The Queensland Darts Masters, to be played at Townsville, saw a West Australian join fellow WA player Damon Heta in the event with just turned 20 year old Bailey Marsh defeating another WA star Koha Kokiri 7-3 in the final.
In the Townsville qualifier Bailey Marsh lost his opening leg on throw to Russell Northey and then Northey held throw to make it 2-0. Marsh then held throw to make it 2-1 before two visits of 134 set him up for the break and with Northey unable to secure 106 a double eight was enough to draw Marsh level. Marsh opened with a 93 and then a visit of 140 whilst Northey opened with a 100 and 116 in the fifth leg. A 100 left Northey needing 80 later in the leg but he was unable to convert and Marsh punished him to hold throw. Marsh then broke Northey for a second successive time when the NSW player failed to convert 20 for the leg. Marsh then held throw in 17 darts. Visits of 140, 131 and 140 from Marsh and 100, 140 and 100 from Northey demonstrated the quality of the match in the next leg as Northey checked out 101 to break the run of 5 straight legs. Both players then opened with 140 on the Marsh throw but two visits of 100 in the next four legs saw Marsh require 36 and it was the double 18 that was Marsh’s friend to secure his second semi-final of the day, with the final score 6-3 in his favour.
In the second quarter final Queensland youngster Matthew McLellan held throw and then broke the throw of Joe Comito before a 140 visit in the third leg left him requiring 156 before a visit of the same from Comito left him needing 98. It was McLellan who managed to secure the leg on throw and thus move to a 3-0 lead. Comito held throw in the fourth leg in after
McLennan let 40 chasing an 80 check out. McLennan did hold throw himself in the next leg. In the sixth leg McLennan hit a maximum on his third visit but a 140 in response from Comito left him in the leg and two visits later a check out of 64 meant he held throw and moved within two legs of McLennan once again. Comito then threw a 140 against the throw in the next leg to leave him on 169 only for McLennan to exactly replicate that. A 137 after that and McLennan was firm favourite but then busted and then spurned another chance as Comito pounced to make it 4-3 to McLennan. Comito then opened with 180, 95 and 140 leaving 86 and secured the leg in 12 darts to make the match 4-4. With McLennan on 119 Comito threw tops to break the McLennan throw again, lead 5-4 and move to one hold of throw for the match. The drama was not done there, however, as McLennan opened with 140 in the next leg, only to get a 136 response from Comito. Later visits of 100 and 139 helped McLennan get into a strong position although from 62 he took three visits to put the leg away and tie it at 5-5. In the final leg a 180 visit in the fourth visit set the leg up for Comito and tops two visits later he secured the match 6-5.
The third quarter final saw Koha Kokiri eliminate Dave Hall Senior. Both players opened with a break of throw, Hall’s being in 13 darts. Then a 14 dart leg from Kokiri secured the lead with yet another break. This time Hall was unable to break straight back although he did hold throw in leg five (Kokiri leaving 18 after his attempt at 155.) Hall had his chance in the next leg but left 12 chasing 78 as Kokiri went 4-2 up before he broke the Hall throw again, this time in 17 darts. Despite great throwing from Hall in the next leg Kokiri had an outside chance
at the leg and took it with a 132 check out to take the match and move into the semi finals.
The last quarter final was between Dave Charnock and Tim Pusey in a second all Western Australia affair. Pusey broke the Charnock throw in the opening leg (although his opponent spurned a couple of chances.) Remarkably it would be Pusey’s one and only leg win as Charnock broke straight back in 15 darts (starting with a 180), held throw in 15 and then broke once more (again opening the leg with a maximum.) He then held throw in 13 legs to give Pusey no chance in the leg before Pusey missed multiple chances for leg six and Charnock pounced to be a leg away. Once again Charnock was powerful on throw and 17 of his darts later the match was his 6-1.
Koha Kokiri lost his throw in the opening leg of his semi final against Joe Comito. Comito missed the bull to hold throw in the next leg but with Kokiri only able to score 76 from 108 it looked like the leg was his only for him to bust at 25. 32 then gave Kokiri his first leg. Two openings of 100 in the next leg and a follow up 140 from Kokiri helped him gain a good lead only for three poor visits and a 113 from Comito move his opponent into the front. However, Kokiri regained the momentum and took the leg. Comito then opened on his own throw with 100 but that was matched by Kokiri. Two visits of 140, then a couple of 100s and a 112 check out from Comito and the match was even once more at 2-2. Kokiri then opened with 180 and 140 and was able to hold the throw to lead 3-2 on throw. After Comito opened with 58 in the sixth leg there were three successive visits of 100 from the players before Comito threw 136 and Kokiri 140. A 48 check out from Kokiri secured
him the first break of the match and a 4-2 lead. Kokiri then threw two 100s and a 140 before a 70 check out moved him a leg away from the final. Comito opened with 137 on throw in the next leg but two ton visits from Koha left him still fighting in the leg. A 94 from Kokiri left him needing 124 whilst a 120 left Comito on 28 and with Kokiri not converting Comitos’s next dart gave him a third leg in the match. A 125 opening from Kokiri was then countered by 100 from Comito in what turned out to be the final leg. Kokiri drove hard through that leg and a 100 visit left him requiring 96. 140 left Comito needing 100 before his opponent left tops. Comito left the same and was given a shot at it after Kokiri left 20 with the match dart. Comito then missed and left 5 as Kokiri threw the required 20 with his second dart on his next visit, to secure the semi final 6-3.
In his semi final Bailey Marsh won against the Dave Charnock throw and then threw 140, 125, 100 and 116 to take a strong lead on his own throw and leave 20 after 12 darts but he missed his first visit at that score only to return to the oche and secure a 2-0 lead. The next leg was a much closer affair, with both players struggling to finish off the leg until Charnock finally secured his first leg of the match. Charnock then opened with visits of 100 and 99 although Marsh responded with 99 and 97 of his own before Charnock threw 140. Another 97 left Marsh on 148 and a couple of visits later he was back in front by two legs at 3-1. Against the throw Marsh threw 120 and 135 to gain a large lead in the fifth leg before securing a maximum to leave 66 for a 4-1 lead, which he secured two visits later. A 122 on his fourth visit in the sixth leg and Marsh
had Shanghai for a 5-1 lead. He didn’t secure it then but did so on his next visit. A 180 against the throw from Marsh put him in prime position for the match but two 140s in succession later in the leg gave Charnock an opportunity. He did not take that chance on his next visit to the oche though and a 35 check out in two darts gave Marsh his position in another final on the same day.
The final saw Kokiri throw 140 and 100 in the first leg as Marsh hit 140, 140 and 100 and a 46 left him on 16. Kokiri failed to punish the youngster, leaving change from 52 and Marsh hit the 16 with last dart in hand on his next visit. The next leg saw both players struggle with three visits from each not securing a single treble. Marsh finally snapped into the leg with a 180 leaving him on 84. Kokiri left 167 and was able to have a go at it as Marsh left 24 with a visit of 60. 127 left tops for the Kiwi come WA resident and left the Marsh visit under pressure but Marsh stood tall and two darts later was 2-0 up in the best of 13 leg final. Kokiri threw a 121 on throw next leg but that was surrounded by two ton visits from Marsh. A 131 left Marsh on 170 and although he did not get it four darts later he was 3-0 up with two breaks of throw. A 140 against the throw was backed up with a 134 visit from Kokiri and a visit later he had another go at 167. A 139 left 28 and with Marsh well behind (although 140 left 118) Kokiri was able to pounce and get one of the breaks back. Kokiri then opened with two 140s as Marsh opened with 121. Two poorer visits was followed up by a 134 from Marsh before 165 from Kokiri left him needing 16. He busted on his next visit but Marsh failed to make the most of the chance as Kokiri then made it 3-2 with his second dart. The
next leg went 100 (to Marsh), 100 (to Kokiri), 100, 140, 180, 100, 57 and 137 with Marsh unable to secure the required 64 and Kokiri throwing double 12 to return the match to parity at 3-3. Kokiri then opened with 85 in the seventh leg before Marsh hit 100 and then threw 134 and 140 to leave 127 after nine darts. Soon after Kokiri left tops after trying to check out 131 but did not get a dart at is as Marsh secured 50 for the leg. Marsh then opened with 140 and 139 on throw to leave 222 in the next leg. A 137 left Kokiri requiring 40 but with his next dart Marsh threw a double 16 to go back out to a two leg lead at 5-3. A 91 from Kokiri on throw in leg 9 was more than matched by a ton from Marsh. A 180 on his fourth visit and Marsh needed 77 to move within a leg of the match. 100 from Kokiri left him needing 150 and he had a shot at it as Marsh could only leave 16 on his previous visit. However Kokiri left 72, and one dart later Marsh was that leg away from Townsville, and he was on throw in the next leg. He opened with 140 but this was matched by Kokiri. Marsh threw 99 and Kokiri a ton to continue to make things tight. 134 from Marsh then demonstrated all his class as he left 128 despite the enormous pressure only for Kokiri to remarkably almost match it with a 131 and leave 130. Neither player got their target on their next visit. Marsh had a shot at double 12 for the match but failed to convert before Kokiri left 20 after his next visit. Again Marsh was unable to put the match away at his next time of asking. Kokiri thought he had the leg with his second dart but had to check up as he failed to score with it or the darts either side of it. Double three with his second dart and Bailey had secured the final and a position in the Queensland Darts Masters in Townsville by seven legs to three.
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