Eventually got round to the third part of this installment and a look at Division One as we approach the halfway mark of the season. Pikey Pete will continue his predictions after not doing too bad ,though I think Rex from BnB Saigon Retro did not take kindly to the predict loss for his team!! A new feature this week will be venues review -starting with my own reviews of Gartenstadt and Tequila Bar. I hope to get some other players to review some other bars in the future. [Our second Where are they Now? is unfortunately delayed till the next edition as Gary Dale has been too busy ,but he has promised to send me in the next week.
Division One
After the dominance over recent seasons of Mabuhay this season is looking a lot more competitive and there have been some interesting results so far.
Ice Blue Viet
The only team with an unbeaten record IB Viet lead the standing and deservedly so. The only two teams to stay with them and get any points are their closest challengers Nomads and Mabuhay ,who both gained draws. Other teams have been blown away by this team and their four victories have been big ones. Will they go unbeaten in the first half ? Well Those Guys will have something to say about that in the game next week but I predict IB Viet will triumph. They have used nine players and though Nhan stands unbeaten so far ,their main power players are Xu and the returning Rick. Xu suffered a surprise defeat to the outstanding woman’s player in the league at the moment ,Thuy Tran ,but I think he will continue to dominate this league. Rick returning to the fold after his self-imposed break from darts has definitely made them a stronger team this year. I think they have all the attributes to go on and tak the title ,though I bet Nomads and Mabuhay will have something to say about that!
Nomads
Now becoming an established Div 1 team ,The Nomads are right up there challenging for the top spot . They have had steady results with wins against Prixx [8-4] .Alayah [11-1] and an excellent win this week against Mabuhay [7-5] .They got a creditable draw against IB Viet , but would probably have expected to have beaten Really Rottens . Their one defeat was against Those Guys ,an old adversary and a team that can upset anyone on their day. They probably need a little more consistency to maintain their challenge. They have probably one of the smallest squads in the Division but that tightknit team spirit is what benefits them. Probably one of the most modest players in the league ,Chad, is their outstanding player with a 6-0 record so far ,but he has been ably supported by Logan and Brett, whilst Jeff seems to be getting back to playing his best darts too. I can see a top three finish but I am not sure they have quite enough in them to challenge for top spot all the way to the end of the season ,but I know they would love to prove me wrong.
Mabuhay
The champs are probably having their worst start to a season for many a year but yet they still maintain their top three place. Only one loss to Nomads but too many matches have been draws [ against IB Viet,Really Rottens and The Prixx] . The 11-1 win over Pinoy Patriots was a stamp of authority in regards to as who is the top Filipino team in the league and a useful 7-5 win over Those Guys added points on the board. They have suffered from missing Jun all season, whilst Jonel is gradually working his way back to form. Adrian had been on fine form and he has had good support from both Zarggie and Raymond. They of course will keep challenging till the end and have a good chance to snatch the title again ,if only they can turn those draws into wins. They probably need another player to start to dominate in Singles ,like in previous seasons when they had two or three players in the top of the standings.
Pinoy Patriots
This team could well be in second once they play their game in hand and whilst some in Division 1 maybe surprised by the newcomers ,I could have told them to be wary after the way they played last year. They have a solid core of very good players in Rey,Jeorge and Mike. These guys can beat any other player in the league on their day. This season Mariel has joined them and also looks like a useful player. Their defeat to Mabuhay may not have been too surprising but the nature of it was ,as they were thrashed 11-1.Their only other defeat was another heavy one on opening week against IB Viet.Decent victories against Those Guys, Prixx and Really Rottens have put them in the position they find themselves. Will they challenge for a top three spot ,in all likelihood they will maintain a top half position but I do not see them overtaking a team like IB Viet. [ Update -and indeed they did beat Alayah so go second]
Those Guys
A team that will always give the opposition a real battle ,on the oche and in the drinking stakes. Those Guys enjoy their darts and have had a pretty solid first half and are probably where they expected to be. A couple of draws against Really Rottens and Alayah are games in the second half they will be aiming to turn into victories if they wish to get into the top half. They have had an excellent win against high flying Nomads and a crushing victory over The Prixx. Their defeats against the two Filipino teams were narrow and are matches in the second half that can aim to get something out of. A hard last match of the first half of the season awaits them next week though, against leaders IB Viet – a possible upset on the cards.Big Boy tops their standing with a 5-1 record and he has been supported in the main by Odi [3-3] and B-LO [4-2]. The King brothers will be looking for better fortune in the second half of the season. Should be a comfortable mid table finish for them.
Really Rottens
Too many draws have hampered the Rottens progress so far this year ,with the points shared with Mabuhay,Those Guys and Nomads. Such results show that they are a team that is maybe capable of doing better. Only one win so far and that came against struggling Alayah. They were thrashed as many have been by IB Viet. Guppy has only managed three games so far and with a 3-0 record ,they are missing his regular attendance. Other players such as Tom,Trang and Matt have had good nights but no one is consistently winning week in week out. The Rottens are too strong to get dragged into a relegation struggle I feel ,but will probably have to settle for a mid-table position at the end of the season.
The Prixx
The Prixx have found life in Division One a little bit of a struggle and the step up in class has seen them only claim one draw and a win ,as well as a couple of heavy defeats. Their one victory came against bottomed placed Alayah and probably the highlight of the season was a draw against the champ Mabuhay. They have recently had two heavy defeats came against IB Viet and Those Guys and will need to bounce back if they are not to find themselves returning quickly to Division 2. They have a small squad of eight , where the Thuy Tran has really shone for them with a 4-2 record and her game is going from strength to strength , highlighted with her recent win over Xu of IB Viet.There have been useful contributions from Woz [3-3] and the always smiling Melvin [2-4] ,other players have struggled a little for form so far. I hope they can pull away from the relegation spots but my head says that they lack the strength in depth and may well fill one of the bottom two places at the end of the season.
Alayah
Alayah having narrowly avoided relegation last season unfortunately find themselves propping up the table as we approach the halfway mark and one has to fear for them on the evidence of present results. They have struggled to get a settled team ,week in week out and this has not really helped their cause. They have used 11 players so far and only Alan, Zack and Sinh have played more than 3 matches. They had a positive start to the season with a 6-6 draw against Those Guys but recent weeks have seen too 11-1 defeats against IB Viet and Nomads and I fear for them come the end of the season.Alan is the only player to have won more than one singles game and that tells a sorry story for this long established and popular team. [ Update– unfortunately my view was reinforced as they lost 9-3 in a delayed fixture ]
Pikey Pete’s Predictions
Our new gypsy predictor did not do too badly last time around and whilst not getting exact scores, picked most of the results the correctly [except of course BnB’s tremendous draw -that’s right isn’t it Rex?].So the next matches are the ones that mark the halfway point of the season.
Division One
Alayah v Mabuhay
Mabuhay will be coming into this game on the back of a defeat and that has happened so few times in recent years it will be interesting to see how they will react. They probably could not have picked [and no disrespect meant] a better game to get back to winning ways ,with rock bottom Alayah up against them this week. Another heavy defeat for the team from Red Bar ,with a 9-3 defeat in the delayed game against Pinoy Patriots. Unfortunately I do not see anything else but a heavy defeat again and am going for a 9-3 win for Mabuhay.
IB Viet 8 v Those Guys 4
Really Rottens 7 v The Prixx 5
Nomads 7 v Pinoy Patriots 5
Division 2
Buddha Bar v NSW
I think the NSW recovery will continue in this game against a Buddha bar team who has done very well in the first half. NSW grabbed a draw last week, when they even left their top performer Fudgie out of the Singles line up. Buddha’s match last week did not end on a high note but they gained a convincing 9-3 win over the struggling Assassins, looking particularly strong in the Singles. I have a feeling in my water that NSW will claim at least a point.
Madhouse 3 v The Vinyls 9
Bernies Best 6 v Charmed Assassins 6
Dirty Harrys 5 v BnB 7
Division Three
Phattys Phukkers v ACDC
Both teams will be hoping to pick up some points from this game as they try to edge to mid table respectability. ACDC picked up a well-deserved point against Black Magic last week and will fancy their chances against an inconsistent Phattys side. The Phukkers fell to their fourth 7-5 loss last week and will be looking to bounce back against the bottom side. If Phattys can get a strong side out a win is possible but they have struggled to do so all season, so I think the safest bet will be the points shared. 6-6
Other matches
Black Magic 7 v Tequila Toros 5
BIA 4 V Tavern 8
An Udder Team 7 v Dreamtime 5
Venues Review
Phattys Phukkers have come across two new venues during the first half of the season in Gartenstadt and Tequila Bar.
Here is my review of both:
Gartenstadt
The home of BIA. I had no idea till we were scheduled to play there that this place even had a darts area and if you just walked in neither would you. It would seem that the darts area here is maybe just used on Tuesdays[though I am sure someone knows better than me].
It is not a darts players paradise if you are an asthmatic, as you must climb to the top of a few flights of stairs at the back of the bar/restaurant area, though the climb is not as quite as bad as the one at Harry Casuals. Mind you we are all a fit bunch of people aren’t we so this should not be a great negative.
At the top you will find a fair sized room with two boards. The aircon is good and the lighting for the boards is fine. There is background music , however it is cheesy stuff to say the least. There were a couple of servers who went up and down the stairs getting drinks ,not quick but not too bad considering. Snacks were a selection of wedges and a pizza.
The playing area is ok ,though a little cramped during doubles. Good area at the side for viewing one board at least. The toilet is just off the side of the room. I guess my only real negative about the venue would be the prices of the beer most of us drink –it is considerably more expensive than most of the expat bars we usually play at and I think it should offer some sort of discount to the darters on darts night. It does sell some nice German beer though.
Bills at the end of the night seemed fine [if a little pricey] and we did not have to wait long to receive them
Overall ratings:
Playing area : 6.5/10
Service; 6.5/10
Ambience : 6/10 [though you are not disturbed by any other customers]
Prices : 5/10
Snacks : 7/10
Tequila Bar
A new bar and home for a new team in Division Three, the aptly named Tequila Toros.
This bar is shaped like so many other bars in town. It has the bar going down most of one side with chairs and tables opposite. The darts area is at the bottom and has two boards. There are two small couches in the darts area ,one seemed to make sense and was used for one team to base themselves but the other right next to the boards was a bit of a mystery.
The set up was ok; lights were good and the boards in good condition. It is pretty narrow and with doubles it is a bit cramped. Maybe a few too many chairs behind playing area but viewing both boards was not too bad.
Service was good, plenty of bar staff .They were not too busy when we first started but it was busy at the end. Prices were the same as at most other venues, though they ran out of the crowd favourite SML, midway through the evening. Bills were accurate and came quickly at the end of the night.
As with so many venues the toilet is next to the darts area so you get other customers walking behind the oche but it was not too bad.
Do not know what happened with the snacks, our team got a garlic pizza and Toros on their table got spring rolls and something else. I do not think any thought was put into giving both teams the same selection; it seemed to be one lot of snacks just put on the available spaces on the tables.
The bar is just starting out and talking to the Toros boys I think they will maybe make improvements to the darts area in the near future.
Playing area: 6.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 7.5/10
Prices: 7.5/10
Snacks: 5/10
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