Holders The Taverners beat The Hedgehoggers in the Newark and District Double Board Darts League semi-final to reach the John Browne Subsidiary Cup Final

The Taverners, who won the John Browne Subsidiary Cup Final for the first time last season after suffering agonising 4-3 defeats in their previous four final appearances, will have a chance to defend their crown.

They secured a hard-fought 4-2 semi-final victory over The Hedgehoggers in the Newark and District Double Board Darts League.

The Railway Club based Taverners, who currently lie in fifth place in the league, were favourites to progress to the final after being drawn against bottom of the table Hedgehoggers but the Castle & Falcon side pushed the holders all the way in a close encounter.

A tight opening leg saw chances on both sides before Brian Coughill checked out to give the Taverners the early advantage. The next two legs were again evenly contested and both teams saw chances come and go but it was The Hedgehoggers who turned the match 2-1 in their favour with checkouts from Daniel Collington and Zak Daubney.

The fourth leg proved pivotal with The Hedgehoggers having chances to move to within one leg of the final but they failed to take their chances and the cup holders drew level with Matthew Glover holing out. The match continued in the same vein with both sides again having chances to clinch the fifth leg but it was Coughill who checked out to edge The Taverners 3-2 ahead.

The sixth and ultimately final leg saw The Taverners edge their opponents in the scoring stakes to reach the checkout first and, with their opponents lying in wait on 86, Glover checked out on 19 to secure the 4-2 win.

Their opponents in the final will be the current Summer League Subsidiary Cup holders RHP Darts of Hazzard, who came from 2-0 down to win 4-3 in a thrilling encounter against Castle & Falcon Arrows.

The Arrows, who have won the Subsidiary Cup on three occasions, took the opening two legs with Colin Weir and Mick Sale providing the finishes before RHP responded by taking the next two legs with a brace of checkouts from Paul Gallacher. The fifth leg saw RHP continue the fightback as they outscored their opponents and, despite several missed chances, they edged in front for the first time as Chris Clawson holed out on double-1 with the Arrows hoping for a shot on 97.

RHP had chances to clinch victory in the sixth but they failed to take their opportunities which allowed Andy Norris to sink double-1 and tie the match up at 3-3. The Arrows had the advantage of the throw in the deciding leg but they didn’t take advantage of it as RHP reached the checkout first and, despite three players failing to convert their chances, up stepped Paul Gallacher in the nick of time to complete his hat-trick of finishes as he checked out on 18 to secure a 4-3 win with the Arrows waiting in vain for a shot at 36.

The final promises to be a difficult one to call with The Taverners having come out on top in both league encounters (5-0 and 3-2) but RHP Darts of Hazzard, who currently lie two places below their rivals in the table, have already beaten the Taverners 4-2 in a previous cup clash this season when the two sides met in the main knock-out cup opening round.

Results: Men’s John Browne Subsidiary Cup semi-final: Castle & Falcon Arrows 3-4 RHP Darts of Hazzard, The Hedgehoggers 2-4 The Taverners.