WARWICKSHIRE County Youth darts players pipped Lancashire 7-6 to win a close game and had their ladies section to thank for claiming overall victory.
In what was the county’s third away match in a row, the ladies were first up to the oche as team captain Rosie O’Sullivan allowed her fellow team members to play stage games with the skipper playing for the reserves.
And club captain Isobel Gash was first to the stage as she claimed a dramatic final leg 3-2 victory with a 12.92 average as Warwickshire made a winning start to the fixture.
Kacie O’Connor followed up that victory with a 3-1 win of her own as she played with confidence to average 11.22.
And Krystal O’Connor made an impressive stage debut as she averaged 8.54 in a 3-0 win as Warwickshire completed the ladies section in style.
The under-18’s were up next as Charlie Moreton lost 3-0 against a strong opponent who averaged 25.91 compared to the former’s 17.87.
However, Keelan Dockerty showed his experience on the stage with a steady 16.34 average in a 3-0 win to level up the section.
Lancashire reclaimed the lead after Warwickshire’s Ben Gamble raced into a two-leg lead only to lose 3-2 despite an average of 18.71.
Mitch Richardson maintained his unbeaten record this season with a speedy 3-0 win and a 17.68 average to set up a tense finale to the section.
However, Harley Bennett was beaten 3-0 in the final game of the section as he hit 100-plus scores in vain as Warwickshire led 5-3 overall ahead of the under-21 matches.
And Warwickshire started the final section with a win as Harry Franklin scored 120 and 100 in his first six darts and hit ton-plus scores in all three legs in a comfortable 3-0 win with a 21.17 average.
Campbell O’Hagan Cooper sealed overall victory for Warwickshire as he adjusted his throw in a steady performance and hit 137 and 140 en route to a 3-0 win with a 19.27 average.
However, Lancashire responded with a 3-0 win over Warwickshire’s Luke Morris who struggled to find his rhythm and only managed one ton-plus score with a 19.37 average.
And Harry Earp was next to suffer defeat as he lost 3-1 despite initially levelling the game after he dropped the first leg as his opponent passed 100-plus scores on three occasions as the former averaged 20.15.
The last game of the day saw Sam Matthews record a 180, much to the delight of the crowd, in defeat against another strong opponent as he finished with a 19.06 average.
In addition to the stage games, Warwickshire’s reserve players were also in action as Emmie O’Connor suffered a 2-1 defeat with a 16.05 average.
Team captain Rosie was playing her first game for some time and scored 100-plus in the first leg as she fell to a 2-1 defeat and registered a 14.69 average.
Kian was first up for the boy’s reserves and secured a 2-0 win with a 20.65 average as Owen Quinn claimed a 2-1 victory with a 17.16 average.
Elsewhere, Warwickshire player Jenson Walker won a JDC Advanced Tour 4 event in which fellow team member Alfie Busby impressed on debut.
Warwickshire’s next home game takes place on Sunday, April 2 against Merseyside at Radford Social Club.
