The Yass Bowling Club “Spearchuckers” have enjoyed a phenomenal run of success over the last few years, having won two of the last four grand finals. However, their attempt at a third grand final win was thwarted on Monday night by the Dalton Hotel team, who emerged victorious in a close match.
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It began as a competitive, back-and-forth encounter, and the Spearchuckers took the lead midway through at 3-2.
However, Dalton managed to rebound and level the score at 4-4, before emerging victorious 7-4 thanks to a double nine from Nat Blundell three games later which sealed victory.
Bit disappointed, but that's about it. Still had a drink.
- Graham Furlow
Spearchuckers captain Graham Furlow kept the loss in perspective, saying that darts is “just a game”, and stating that win or lose he still had a beer after the match like always.
“We were in front [in the final] and on top of the ladder, but Dalton was just too good for us on the night,” Furlow said.
“Bit disappointed, but that’s about it. [I] still had a drink.”
The Spearchuckers won the grand final in 2014 and 2016, and were the dominant force in the league this year, having beaten Dalton in three out of three matches before Monday night’s match.
“We beat ‘em three times this year,” Furlow said, “but they just got us on the main night.”
He agreed that it was Dalton’s time to win, saying that “they hadn’t won a grand final [before Monday], and we’ve won five.”
Stability has contributed to the Spearchuckers’ long-running success. Furlow revealed that the team has had the same core players for “the last four or five years”, which has improved their consistency.
2017 also marked Furlow’s first time as captain, and it was a good inaugural year, with the only disappointment coming in the final match.
Prior to his captaincy, Furlow has played darts for longer than he can remember, and despite the disappointing climax to this season, he assured that he will return for another crack at the title next year.
The Spearchuckers against Dalton was not the only match to take place on Monday night; the B-Grade final also took place at the Bowling Club, however it was a less competitive match.
Bowning Hotel went up against Aussie Hotel for the B-Grade title, and in the end it was Bowning who walked away with a dominant 9-2 victory after leaping out to a 9-1 lead, only to lose the last game of the match.
