, 83, 60 over Kieran McGuinness 120, 100, 95, 82, 60 & Davy McCusker (28) 135, 95, 85, 85, 85 against Gerry McCormick 121, 118, 85, 85, 76, 60. Joe Doone 100, 85, 73, 60, 60, 60 levelled it at 2 vs 2 by beating joe O’Kane 95, 81, 60, 60. Martin Irwin 123, 85, 81, 66, 60, 60 put his team back in front when he defeated Vinty Lenzi 100, 81, 60, 60 only for Henry McCann 100, 85, 85, 80, 60, 60 to level it again at 3 vs 3 by beating Gerard McGuinness 100, 92, 60, 60, 60. The next match was a pivotal one as young Colm McGuinness was drawn against Mick McCartan. Mick started off the best you can in an important leg with scores of 180, 100, 85, 60 but Colm has a calmness that comes with playing darts from a very young age in his dads academy and with scores of 97, 95, 85, 85, 85, 64 & 66 fin he put his team in front again at 4 vs 3. His proud dad must have taken inspiration from that leg when Paddy McGuinness 140, 100, 98, 95, 60 took the next one and the match by beating John Considine to put Casement through to next week.

MOM: Con Kielty (25 darts currently in line for £50 lowest darts prize)

Quarter – Final 4

Casey’s 3 vs 5 Donegal Celtic

Anyone reading this weeks report will by now understand I wasn’t exaggerating with the initial headline about the quality & drama of this first nights games. The last match between these two teams was exactly the same from start to finish. Dan Cahoon & Gary Smith played out an amazing first leg. Gary hit cracking scores of 140, 140, 83, 81, 60, 60 but still got beat by Dan’s scores of 180, 100, 60, 60, 60 who gave Casey’s the first leg and guaranteed himself the £50 prize for the first one hit on the evening. Donegal Celtic then played some inspired legs of darts through Harry Smith 85, 85, 60, 60, 60 who beat Gerry McIlduff 73, 63, 62, 61, 57, 57 to level it at 1 vs 1 Davy Smith 120, 85, 76, 60 who beat Paul Smyth 85, 85, 85, 83 Sean Armstrong 140, 100, 85, 85, 60 who beat Joe McLaughlin 160, 140, 80, 60 and Alan Hanna 97, 95, 60, 60 who beat an unlucky Stevie Leckey 85, 83, 81, 81, 79, 63 to push the Suffolk road side to the brink of victory at 1 vs 4. The next game brought together two of the cagiest & craftiest guys in the league in Eugene Brannigan against Joe Corr. On this occasion Eugene’s skill & scores of 100, 100, 100, 83, 66, 60 plus a great 109 fin (which currently is on for a £50 highest finish prize) enabled him to beat Joe and get the score back to 2 vs 4. Colly McPeake got it back to 3 vs 4 but it was not to be his team’s night as Matt Doone took the last to leave the final score 3 vs 5 in D/C’s favour and put them through to next weeks last four.

MOM: Dan Cahoon

Good luck to the last four teams next week. There are still two £50 prizes up for grabs with currently Con Kielty on 25 darts for 701 & Eugene Brannigan’s 109 finish there to be shot at in what I hope is another great display of darts.

PS: More news to come next week, once this competition is over, on the upcoming Charity event (Chest Heart & Stroke) run by the Lynch family. If anyone has any good fundraising ideas (its all going to a fantastic cause and in respect of a true family man) contact Mark, Debbie or Tony Corr for replies....SP

Crumlin Star 3 vs 5 Clonard Hibs

Clonard travelled over to North Belfast to face one of their closest rivals and Crumlin gave them quite a scare. Jim Flannigan 2-1 (30 & 30) 121, 95, 85, 79, 76, 67, 63, 57, 57, 57 took the first leg against Hibs’s Hugh McShane (21+ 113 fin) 101, 100, 100, 87, 85, 85, 60, 60, 60. Up next was a game to wet your appetite with Ben Lagan against Adam McDade. Ben started off well and won the first leg in 28 darts with scores of 140, 100, 60, 60 and hit other great scores of 125, 100, 100, 96, 81, 60, 60, 60 in the following legs but Adam never panics and hit back in legs two and three winning them with scores of 128, 116, 100, 97, 96, 84, 83, 60, 60, 60 to level it up at 1 vs 1. Fra Glennon 2-1 (22) 95, 85, 83, 79, 78, 76, 60, 60, 57, 57 took the third game of the night over Anto Smith 120, 100, 83, 81, 60, 60, 60 but back came Clonard with a great win from John Doyle 2-0 (24) 97, 96, 96, 85, 80, 79, 57 over John Dillon 180, 100, 100, 60 to bring the sides level again at 2 vs 2. Dessie Magee 2-0 (28 & 29) 105, 85, 81, 81, 66, 66, 60, 60, 60 put his team in front for the first time on the night at 2 vs 3 when he out fought Peter Fitzpatrick 87, 86, 85, 83, 70, 60, 60, 60, 60 only to this time see Crumlin Star’s Tommy Henry 2-0 125, 100, 100, 88, 63, 60 throw great darts in beating Pearse Maguire 180, 85, 70, 69, 68, 60 and leave the match on a knife edge at 3 vs 3. The next two games however showed just why they’re currently top of the league when first Conor Hanna 2-1 (17 & 29) 140, 100, 96, 96, 85, 83, 80, 75 beat Freddie Stilges (26) 135, 123, 121, 85, 83, 81, 66 and then Dan Delaney 2-0 (16) 140, 136, 100, 100, 85, 83, 60 beat Dougie Bowes 100, 85, 85, 85, 81, 77, 60, 60, 60, 60 to give them a hard fought win over Crumlin.

MOM: Connor Hanna

The Swilly 4 vs 4 Casement

The Suffolk road outfit welcomed their Andytown neighbours to their clubrooms and started like a house on

fire. Paul Goodman 2-0 (27) 140, 99, 95, 91, 83, 81 took the first against Paddy McGuinness 140, 100, 82, 81, 68, 61, 60, 60, 60. Then Paddy McGeown 2-1 (23 & 25) 140, 140, 100, 95, 90, 83, 81, 70, 66, 60, 60, 60 beat Paul Condon (23) 100, 100, 97, 95, 90, 78, 64, 60 to make it 2 vs 0. Ricky Sadder 2-0 (19 & 30) 133, 130, 99, 79, 79 then got one back for Casement beating Tom Kearney. Swilly then had another excellent win coming from Brendan McStravick 2-1 99, 85, 85, 85, 85, 81, 80 who defeated Henry McCann (25) 100, 100, 94, 81, 70, 60, 60, 60, 60 to make it 3 vs 1. Vinty Lenzi 2-1 (25) 100, 100, 85, 85, 85, 81, 68, 60, 60 defeated Kevin O’Neill (25) 100, 95, 95, 83, 82, 77, 74, 61, 60 to bring it back to 3 vs 2 and keep his team in with a shout. Swilly’s Michael Burns 2-1 (23 & 30) 100, 100, 87, 81, 68, 66, 60, 60 put the hosts on the brink of victory in beating Sean Kerr 85, 85, 85, 81, 66, 60 and the anticipation levels raised to the maximum. Casement however showed their great battling qualities when first Colm McGuinness 2-1 (20 + 69 fin & 27) 120, 100, 100, 85, 85, 85, 82, 82, 75 beat Tucker Kearney (25) 100, 100, 100, 95, 85 and then captain Gerry McCormick 2-0 (24 & 31) 100, 100, 99, 95, 85, 77, 60, 60 beat Eamon McVeigh 100, 100, 100, 64, 60 to snatch a vital point from the brink of defeat. The Swilly must have been devastated but they are improving week after week.

MOM Colm McGuinness

Casey’s 3 vs 5 St. Mathews

Casey’s have been fighting tooth and nail to produce both a team & performance that will give them a chance

to climb the league and they almost pulled both of those objectives together when St. Mathews

visited their Casement park clubrooms. They started off brilliantly when taking the first two games

through first Stevie Lecky 2-0 (25) 121, 100, 85, 82, 78 against Mick McCartan 140, 85, 85, 81 & Olcan

Kearney 2-1 (27) 140, 84, 78 over Jap McKinley (23) 100, 100, 95, 95, 85, 79. St. Mathews then showed

their true colours in taking control of the match. First Con Kielty 2-0 (21 & 23) 135, 100, 85, 81, 81,

79, 75 took out an unlucky Paul Smyth 140, 132, 116, 116, 81, 79 next Gerard McGuinness 2-1 (22 &

29) 127, 100, 100, 85, 85, 81, 77, 77 defeated Eugene Brannigan (27) 85, 84, 82, 81 then Joe O’Kane

2-0 (28 & 30) 100, 100, 100, 85, 85 swept aside Gerry McIlduff 79, 79, 79 and John Considine 2-1 (26)

100, 87, 85, 81, 79, 79, 79 squeezed past Colly McPeake 100, 100, 100, 100, 81 to leave them 2 vs 4

in front and on the verge of victory. Next up and not about to throw the towel in was Dan Cahoon for

Casey’s against Martin Irwin and a cracking game ensued with Dan winning 2-0 (21 & 27) 140, 100,

95, 84, 81, 81, 80 even though his opponent hit scores of 140, 140, 100, 100, 100 to leave it at 3 vs 4

The last game brought Joe McLaughlin against Billy McDade. Joe took the first leg but was then a

spectator as Billy took the next two legs in (22 & 24) with scores of 128, 123, 100, 100, 100, 95, 95,

85, 85 to give his team a hard fought victory and both precious points.

MOM: Con Kielty.

Hibs 58 6 vs 2 Star Celtic

Hibs 58 have been on a great run in recent weeks and after this league result they now find themselves joint

second and chasing their clubroom neighbours hard. Star Celtic had arrived to the game off the back of great

shows especially in cup competitions. Martin Corbett 2-0 121, 100, 96, 95, 86 took the important first game

over Ian Haywood 100, 95, 95, 85. Tony Corr 2-0 (24 & 29) 100, 100, 92, 85, 83 made it 2 vs 0 in the next

beating Eamon McGovern. Daniel Haywood 2-0 140, 85, 60, 60, 60 got Star Celtic on the scorecard when he

took the next game against Conor Christy 100, 84, 80, 60. Mark Lynch 2-0 (23 & 28) 100, 99, 97, 82, 82, 81

made it 3 vs 1 by taking out Gary Healy 140, 85, 82, 60. Teammate Tucker Clarke had a cracking game which

could have went either way against Henry McTasney jnr. Henry won the first leg with scores of 114, 83, 83,

in 27 darts and had chances in the other two legs as well with more cracking scores of 121, 83, 83, 83, 79 but

Tuckers scores of 140, 140, 132, 100, 97, 85, 85, 85 just about got him over the line leaving it 4 vs 1. Sean

Patterson 2-0 100, 100, 100, 82, 80, 60 made it 5 vs 1 in taking the next game over Rab Lyttle 100, 100, 95,

89. Henry McTasney Snr 2-0 86, 85, 83, 77, 71, 71 beat Sean Patterson jnr 94, 85, 83, 81, 81 to pull a game

back 5 vs 2 but the last leg and MOM went to Hibs 58’s Damien Corbett 2-0 (21 & 24) 180, 135, 127fin, 103,

85, 60, 60, 60 who defeated Star’s Rhys Haywood 95, 95, 95, 79, 63 to leave the final score 6 vs 2.

MOM: Damien Corbett.

Next two weeks are the John Patterson Cup to be held in the Hibs clubrooms...best of luck to all competitors.

SP