View from the Oche returns with a three parter before the next round of games. This first part will be looking at Division 3 so far and the other two parts will examine the other two Divisions. I am hoping to also have in the third part the return of Gypsy Pat and a Where are They Now feature , which will be Gary Dale ,one of the founding fathers of Saigon darts way back when.
So we are well into the new season now and I thought this week’s break would be a good time to look at the three divisions and see how teams and individuals are doing. Are there any surprises? Any new up and coming players ?First up Division 3.
Division 3
The Tavern top the league after four winning games . Two comprehensive victories against ACDC and Black Magic and narrower 7-5 conquests of Phattys and Tequila Toros. They have quite a small squad and are reaping the rewards for this with a consistent six playing most games. Karl, Johnny and Rab have proved to be the solid foundation for their success. A three point lead at this stage is handy and if they do not suffer their key players missing for any periods they will fancy their chances to continue their winning streak going and gain promotion.
An Udder Team is following them closely. A convincing win over ACDC apart ,they have been involved in close 7-5 matches ,two going their way against Phattys and Toros but Black Magic gaining the narrowest of advantages over them. Matty and Cathal are their standout players in what is again small playing squad so far. They give a good game against whoever they play and will be confident going into their biggest match so far against The Tavern,next week.
Tequila Toros have had a pretty solid start to their life in The SIDL and sit fairly comfortably in third. They have been involved in four 7-5 matches. Two victories against Dreamtime and BIA and two losses against the top two Udder and Tavern. Marlon has the best record so far and Cris looks like he has plenty of darts in him, with lots of tons and checks. Only used eight players so far but they seem to have a pretty strong core in that eight. Performances so far suggest they will not be too far away at the end of the season.
BIA have seemingly followed on from last season when inconsistencies dogged them. They have gained useful 7-5 victories against Phattys and Black Magic. But an 8-4 opening week loss to ACDC and a 7-5 loss to Toros , have stopped them imposing themselves on the Division. Of the nine players so far used ,it is no surprise to see Donald topping their stats with 4 straight wins and plenty of checks and tons.He has been ably supported by David,Ken and Keith but no-one else in the team has as yet managed to claim a Singles victory and maybe that is what has been stopping them pushing on . Where will they end up at seasons end is anyone’s guess –could be top – could be bottom .I don’t think they have a clue either but won’t care as long as they are having a good time.
Dreamtime showed improvement towards the end of last season and they have continued this improvement into this campaign. A good 7-5 win over ACDC and a hard fought draw with Black Magic have demonstrated this improvement and their losses too have only been 7-5 ones to Phattys and Toros. Everyone they have so far played ,they have battled strongly with till the end. Andy and Dan have led the way but all have contributed to their performances, with some excellent doubles results in matches. They may not be title contenders but they have shown plenty of capability to cause teams an upset.
Black Magic would have been hoping for a better start to their first experience of life in Division 3 but it has not worked out well so far for the team from Voodoo. Results have been a real mixed bag ,with a draw against Dreamtime and a 7-5 victory over Udder. However a opening week 10 -2 loss to the Tavern seems to have knocked them slightly, though there are signs of improvement and their 7-5 loss to BIA was mightily close. They have used nine players so far and the return of Tin Tin should help their cause. He ,Manniken Pis , Porridge and Drama all have two Singles wins ,but Captain Rob1 has had a disappointing campaign that he will hope to put right against his old foes Phattys next week. I would expect a stronger campaign from now on ,if they can keep their stronger players turning up week in ,week out.
Phattys Phukkers managed to gain their first victory of the season in the last round with a 7-5 win over Dreamtime but they will be disappointed with the start to the campaign. Their three previous games had all been 7-5 losses. Though Jimish has lost his unbeaten streak ,he still leads their standings 3-1 and Bernie and Niall have provided support in Singles with a pair of wins each. So far they have needed to use nine players and have often struggled to get team together on a Tuesday night. They will be hoping that the win last week turns around their fortunes and they can start turning 7-5 losses into wins.
ACDC find themselves at the bottom of the table at this early stage after what seemed a perfect to the season with an excellent 8-4 win over BIA. Things have not gone so well since then ,with a narrow 7-5 loss to Dreamtime followed by two heavy losses to Udder [10 -2] and Tavern [9-3]. A small squad of seven used so far and all have made contributions ,with Solo and Gigi looking particularly good. On their day they can be a match for any team in this division but they need a few more of those days if they aren’t to find themselves in the lower half come seasons end.
Thought I would look at each teams tons totals which certainly suggest that whilst my team the Phukkers can obviously score we cannot check for shit hence our second bottom position.
The Tavern 43
An Udder Team 29
Tequila Toros 35
BIA 40
Dreamtime 33
Black Magic 40
Phattys Phukkers 43
ACDC 22
loslocosborrachos 
Leave a comment