Darts: Bointon displays Star quality in solo league (From Gazette & Herald)

Darts: Bointon displays Star quality in solo league

3:29pm Wednesday 9th January 2013 in Sport

Phil Bointon gave an imperious display as the Pickering Rec Club Individual League resumed after the festive break.

Bointon, who has also been in good form for the Cayton-based Star ‘A’ team in the Yorkshire Superleague, produced a wonderful average of 87.36 as he swept aside Jon Rule 5-0, recording 3x180 2x140s and 12x100+ scores in legs of 17, 17, 17, 21 and 14 darts.

Billy Hague, who has been chasing Bointon most of the season, slipped 3-2 to Steve Taylor in another top match with Taylor hitting two maximums.

Geoff Atkinson closed on Hague by beating Steve Dawson 4-1, including a 110 checkout, and Phil Taylor, with 1x180, 2x140s and 6x100+ scores.

Hague and Atkinson are tied in second after Hague beat Rule 4-1 in a match which saw 15x100+ scores, including a maximum each.

Andy Wall beat Phil Taylor 3-2 in a scrappy battle, Roger Dawson 3-2 in a quality match including 4x140s and 13x100+ scores, and Steve Dawson 5-0, which left Dawson two points adrift at the bottom.

Bointon returned to the oche to edge Steve Taylor 3-2.

With four rounds to play, Bointon, Hague and Atkinson seem to have secured top-four finishes.

John Bristow took two more wins in the ‘B’ league and looks sure for promotion.

Cameron Spiller and Alan Dawson are locked together in second. Both won twice, Dawson beating Pete Taylor 5-0 with 10x100 + scores and a 100 checkout, and Graham Love 3-2 in a tight match. Spiller defeated Love 3-2 with a 103 checkout and Rich Webster 4-1.

Meanwhile, Cayton team The Star ‘A’ again battled hard to come from behind and secure another valuable 4-4 draw in the Yorkshire Superleague, this time against the strong Board Inn ‘A’ from Knaresborough.

Malton man Toddy Oldfield continued his recent great form as he whitewashed Simon Bulmer 4-0. Oldfield never looked back after a 111 finish in the first leg with Bulmer sat on 16. A 16-darter in leg two and an 18-dart final leg highlighted his dominance.

John Spoors, also of Malton, returned to the side but struggled to find form and threw away a 3-1 lead in losing 4-3 to Gary Hobson. Spoors wasted three darts at double 10 in the deciding leg.

Simmy Cass faced England international and 11th seed for the BDO World Championships, Martin Atkins, and again put in a promising display in a 4-1 defeat. Cass won the first leg with an 18-darter but was beaten by deadly finishing.

Jim Gordon, still unbeaten this season, produced another 80-plus average and hit two more 180s as he beat Mark Hartley 4-2.

Graham Elvidge lost 4-3 to Brian Preece in a cracker, having raced into a 2-0 lead which included a 180, and also throwing a 20-darter, but he missed double 20 for a 160 finish in the decider and Preece checked out on 86.

Malton’s Paul Bulmer lost 4-2 to man-of-the-match and fellow Yorkshire county star Ian Malkin in another incredible match. Three missed doubles in the third leg and a missed double 13 for a 146 finish in the last proved costly.

But Scarborough’s Olly Mitchell blew away Ian Bailsden 4-2 and Pickering ace Bointon secured the draw as he destroyed Board Inn captain Ray Davey 4-0.

Bointon hit five 140s, four 100s and double 20 first dart for a 16-dart final leg and a 81.24 average.