It was a very early start for the Seymour Crew on Saturday, July 27, with 18 bus travellers getting into it early to take on the Shepparton Darts Association.
With countless hours going into prepping for this game between the two leagues, you can try your best to plan for every situation, but on the day of the event it all seems to go out the window.
First blow to the plan was the bus driver falling ill and being unable to drive, so the scramble began to find a replacement. After some begging, bribing, and promising the naming rights of first-born children, we had a new driver.
Then we had several players pull out, and some that just never turned up at all, but with a little bit of patience from all the players, the day got underway with three groups of six Men’s teams and a single group of six Ladies teams.
Zane Kilroy captained the A Grade team, selecting Anthony Wallis, Peter Myles, Rob Welsh, Seth Kilroy, and Terran Crispin for his side.
The Seymour crew got off to a slow start, with the Shepparton boys getting the jump early and leading 2-1 heading into the singles. The singles were played as Best of Five matches, with the longer format seeming to suit the Seymour boys better as they found their rhythm and piled on six straight wins to put the result out of reach of the home side, with the two teams sharing the points in the remaining two triples matches, and Seymour taking the honours 8-3.
Highlights included Anthony Wallis nailing a 180, Terran Crispin smacking in the highest peg of the day with a 118 finish, and Rob Welsh pounding in high pegs of 92 and 85.
Adam Lynch was entrusted with the B Grade Captaincy and had Anthony Bohlmann, Dan Kilroy, Justin Billman, Steve Kilroy, and Wayne Cartner at his disposal.
The Seymour crew got the first singles win in under their belt to stretch their lead to 3-1, but the Shepparton boys rallied and fought their way back into the match, winning four of the remain five singles to lead the match 5-4, and with only the two triples’ games to play, the Seymour team’s hopes of victory were on life support.
The first match went down to the wire, with both sides having a crack at a peg before Seymour snagged the win to level the scores, completing the unlikely comeback to win the day 6-5.
Steve Kilroy was all over the high scores for the Seymour crew, finishing with four tons, a 125, 126, and a 140. As well as throwing five pegs, Anthony Bohlmann was the centre of attention after smashing in a 180 in the final game of the match to go with two tons, and Wayne Cartner hammered in high scores of 117 and 130. Dan Kilroy hit the match winner as well as a high peg of 78 and a score of 118, and Justin Billman fired in a ton and a 140.
The C Grade – Adam Hunt, Alan Sharp, Josh Read, Peter Browne, Shane Hunt, and Stuart Crockett – went blow for blow with the Shepparton boys, getting off to a good start in the doubles to lead 2-1.
That one extra win in the doubles proved the difference, as they halved the remaining eight games between the two sides, with Seymour claiming a narrow 6-5 win and completing the 3-0 clean sweep for the Seymour Men’s.
Adam Hunt was a standout for the C Grade side, smashing in four tons, a 125, and four pegs. Josh Read was more than handy with a 108 and two 126’s, and Shane Hunt was the only other triple figure scorer, spearing in a high score of 116 plus a match high peg of 50.
The Seymour Ladies went from two teams of six players on paper to playing with only five players, with the Shepparton crew ‘borrowing’ some wives and girlfriends (WAGS) and other family members to scratch together a side, all of which performed exceptionally well after being thrown in the deep end.
The Seymour Ladies won the opening three double matches to set their day up, but Shelley Jensen and Tara Bohlmann got the home side back in the hunt with a pair of singles wins.
Unfortunately, it was a case of too little too late for the Shepparton Ladies, with the Seymour team running away with the points 9-2 to complete a clean sweep, the team’s first win since before the COVID lockdowns.
Tara Bohlmann filled in for the Shepparton team and smacked in the match’s highest score, a 145. Sharon Ring was next best with a 138, while Christine Lorenz and Crystal Bird nailed a ton each. Shout out to Chrystal Turnbull for spearing in the maximum four pegs for the day.
A huge thank you to all the players who signed up and made this day so great and the success that it was. Thank you to Zane, Lynchy, Stuey, and Tammy for stepping up and captaining the teams to glory. Special shout out to Justin Billman for driving the bus, Leigh Turnbull for scoring and helping everyone all day despite not being able to play himself, and the committee of the Shepparton Darts Association did an amazing job with running the day and keeping everyone fed and hydrated.
