Newark & District Double Board Darts League: RHP Darts of Hazzard beat holders The Taverners 4-2 in the John Browne Subsidiary Cup final
RHP Darts of Hazzard have won the Newark & District Double Board Darts League’s John Browne Subsidiary Cup after defeating The Taverners 4-2 in a compelling final held at the Castle & Falcon.
RHP, who finished the league campaign in seventh place, went into the final in good form having won three matches on the trot while The Taverners had slipped to fifth after ending their league campaign with four successive defeats.
The Taverners were looking to retain the Subsidiary Cup that they won for the first time last season after their four previous final appearances had ended in agonising 4-3 defeats while RHP were hoping to add the winter league subsidiary cup to their success in last summer’s competition.
The Railway Club based Taverners had won both league encounters between the two sides this season but the Darts of Hazzard had come out on top when the two sides met in the opening round of this season’s main knockout cup competition.
It promised to be a difficult match to predict and that is how it turned out, with the outcome always in doubt right up to the final throw of the night.
The opening leg saw the Taverners outscore their opponents and reach the checkout first with RHP back on 233 but they failed to take their chances which allowed Chris Clawson to put the Darts of Hazzard ahead as he holed out on 28.
The second leg again saw the cup holders reach the checkout first and, on this occasion, the Taverners took their opportunity as Stuart Glover checked out on double-16 to draw his side level with RHP still requiring 153.
The third leg followed the same pattern of the opening two with the Railway Club side continuing to outscore their rivals as they reached the checkout with RHP languishing back on 364 but, just like the first leg, they saw numerous chances come and go which once again allowed the Darts of Hazzard to claim another unlikely leg with Clawson on target again with a 20 checkout.
The pattern of this match continued in the next with The Taverners again reaching the checkout first and despite a couple missed attempts their skipper, Simon Cobb, hit a first-dart double-8 to bring his side level with RHP lying in wait on 62 hoping to snatch another.
The fifth leg was a tight affair which saw RHP respond with their best scoring of the night and with both sides sat on 32 Lewis Hubbard holed out to edge them ahead for a third time in this pulsating affair.
Unusually the opening five legs had all gone against the advantage of throw and the Taverners were hoping that that pattern would continue and enable them to set up a last leg decider but it wasn’t to be on this occasion as they were once again left to rue missed chances.
The Taverners yet again reached the checkout first but RHP were not far behind and the tension built as both sides saw opportunities come and go before Clawson held his nerve to complete his hat-trick of checkouts with a double-1 finish to clinch the Darts Of Hazzard a 4-2 win and claim the John Browne subsidiary cup trophy.
The curtain will fall on the season next Thursday when the presentation evening will be followed by the mixed pairs competition at the Castle & Falcon.
Results: Men’s John Browne Subsidiary Cup Final: RHP Darts of Hazzard 4-2 The Taverners (Railway Club).
