Home comforts as Staffordshire get the win

Staffordshire got back to winning ways in their final home game of the season as they snapped a three-match losing run.

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The county darters will be looking to use their final fixture of the campaign to finish in the top half of the table, writes Craig Birch.

They sit sixth out of 10 in the BDO British Inter-Counties Championship Division Two, after prevailing against rock-bottom Somerset.

Their curtain call will come away to Sussex, who could yet finish at the foot of the standings themselves, on the weekend commencing April 23.

Two days of darts took place at their home base of the White Eagle Club in Riverway, Stafford, with the hosts having to come from behind.

A 4-2 defeat in the ladies B clashes put them on the back-foot, Sally Dart top scoring for Somerset with 18.79 in a 3-0 whitewash of Terry Selman (16.00).

Debbie Hollins mustered Staffordshire's best winning response, racking up 15.14 for a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Kara Gunter (15.15).

The home line-up erased the deficit and surged ahead through the men's B standings, coming out on top 9-3.

Callum Matthews excelled for Staffordshire with 30.06 in a 3-0 shut-out of Craig Paines (20.31), while Somerset's Neil Raikes had 28.06 in a 3-1 win over Richard Cummings (23.48).

The visitors hit back in the ladies A affairs, where they again rolled over 4-2. Dart (18.56) again starred with a landslide, this time over Michelle Colclough (15.54).

The home side's Susan Sherratt upstaged her, though, with 20.35 in a 3-1 result over a stubborn Kay Bisset (18.54).

But there was to be no stopping Staffordshire and they made sure of victory in the men's A finale, where play was upgraded to a best-of-seven format.

John Burgess clocked up the second-highest average of the weekend, with 29.65 in a 4-2 defeat of Dean Baker (25.77).

Mark Stock got Somerset's most-compelling figure of 26.23 in a 4-0 drubbing of Dave Moors (26.23). Staffordshire got over the line 21-15, gaining three extra points as the winning county.

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