Fletcher wins final ‘everyone wanted’
MARK FLETCHER JNR is back and as good as ever.
After half a year out of the sport, the long-term Island No. 1 showed no signs of rust in winning the fourth Guernsey Grand Slam of Darts at the weekend.
He beat freshly-crowned Super League champion Nick Ogier 5-1 in Saturday’s final, but he had impressed throughout the rounds at a beautifully refurbished Northfield.
The tournament pits together 32 of the island’s best players, starting with eight four-man groups on the Friday and culminating in Saturday’s finals.
The group stages delivered quite a few shocks – just ask reigning champion Adam Gontier.
The Grand Slam organiser and two-time winner suffered an early exit after losing to both Shaun Allez and Rob Davidson.
Several other notable Island players, namely Lee Savident, Adie Exall, Simon de la Mare and Paul Poullain, also failed to progress.
Saturday’s finals provided hot competition – and not only from the warm air permeating the venue.
In the round of 16, Davidson scalped Ken Waters 4-2 as Neil Hutchinson registered an even more impressive 4-1 victory over Michael Ogier, removing two other top players from the equation.
Phil Dodd did not hesitate to take on Guernsey Darts League champion Leyton de la Mare in their quarter-final, leading 2-1 and with a 180 in the bank, only to be reeled back and lose 4-2.
The semi-finals, both best-of-nine affairs, brought the cream to the top.
Fletcher bookended his 5-2 win over Leyton de la Mare superbly – he started with a 14-darter and ended on a 13. Both players struck 180s.
Meanwhile, Nick Ogier edged young Kyle Hutchinson 5-4 in a showdown that went the distance.
Hutchinson took the fight to the form player and led 4-2 initially, and after Ogier rallied back, it went right down to the wire. A missed check-out in the decider spelled doom for Hutchinson.
But an impressed Gontier pointed out afterwards that Hutchinson had not progressed beyond the groups before.
‘I could not be more proud of him – he was magnificent,’ he said.
Fletcher’s momentum seemed to serve him well in the final.
Although each leg ran tight and both produced early 180s, Fletcher raced to a 2-0 lead.
Ogier soon got one back on him, but the leader could not be shaken and ultimately won convincingly to land his second Grand Slam title – his first being in 2019.
‘I just wanted to do it, put it back into perspective really,’ Fletcher said.
‘I’m not ecstatic, but I’m happy, and it’s a good competition – very well run and very well organised.
‘I’ve practised with Nick over many years and I’ve always been on top of him, so he goes in as a defeatist but knows that he wants to win it, big time. He just fell short, but he still throws well.
‘Him and Leyton, they’re two good players to play against.’
In Gontier’s case, he had foretold his own fate several days earlier, when he described this as ‘the toughest year yet’ and said he expected shocks in the group stages.
‘This year has been the toughest year, as most of us found out,’ he said. ‘I’m just proud of all those that made it through, especially Kyle – and Govey [Carl Gauvain], he played amazingly.
‘Everyone played amazingly tonight and, unfortunately for some, there has to be one winner.
‘Mark has played exceptionally well all the way through, from the group stage yesterday to the finals tonight, and he deserves it massively.’
He thanked those who have supported the tournament, ranging from youth – including his 13-year-old son Morgan – to veterans like Mark Fletcher Snr and Dodd.
Morgan had hit a 180 in the group stages, while both Fletcher snr and Dodd had defied their age to make the play-offs.
‘Credit where credit’s due, but I think what everybody wanted to see was a Nick and Mark final – what a fantastic final,’ he added.
