Like A Bat Out Of Hell

Octagon were finally crowned Plymouth City Super League Division A champions after a thumping 9-2 win over King Billy gave them an unassailable twenty-point lead over their nearest rivals with one to play.

Lee Hellings was in marvellous form for the now two time winners of the division with two 180s and a week high checkout of 146 contributing to his brilliant 3-0 singles success.

Hellings (31.98) 13 and 15 dart legs helped the Cornwall man rip through his opponent whilst teammate for pub and county, Fred Goldsmith, was also in good nick all night long.

Goldsmith found scores of a ton or more thirteen times but still ended up on the wrong end of a 3-2 defeat to Antony Hayman in one of two games that went the way of the home side.

Hayman survived legs of 18 and 17 darts, as well as Goldsmith's maximum, whilst Hayman also put up a 180 of his own to go alongside what turned out to be a crucial 16 darter in the five leg thriller.

Such was the standard in the aforementioned contest that each one of the quintet legs didn't go beyond seven visits to the board with Hayman finishing on thirteen tons himself.

Top scorer in the match was John Mann who heard scores of a ton or more called no fewer than sixteen times; a run that included the fifth maximum of an enthralling contest between two of the very best teams in the city.

Elsewhere, Glenn Halford showed his undoubted class with thirteen ton plusses and two of the five maximums in the match but still found himself on the wrong end of the score line.

Colebrook fought back from 3-1 and 5-4 down to break Halford's Bluebird A in the final leg thanks to Will Broome's 3-1 success with the scores tied at 5-5.

Halford was a 3-2 winner in the singles thanks in part to legs in 13 and 18 darts whilst teammate Glenn Austin put his mark onto proceedings with some excellence of his own.

Austin netted ten tons including a brace of his own of 180s and a 102 checkout that was the best of the contest, but still fell to Dave Hollow in the individual phase.

Hollow's 3-2 victory was steered home by a 17 dart leg whilst Darren Smith's 84 checkout for the victorious home side had to settle for second best finish of the evening.

Dave Johns was in excellent form for Kings Arms B with eleven tons that put a massive dent into the 9-2 win that his team achieved over Fawn A.

Martyn Down was a second member of the Oreston side to claim double figures in tons as he walked away from the oche with ten to his name.

Two other highlights in the match were from Tony Gordon and Paul Carpenter who both checked 100 at the first time of asking for the best finish of the match.

Simon Kelly continued his quest for the individual title with a 3-1 singles win that leaves him tied on twenty-two wins from twenty-three starts with George Beckett who also won on the night for the Steampacket.

Beckett's night was accented by an 82 checkout in an 8-3 defeat for the Devonport side when visiting Bluebird B.

The cherry on top of Scott Cook's ten tons for now confirmed runners-up Legends Lounge was his team's only maximum.

However, Cook's side had an 8-3 win over Indian Inn watered down to a 6-5 loss due to fielding an illegal player in the tie.

That man was Mike Whatley who added an 18 dart leg in his 3-1 singles success that was one of three points reversed in the match.

The victor's by default had Alec Turner adding two maximums whilst Danny Bull fired a 120 kill in one visit to the board for the best checkout of the game.