Octagonals Edge Raffles In Devon Superleague

There was a 5-4 victory for the Octagonals over Raffles in a Devon Superleague Plymouth derby match.

Neil White (20.86) produced eleven ton plusses in his 4-1 victory over an out of sorts Scott Hutchinson.

Chalkie's average was driven down by double trouble in the 36 dart leg Hutchinson won, but made up for that with legs of 16 and 19 darts in the fourth and fifth.

Darren Pearce (24.88) edged county teammate Kieran Burns (22.66) 4-3 in a match that produced no fewer than twenty-two three figure scores to put the Octagonals 2-0 up.

Despite Pearce starting the first leg with three straight tons it was Burns who won in 20.

This spurred Tex on who kicked off the next with a maximum and finished in 20 himself to draw level.

A 19 dart third leg for Burns gave the youngster a 2-1 lead before a 96 checkout in an 18 dart leg from Pearce levelled once again at 2-2.

Burns survived missed doubles in the fifth to eventually get to the brink of victory at 3-2.

However a second 180 in the sixth for Pearce helped him level before securing the only break of throw in the set to give Pearce the win.

John Mann (27.01) was at his imperious best against Cornish Youth star Jaden Whitting (22.53) in a 4-1 win.

Mann did go behind before legs in 17, 19, 17 and 18, in which he plundered eleven ton plusses including a 180.

Whitting deserves huge credit for the fight he put up; chalking up ten tons of his own, including four in the fourth, but just ran into a player at the top of his game.

Fred Goldsmith (22.90) restored the Octagonals two set lead on his return to action with a 4-1 win over Mark Turner (20.58).

Goldsmith etched no fewer than fifteen three figure scores over the five legs, including a 100 checkout in the final leg, which helped him secure legs in 17 and 18 in the contest.

Alec Turner (20.98) roared into a 2-0 lead in the next set against Paul Palmer (20.70) in a spell which included a 16 dart leg and a maximum.

Palmer then capitalised on some slack finishing by Womble in the third to gain a foothold before adding his name to the 180 column in a 17 dart fourth to make sure 2-2.

However, that was the last Palmer would win with Turner getting over the line by four legs to two to put his Octagonals side on the brink of victory.

Jayden Dodd defeated veteran Dave Pethick in the sixth set of the match in a tie where both were well below the usual standard, which gave Raffles their second set of the match.

Devon A team player Lee Hellings (23.25) then followed his Raffles teammate's lead with a 4-1 win over Lee Agar (23.62), which included a maximum for the former.

Agar can count himself unlucky after outscoring Hellings throughout with nine tons to six but it was the Devon man who was more clinical at the business end of legs.

Two Devon A team players clashed in the eighth tie of the match as Danny Bull (22.03) faced Mike Pearce (21.91).

Initially this one lived up to its billing with legs of 17, 19, 19 and 20 shared equally between the two as the players traded nineteen three figure scores overall.

However, the relentless standard dipped slightly as Bull started to miss doubles at a crucial time, allowing Pearce to take a 4-2 win and the match for his Octagonals team.

Despite the game being lost for his Raffles team, Harry Bull (23.55) still produced a fine performance against Lee Rodmell (21.41) which must have caught the eye of Devon selectors.

Rodmell started off with a leg in 16 before the youngster powered back with legs of 17 and 20.

Bull then had chances to make it 3-1 before Rodmell stole in to level the tie at two a piece.

The tons kept raining down from Bull in the fifth, one of which was the highest of the match with a magnificent 120 to make it 3-2.

Despite more missed darts at doubles, the young star finally got over the line for an impressive 4-2 victory over a very accomplished player to make the final score 5-4 to the away side.

Elsewhere, the Victory Girls went down 5-2 at home to the Flying Arrows, in a match that started so well for the Honicknowle side.

Captain Jodie Hawton (16.96) is looking to impress Devon selectors again after being overlooked this season, despite having an admirable record for the County.

And she did her chances of reselection no harm with a 78 finish in a 3-1 win first up.

Lisa Aston (14.88) then made it 2-0 to the home side with a 3-0, scoring three ton plusses in the last leg.

Despite slipping to a narrow 3-2 defeat in the third, Devon Youth player Cleo Trelease (15.39) improved her chances of senior selection with an accomplished performance in which she hit a maximum and could have won all five legs if it wasn't for some sloppy finishing.

The Flying Arrows then levelled with Kim Reilly (13.22) going down 3-0 before Kerry Jenkins (16.31) went down 3-1 for the Victory Girls with the leg she won coming from a 96 checkout.

The final two sets of the match also went to the away side without a single leg being registered by the home side to round off a disappointing night for the Victory, despite a promising start and some strong individual performances.