Castle and Falcon Ladies comeback clinches darts Knock-out Cup for the first time
The Castle and Falcon Ladies have secured their first Knock-out Cup after a thrilling final held at the Railway Club, which saw them snatch a dramatic victory over Newcastle Arms Youngers.
The two sides had met the previous week in a top-of-the-table clash that decided the destination of the league trophy as the Youngers secured an 11-4 win to clinch their fourth successive title but the cup encounter would see a different outcome.
The Castle and Falcon, who were looking to win their first knock-out cup, got off to the perfect start with Mandy Walker and Kathy Buttong winning the opening pairs encounter 2-0 against Linda Gregory and Jackie Dennis.
They maintained their advantage as Debbie Braithwaite and Anice Wells drew with Debbie Walker and Fran Paterson.
The Youngers, looking to secure their 13th Knock-out Cup success, then levelled before moving ahead 5-3 as they secured victories in the opening two singles matches with Dennis overcoming Debbie Walker 2-0 before Gregory repeated the feat over Buttong.
The league champions’ two-point cushion was maintained as Wells drew with Mandy Walker in the penultimate singles tie. With the Youngers leading 6-4 the two captains knew the importance of the final singles tie with Braithwaite knowing a victory would clinch her side a fourth successive league and cup double while Brenda Scott knew she must earn at least a draw to take the match into a decider.
In a tight clash, Braithwaite took the opener to put the Youngers 7-4 ahead before a nervy second leg saw both players end up on double-one but it was Scott who landed it to keep the match alive.
The match would be decided by the concluding team leg worth three points and it was the Castle and Falcon who built an early lead, which they maintained all the way to reach the double first and, with the Youngers lying in wait for a shot at 59, Debbie Walker held her nerve to sink double-four to clinch their first knock-out cup with a thrilling 8-7 win.
It turned out to be a great week for Brenda Scott as she won her first mixed pairs title the following night, alongside the Wheatsheaf’s Kevin Rose who had won the title back in 2010, as the destination of the final trophy of the season was decided at the Castle and Falcon.
Rose and Scott were inv-olved in some tight tussles as they overcame three-time winner John Esam and Fran Lawrence 2-1 before edging past Duncan Wall and Kathy Buttong by the same score-line in their semi-final.
Their opponents in the final were reigning champion Paul Gallacher, of the Railway Club, and Falcoholics’ Stacey Grand-Scrutton, who had battled through without dropping a leg as they overcame Dave Thompson and Di Nuttall, Kieran Cumberland and Karen Whittaker before a semi-final victory over Rob and Jackie Dennis.
The opening leg of a tight final saw Scott and Rose take the leg against the throw as Rose checked out on double-four after both pairings had missed opportunities.
Rose was on target again in the next as he hit a terrific 78 checkout with his opponents hoping for a shot at 89 to put his side just one leg from victory. Gallacher and Grand-Scrutton responded by taking the next as they outscored their rivals with Gallacher checking out on double-four with their opponents still requiring 112.
The fourth and final leg was another tight affair but it was Rose who continued his fine finishing form as he completed his hat-trick by landing a tremendous 82 checkout to take the title 3-1 — a fitting end to a great cup final.
