Kent extended their lead at the top of the AON Contracts Championship table to 15 points over their closet rivals courtesy of a 23-13 win over Berkshire.
The Women’s B match resulted in a 3-3 draw, before Kent’s Men’s B 8-4 win saw them move 4 points clear going into day two. Kent’s Women’s A furthered their lead, winning 4-2, followed by another 8-4 win for Kent’s Men’s A team, securing them the victory.
Dorset make the long journey north to face mid-table Humberside, with the home team leading at the halfway point following a 3-3 draw in the Women’s B, which including the standout Women’s B performance of the Championship by Dorset’s Macie Woodrow, and an 8-4 win for Humberside’s Men’s B.
Dorset’s Women’s A, currently top of their section, took their sixth team win of the season 4-2, before a dominant Dorset’s Men’s A fought back to claim the win for the team with a 9-3 over the home side.
Staffordshire sit in third place following a 21-15 win over Oxfordshire, who sit bottom on the table with a game in hand.
Oxfordshire’s Women’s B made a positive start, winning 4-2, but a 10-2 win for Staffordshire’s Men’s B saw them trail 12-6 moving into Sunday. Staffordshire’s Women’s A secured a 4-2 result, leaving them just three points off the win. Despite a 7-5 win for Oxfordshire’s Men’s A, it wasn’t enough to catch Staffordshire, who claimed the 3-win bonus points.
Three teams all sit on 169 points after the weekend, split by the narrowest of margins; Sussex, Hertfordshire and Gwent.
Sussex’s title hopes took a knock following their 21-14 loss to Hertfordshire, which see them move down two places to 4th. Hertfordshire’s Women’s team both secured strong wins 4-2 (B) and 5-1 (A), bolstered by an 8-4 win for their Men’s B, which included Men’s B performance of the Championship from Jonathan Creed.
Sussex’s Men’s A have lost just one match this season, and their 7-5 win keeps them top of the Men’s A section, but the weekend went the way of Hertfordshire.
Gwent also suffered a narrow 19-17 loss this weekend as they travelled to Buckinghamshire.
Both the Women’s A and Women’s B ended as three-all draws, and Gwent led moving into the Men’s A match as their Men’s B beat the home team 7-5. Buckinghamshire’s Men’s A rallied to secure their third win of the season 8-4, which was enough to deny the visitors the win. The match also saw Gwent’s Nick Kenny (pictured) hit the highest Men’s A average of the division, with a 31.81.
The final match of the weekend was contested between West Midlands and Cambridgeshire, who both find themselves at the tail-end of the table.
West Midlands took an early 4-2 lead via the Women’s B, but a 9-3 result for Cambridgeshire’s Men’s B saw the visitors lead 11-7 overnight. Cambridgeshire’s Women’s A won 4-2, with the standout divisional performance coming from Jane Judges. The Men’s A match ended as a 6-6 draw, which was enough for Cambridgeshire to take the win 21-15.
AON Contracts Championship results: West Midlands 15 – 21 Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire 22 – 14 , Buckinghamshire 19 – 17 Gwent, Humberside 16 – 20 Dorset, Staffordshire 21 – 15 Oxfordshire, Berkshire 13 – 23 Kent
AON Contracts Championship table: https://ukdartsassociation.com/aon-contracts-ltd-championship-division-tables/
