BROOMFIELD King’s Arms crowned their Ridley League debut season in style, lifting the overall championship by a single point in the most exciting finish in memory.

A 9-6 win at Chelmsford City A, thanks to victory in the last two men’s pairs games of the night, was just enough to see off a chasing posse of three clubs, all of whom were in with a chance of pipping them on the line.

Worst hit were City’s C string, despite torpedoing the Chequers’ own challenge 12-3 at Felsted. They won almost everything (including most of the raffle prizes!), yet saw the league slip out of their grasp – and with it the mixed title, as a fourth defeat in the last five matches handed that title to their own A team.

Outgoing champs Little Waltham made a brave attempt to retain the trophy, Mark Chapman hitting a 180 in their win at the Black Bull and Kerry Ketley and Louise Morton completing the women’s league programme unbeaten. However, the 9-6 scoreline left them trailing in third place, three points behind the champions.

The Bird in Hand’s defeat by Peverel Swan widened the gulf between them and everyone else, but the league’s bottom club passed one minor landmark; Alan Readman’s win in the opener was their fifth darts point – out of 126 for the season.

CCFC B, in their last match at Melbourne, went out on a winning note, a 10-5 success against the Cricketers confirming them in fifth place.