Carroll and Maiden land winning doubles for England
Two local darters hit the bullseye on duty for England in the annual BDO British International Championships, writes Craig Birch.
Scotland played host for the three-country event that also included Wales with Bloxwich's Shaun Carroll and Wednesfield teenager Owen Maiden both impressing as they ended the tournament with perfect records.
Tipton's Jamie Hughes completed a trio of Black Country throwers representing their country while Shifnal's Steven Ritchie also turned out for Scotland.
Four titles were on offer at the Glenrothes Recreation and Social Club, with three of England's sides claiming victory.
Hughes and debutant Carroll both featured in the men's tournament, with Ritchie taking his place in the home line-up. Wales took the honours overall.
England started out with an 8-4 defeat against the Welsh. Hughes, a World Championship semi-finalist, lost his game 4-2 to Wayne Warren, averaging 29.83 to his opponent's 29.64.
Carroll, a county player for the West Midlands, made a successful bow with a 4-2 victory against Jim Williams, racking up a 28.18 average to his foe's 27.57.
Ritchie had figured in the Scots' 6-6 draw with Wales, but was seen off in the last leg by Warren. He'd got 28.88 to his adversary's 29.53.
Scotland and England then played out a 6-6 draw with Ritchie (26.24) defeated again, this time by a 4-1 margin to 2015 world champion Scott Mitchell (27.35).
Hughes (32.75) bounced back in style with a 4-1 success against Steven Mitchell (29.61), while Carroll (25.27) made it two wins from two with a 4-1 vanquishing of Craig Baxter (24.29).
Youngster Maiden also made his debut for England's boys team and, like Carroll, came home from north of the border with a perfect record.
First the 15-year-old appeared in a 3-1 verdict over Wales, with play staged over a best-of-five format. He notched a 27.23 average in a 3-1 win over Cavan Phillips.
Then the Wednesfield teenager returned to the oche to take on Scot Nathan Girvan and again prevailed 3-1, with 21.71 to his opponent's 20.52 as England triumphed 3-1 for a second time.
They topped the boys' chart with four points, leaving Scotland to pip Wales for second place on the tie break rule. England also tasted success in the girls' and ladies' competitions.
