Panel named for Pete Donnellon Cup.
Sunday 18th of January @ Hannon's Hotel Roscommon Town 3pm. The Pete Donnellon Cup between Roscommon and Longford. Singles Tournament takes place immediately afterwards. More details next week.
Mens Panel- Mick Kilroe, Gerry Murphy, Patrick Tansey, Denis Coffey, Jimmy Finn, Sean Fleming, Martin Fleming, Sean Finan, Padraig Kearney, Thomas Concannon, David Concannon, Mark Finneran, Paul Carton, Jimmy Reilly, Mick Egan, Matthew Hynes, Martin Murphy, Frank Duffy.

Confirmed Dates for early 2009.
January 9th- Resumption of games in the Hannon's Hotel Roscommon County Darts League. All held up games to be played before the 9th please.
January 18th- I.N.D.O. AGM at The West County Hotel in Ennis, Co.Clare. 12 noon start.
January 18th- The Annual Pete Donnellon Cup is to be held in Hannon's Hotel Roscommon Town between Roscommon and Longford. Mens and Youths. Singles competition takes place after.
January 25th- The Annual West Coast Challenge is to be held at The Breaffy House Hotel in Castlebar, Co.Mayo
February 7th/8th- The Annual I.N.D.O. All-Ireland Intercounty Darts Championships to be held at The Breaffy House Hotel in Castlebar in Co.Mayo.

Hannon's Hotel Christmas Singles.
Egan captures Christmas Singles.
Mick Egan and Jimmy Reilly played out an oustanding Final to decide the 2008 Hannon's Hotel Christmas Singles in Roscommon on Sunday. Egan who has darted over much of the country this year proved the stronger turning in a deserved 6-3 win. The were also a high number of big checkouts on the day, the highest being a 154 from runner-up Reilly in his 4-3 win over Sean Finan in the First Round.
Last years winner Gerry Murphy departed at the last 16 stage to Padraig Kearney. Last weeks winner of the Tommy Kenny Cup David Concannon was beaten by Mick Egan in a high scoring last 16 match. The losing Semi Finalists were Padraig Kearney and Martin Fleming. While Kearney did pose some threat to Egan in the first semi, Fleming was no match for Reilly.
Egan took the first leg of the Final in 17 darts. Reilly replied in 20 and 18 darts to take the next two, the 18 darter finished with a 120 checkout. Legs four, five and six went to Egan in 16, 18, and 14 darts as he gained a 4-2 lead. Reilly responded to that with a 16 darter of his own to make it 4-3 but Egan edged closer to the finish line with a sloppier 23 dart leg. But in the 9th and deciding leg Egan came good with yet another classy leg which he took in 15 darts. Scores of 60,81,100,and 140 set up a 120 checkout which he completed to take the title.
Hannon's Hotel Christmas Singles Results.
Last 16: M.Fleming 4 G.Concannon 1; J.Crawley 4 R.Dolan 0;M.Egan 4 D.Concannon 1; S.Fleming 4 D.Coffey 1;P.Carton 4 M.Costello 0;J.Reilly 4 T.Concannon 1;P.Kearney 4 G.Murphy 2; J.Finn 4 P.Byrne 2.

Last 8: M.Fleming (Spell's) 4 J.Crawley (Creaton's) 0;M.Egan (Claypipe) 4 S.Fleming (Spell's)3;J.Reilly (Claypipe) 4 P.Carton (Claypipe) 3; P.Kearney (Flanagan's) 4 J.Finn (Spell's) 3.

Semi-Finals: J.Reilly 5 M.Fleming 0; M.Egan 5 P.Kearney 2.

Final: M.Egan 6 J.Reilly 3.

Higher checkouts on the day were: Jimmy Reilly 154,120, 115, 113, 100. Mick Egan 120,109,101, Martin Fleming 112.

Family affair decides Kenny Cup.
Roscommon All Ireland Darts winning Youth David Concannon became the youngest winner of the Tommy Kenny Cup Darts Tournament on Sunday. A startling comeback from 3-0 down in the final ended in a 6-5 scoreline against his talanted younger cousin Thomas Concannon.
A total of 46 players took part on the day, with the draw throwing up all kinds of surprises early on. Twice winner Sean Finan was beaten in his preliminary round game to the eventual winner. As was 2006 winner Martin Fleming who was also beaten by David Concannon in the first round. Padraig Kearney put in steady displays but exited at the last 16 stage. Last years winner Mick Egan was also knocked out at the last 16 stage by an inform Jimmy Finn. Jimmy Reilly was the last of the previous winners to be knocked out as he was beaten 4-0 by the eventual runner-up in the first quarter final.. Jimmy Finn was very impressive in his quarter final win over three time Kenny Cup runner-up Sean Fleming. Finn capitalised on any mistake Fleming made and struck important scores and finishes when needed most. David Concannon took a 4-2 win over Patrick Tansey and Frank Duffy was sublime in his 4-3 struggle over Brian McCormack. The first Semi Final between Thomas Concannon and Jimmy Finn was easily the better of the two. Finn had checkouts of 50,52, and 64 but a superb match winning 90 checkout on the bull put the younger Concannon through to the final. In the second semi-final it was one way traffic as David Concannon destroyed Frank Duffy. All Concannon's legs were swift with Duffy not even getting on a finish. A 110 checkout in leg two set the winner on his way to a 5-0 win.
The Final started better for Thomas Concannon as he raced to a 3-0 lead with two 180's and three 140's in the first three legs. However David pulled it back to 3-3 before a 97 checkout in an 18 dart leg put Thomas 4-3 up. Legs were again swapped until it was 5-5. A crucial 140 in the final leg gave David that slight advantage and needed just one dart at doulbe to take the title with a 52 shot.
Highest checkouts on the day were David Concannon's 110,120 twice by Sean Fleming, a 122 by David Concannon and the highest on the day was a 135 effort by Mark Finneran. Lady of the Tournament was Kathy Fleming.
Presentations of The Tommy Kenny Cup and momentos was made by Sinead Kenny to all the winners.
Scores:
Last 16:-J.Finn 3 M.Egan 1;S.Fleming 3 G.Concannon 0;P.Tansey 3 M.Kearney 2;D.Concannon 3 P.Kearney 2;T.Concannon 3 M.Finneran 1;J.Reilly 3 M.Conroy 0;F.Duffy 3 J.Cullinane 0;B.McCormack 3 T.Concannon Snr 1.
Last 8:- J.Finn(Spell's) 4 S.Fleming (Spell's) 3; D,Concannon (McDermott's) 4 P.Tansey (Spell's) 2; T.Concannon (McDermott's) 4 J.Reilly (The Claypipe) 0; F.Duffy (Spell's) 4 B.McCormack (Flanagan's) 3.
Semi-Finals:- T.Concannon 5 J.Finn 4; D.Concannon 5 F.Duffy 0.
Final:- D.Concannon 6 T.Concannon 5.

Creaton's set for Tommy Kenny Cup.
The 6th annual Tommy Kenny Cup takes place in Creaton's Bar Loughlynn on Sunday the 14th of December, starting at 5pm.
It has been a well supported event in it's previous five runnings and has produced 4 different winners- visiting 3 different parts of the county. Knockcroghery's Jimmy Reilly was the first winner of The Kenny Cup in 2003. In 2004 and 2005 it was Loughlynn's Sean Finan who claimed the back to back title. In 2006 Finan's efforts for a three in a row were stopped by Ballaghaderreen's Martin Fleming who went on to win the Cup. Last year Knockcroghery player Mick Egan won the Cup after a top class final against the Kenny Cup ''nearly man'' Sean Fleming who has lost three Kenny Cup finals in a row. All 4 previous winners and a host of other players from across the county arer expected to take part. Details- Confined to players who live within Co.Roscommon;Names in by 4pm; First game at 5pm; Entry Fee €10 per player; Prizefund Money in/Money out Plus; Also mementos for Highest Checkout and Lady of Tournament. Further Details- 0876492651

Hannon's Hotel Christmas Singles.
Sunday 21st of December at Hannon's Hotel Roscommon Town.
Full details will appear here and in local papers this week.

Round 9 results- Friday, December 12th.
Spell's, Ballaghaderreen 4-3 McDermott's, Ballinaheglish (15-12)
Flanagan's, Castleplunkett 5-2 Church Street Station, Roscommon (19-10)
Claypipe, Knockcroghery 3-4 Creaton's, Loughlynn (15-15)
Murray's, Elphin v Kate's, Castlerea TBA
Follow the League at http://www.rosdarts.blogspot.com/

The league will break for Christmas now.
The next round of fixtures will be on January 9th.

We would urge all teams with outstanding fixtures to please try and complete them over the next few weeks, as we have a tight schedule to keep to finish the league on time.

County Darts News
Winmau World Masters
Roscommon Youth Mark Finneran was beaten in the Last 16 of The Winmau World Youth Masters in England at the weekend. Mark narrowly missed out on a place in the Last 8. Mayo's Martin Heneghan finished in the same position. Both players were best of the Irish contingent that took part in the event.

Round 8 results- Friday, December 5th
Murray's, Elphin 4-3 The Claypipe, Knockcroghery (14-13)
Creaton's, Loughlynn 1-6 Flanagan's, Castleplunkett (6-19)
Church Street Station, Roscommon 3-4 McDermott's, Ballinaheglish (14-17)
Kate's, Castlerea 2-5 Spell's, Ballaghaderreen (9-18)

Follow the League at http://www.rosdarts.blogspot.com/

County Darts News
Best of luck to McDermott's Mark Finneran who is off to Yorkshire, England for next weekends Winmau World Masters where he will represent Roscommon and Ireland in the world famous darting fest. Mark has been an outstanding Roscommon Youths darts player for the past four years and will become the fourth Roscommon player to feature in this tournament in the past five years, after Gavin Conway, Noel Tuohy, and Sean Fleming.
Coverage of the Finals of The Winmau World Masters will be on aired live on BBC TV next Saturday and Sunday. Check TV guides for times.

INDO Winter Festival, Mohill.
There was further good news for Roscommon Darts last weekend as the afore mentioned Mark Finneran and Thomas Concannon both finished in the Top 4 of the Irish National Darts Organisation's Youths Rankings after the final round of the year at Mohill, Co Leitrim at the weekend. They now qualify for the 4-a-side Irish Youths Darts team which will participate in the Europe Cup in Amsterdam next July. Thomas beat Mark 3-0 in Sunday's final with a 118 checkout in the first leg. Two 17-darters in the next two legs capped a perfect day. Mark's position prior to Mohill looked very good but Thomas needed results to go his way and to progress as far as he could-both of which happened. After a nervy game against David Coyne, Concannon beat Paddy Meaney 3-0 with a dominant display, restricting Meaney to just one shot a double in the 3 legs, before going on to beat Mark in the final. Gary Concannon's participation ended before the final stages. While Roscommon players dominated in the youths, Roscommon's mens representatives also done very well with Ballaghaderreen's Sean Fleming losing at the semi final stage. He is the first Roscommon player since Padraig Kearney in 2002 to achieve such a run in an I.N.D.O tournament. Wins over three Irish Internationals Eugene McArdle (4-3), Eddie Cull (4-0) and Steve McDonnell (4-2) earned a semi-spot where he was beaten 5-1 by eventual winner Connie Finnan. Having been 2-0 down in his quarter final to McDonnell his comeback included legs of 18,12 and 14 darts. Mick Egan could have progressed a lot further had Martin McCloskey not been the early opposition. Egan was 3-2 up but lost 4-3 having played very well and included two 180's in the first three legs. McCloskey made it to the semi-finals on the day, to top the I.N.D.O rankings for 2008. Martin Fleming had a 4-3 win over James Quigley, but was beaten 4-2 by Anto McCracken in the last 16.

Tommy Kenny Cup.
The 6th annual Tommy Kenny Cup will be held in Creaton's Bar Loughlynn on Sunday 14th of December. Full details later.

Hannon's Hotel Christmas Singles.
Sunday 21st of December at Hannon's Hotel Roscommon Town. Full details later.

Round 7 results - Friday 28th November 2008.
Church Street Station, Roscommon 3-4 Spell's, Ballaghaderreen (12-14)
Creatons, Loughlynn 3-4 McDermott's, Ballinaheglish (12-14)
Murray's, Elphin 2-5 Flanagan's,Castleplunket (11-17)
Claypipe, Knockcroghery 4-3 Kate's, Castlerea (15-14)

Follow the League at http://www.rosdarts.blogspot.com/

County Darts News
Mens Trials.
Sunday's trials at Hannon's Hotel, Roscommon produced some quality darts as players from across the county battled it out for places on the Roscommon Intercounty darts team for 2009. The Claypipe's Mick Egan came out on top on the day with a 3-1 win in the final over McDermott's David Concannon. Checkouts of 167 by Egan, a 109 by Spell's Frank Duffy and a 102 from Spell's Martin Fleming were among the higher on the day with too many checkouts over 50 to mention. Over 10x180's were also recorded with David Concannon (4), Mick Egan (3), Martin Fleming (2), Matthew Hynes,and Thomas Concannon among the big hits.
Scores:
Last 8: T.Concannon bt G.Murphy;S.Fleming bt S.Finan;M.Egan bt J.Finn;D.Concannon bt M.Finneran.
Semi's: M.Egan 2 T.Concannon 0;D.Concannon 2 S.Fleming 0.
Final: M.Egan 3 D.Concannon 1.

Ireland Players Championship Round 2
Round 2 of the 2009 Ireland Players Championship took place in Abbeyleix on Saturday. 224 Men, women and youth players entered, the largest entry in the events history. Mick Egan was the sole Roscommon representative in the 150 strong entry for the Mens singles. After three good wins, he eventually lost out at the last 16 stage, losing 5-4 to Kerry's Sean Marshall in his board final. In the race for the grand finals next August, this gave him 4 points, 6 points overall, and tied for 10th place in the Men's rankings after two rounds. Three Youths travelled on the day to take their places in a field of 44 players. Gary Concannon lost out in the first round. Mark Finneran reached the last 8 before bowing out to Kilkenny's Paddy Meaney in his board final. Thomas Concannon performed the best on the day. After beating Mayo's Martin Heneghan 3-2 in his board final, with a good 90 checkout, he lost out at the semi final stage. Thomas and Mark now rise to 12 points each and joint 4th place in the Youth's rankings after two rounds. Gary remains on 4 points.

Round Two Men's results :
Final:
Sean Marshall 6-4 Martin Murphy
Semi-finals:
Sean Marshall 6-1 John Elder
Martin Murphy 6-4 Shane O'Connor
Quarter-finals:
Sean Marshall 5-0 Keith Geraghty
John Elder 5-2 Matt Leacy
Martin Murphy 5-3 Daryl Gurney
Shane O'Connor 5-3 Garrett Gray
9th. to 16th:
Sean Marshall 5-4 Mick Egan
Keith Geraghty 5-3 Mick McGowan
John Elder 5-2 Mervyn Robinson
Matt Leacy 5-2 John Edwards
Martin Murphy 5-2 Anto McCracken
Daryl Gurney 5-3 Michael Blair
Shane O'Connor 5-1 Aodhagan O'Neill
Garrett Gray 5-1 John Ward

Round 2 Youth's results:
Final:
Paddy Meaney 3-0 Dean Forde
Semi-finals:
Paddy Meaney 3-0 Ryan Maher
Dean Forde 3-2 Thomas Concannon
Quarter-finals:
Paddy Meaney bt Mark Finneran
Ryan Maher bt Dale McCarthy
Dean Forde bt Conor Walsh
Thomas Concannon bt Martin Heneghan

Round 6 Results- Friday 21st November 2008.
Flanagan's, Castleplunket 3-4 Clay Pipe, Knockcroghery(13-12) .
McDermott's, Ballinaheglish 3-4 Murray's, Elphin (14-14) .
Spell's, Ballaghaderreen 4-3 Creaton's, Loughglynn (16-11) .
Kate's, Castlerea 4-3 Church Street Station, Roscommon (16-10) .
Follow the League at http://www.rosdarts.blogspot.com/

Round 5 Results- Friday 14th November 2008.
Creaton's, Loughglynn 4-3 Church Street Station, Roscommon (14-11) .
Murray's, Elphin 3-4 Spell's, Ballaghaderreen (11-13) .
Clay Pipe, Knockcroghery 5-2 McDermott's, Ballinaheglish (15-7) .
Flanagan's, Castleplunket 5-2 Kate's, Castlerea (16-10) .
Follow the League at http://www.rosdarts.blogspot.com/

Round 4 Results- Friday 7th November 2008.
Spell's, Ballaghaderreen 6-1 Claypipe Bar, Knockcroghery (20-6).
Kate's, Castlerea 4-3 Creaton's, Loughglynn (13-12).
Church Street Station, Roscommon 3-4 Murray's, Elphin (11-14).
McDermott's, Ballinaheglish 3-4 Flanagan's, Castleplunket (11-16) .
Follow the League at http://www.rosdarts.blogspot.com/

Killarney Darts Festival 2008
Mick Egan, David Concannon, Gary Concannon and Mark Finneran travelled for the weekend of darts in Killarney. At Friday night pre-qualifying for the Johnny McEvoy Gold Dart Classic, Egan won through to qualify for the main tournament on Sunday. David Concannon was unfortunate though, losing out 4-3 in his board final after leading 3-1. In the main tournament on Sunday, Egan never settled and lost out 3-2 in sets in the first round. PDC Pro Terry "The Bull" Jenkins ran out winner, defeating another PDC Pro Andy Jenkins 3-0 in the final. Also on Sunday, the Johnny McEvoy Bronze Dart Youths Open took place. Mark Finneran, Gary and David Concannon all took part. Mark Finneran performed best on the day, defeating David on his way to the semi-final, where he lost out to Kilkenny's Paddy Meaney. Meaney went on to win the final 3-0 against Shane Nolan. On the Saturday, all four players took part in a field of nearly 300 for the Gleneagles Irish Masters. All performed well, with Gary and David Concannon getting to their board semi finals, and Mark Finneran unfortunate in losing out 4-3 to PDC Pro Brendan Dolan from Fermanagh in his board final. Mick Egan performed best on the day, defeating PDC Pro Steve Maish on his way to winning his board final. After another victory against Dublin's Joe Byrne in the last 32, his run came to and end at the last 16 stage, losing out 4-3 to PDC Pro Wes Newton. Egan had shots to win the match, but his finishing let him down for the first time, having had checkouts of 113, 120, 135, 146 and 154 over the course of the competition. PDC Pro Michael Van Gerwen defeated another PDC Pro Kevin McDine 6-5 in the final.

Gleneagles Irish Masters runner up Kevin McDine with some of the young Roscommon supporters.


Gleneagles Irish Masters winner Michael Van Gerwen with some of the young Roscommon supporters.

Round 3 Results- Friday 31st October 2008.
Murray's, Elphin 5-2 Creaton's, Loughglynn (16-11).
Claypipe Bar, Knockcroghery 4-3 Church Street Station, Roscommon (15-11).
Flanagan's, Castleplunket 4-3 Spell's, Ballaghaderreen (15-10).
McDermott's v Kate's TBA.
Follow the League at http://www.rosdarts.blogspot.com/

Round 2 Results- Friday 24th October 2008.
McDermott's, Ballinaheglish 3-4 Spell's, Ballaghaderreen (14-15).
Church Street Station, Roscommon 1-6 Flanagan's, Castleplunket (6-18).
Creatons, Loughlynn 2-5 Clay Pipe, Knockcroghery (13-17).
Kate's, Castlerea 1-6 Murray's, Elphin (6-19).
Follow the League at www.rosdarts.blogspot.com

Round 1- Friday 17th October 2008.
Results.
Clay Pipe, Knockcroghery 6-1 Murray's, Elphin
Flanagan's, Castleplunket v Creatons, Loughlynn
McDermott's, Ballinaheglish 7-0 Church Street Station, Roscommon
Spell's, Ballaghaderreen 6-1 Kate's, Castlerea
Follow the League at www.rosdarts.blogspot.com

2008/2009 League set to begin
Spell's of Ballaghaderreen begin the defence of their Hannon's Hotel Roscommon County Darts League with a home encounter against Kate's of Castlerea this Friday night. Spell's retain all the members of their League winning side with 1 new addition to the panel. McDermott's of Ballinaheglish host The Church Street Station. McDermott's- who were last years beaten finalists burst out of the blocks last year and will hope to come out of this one unscathed. The Claypipe of Knockcroghery will entertain Murray's of Elphin- while pick of the Round 1 fixtures is Flanagan's of Castleplunkett who will take on Creaton's of Loughlynn in Castleplunkett.

Round 1- Friday 17th October 2008. 10pm sharp.
Clay Pipe, Knockcroghery v Murray's, Elphin
Flanagan's, Castleplunket v Creatons, Loughlynn
McDermott's, Ballinaheglish v Church Street Station, Roscommon
Spell's, Ballaghaderreen v Kate's, Castlerea

AGM
Next meeting of Roscommon County Darts is on Tuesday the 7th of October at 9pm in Hannon’s Hotel Roscommon.
Committee changes-
Presidents- Liam Kerins and Atty Hynes.
Chairperson- Robbie Dolan.
Secretary- Mick Egan.
Treasurer- Martina McKeon.
P.R.O. - Martin Fleming.
Mens Manager-Tommy Beirne.
Ladies Manager- Martina McKeon.
Youths Manager- Luke Concannon.
Roscommon County Darts League proposals.
The Roscommon County Darts League for the most, will remain the same format as last year.
*Team or Publicans fee is €200, to be paid before the draw is made.
*Player fee €20 per player. And €10 per Youth player to be paid before the draw is made.
*Maximum of 12 players per panel-all of whom must be named and paid players fee before draw is made. No player can join a team thereafter.
*Games will start at 10pm Sharp.
*Game Dartboards must be in playable condition throughout the league at correct height.
*Oche must be in place on game nights and be correctly fixed in place and measure correctly.
*Away team throw for the Bull first to decide which team wins the darts in Games 1, 3, 5, and 7 on the night.
*7 Games of Singles on the night, best of 5 legs per game. Maximum of 7 points available on the night.
*Team Captains will be required to maintain the scores on the night, so that points and leg count should be 100% accurate at the end of the League. At the end of each night both Captains will sign the scoresheet making sure all details are accurate. Scoresheets must be kept in good and readable condition.
*The League will be decided on points scored, with the top four to playoff for overall League title.
*Should any number of teams be tied on points at the end of the League stages -positions will then be decided on legs scored.
*If the unlikely event teams are level on points and legs- a playoff will take place to decide who advances. The playoff shall take place at a neutral venue decided by a coin toss between team captains. Winning Captain has the choice of Venue which must be from within the League.
*The provisional start date for the 2008/2009 Hannon’s Hotel Roscommon County Darts League is the Friday, 17th of October.
These and other additional rules will be finalised at the next meeting of Roscommon County Darts on Tuesday night the 7th of October in Hannon's Hotel, Roscommon Town. If all is agreed at that meeting the draw will take place and the League will begin on October 17th.

Roscommon Darts AGM.
The Roscommon County Darts AGM will take place in Hannon's Hotel Roscommon town on Tuesday the 23rd of September at 9pm. All interested players, publicans and supporters of darts in Roscommon and who wish to continue to improve the sport within the county are urged to attend.

THE I.N.D.O. IRISH MASTERS WEEKEND
West County Hotel, Ennis, Co. Clare.
€3000 PRIZE FUND SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20th
IRISH MASTERS DOUBLES
MEN & LADIES PAIR
ENTRIES AT VENUE, UP TILL 5.30PM
GAMES START 6.30PM
ENTRANCE FEE €20 PER TEAM
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21st
THE IRISH MASTERS SINGLES
MENS LADIES & YOUTHS
NO ENTRIES ON THE DAY
ENTRANCE FEE: MEN €20, LADIES €15, YOUTHS €10.
GAMES START 12 NOON SHARP
ALL ENTRIES THROUGH YOUR COUNTY SECRETARY OR
I.N.D.O GEN.SEC. Brian O Farrell @ 0863597007

THE IRISH OPEN SINGLES
White's Hotel, Wexford.
W.D.F RANKED
SEPTEMBER 13TH & 14TH
€6000 PRIZE FUND
MENS LADIES & YOUTHS
MENS ENTRIES €30 LADIES €20 YOUTHS €10
CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES SEPTEMBER 6TH
ACCOMODATION PACKAGE AVAILABLE FROM HOTEL @ 053 9122311
LADIES AND MENS CHECK IN AT 11AM. YOUTHS 2PM ON SATURDAY 13TH
MENS GAME START AT 12 NOON LADIES @ 2 PM YOUTHS @ 3PM
ENQUIRIES TO BRIAN O FARRELL @ 086 3597007
ALL YOUTH COMPETITIONS ENTRIES WILL BE TAKEN EACH DAY UP TILL 12 NOON. PRIZES AND TROPHIES WILL BE GIVEN FOR BOTH COMPETITIONS.

Darts Open Singles
in the sports complex Rathdrum Co. Wicklow
Saturday 20th September
Check in 10am - 11am
Entry fee €20
First prize €500.
In aid of Chernobyl childrens aid
Also ladies tournament on the day
details on the day.
For further information contact
Nevill Doyle 0863902612
or Martin Kinsella 0872248389

Concannon Conquers in Kilkenny!!
Ballinaheglish and Roscommon Darts player David Concannon was last Sunday crowned Ireland's Youth Darts Championship winner for 2008 on what was another special Sunday for Roscommon Darts. The finals were held in front of a packed crowd at The SpringhillCourt Hotel in Kilkenny- the same lucky venue in which David captained the Roscommon Youths to their third All-Ireland in March.
Qualification for Sunday's finals began last September with seven top class ranked championship rounds taking place at various venues across the island. At noon on Sunday last the battle commenced with 32 men, 8 women and 16 youths in four different grades.
Roscommon's only representatives were at youth level. David Concannon, Mark Finneran and Gary Concannon took part in the Youth Championship for the overall title while Thomas Concannon took part in the Youths Plate section in which he ran out easy winner- winning in the final on a 3-0 scoreline.
Gary Concannon made an early exit to a decent performance from Kilkenny's Paddy Meaney. Mark Finneran progressed to the semi's by beating Kildare's John McKenna 3-0. David Concannon was very impressive to see off Cork's Ryan Courtney in his opening challenge of the day hitting a 180 with his first three darts with winning legs of 14,16 and 23 darts. David maintained this form in the semi-final beating Kerry's Jason Hahessy 3-0 with 17,22,and 24 dart legs. In what was the performance of the day by a Roscommon player Mark Finneran beat Paddy Meaney 3-2 having been 2-0 down. Three priceless checkouts of 49, 70 and a match winning effort of 61 left the Kilkenny player reeling. Finneran had defeated Meaney in similiar fashion to win Roscommon that All Ireland in March.
Although the Championship title was already going to Roscommon- the on stage final between Mark and David was as tough as the earlier rounds. David got the better start winning the first leg. Mark replied with a 22 dart leg but failed to build on that. In what was a short format for a final both players were improving as the game wore on as David took the third in 23 darts and took out the winning leg in 21 darts with Mark sitting on easy finishes.
The Senior mens title and the top prize of over €2,000 went to Antrim's Daryl Gurney after he ended his dominant day with a 6-3 win over Dublin's Gareth Gray- accounting for last years winner Paul Irving along the way. Kildare's Sharon O' Brien captured the womens title after a deserved 4-2 win in the final against Fermanagh's Denise Cassidy.
Television coverage will be broadcast on TG4 on Saturday the 6th of September.

Upcoming Fixtures.
September 13th and 14th:The W.D.F. Ranked Irish Open Singles, Whites Hotel, Wexford. Prizefund €6,000.
September 20th and 21st: I.N.D.O. Irish Masters Weekend. Prizefund €3,000.
Details of both and more on RTE 2 teletext page 426.

The draw for the finals of Ireland's Players has been made. Takes place next Sunday August 10th in the Springhill Court Hotel in Kilkenny City.

Men's Championship:

Group {1}: Shane O'Connor ; Brian Cathcart ; Mervyn Robinson ; Kevin Hanly.

Group {2}: Sean Marshall ; Daryl Gurney ; Ben Corcoran ; Andrew Dempsey.

Group {3}: Martin Murphy ; John O'Shea ; Brian Doheny ; Simon Wykes.

Group {4}: Roy Bailie ; Ali Powell ; John Elder ; Eugene McArdle.

Group {5}: Damian O'Driscoll ; Michael Blair ; Jack McKenna ; William O'Connor.

Group {6}: Denis McCarthy ; Garrett Gray ; Aodhagan O'Neill ; Jamie Shearer.

Group {7}: Johnny Donovan ; John Ward ; Noel Redmond ; Paul Irving.

Group {8}: Benny Grace ; Patrick Keane ; Connie Finnan ; Jason Cullen.

Ladies' Championship:

Group {1}: Joan Flynn ; Maureen Kelly ; Theresa Maher ; Maeve O'Connor.

Group {2}: Sharon O'Brien ; Kay O'Carroll ; Martina Scallon ; Denise Cassidy.

Youths' Championship:

Paddy Meaney v Gary Concannon

Mark Finneran v John McKenna

Sean McArdle v Jason Hahessy

David Concannon v Ryan Courtney

Youths' Plate:

Philip Doheny v Kian Barker

Dylan Rutledge v Martin Doheny

Thomas Concannon v Dean Forde

Paul Donovan v Craig Casey

Irish U-21 Panel decided.
David Concannon, Mark Finneran and Gary Concannon all booked their places on the 2009 Republic of Ireland Youth Friendship Trophy team after the final round of trials were completed in Egan's Hotel, Portlaoise on Sunday.

Ballinaheglish's David Concannon made it a winning end to his qualification run as he beat Dublin's Sean McArdle 3-2 in the final. It will be David's fourth time to represent Ireland at U-21 level having participated in Scotland, Derry, and Derby, England in recent years. David's younger brother Gary will also be taking part in next years event along with Ballymacglancy's Mark Finneran. Both Gary and Mark played in this years event in Derby.

Ballaghaderreen's Sean Fleming automatically qualified for the event following his excellent performances in this years event in Derby and it will be his seventh successive year to be involved.

Wexford Open Result.
The Youths of Roscommon made the long journey to Rossslare, Co.Wexford at the weekend for the I.N.D.O. Wexford Open. It was a to prove to be a worthwhile journey with David Concannon, Mark Finneran and Gary Concannon all featuring well in three different grades.
In what was two very impressive results David Concannon added to his tally of ranking points for the season after reaching the Quarter Finals of both the U-21's and Wexford Mens National Open event. Over 70 players took part in the mens event which was won by Kilkenny's Shane Nolan.
Mark Finneran was beaten in the last 16 of the U-21 event and was a beaten Semi Finalist in the Wexford Youths Open in which a credible 30 players took part.
Gary Concannon was also a beaten Semi finalist of the Youths Open- and made a first round exit in the U-21 event which had 35 participants and was won by Kildare's John McKenna.
David, Mark,and Gary along with Thomas Concannon will all represent Roscommon at the Ireland's Players Championships Youths finals to be held in Kilkenny in August. That event will be televised on the day by TG4.

The Connaught's Darts Final.
The Ship Inn, Sligo Town 5 Creaton's, Loughlynn 3.
The Ship Inn won the 2008 Connaught Darts Championships Final on Friday night in Walsh's Public House, Charlestown, defeating Creaton's of Loughlynn on a 5-3 scoreline.
Creaton's put up a good performance against a team who all represent Sligo at county level- but some poor finishing at crucial times, swung the match in favour of the Sligo men.
Mick Egan and James Reilly won the first pairs game for Creaton's. Despite not playing well, they picked off the win with good finishing, to defeat Geoff Cox and Bob Alexander. Sean Finan and Tony Thacker seemed set for victory in the second pairs, but poor finishing allowed Sean McGowan and Joe Beirne in to take the game. This was a big let off, as Creaton's should have won this game. Paul Fox and Michael Cox then took the last of the pairs against Joe Crawley and Pat Reid, to give the Sligo men a 2-1 lead at the interval.
In the first game of singles, Paul Fox defeated Mick Egan in the opening game. Egan missing shots for the first leg, and Fox hitting a 15 darter to win the game with Egan in a good position. James Reilly got Creaton's back into it, with a good win against Bob Alexander. Reilly played well and wrapped up his game with a 96 checkout. Sean Finan levelled the match at 3-3 with a win over Geoff Cox, with Finan scoring and finishing well. Tony Thacker put in a good performance for Creaton's against Joe Beirne, but lost out with some poor shots at checkout time allowing Beirne to get in for the win, and give the Ship Inn the 4-3 overall lead. Again, that was a game that maybe Creaton's should have won. Sean McGowan then defeated Joe Crawley in what was to be the decisive game. McGowan- previously Irish Number 1 and current Irish International coped well with any pressure he felt and hit the only 180 of the night on his way to a good win.
Presentations of trophies to both teams and that of the prestigous Connaught's Cup were made by tournament organiser Pat Walsh.

Creaton's set for Connaught's Final.
Connaught's Darts Final @ Walsh's Public House, Charlestown, Co. Mayo.
Friday 20th June at 9pm.
Creaton's of Loughlynn v The Ship Inn, Sligo Town.
Format- 3 games of Doubles-Best of 3x501. And 6 games of Singles if necessary Best of 3x501.

The 2008 Connaught Darts Championships Final will take place next Friday night the 20th of June in Walsh's Public House, Charlestown.
The Connaught's is one of the most prestigious tournaments of it's kind in the region attracting teams from Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon and further afield every single year for almost 50 years.
Creaton's of Loughlynn-led by Matt Scally will take on The Ship Inn of Sligo for what is sure to be another Classic Final in the East Mayo venue. Creaton's who were Roscommon County League Champions in 2005 and Shield winners in 2008 have won the Connaught title in the 80's and 90's but have suffered a barren spell in the tournament since- not making the final since 1993.
Reid's of Newport have dominated the Tournament in recent times but had their attempt at a 7-in-a-row stopped in the last 8 by The Ship Inn who make a re-appearance in the Connaught's this year- having not took part for a couple of years.
Creaton's have added some useful players to their already strong line-up, with Knockcroghery's Mick Egan and Jimmy Reilly playing an important part in their semi-final victory over Kilkenny's of Knock. Sean Finan, Padraig Finan, Tony Thacker, Joe Crawley, Pat Reid and Eugene McDonagh will all do what they can to make sure the Cup comes back to Creaton's. Best wishes to Creaton's from all involved in Roscommon County Darts!!

Friendship Silver for Irish U-21 team.
The Republic of Ireland U-21 Darts team failed in their bid to stop England winning their 6th consecutive 4 Nation Youth Friendship Trophy Title in six years as the 6th annual running of the event was played out in Derby, England at the weekend.
In what was a decicive match The Republic led England 5-4, but lost the remaining six games to end with a dissappointing 10-5 defeat. The Northern Ireland and Scotland sides both left Derby having equally terrible tournaments. Northern Ireland suffered a most humiliating 15-0 defeat to England in the final round of games- a scorline which was not witnessed in the tournament before.
The Roscommon members on the panel done their county proud yet again with all four putting in worthwhile performances. Ballinaheglish's Gary Concannon won the first game of the tournament for The Republic who went on to beat their Northern counterparts 11-4. Gary also contributed to the 9-6 win over Scotland winning again. Gary's older brother David took part in one match which did not go his way. Ballymacglancy's Mark Finneran won one and lost one. Ballaghaderreen's Sean Fleming- had an outstanding weekend, coming runner-up in Friday's Friendship singles out of 60 to England's Michael Smith. He also won two of his three games in the Friendship Trophy against Northern Ireland and England. And out of 70 players he reached the semi-finals of the Sunday Singles. All four are elegible for next years event which will be down for decision in Dublin in May 2009.
Results.
Round 1 (ROI 11 NI 4,ENG 12 SCO 3).
Round 2 (NI 8 SCO 7, END 10 ROI 5).
Round 3 (ROI 9 SCO 6, ENG 15 NI 0).
Table- England 43 points, Republic of Ireland 29, Scotland 16, Northern Ireland 12.

Carpet Bob Cup.
The presentation of the prestigious Carpet Bob Cup took place in Spell's Bar, Ballaghaderreen last Friday night with an emotional Denis Coffey accepting the Cup on behalf of his Spell's side who emerged 12-8 victors after an epic battle with The Rest of the World. In a speech which bore many similarities to his recent County League acceptance speech he went on to thank everybody who took part, his own team members, and gave three cheers for the Rest of the World side who gave it their all. Preparations for next years event are already underway.

Mohill success for Thomas Concannon.
A 3-2 win over Mayo's Martin Heneghan won Thomas Concannon his first ever I.N.D.O. ranking darts title at the Mohill Youths Singles last weekend. A 3-0 quarter final win over Kilkenny's John Meaney set up a Semi final clash with his cousin Gary Concannon which he prevailed on a 3-2 scoreline. Last years Mohill winner Mark Finneran was beaten by Heneghan in the Last 8 on a 3-1 scoreline. Well done to Thomas!
Youth Friendship Trophy 2008.
Roscommon Darts Players will take to the International stage yet again when the 6th annual Youth Friendship Trophy takes place from May 23rd to the 25th in Derby, England. Ballinaheglish brothers David and Gary Concannon are one of three sets of brothers on this years 15-a side National Team. Mark Finneran from Ballymacglancy in the heart of Roscommon will also be representing the county. And for the 6th year in a row Ballaghaderreen's Sean Fleming will don the Green Shirt. All four will have been involved in National events before but this is the first time that Gary Concannon and Mark Finneran will make appearances in an International event. Northern Ireland, England and Scotland stand in the way of a first Irish Friendship Trophy Success. All four players and their travelling support are wished every success!!
Carpet Bob Cup.
Ballaghaderreen is gearing itself for yet another mouthwatering darts classic as the 2008 Carpet Bob Cup will be down for decision over the next two weeks. Captained by Denis Coffey- Reigning Roscommon County Darts Champions Spell's will put their darting reputations on the line as the players from The Rest of the World captained by the vastly experienced Davy O' Gara attempt to snatch back the Cup they so nearly won last year. The first leg of this prestigious Cup tie will take place in Spell's Bar, on Pound Street on Friday next May 16th at 9:30pm. Best of Luck to both teams!!

Mick Egan makes it a Kenny Cup/Kelly Cup double!!

All that is good about Roscommon Darts was summed up on Sunday last as The 3rd annual Martin Kelly Cup darts tournament was decided with a very memorable final at The Church Street Station Bar in Roscommon town. Mick Egan proved popular winner for in front of the home crowd as he recorded a well deserved 6-4 victory over 2007 Kelly Cup champion, and Irish Ranked No. 1 Aodhagen O Neill. A total of 42 players entered on the day from 8 different counties namely Longford, Cavan, Westmeath, Sligo, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny and Roscommon. Members of the recent All-Ireland winning Roscommon Youths darts team featured strongly with David Concannon and Thomas Concannon both reaching the Semi Finals producing darts which contributed to that All-Ireland success. Thomas Concannon polished off a 14 darter to come from 3-1 down in the Last 8 to win 4-3 against Longford's Stephen O' Reilly. And after going 4-0 down in his Semi Final clash with Aodhagen O' Neill he battled back to make it 4-3 aided by a 149 checkout- the highest of the days action- although his efforts fell just short of the mark.

O Neill got the better start in the final, taking the first leg in 18 darts. Egan replied with a 16 darter- a leg which included a 180. Egan hit a second 180 in the third leg but O Neill took it in 20 darts. A third 180 from Egan at the beginning of leg 4 led to a 19 darter- and a 20 darter in leg 5 was good enough to break the throw and take a 3-2 lead. Leg six was a sloppy one with both players dipping slightly- but Egan managed to further his lead to 4-2. O Neill then lifted his game and produced 16 and 17 dart legs to level it 4-4 and that was as good as it got for him. Egan broke the darts again in leg nine to make it 5-4 as O Neill missed costly darts at doubles. The best leg was saved till last as Egan hit scores of 85, 92, 125, 137,and a 62 checkout to round of a superb 6-4 win over one of the best players in Ireland. Mick Egan has had a very good past few months on the local darts scene winning The Tommy Kenny Cup at Creaton's of Loughlynn in December and Hannon's Hotel County Singles in January.
Final Stats.
M.Egan 6-4 A.O'Neill
11 100+ 16
2 140+ 4
3 180's 0
76.41 Average 74.31
Final Standings.
Last 16- M.Egan bt A.Dempsey; K.MacGyver bt J.Flynn; D.Concannon bt N.Reilly; K.Wesolowski bt L.Concannon; A.O'Neill bt G.Concannon;G.Murphy bt A.Wall;T.Concannon bt M.Kilroe; S.Reilly bt S.Finan.
Quarter Finals- M.Egan 4 Khalid MacGyver 2; D.Concannon 4 K.Wesolowski 1; A.O'Neill 4 G.Murphy 0;T.Concannon 4 S.Reilly 3.
Semi Final- M.Egan 5 D.Concannon 0; A.O'Neill 5 T.Concannon 3.
Final- Mick Egan (Roscommon) 6 Aodhagen O'Neill (Cavan) 4.

Lady of the tournament- Joan Flynn (Kilkenny).
Highest Checkout- Thomas Concannon 149. Others- 130 Aodhagen O Neill, Stephen Victory 109.

A total of €420 was raised on the day for Cancer Research. Thank you to everybody who contributed in any way to the successful running of this years tournament and to those who travelled distances to take part.
Roll of Honour.
2006- Winner- Sean Finan (Roscommon). Runner-Up Sean McGowan (Sligo).
2007- Winner- Aodhagen O Neill (Cavan). Runner-Up Sean Fleming (Roscommon).
2008- Winner- Mick Egan (Roscommon). Runner-Up Aodhagen O Neill (Cavan).
Darts news both National and International can be viewed on RTE2 teletext Page 426.

Sports Partnership Awards
Congrats to Jimmy Reilly who received his Roscommon Sports Partnership Award at the Roscommon Sports Partnerships awards ceremony in The Abbey Hotel, Roscommon recently. Jimmy's performances throughout the 2007/2008 County Darts League and over the years representing the County mens darts team made him a very worthy award recipient. Well done also to all 26 other award winners.

3rd Annual Martin Kelly Cup.

The 3rd Annual Martin Kelly Cup All Ireland Open Singles Darts Tournament takes place Sunday the 27th of April, in The Church Street Station, Roscommon Town with Games beginning at 1pm. Prize fund is on a money in - money out basis + €200 sponsored by The Church Street Station. Trophies for the Winner, Rup, losing semi finalists, Lady of the Tournament, and highest checkout. Entry fee is €10 per player. Last years tournament was a successful and very enjoyable occasion, and again this year there will be a raffle to support Cancer Research so please support.

I.N.D.O. DARTS SEASON TO GET UNDERWAY.
The Irish National Darts Organisation's new ranking season will begin proper with Cavan County Singles event in Bailieborough next weekend. It will be first of over a dozen darting events taking place over the next eight to ten months. In the end the top ranked players will have earned the opportunity to play for Ireland in major darts events in Britain, Europe, and across the World.
In recent years Padraig Kearney 2003 (Castleplunkett), and Martin Murphy 2006 of Elphin have represented Ireland Senior mens darts team in the annual Northern Ireland v Rep. of Ireland Challenge.
A number of Roscommon players gained some valuable- but early ranking points at the I.N.D.O's Intercounty Darts Championships in February which went very well for the county. It is hoped that a good number of these players will make the effort to travel to the upcoming events. Details of all National and International events can be viewed on R.T.E. 2 teletext page 426. Roscommon Darts News results and pictures can be viewed www.501in9.blogspot.com .

Upcoming Events
Sunday, March 30th: Cavan County Singles. Hotel Bailie, Bailieborough, Co.Cavan. I.N.D.O. ranked event. Deatils of Prizefunds and contacts on R.T.E.2 teletext page 426.
April 5th/6th: Tramore Spring Festival, O' Shea's Hotel, Tramore, Co.Waterford
April 12th/13th: Dungarvan I.N.D.O. Festival Weekend.
Saturday 12th- I.N.D.O. Full Ranked Singles.
Sunday 13th- Waterford I.N.D.O. County Ranked Singles.
April 19th:- Round Six of the 2008 Ireland Players Championships at Bettystown Court Hotel, Co.Meath. Closing Date- April 16th.
Sunday, April 27th: The Martin Kelly Cup- All Ireland Open Singles. In the Church Street Station, Roscommon Town.
May 3rd/4th: I.N.D.O. Mohill Festival, Mohill, Co. Leitrim.

Champions yet again!!
Last Saturday- Roscommon County Darts lived one of it's greatest moments as the young darts players of the county captured a third All Ireland title in five years. Roscommon's win came after 12 long hours of skill, effort and determination- and with that came the usual moments of nervous tension and agony associated with the sport of darts. Unlike the last two years- there was to be no darting agony for the Roscommon lads this time- making up for the losses endured in the past two finals in 06 and 07. Held in The SpringhillCourt Hotel in Kilkenny City the Championships attracted 22 teams and as many 120 young players from all corners of the country taking part. Some counties were fortunate enough in having the advantage of fielding two or three teams under the same flag. Roscommon were in position to enter two teams with players from the Ballaghaderreen, Loughlynn, Lisacul, Ballinaheglish, Castleplunkett, and Rockfield areas of the county- all players representing their county impeccably.
The Roscommon team- managed by Luke Concannon and captained by his son David landed the much coveted Overall prize. Right from the word go they set a very good pace with an early 5-0 win over Kildare B. A 4-1 victory over Mayo and another 5-0 over Dublin C garaunteed progression to the knockout stages. In the final game of the group Kilkenny beat Roscommon 3-2 in a cracking match. David Concannon and Ray Finan were beaten in the first two games. Mark Finneran and Thomas Concannon then levelled. In the deciding game Gary Concannon was very unfortunate to have been beaten 2-0 missing several doubles to win in both legs.
Limerick proved tough opposition at all stages of the quarter final clash. Limerick won the first game as David Concannon was beaten 2-0. Thomas Concannon and Mark Finneran earned Roscommon the lead and an impressive Gary Concannon ended Limerick's challenge with a fine 2-1 win.
A much improved Kildare team on recent years came closer to fulfilling their ambitions this year as they nearly put an end to Roscommon's hopes in the Semi Final. David Concannon was beaten 2-0 by John McKenna who won with a 14-dart-leg. Thomas Concannon and Mark Finneran- not for the first time recovered the situation to put Roscommon 2-1 up. Gary Concannon unfortunately failed to put away his doubles in game four- missing several shots to ensure a place in the final. He was beaten 2-1 by his opponent. Ray Finan was now left with the unenviable task of putting Roscommon in the final. Loughlynn lad Finan got off to a good start and took the opening leg with a flurry of steady scores and a crisp checkout. Kildare took the second leg to level but Finan started the third and final leg with a 140 to open up a decent gap. However his finishing when he got to it was not a crisp as his opening leg and Kildare found themselves with six darts for the match. Amid the growing tension it was on his third dart a double 1- Ray Finan put Roscommon into their fifth successive Final.
Unlike the group stage game where Kilkenny won 3-2, the Final was to be short and sweet. David Concannon in his last game as an U-18 player finished with a superb and dominant 2-0 win over Kevin Mulally. That was followed by another 2-0 win from Thomas Concannon who ended his outstanding day unbeaten. The first opportunity of wrapping up the match fell to an inspirational Mark Finneran who pulled off one of the best performances ever seen from a Roscommon Youth in any tournament. His opposition was talented Irish Number 1 Youth Patrick Meaney. Meaney took the first leg aided by a 180 and a 60 checkout. The Kilkenny player took a decent lead in the second but failed to finish the leg- missing an uncharacteristc seven darts at doubles. Finneran made no mistake in his finishing, punishing him with the most beautiful 120 checkout to level. In what was to be the Chamionship winning leg- Mark went score for score with his more experienced opponent. In a leg that included 3 tons- he struck a priceless 98 checkout under pressure in a 17-dart-leg to win the title for Roscommon.
Presentations were made by I.N.D.O. Officials Tom Keogh and Kieran Corbett to the beaten Finalists and the winning Roscommon team.
Managed by Sean Fleming Roscommon's B team had a host of new faces for the future and enjoyed a good tournament- although missing out on qualification to the knockout stages by four points. Wins in the group stages over Cork C (3-2), Tipp B (3-2), and Cork B (4-1) were all deserved. But two defeats of 4-1 to Dublin and Donegal done too much damage to progress this time round. Kevin Fleming was in flying form with four ckeckouts over 50 on the day, winning three out of his four games.
The win means that Roscommon continue to lead the way in producing quality young darts players of national standard year after year. Since 1999 young players of Roscommon have participated in 6 All-Ireland Youth Championship Finals- winning 3. Adding to the 3 West Coast Challenge titles from the past 6 years. This years captain David Concannon has now joined a long list of players who having had a successful youth spell- and must now play Senior darts. All other Roscommon players involved in the weekends action are elligible next year, and will now know what that winning feeling is like, and how hard it can be to get it. The massive effort put in week in-week out by all 12 players, and their managers has been rewarded.
Mark Finneran, Sean Fleming and both Gary and David Concannon will be looking for further rewards having qualified for the Irish U-21 Team to participate in the 4 Nation Youth Friendship Trophy in England in May.
Roscommon County Darts wishes to thank Hannon's Hotel, Roscommon Town and Roscommon Sports Partnership Ltd for their kind sponsorship of the Roscommon County Youths Team. A word of thanks also goes to all the travelling support who turned up in Kilkenny on Saturday. Much appreciated.
The entirity of Roscommon County Darts wishes to extend their sympathies to Mark Finneran and the extended Finneran family, Ballymacglancy on the death last Saturday morning of Rosaleen Condon (nee Finneran) formally of Ballymacglancy and Clonmel prior to the Championships.

Entire All-Ireland winning Roscommon Panel-
Managers- Luke Concannon and Sean Fleming.
Captain- David Concannon, Mark Finneran, Ray Finan, Gary Concannon, Thomas Feely, Thomas Concannon, Kevin Fleming, Damien McDonald, Chris Finan, Shane McDonagh, Darragh Kenny, and Richard Coffey.

Results- I.N.D.O. All Ireland Youths Intercounty Championships. SpringhillCourt Hotel, Kilkenny City.
Quarter Finals.
Roscommon 3 Limerick 1
Kilkenny 3 Tipperary 1
Dublin 3 Mayo B 2
Kildare 3 Donegal 1
Semi Finals.
Roscommon 3 Kildare 2
Kilkenny 3 Dublin 1
Final
Roscommon 3 Kilkenny 0

I.N.D.O. All-Ireland Youths Intercounties Roll of Honour.
1999 Wexford; 2000 Wexford; 2001 Cork; 2002 Mayo; 2003 Mayo; 2004 Roscommon; 2005 Roscommon; 2006 Clare; 2007 Cork; 2008 Roscommon.

Victories for Spell's and Creaton's make it a northwest Roscommon Darts double.
The 2007/2008 Hannon's Hotel, Roscommon County Darts League came to a conclusion on Sunday- with two outstanding finals taking place at a packed Hannon's Hotel in Roscommon Town. A total of 66 legs on the day decided the destinations of both Cup and Shield titles with both finals going the distance- as Benji Hayden (Spell's) and Padraig Finan of Creaton's became the heroes of their respective teams. Spell's of Ballaghaderreen became the overall Cup Champions for the second time following a 4-3 victory over McDermott's of Ballinaheglish. While in the Shield final Creaton's of Loughlynn pipped Murray's of Knockcroghery also on a 4-3 scoreline.
Creaton's of Loughlynn led by captain Sean Finan just edged out Murray's to become Shield Winners for the first time. Jimmy Reillly- who had an outstanding league winning 16 of 17 games, completed his league with yet another win. He gave Murray's the lead with a 3-0 win over Eugene McDonagh. Sean Finan levelled for Creaton's beating Paul Carton 3-1 and including a 180 en route. Tony Thacker beat John Devaney in game three as Creaton's took the lead. Pat Byrne and Mick Egan won both games four and five with wins over Joe Crawley and longtime servant of Roscommon County Darts Matt Scally. Pat Reid beat Willie Doyle in game six to set up the deciding game between Scobie Connaughton and Padraig Finan which went 2-2 and the Loughlynn man snatched at the death. Scores(J.Reilly 3 E.McDonagh 0; P.Carton 1 S.Finan 3; J.Devaney 0 T.Thacker 3; P.Byrne 3 J.Crawley 1; M.Egan 3 M.Scally 0; W.Doyle 1 P.Reid 3; N.Connaughton 2 P.Finan 3).

Cup Final
This was a very nervy final almost all the way through- but for the best part the standard was quite high. Sean Fleming and David Concannon went head to head in the opening game with Concannon getting the better start. Aided by checkouts of 76 and 98 he took a 2-1 lead. Fleming bettled beck to make it 3-3 and threw his best leg at the death to scrape through 4-3. Spell's Patrick Tansey with the only 180 of the final race into a 3-0 lead against Thomas Concannon in game two. But it did not finish there. The further this game went on the better Concannon got. He pulled it back to 3-2 and missed a couple of darts to make it 3-3. But the one chance Tansey got to clinch it- he did with a 60 checkout earning Spell's a valuable cushion. McDermott's skipper Andy Fallon beat Jimmy Finn 4-3 in game 3. Finn's scoring was more consistent than his opponents but missed doubles on occasion added to the tension within the room. Spell's skipper Denis Coffey went on to beat Joe Elliffe 4-2 in game 4. A 100 checkout to win at that, making it his 4th 100+ checkout of the league. In game five- Mark Finneran under immense pressure emerged victorious with a 4-3 win over Martin Fleming. Finneran never lost the lead in this one as his scoring was far more consistent than Fleming's. The Spell's player did reel off 60 and 63 checkouts to stay in touch and had six darts to win the Cup but his younger opposite held his nerve better to bring it to another game. Gary Concannon- the youngest player on show on the day- was outstanding in game 6 beating Aiden Tansey 4-0, scoring and finishing very well. With the score now at 3-3 it left cousins Benji Hayden and Gerry Fallon to sort out the destination of the Cup. And it was to be Benji's and Spell's day as he beat Fallon on a 4-1 scoreline. Scores: (D.Concannon 3 S.Fleming 4; T.Concannon 2 P.Tansey 4;A.Fallon 4 J.Finn 3; J.Elliffe 2 D.Coffey 4; M.Finneran 4 M.Fleming 3; G.Concannon 4 A.Tansey 0;G.Fallon 1 B.Hayden 4).

Presentations were made to the following for their dedication to Roscommon County Darts throughout the League- Ann Finan, Phil Carney, Kathy Fleming, Barbara Victory, Martina McKeon and Mary Concannon. The West Coast Challenge Youth Champions were presented with their winners medals. Martin Murphy was presented with his highest checkout award from the recent Pete Donnellon Cup tournament. Gary Concannon claimed the highest prize with a 160 checkout. The Presentation of the Roscommon County Darts Shield was made by Chairman of The Irish National Darts Organisation Liam Kerins (Boyle) to winning Captain Sean Finan and the presentation of The Willie Tiernan Perpetual Cup was made by Martin Hannon of Hannon's Hotel to winning Spell's Captain Denis Coffey.

Roscommon County Darts wish to thank all those who attended the final on Sunday and the players and supporters who attended and supported games throughout the winter. To all the pub venues thank you for your hospitality, and to Tommy Beirne, Martin Murphy and Mick Kilroe who called and checked scores on Sunday last. Thanks also to Martin Hannon of Hannon's Hotel Roscommon for their kind sponsorship of this years league.

Roscommon County Darts League Finals
March 2nd- Hannon's Hotel, Roscommon Town
4:30pm-Roscommon County Darts Shield Final.
Murray's, Knockcroghery v Creaton's, Loughlynn
Then @ 7:30pm- Roscommon County Darts League Cup Final for the Willie Tiernan Perpetual Cup.
McDermott's, Ballinaheglish v Spell's, Ballaghaderreen.
Cup Final Preview
Late next Sunday evening the Overall Winners of the 2007/2008 Hannon's Hotel Roscommon County Darts League will be decided. Since October 19th- 8 teams involving 80 players have played almost 1700 legs of darts between them. For the best part the standard has been outstanding- with the change in format being seen as a reason for that.There have been almost 100x 180 scores and 37x 100+ checkouts recorded to date and this weekends finals are nearly sure to add to that. McDermott's Gary Concannon holds the highest checkout with an effort of 160.
In one of the closest leagues in recent years no one team managed to dominate it from start to finish- but in terms of picking off the best results throughout the league it was the McDermott's team who done that most often. McDermott's lightning quick start to the league almost certainly garaunteed their qualification into the semi finals. A string of impressive results began in Round 1 (R1)with a 7-0 win over last years champions Flanagan's of Castleplunkett, followed by a 6-1 against Mac's (R2). Two 5-2 wins over Creaton's (R5) and Spell's (R6) kept them near the top at the Christmas break. Since the New Year McDermott's form dipped slightly on those highs losing five of their last nine matches. But more importantly they pulled off their best wins to date as they beat Murray's in the first leg of their semi final clash two weeks ago and completed their path to the final by beating them again after a dramatic playoff last Friday night. Luke Concannon, Joe Elliffe, Andy Fallon, and Gerry Fallon are the backbone of the McDermott's team and are well supported by some the best youths which Roscommon has to offer at the moment. They are Mark Finneran, brothers David and Gary Concannon and their cousin Thomas Concannon all of whom have been a credit to their team this year. McDermott's are the reigning Shield Champions but are now very happy to be one game away from making the transition from that- to becoming the best team in the county.
Spell's- who became League Champions in 2006 for the first time come into this final unbeaten since Round 8. It has been the steady darts from the Ballaghaderreen team which has got them this far. Denis Coffey, Jimmy Finn, Frank Duffy, Sean Fleming, Benji Hayden and Martin Fleming were all involved in the 2006 win while Patrick Tansey, Seamus Duffy, Aiden Tansey and Michael Waldron are all welcome additions since. All ten players played their part in reaching the final, with Patrick Tansey, Denis Coffey and Sean Fleming the most consistent throughout.
When Spell's and McDermott's played earlier in the league McDermott's came out on top in Round 6 on a 5-2 scoreline. Spell's were fortunate to win the return game 4-3 at Ballaghaderreen.
Murray's of Knockcroghery and Creaton's of Loughlynn go head to head in the Shield Final prior to the Cup Final. Murray's won 4-3 at Loughlynn in Round 7 but Creaton's had a 5-2 win at Knockcroghery only threee weeks ago.
Previous games and happenings count for nothing on final day. And it is for sure the winning team will deserve their honours.
Best of Luck to all teams!!

Roscommon's men fall just short of All Ireland Semi's.
Kilkenny are the Irish National Darts Organisation's (I.N.D.O's) Senior Mens Intercounty Darts Champions for 2008 after a 7-5 win over Kildare.
A 7-6 quarter final defeat to Mayo brought an end to Roscommon's outstanding run in the Championships- easily the best run for the county in recent years.
Held in The Breaffy House Hotel on Saturday and Sunday last, twenty-four counties took part in the mens event- with Roscommon topping a group consisting of Cavan, Meath and Wicklow. The progress made in this years Championships by the mens county team has been down to the massive effort put in by manager Tommy Beirne and all players from different areas of the county since last October and their dedication to improving darts within the county.
Roscommon 6 Cavan 6.
Roscommon made a bright start with Mick Egan beating Irish International Aodhagen O Neill 2-1. Padraig Kearney was then beaten 2-1 in game 2- but Sean Fleming restored a 2-1 overall lead. Cavan then took advantage of some slack Roscommon darts and in a matter of moments took five games on the trot to build up a 6-2. However Paul Carton,Jimmy Reilly,Matthew Hynes and Martin Fleming took the last four games to secure the hard earned draw. Scores:-(M.Egan 2 A.O'Neill 1; P.Kearney 1 S.Tormey 2;S.Fleming 2 D.Skelton 0;T.Concannon 0 S.Dunne 2;S.Finan 0 F.O'Brien 2;P.Tansey 1 B.McGurk 2;M.Murphy 1 O.Grealin 2;M.Kilroe 1 S.Devins 2;J.Reilly 2 P.Reilly 0;P.Carton 2 R.Fenton 0;M.Hynes 2 T.Gilleran 0;M.Fleming 2 E.Tormey 1).
Roscommon 7 Meath 5.
Mick Egan was beaten by Paddy O' Rourke as Meath took an early lead. They went two up when Tony Thacker was beaten 2-1. But a superb mid-match burst for Roscommon began with Martin Fleming's best performance of the weekend which included 2x180 scores. Patrick Tansey, Sean Finan, Thomas Concannon, Padraig Kearney, Mick Kilroe, and the outstanding Jimmy Reilly made it 7-3. Meath took the last two games- but the win put Roscommon in a great position going in against Wicklow who were not having a good day. Scores-(M.Egan 1 P.O'Rourke 2; T.Thacker 1 M.Flannely 2;M.Fleming 2 P.Hand 1;P.Tansey 2 R.Walshe;S.Finan 2 J.Muldowney 1; T.Concannon 2 J.McGinnity 1;S.Fleming 0 A.Doherty 2;P.Kearney 2 D.O'Connor 0;M.Kilroe 2 K.Blane 0;J.Reilly 2 S.McDonald 0;P.Carton 0 D.McGuire 2;M.Hynes 0 S.Reid 2).
Roscommon 10 Wicklow 2.
Wicklow had struggled in the group upto the point of the third round-having been beaten 8-4 by Meath and Cavan respectively. The Wicklow men proved difficult in the early stages with Mick Egan using a 154 checkout when scraping through in a tough clash with Laurence Collins. David Concannon extended the lead- before Martin Fleming made his impressive previous round win a distant memory by producing his worst performance of the weekend. Nevertheless Padraig Kearney and Sean Finan to got the ball rolling again making it 4-1. Mick Kilroe was beaten in game 6 but a run of six straight games from Sean Fleming,Paul Carton, Jimmy Reilly, Patrick Tansey Thomas Concannon, and Matthew Hynes secured a very impressive win. Meath beat Cavan 7-5- a result which left Roscommon clear at the top of the group and into the Quarter finals.
Mayo 7 Roscommon 6.
When Roscommon and Mayo met in the West Coast Challenge three weeks ago in Limerick, Mayo had a 10-2 win. Last weekend, Roscommon fell just short of a remarkable victory. There were few moments of individual brilliance in this match but that was made up for in terms of determination and will to win. Mayo took a 2-0 lead- with Mick Egan and Mick Kilroe beaten. Sean Fleming and Sean Finan recovered the situation to make it 2-2. Games were swapped until it was 5-5. Matthew Hynes gave Roscommon the lead for the first time in his 2-1 win over James McLoughlin- a nervy contest in which the Elphin man left until late to hit form. The batton was passed to his Elf Inn team mate Martin Murphy and in turn to Creaton's Joe Crawley- both of whom never got a chance at a hitting the winning double in either of their games. Scores- (M.Egan 1 P.J.Kavanagh 2;M.Kilroe 1 D.O'Neill 2;S.Fleming 2 A.Peyton 0;S.Finan 2 T.McNulty 1;T.Concannon 0 M.Heneghan 2;P.Kearney 2 M.Murray 1;J.Reilly 1 R.Staunton 2;M.Fleming 2 J.J.Ormsby 1;P.Tansey 0 S.Ormsby 2;P.Carton 2 J.McGann 0;M.Hynes 2 J.McLoughlin 1;M.Murphy 0 T.Lynch 2;J.Crawley 0 N.Philbin 2).
Round 1
Meath 8 Wicklow 4
Roscommon 6 Cavan 6
Round 2
Roscommon 7 Meath 5
Cavan 8 Wicklow 4
Round 3
Roscommon 10 Wicklow 2
Meath 7 Cavan 5
Group Standings
Roscommon 23 points
Meath 21
Cavan 19
Wicklow 10

I.N.D.O. All Ireland Mens Intercounty Championships Results
Quarter Finals
Mayo 7 Roscommon 6
Kildare 7 Donegal 5
Dublin 7 Cork 5
Kilkenny 7 Limerick 2
Semi Finals
Kildare 7 Mayo 2
Kilkenny 7 Dublin 5
Final
Kilkenny 7 Kildare 5

Entire Roscommon Mens Panel; Manager Tommy Beirne- Elf Inn.
Mick Egan, Jimmy Reilly, Paul Carton (Murray's). Patrick Tansey, Frank Duffy, Sean Fleming, Martin Fleming (Spel's). Sean Finan, Padraig Finan,Tony Thacker,Joe Crawley (Creaton's). Thomas Concannon,David Concannon (McDermott's). Mick Kilroe, Krystof Wesolowski (Mac's).Matthew Hynes, Martin Murphy (The Elf Inn).Padraig Kearney (Flanagan's).

While the men enjoyed one of their better years- Roscommon's ladies had a very dissappointing Championships suffering 5-1 defeats to Carlow, Limerick, Galway bringing their participation to a premature end. Dublin made it back to back titles beating Carlow in the final on a 4-1 scoreline.

Remaining Hannon's Hotel League Semi Final Results
Semi Final Results- Friday, February 22nd.
Spel's, Ballaghaderreen 8 - 5 Creaton's, Loughlynn
McDermott's, Ballinaheglish 8 - 7 Murray's, Knockcroghery
Shield Final-
Creaton's, Loughlynn v Murray's,Knockcroghery
Cup Final-
McDermott's, Ballinaheglish v Spell's, Ballaghaderreen

Finals take place in Hannon's Hotel on Sunday 2nd of March.