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Pumas and Scorpions went head-to-head during the Brezz N Tuesday night league in a clash highlighted by some hard-fought opening singles games.
Pumas captain Ike Te Ahorangi lost 2-0 to John Lynch but teammates Mark Bollingford and Cory Timothy replied strongly with 2-0 wins over Heiwari Phillips and Bill Allen.
Import Brian (Skippy) Royale levelled it with a 2-1 win over Irene Taufa and the teams exchanged wins to head into the pairs locked at 3-all.
Lynch and Phillips got Scorpions off to a good start with a 2-0 win over Te Ahorangi and Bollingford. Pumas struck back with Timothy and Taufa beating Allen and Royale, and Willie Smith and Eric Moses downing Sonia Tom and Vic Mackey.
That stung Scorpions into action and they won five of the remaining six pairs games to take a 9-6 lead into the second set of singles. It left Pumas requiring five of the six single and they went close, winning four of them.
Sharks were too strong for Ruahine although the latter did provide the first 180 in Potz Te Kira’s singles win — the team’s only victory in the opening singles matches.
Sharks won the first set of singles 5-1 and by the end of the pairs had increased their advantage to 12-3. Ruahine finished strongly in the reverse singles — winning these 4-2 — but the damage had been done, a 14-7 win to the Sharks.
Falcons had a convincing 19-2 triumph over Pythons, whose two wins were memorable. The Pythons pairing of Antz Hulley and Joanne Matete won beat two of the Falcons’ strrongest players, Sam Kirikino and Pete Tom, 2-1.
Young Errol Tamihana showed his promise in beating Claude Saddlier 2-1 in the reverse singles.
Humming Birds showed they cannot be taken lightly despite going down 17-4 to the Stallions. Aquin Lewis saved the whitewash in her 2-0 singles win over Matt Morrell as Stallions went into the pairs 5-1 ahead.
The Humming Birds pairings of Lynmarie Edwards and Amanda Manuel and Gaye Tamihana and Tuihana Shepherd picked up wins as the Stallions increased their lead to 12-3.
It was Debs Mulligan’s turn to shine for the Birds in the reverse singles, beating Morrell 2-0, but the other games went the Stallions’ way.
The Hawkz and Tigers match saw Tiger Shiloh Henry post his first 180 in his first six darts thrown.
Tigers won the opening singles 5-1, emerged 13-2 up from the pairs — although 50 percent of games were 2-1 scorelines — and dropped just one game in the reverse singles for an 18-3 victory.
Individual resultsHigh Score: Potz Te Kira, Shiloh Henry 180.
High start: Haimona Ratapu 140
Most highs: Harley Ngarangione 14.
Draw for Tuesday7:30pm: Humming Birds v Hawkz, Stallions v Ruahine, Scorpions v Sharks, Pythons v Pumas, Tigers v Falcons.