Fife travelled to Grampian for the first County Match of 2021/22 Season. It seems so long since everyone last played, so it was great to catch up with some familiar faces. This season also sees a change in format, where it's now 16 x Men & 8 x Women, random draw. Line up has changed to - 3 x Men, 3 x Women, 5 x Men, 2 x Women, 4 x Men, 3 x Women, 4 x Women. Confused, so were we. A New Scoring System is in place, where it's now Darts Connect. So here goes

First three mens sets saw first up, Colin Miller vs Stephen Buchan, a great start to the day, going all the way, "Big C" checking out 118 for the match 4-3, that's after a 146 check out to go 3-2 up. Next saw Peter Cessford take on the vastly experienced Matt Goldie, who was just too strong, winning 4-0. Last in the session was the new cap Richard "Titch" Brown vs Mike Murray, who unfortunately lost 4-1 after missing a few crucial doubles. End of First

Session 1 - Grampian 2 - Fife 1

Next up the ladies. First on was Gillian Hepplewhite vs Jacqui Clark, after a tense few legs, Gillian seen it out 3-1. Second set, Linda Hutchison vs Carrie-Marie Duncan. Linda took the first leg, then Carrie-Marie rattled off the next three. So on to last set of the session. Andrea "Tiny" Carr vs another experienced campaigner, Christine Hyde. Having had a very good summer, Andrea was looking to continue with her winning form, which she did with ease, coming out on top 3-0

Session 2 - Grampian 3 - Fife 3

Next up was the longest in the day, sets wise. Dayle Morgan vs Michael Thomson. Nothing much between them after 4 x sets, however Dayle held his nerve, to wrap it up 4-2. Set 8 was similar to the previous, after 4 x sets nothing between Colin Hepplewhite vs Simon Finn, this time it was Simon who saw it out 4-2. Next saw a remarkable come back from Graham Whyte vs Brendyn Donnelly. Brendo rushed into a 3-0 lead and looking confident, then as doubles were starting to leave him, Graham won the next 4. Set 10, Ian Paterson vs Ian Towe. Unfortunately Patsy wasn't on form, losing 4-0. Last up Alan Small vs Paul Richardson. Two heavy scorers battled away, Paul winning first two, Alan responded winning next three, only for Paul to keep his composure, taking the last two legs

Session 3 - Grampian 7 - Fife 4

On to the Mini Session of two Ladies Games. Jane Bassett vs Louise Patterson, both played extremely well, but it was Lousie who saw it through 3-1. Fife needed a win, so next was Steph Gilmour vs Sharon Leslie. First leg went to Grampian, but Steph held it together to take next three legs.

Session 4 - Grampian 8 - Fife - 5

This was now a very important session for Fife. First up Rab Watson vs Jamie Bain. Jamie with all the experience playing in PDC, wasn't going to be easy to beat, however Rab Watson stepped up to the mark, coming from 3-1 down, to take it 4-3. Next up the re-called Kevin O'Hagan vs Danny Trueman. Nothing was separating them, in the end it was Kevin who took the set 4-3. Set 16 was Jamie Clark vs Craig Robertson. The first two sets went to Grampian, which seem to ignite Jamie, who rattled off next four legs in 14, 13, 17 & 17, winning 4-2 with a 90+ avg. Fife right back in it, so on to Dean Carr vs Sean Ryan. Dean got off to a flyer, racing to 3-0, Sean pulled one back, but Dean finished it off, winning 4-1. What a fightback from Fife!

Session 5 - Grampian - 8 Fife - 9

Last of the Ladies next. First Lynne Gray vs Wendy Mathers, where both players were very steady, it was Wendy who took charge at the right times and took the set 3-0. Next Liza Warrender vs Lousie Milne, again not much between them, but same result, Grampian taking the set 3-0. Last up was Carol Dodds, who was kindly filling in. Unfortunately was up against the talented Emily Davidson, who showed why she is one of the best ladies in Scotland, winning very convincingly 3-0. Bad session for Fife

Session 6 - Grampian 11 Fife - 9

Last games of the day. Not much in it. Fife needed a win, so when you have Alex Jeffrey on, confidence would be high. He was playing another experienced player in Bruce Montgomery. When "Eck" went two legs up, Fife were on a high, hoping to get the set, but Bruce had other ideas, Both players showed power scoring, but it was Bruce who hit the doubles, winning 4-2. Set 22, Steady Eddie himself, Rab Shaw vs Scott Campbell. A very nervy set, where both players didn't seem to hit true form, it was Rab who grinded out the victory, winning 4-1. So 12-10, two to go. Jamie Munn vs Stephen Michie. Another set that went one way then the other. Jamie going 2-1 up, but the strength and depth of Grampian showed, with Stephen taking three legs on the trot, to win 4-2 and seal victory for Grampian. So all that was left was Aaron French vs Scott Robertson. This ended up a non contest, as Scott played some fantastic darts, comfortably winning 4-0, with an 88+ average.

Final Score Grampian 14 vs Fife 10

Wasn't to be for Fife, but the pleasing thing for the management team was the way the squad pulled together, having been away from competitive darts at this standard for a while. Everyone one played their heart out, so Well Done Fife #MTF#LGS