WHITWELL-ON-THE-HILL ace Terry Temple narrowly missed out on a place in next month's PDC German Darts Masters.

Temple was denied a spot in the Berlin tournament after losing 6-4 at the final hurdle to Ross Smith.

Fellow North Yorkshire ace Martyn Turner, from York, also bowed out at the same stage, 6-4 to former World Championship quarter-finalist Paul Nicholson.

Earlier victories saw Temple defeat Josh Payne 6-1 and Paul Amos 6-5, while York's Turner overcome Daryl Gurney 6-3 and Gary Stone 6-4.

In the latest Players' Championship stages at Crawley, Temple beat Wayne Pepper 6-2 but lost 6-4 to world number 17 Ian White in the first tournament, and went on to suffer a 6-2 first-round reverse to two-time World Championship finalist Mervyn King in the second.

Meanwhile, in the Pickering Darts League, second-placed Horseshoe ‘A’ closed the gap to leaders Recreation Club after coming from behind to beat third-placed Working Men’s Club ‘B’.

WMC ‘B’ took an early 2-0 lead with John Bristow hitting five tons and a 21-dart leg, but Shoe took the next three singles with Graham Steel hitting a 19-darter including 140 and 121 and Billy Hague beating Cameron Spiller in the game of the night.

Hague took the first leg in 17 darts, Spiller levelled in 16, and then Hague hit 100, 133, 140 and a 65 finish for a fantastic 14-dart winning leg.

Shoe went on to win 4-3.

Rec Club, meanwhile, suffered a rare defeat, to Black Swan.

Rob Umpleby, with a maximum 180 in a 17-dart leg, got Swan off to a good start and they continued in good fettle to lead 3-1, with Karl Wallis winning in 22 darts with a 100 plus a 140.

Club hit back to level but Swan won the deciding game.

Sun Inn ‘B’ powered to a 6-1 victory over Station Hotel, Darren Allanson rounding off his game with a 62 finish, and the ever-reliable Nigel Monkman winning with excellent legs of 17 and 15 darts, finishing his game with a fine 112 checkout.

Basement team Sun Inn ‘A’ held Royal Oak to 4-3, with Rob Allanson hitting a 65 outshot to win his leg. Oak hit back through Martin Cook, who threw three 100s, a 121 and a 108 finish for legs of 20, 21 darts, and Al Bartram, who shot two 140s in a 20-dart leg.

WMC ‘A’ came out 5-2 victors over Horseshoe ‘B’, Derek Bannister finishing on 74, while Ady Turnbull rounded off with a 21-darter including a 100 and a 140.