Darts

by Sports | May 6th, 2007

Time: Friday 16.00
Location: JJ’s

JJ’s was the venue for the Men and Women’s first team darts on Saturday, and with 4 points in total up for grabs, both Lancaster and York had plenty to play for. Both matches were comprised of nine singles games, each the best of three legs. The crowd for the darts is said to be the third largest of all the Roses events, and their growing excitement for the start of this match was secondary only to the opening of the bar.

When the darts began a little after four, it was Lancaster who emerged as the front runners, winning the first two games without conceding a leg, including a 52 check out to win the second game. The third game saw an increase in the scores with York top scoring with 132 and Lancaster topping 80 on three separate occasions. A double two settled this high scoring game in York’s favour to reduce their arrears to two one. Lancaster re established their two game lead in the next game with the highlight a 127 from Lancaster. After York won the fifth game, the sixth game went into a tense double three off with wired shots from both sides before Lancaster eventually won the leg and the game with a double ten. Lancaster then put the result beyond any doubt with victory in the seventh game giving them an insurmountable 5-2 lead. The final two games were shared meaning that the final score for the women’s firsts was 6-3 to Lancaster.

By the time the men’s match had started at quarter past seven JJ’s was full to the brim and the atmosphere was electric. After winning the first game in three legs, Lancaster followers were chanting their uni’s name. However, while the women had enjoyed a relatively comfortable win the men’s match was a lot closer. The quality of dart throwing was of a very high standard as shown by the fact that even a 127 check out, finished with bull, from Lancaster was not enough for victory with York winning 2 legs to 1. When Lancaster established a lead of 3-1, York pegged them back immediately with 2 consecutive games to bring the score back to 3 all. Lancaster and York shared the next two games to bring the match to a decider. Nerves were on display as both players missed opportunities to give their side victory, but after a long double one off, York clinched the game and with it the match. The quality of the darts had certainly lived up to the atmosphere of the crowd in an event that had been absorbing from the first dart to the
last double.

Chris Cattermole