CHEQUERS B’s Ridley League title hopes have gone up in smoke after two defeats which confirmed the value of dominoes to the competition format.

Rocked by lowly CCFC the previous week, they took another 6-0 beating at the table to hand overall victory to Little Waltham and are now 19 points behind leaders Globe with four games to play.

Steve O’Neil banged in another 180 and Noel Cummins had a 160 start as the Chequers took the main darts 5-2.

But Waltham’s women were immovable, and that dommies whitewash was crucial.

The Globe knocked spots off third-placed Chequers A in a 13-2 win that leaves both Felsted sides chasing shadows. Rob Tinsley (180 and three 140s) gave the leaders a grip they never lost, with Matt Day the visitors’ only singles winner.

Dog & Partridge (formerly St Anne’s Castle) won comfortably at City FC to avenge an earlier home defeat, and again the dominoes was crucial. They took the first two games by one hole and two holes – and that meant four valuable points.

It was nip and tuck at the Black Bull, where Nigel Chapman’s 170 was a feature of the Margaretting side’s narrow win. Compasses took the two pairs but, again, the dominoes decided the result.

Octogenarian Dick Clough (three tons) helped the Cricketers to six darts points at the Bird in Hand, who were grateful to their dommies players for keeping the final score to respectable proportions.

RESULTS – Bird in Hand 5, Cricketers 10 (singles/pairs 1-6, mixed 0-1, women 0-1, dominoes 4-2); Black Bull 8, Compasses 7 (4-3, 0-1, 0-1, 4-2); CCFC 5, Dog & Partridge 10 (2-5, 0-1, 1-0, 2-4); Chequers B 6, Lt Waltham 9 (5-2, 1-0, 0-1, 0-6); Globe 13, Chequers A 2 (5-2, 1-0, 1-0, 6-0).

FIXTURES (Mar 17) – League meeting and Women’s Singles (Bird in Hand, 8.0).