Dundalk darts | Sparrows progress in Andrew McAlister Open Shield

Uncle Tom’s Sparrows 4 Northend Bullys 1

Two Dundalk and District Darts League games on the night for the Sparrows, and it was captain Wayne Fry who set the tone early. Drawn first from the hat, he eased any nerves with a comfortable 2–0 win over Davey Connolly.

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The Bullys responded through Joanne O’Shaughnessy, who defeated Conor Soraghan 2–0, but that proved to be their only success.

The Sparrows took control from there, with Odhran McShane, Jack Hanlon and Sean Briscoe all claiming wins over Callum McCrave, Peader Kieran and Cara O’Shaughnessy, respectively, to seal a solid 4–1 victory.

Uncle Tom’s Sparrows 4 Bodhrán Rebels 3

With momentum on their side, the Sparrows faced the Rebels, but it was the Rebels who struck first as Sean Doyle produced a strong 2–0 win over Noah Fry.

The Sparrows responded well, with Jack Hanlon, Sean Briscoe, and Wayne Fry all backing up their earlier wins by defeating Nick Hoey, Conor Hoey and Fra Dillon.

However, the Rebels showed great character to fight back, with Trevor Doyle and Oisin Dixon both winning 2–0 against Conor Soraghan and Callum Donnelly to level the match at 3–3.

Into the decider it went, youth versus experience, as Odhran McShane faced Kevin Doyle. In the end, youth prevailed, with McShane getting the job done to send the Sparrows through after a tough and entertaining contest.

Commercial Classics 3 Northend Cobras 4

Heavy underdogs Northend Cobras got off to a perfect start, with Marianne Gartland impressing in a 2–0 win over Chris Naylor.

The Classics responded well under pressure, taking the next two games through Aidan Dorey and Gary Shevlin, despite strong efforts from Mark Kerley and Luke McEntee.

Aaron Taaffe levelled things once again with an excellent performance against Dean Enright, and that result lifted the Cobras.

Paddy Taaffe and Ciaran Markey followed up with wins over Conor Shevlin and Ownie Grimes to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Mark Flynn did pick up a win for the Classics against Simon Watters, but it proved too little too late as the Division 2 Cobras stunned the Division 1 runners-up with a brilliant upset. Well done to all involved.

Phoenix 1 Avenue Inn 4

Michael McAlester got Phoenix off to a strong start, showing his experience to defeat Premier Division player Steven Ogle 2–0. Unfortunately for the home side, that was as good as it got.

Avenue Inn responded in style, winning the next four matches through Johnny, Kevin Thompson, Gary Loughran and Sean Devlin, who all proved too strong for Ryan Smart, Armando Baltazar, Martin Lee and Jordan McInerney.

A tough result for Phoenix, but a valuable experience against top-level opposition and one they can learn from going forward.

Northend Green 2 Bodhrán Hawks 5

Northend Green started brightly, with Hughie Shields and Simon Wykes both recording comfortable 2–0 wins over Colin Taaffe and Paul McAleer.

The Hawks, however, responded well under pressure. Cian O’Rourke got the comeback underway with a strong 2–1 win over Aidan Thompson, before John Kelly levelled the match at 2–2 with a comfortable 2–0 victory over Aidan Mernagh.

Darren Ludlow then edged the Hawks ahead for the first time with a solid 2–1 win over Paddy Gibney. The captains were up next, with Aidan Minto taking on Podge O’Rourke in a closely fought contest.

Both players took a leg each against the run of play, forcing a decider, but it was Podge who held his nerve to come out on top and secure the win, sending the Hawks into the last eight of the Shield with a game to spare.

Ryan Murtagh wrapped things up with a 2–1 win over Eugene Coburn, with Eugene putting in a valiant effort but just falling short on the night.

Quarter-finals fixtures

Bodhrán Hawks v Commercial Club - Venue: The Avenue Inn; Commercial 26ers v Uncle Tom’s Sparrows - Venue: The Bodhrán Bar; Avenue Inn v Callans B; and Northend Cobras v Callans HBX