By David Nagel
It’s taken 10 rounds into the season but the Mud Rats are celebrating their first win of the 2022 South West Gippsland Darts League (SWGDL) after a 9-6 win over Middels.
The Mud Rats hosted Middels at the Cardinia Club in Pakenham in a battle of the seventh and eighth teams in the competition.
The last time they met, Middels won a nail-biter against the Rats…ending the night with an 8-7 victory in round three.
But this time it was the Mud Rats turn to sniff out a victory and keep their very real hopes of climbing the competition ladder alive.
The Rats are still last on the ladder, but are now only one win behind Middels and Gembrook – with a better percentage – with just four rounds to go in the season.
The other big result in round 10 saw the Warriors move into fourth place on the ladder with a 10-5 victory over previous incumbent Paky One.
The Warriors were in great form, with Liam leading the way with a terrific night at the oche and the rest of his teammates coming along for the ride.
The Warriors have been unlucky not to have won more games this season and might be a team to watch when finals begin on 24 May.
But the Warriors will have to be at the top of their game because the top two teams in the competition – Just Social and Snipers – gave further evidence that they may be a fair margin ahead of the rest.
Top-of-the-ladder Just Social were dominant in an 11-4 victory over Gembrook, while the second-placed Snipers had a night out against third-placed Rebels…winning 12-3.
The win locks away a double-chance for the Snipers come finals time.
Dean was at his brilliant best for the Snipers, throwing a best-of-the-night seven tons and also producing a fantastic 108 peg out!
Dean has thrown 15 more tons than his nearest rival this season to be the standout player in the league.
Players enjoyed a night off on Tuesday 19 April, with round 11 scheduled for Tuesday 26 April.
The match-of-the-night will see fifth-placed Paky One host second-placed Snipers at the Cardinia Club.
Games kick off at 7.30pm and spectators and darts enthusiasts are most welcome to attend.
LADDER R10 W L F A % PTS
Just Social 10 0 104 46 226.09 40
Snipers 9 1 96 54 177.78 36
Rebels 6 4 75 75 100.00 24
Warriors 5 5 86 64 134.38 20
Paky One 5 5 84 66 127.70 20
Gembrook 2 8 49 101 48.51 8
Middels 2 8 47 103 45.63 8
Mud Rats 1 9 59 91 64.84 4
Round 10 Results
Warriors 10 def Paky One 5, Just Social 11 def Gembrook 4, Mud Rats 9 def Middels 6, Snipers 12 def Rebels 3.
Next Round
Round 11 – Tuesday, 26 April, 7.30pm
Paky One v Snipers (Cardinia Club), Middels v Just Social (Middels Restaurant – Drouin), Mud Rats v Warriors (Cardinia Club), Rebels v Gembrook (Railway Hotel – Warragul).
Season Bests
Most Tons – Top Five
62 – Dean (Snipers), 47 – Aaron (Snipers), 44 – Thom (Rebels), 40 – Terry (Just Social), 36 – Liam (Warriors), Tim (Snipers).
180’s
Troy, Liam, Shane, Aaron, Ant (2), Thom (x2), Dean, Nugget and Dale.
100+ Peg Outs
158 – Pez (Just Social), 151 – Thom (Rebels), 121 – Ant (Warriors), 117 – Shane (Paky One), 117 – Glenn (Middels), 108 – Dean (Snipers), 101 – Nugget (Gembrook), Aaron (Snipers).
