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Thursday September 20th 2012

Controversy rules as the 2012-13 St. Albans district Darts league season kicked off last Thursday for the Rose & Crown. Drawn away to the White Lion “b” for the first week of the campaign the Rose had the bare minimum of six players (or seven if you include the self-styled “Director of Darts”) needed now that the league had voted on a new format of 3 doubles and 6 singles. Club secretary John Goode however had other ideas and was insistent that the format was amended to only include 5 singles thus enabling the draw. This did not go down well with the home team and set the scene for the remainder of the evening with the home team’s skipper feeling particularly disgruntled. Discussion followed debate and the situation was given hope of avoiding the decent into a mockery when John gave in and called “Foggy”. Two minutes later “Foggy” confirmed what everyone else in the pub already knew and that six singles were to be played.   The Rose quickly raced into a 3-0 lead, I say quickly, each going the full three legs with the home side wasting opportunities to reverse the score. They didn’t have to wait long however before chalking up their first legs of the season as they took the spoils of the first two singles. By this stage the clock was ticking and it was gone 11 o’clock and concerns were raised as to the format greatly lengthening the evening, concerns that were well founded as the last Dart rattled in to double eight securing a 7-2 victory and two points for the visitors at 23:50.

Thursday September 27th 2012

With the weather on the turn and the chilly evenings starting to take effect winter league darts made a welcome return to the Rose & Crown last night. The car park was still a squeeze and took John a couple of goes to fit his car snugly in its place, helped largely by the rear sensors and the guidance of “DD”. As we turned out of the car park and onto the street the sun was in its last throes casting the centuries old tavern in its warm glow. The smokers as if caught in time were still huddled around the door as they had been since the smoking ban was introduced some four or five years earlier. Inside the fires still burned, their warmth only interrupted as the unwary patrons upon their exit left the door agape. To all intense and purposes it was a typical scene that was being played out at all manner of village pubs up and down the country. But something was different, something had changed. It was five minutes to eight and not a dart player in sight. Where once you would expect “Ming” to be scrapping for yet another fifty pence piece over a game of tactics with possibly eight or nine fellow dart players, there was only silence. Where once Neil would whine like a baby and throw his darts to floor as if toys from a pram lamenting that “stupid game”, the floor was bare. Where once these finely “tuned athletes” strained every sinew hurling their precisely engineered barrels of wolfram at the board hoping and praying at all costs it wouldn’t be a brush and cost them a pound, the board was just pierced by stark white light from the ceiling mounted spots above. It’s now five minutes past eight and the darts players are in attendance all lining up meaninglessly awaiting their turn to thrust the cold wolfram into the Stark new board. Once the atmosphere here would crackle with electricity as “Scotty” picked the teams that would do battle and we can still hear the phrase “I’ll play with Tom” echo around the once nicotine stained walls even today. But this is 2012 and “Scotty” is not here, at least not yet and nor is the spark that would once ignite the fire for that early evening competition. This is where the true darts were played. Tactics. We may have taken points from the “Inn on the Green” we may have heroically gone to London Road with just six players and come back victorious, we may have even beaten the Crooked Billet into submission but this nothing to winning 50p off Scotty but instead now each takes their turn not even registering as they strike the board.   The visitors are here now, Townsend Tennis and bowls club, familiar foes and bristling with a mix of youth and experience but lacking their talisman Barry Curran a semi nomadic team that have made their way around St. Albans before settling down.   It’s leg ‘n’ leg in the first and the tension now is starting to rise Kevin wants 21 but leaves Ian 3. Townsend fluff their lines and Ian bags the first game.   Paul and Neil up next and before we know what’s happening Townsend are a leg to the good. A good solid start in the second leg aided by the oppositions inability to start and they claw it back to leg ‘n’ leg. Again the tension can be felt all around the room and all that can be heard is “DD” chattering inanely. Third leg and it’s nip ‘n’ tuck all the way down then one, double one and the Rose are two nil up.   Dave and Skip take to the board but don’t have enough to contain the opposition and its 2-1   The singles start and “Big Ron” gets the Rose off to a flyer, but wait where is the third tray of sandwiches without “Scotty” here the whole place is in turmoil not only can no one keep “DD” but the third tray of sandwiches has gone missing. Hurry back Tony.   So at 3-1 and the missing sandwiches now making their appearance can Neil the “Dude” Crosby extend the lead. After losing the first leg Neil hits straight back clinching a tension filled second leg but old demons come back to haunt him and he surrenders the initiative and Townsend pull it back to 3-2 Ian and John then fall short and the Rose find themselves 3-4 down. Paul squares the match at 4-4 and in times gone by would have earned them a valuable point but the new format mean a sixth singles and Kevin finds himself no match for his youthful counterpart and Townsend take the spoils.