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Ace Invader Wathen’s Third Big Plunder

It’s the end of the summer season & Middlesex based Super League player Phil Wathen mounted his usual viking-style plunder of Surrey’s biggest individual prize by walking away with the Summer League singles Title for the third year running.

Andy Fordham may well be called the Viking, but seeing Phil, with his huge frame & wildly overgrown facial hair, brazenly entering the hallowed ground of Surrey’s home venue gives us an idea of how the defenceless Bronze Age villagers must have felt as Hengist & Horsa came to pinch their prize pigs!

After rampaging through a field of Surrey’s finest darting warriors including seasoned Pros like Askew & Sams, the fearless frenzied Feltham giant stuffed the £500 cash in his plunder bag to leave those assembled with an acute feeling of déjà vu – we can only be thankful that he didn’t further emulate our historical Scandinavian foes by setting fire to the club roof & striding off with a barmaid over each shoulder!

The annual summer singles prize is the most sought after monetary reward of the Surrey year, especially as it is free to enter by its being provided from sponsorship from the hugely successful 15 week season. The fact that some players plan their holidays around this competition so that they won’t miss a shot at the big payout makes it even more remarkable that one player can succeed in three consecutive years.

Wathen, who plays for Winter Super League Champions Walton Working Mens Club, is about to embark on his 4th season with the Surrey Champions Cup representatives, which means that in his time in our County, he has yet to lose a match in the summer singles. Quite an achievement. In fact, to steal an over-used adjective from a certain commentator who some would be quite happy to see carted away by the Vikings; it could be called “Tayloresque”!

So congratulations to Phil (again), a man who is so large & used to carrying extra pounds around with him that he might as well become a Securicor driver – it’s ironic, then, that he is probably thinking of booking Securicor to take him home after next year’s lucrative raid!

The Final Meltdown

Surrey’s Mens & Ladies representatives at the Champions Cup regional playoff in Berkshire both suffered an exit in the Final, just one match away from the National decider in Derby.

The Clovers side from Croydon eased through their Semi-Final with a comfortable 6-1 victory over Berkshire, but were unable to match Middlesex in the Final, with defeat coming by the same crushing scoreline. Lisa Munt gained the point 3-0 to follow up on her previous whitewash of her opponent in the Semi.

Walton Working Mens Club though, who took their place in the Final after a 6-3 victory over Middlesex, were agonisingly close to a National Finals berth as they went down 4-5 to Hampshire. The match came down to the final leg of the final set as Phil Wathen & his opponent were both poised on double top. The Hampshire player had the advantage of throw & killed Walton’s hopes. What was all the more frustrating was that Hampshire then went all the way to Runners-up spot the following week, only missing out on the Title “Champion of Champions” via a tense 4-5 defeat to Yorkshire.

Walton’s success is based firmly on teamwork, just ask Steve Catt, who was supposed to be in Hawaii on the day of the playoffs, but was forced to miss a week of his holiday as his flight was cancelled in the Gate Gourmet row that led to the BA baggage handlers strike. His team-mates were suitably sympathetic & generously bought him a plastic cup with a Hawaiian motif from which to drink his Guinness in Berkshire’s Britwell Ex-Service Club.

Sitting forlornly amongst the hilarity & callous day-long ribbing, Steve took it well when the gales of laughter rang out as it was suggested that a Sunday in Slough was preferable to being pampered in the Pacific!

Gold Stars

Unfortunately, owing to my recent house move, there was no Surrey Column last month & as Murphy’s Law dictates, it couldn’t have come at a worse time as Surrey players covered themselves in glory in the British Gold Cup Finals.

Apylee Jones won the Ladies Title for the second time, beating Clare Bywaters in the Final & only dropping two legs along the way, whilst the Mens Pairs Title went to Croydon duo Garry Bravery & Steve Lovett.

The Surrey web-site has proudly carried a picture of the three of them with their respective spoils, so it is with delight that we can officially (albeit belatedly) congratulate them in the pages of Darts World.

On behalf of all at Surrey, well done on two truly marvellous achievements!

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