Silverware and £500 for Ivan Leslie as he wins, for the second time, the JW Gray & Co Tennent's Kirkwall Open Darts Singles, organised by the KDDL.
Kirkwall Open prizewinners. Pictured back row from left are Kevin Gray, quarter finalist, Kelly Harcus, furthest progressing lady, and Jamie Marwick, furthest progressing KDDL B-player. Missing from back row are quarter finalists Ryan Tulloch, Stevie Linklater and Paul Foubister and highest lady finish winner Noreen Bain (108).
Pictured in the front row from left, are Peter Craig, semi- finalist & highest checkout winner with 161, Craig Taylor KDDL president, Ian Linklater, runner-up, Ivan Leslie, winner of the JW Gray Tennants Kirkwall Open, Jim Scollie, KDDL secretary, and Roger Irvine, semi-finalist.
The Tennent's JW Gray Kirkwall Open just gets better and better as 107 people put their names down for the ninth open tournament.
Twenty-one ladies entered, with Shona Gray and Nicky Laird making the last 32, but the star lady was Kelly Harcus, who beat two male players to make the last 16 and scoop the top lady prize of £100.
Kelly’s run was ended by the star player from the Borders, Peter Craig, one of five players who travelled for the tournament. There were also players from Western Isles and Shetland.
Defending champion Kevin Gray lost out in the quarter finals to Ivan Leslie, who was joined in the last four by Peter Craig, Roger Irvine from Shetland, and Orkney’s Ian Linklater.
Ivan’s 4-0 victory over Roger and Ian’s 4-1 win against Peter ensured that it would be two KDDL players who would compete in the showpiece, with the cup guaranteed to remain in Kirkwall, as it has done for the eight years previous.
The final itself, wouldn’t have looked out of place on television. The score of 5-2 to Ivan looks one-sided, but it was far from it — Ivan just seemed to have the first dart at a double and he wasn’t missing anything.
Ivan picked up the £500 first prize courtesy of the sponsors, with Ian winning £200 as runner up.
Peter Craig from the Borders took the top checkout prize with a 161. The top ‘B’ player and £100 winner was Jamie Marwick, who beat Derek Ward jnr in a play-off.
In total well over £1000 was won on the day by players reaching various stages of the competition.
The next big competition is this Friday with the second last ranking points event, the league doubles. It’s in the Masonic and is for registered players only, names in by 7.30pm.
In the Williamsons ‘A’ League, the Legion looks odds on to retain the title after beating the Sands ‘2’ 8-4 and now only need five points from their next four games. Only the OGC and the Commodores can stop them.
The Williamsons ‘B’ League title is still very much up for grabs as the top teams take turns to drop points. Quoyburray dropped two points in a 6-6 draw with the Muppets, however fellow title-chasers Tankerness crashed to a 9-3 defeat to Shapinsay. Shapinsay still have t play Quoyburray in what could potentially be a league decider.
180s: Robbie Stanger, Craig Taylor, Ian Linklater, Noreen Bain, Gareth McRitchie, Gordon Peters, Brett Dickinson, Colin Leslie, Keith Bain, Colin Barnett, Roy Foubister, Brian Moar, Trevor Shearer, Ian Findlay, Stuart Thomson, Derek Firth, Neil Croy, Jimmy Craib, Graham Firth, Stevie Linklater, Kevin Gray, Erlend Lennie, Ollie Bethwaite and Bruce Moar. Two from Jamie Marwick, Davy Henderson and Ian Munro; three from Ryan Tulloch and Ivan Leslie; four from Iain Wilkie.
High checkouts: 100 from Michael Scollie, 100, 116 and 160 Robbie Stanger, 102 Brett Dickinson, 106 Bruce Moar, 110 and 116 Kevin Gray, 110 Gary Wilson and Graham Firth, 111 Ivan Leslie, 118 and 156 Stevie Linklater, 116 Derek Firth, 120 Aaron Edwardson, 122 Ryan Tulloch, 138 Kevin Peace, 143 Alan Gray and 160 Ian Wilkie.
There were 13-dart legs, two from Kevin Gray, one being alongside Derek Firth in a double game.