Express & Star

Sunday best for Black Country's top darts duo

The Black Country's top darts duo will take a break from competitive action to take part in a fund-raising exhibition on Sunday.

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Wayne Jones and Jamie Hughes, who play in the PDC and BDO respectively, will put on a show for punters at the Billy Wright pub.

The venue, on Princess Street in Wolverhampton city centre, are putting on the event to benefit the Maureen Parkes Cancer Fund.

Landlord Dean Parkes, son of former Wolves goalkeeper Phil, lost his mother Maureen six years to stomach cancer, writes Craig Birch.

Admission is free, with the action to start from 3.30pm. Customers will get the chance to share the oche for a leg with one of the players and win prizes through a raffle and auction.

The pair have the weekend off, with the PDC starting their second-string Challenge Tour tournaments and Hughes not travelling to compete in the BDO Gibraltar Open.

Wednesfield's Jones will be heading there to compete at the PDC's Gibraltar Trophy from May 6-8, through, after qualifying on a busy weekend at the Barnsley Metrodome.

Hughes can pick and choose his ranking events. He's assured of his World Championship place for the next two years, due to reaching the semi-final at Lakeside in January.

'Yozza,' from Tipton, has just endured a testing weekend. He could only reach the last 256 of the Isle of Man Classic, losing 3-2 to Josh McCarthy in the last leg.

West Midlands county darter Shaun Carroll was also involved and won his board final, 4-3 against Lloyd Pennell, before bowing out 4-2 to Rhys Hayden in the last 16.

Hughes did reach a board final in the Isle of Man Open, too, but was a last 32 exit as he was downed 4-3 by Hayden.

Jones' weekend of PDC action saw him book his trip to Gibraltar, where Stourbridge's Nick Fullwell will also compete.

Jones eased past Paul Nicholson 6-2, before recording 6-4 verdicts over John Bowles and Jonathan Worsley to reach the all-important third round.

Fullwell was granted a bye to the second round, where he saw off veteran Alan Tabern 6-3 before a 6-4 win over Gary Stone.

Bloxwich's Matthew Dennant and Rugeley's Mark Hylton fell at the first hurdle, the former 6-3 to Mick McGowan while the latter was nudged out 6-5 by Eddie Dootson.

Jones and Fullwell came up a game short of making the cut for the European Matchplay, which will take place from May 13-15 in Hamburg, Germany.

They came into the qualifier at the second round stage, with Jones beating Kyle Anderson 6-4 while Fullwell defeated Gerwyn Price 6-5.

Both were on the wrong end of 6-4 score-lines in their deciders though, Jones vanquished by Darren Johnson while Fullwell went down to Jamie Robinson.

Dennant was whitewashed 6-0 by Mark Webster, while Hylton was overcame 6-1 by Lee Palfreyman. Both were second round clashes.

Jones and Dennant stayed in Yorkshire for the subsequent start of the Players Championship, which is only open to those with Pro Tour cards.

Neither could make the money stages with first round exits in the two competitions. Jelle Klassen first accounted for Jones 6-1, while Berry van Peer put out Dennant 6-4.

The second and final line-up was a last chance to get off the mark on the Pro Tour Order of Merit. Jones lost 6-1 to Andrew Gilding, while Dennant was beaten 6-2 to Dirk van Duijvenbode.

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