By Marcus Uhe
Predators have gone where no team has gone before in 2024 by knocking off Snipers in round 24 of the South West Gippsland Dart League on Tuesday night.
The first of three thrillers in the third-last round of the home-and-away season, Predators ended Snipers’ prospects making it through an entire season undefeated with a miserly 8-7 win, bringing Snipers’ undefeated run unstuck at 23 matches.
Some said it couldn’t be done, but others say that winning streaks are made to be broken.
Jordan outshone Steve with a haul of six tons, but Steve hit back with his seventh 180 of the year to share the limelight.
Snipers maintain top pegging on the table, but the loss has drawn them level on points and percentage with Predators with two matches remaining.
Railway and Mud Rats also prevailed with one-point wins, over Generals and Dart Vaders respectively.
Mud Rats’ win maintains their excellent form, having only lost to Predators in the last five weeks, and moving a game clear of their vanquished opponents, and Gembrook, into outright fourth place.
Their main man Keith stole the show with an equal season-high peg of 170 that went a long way to securing the four points.
Gembrook, meanwhile, is mounting a late-season charge, having won its last five matches, and climbing into fifth.
Cheers reached four in a row after thrashing Dart Attack, thanks to a fifth 180 from Liam, with Just Social and Fore also securing vital wins.
Just Social’s 10-5 win over Hoodies secures its place in the top eight, with Fore the only team that can unseat them from seventh.
Eighth place is now a race in two, between Fore and 26ers, with all other sides out of contention to qualify for finals.
RESULTS R24: Predators 8 v Snipers 7, Mud Rats 8 v Dart Vaders 7, Fore 12 v Bullseyes 3, Railway 8 v Generals 7, Cheers 13 v Dart Attack 2, Gembrook 10 v 26ers 5, Just Social 10 v Hoodies 5.
LADDER: Snipers 92, Predators 92, Cheers 84, Mud Rats 68, Gembrook 64, Dart Vaders 64, Just Social 52, Fore 44, 26ers 40, Railway 28, Generals 24, Bullseyes 16, Dart Attack 8, Hoodies 0.
FIXTURE R25: Bullseyes (12) v Railway (10), Fore (8) v Dart Attack (13), Generals (11) v 26ers (9), Cheers (3) v Just Social (7), Gembrook (5) v Mud Rats (4), Hoodies (14) v Predators (2), Dart Vaders (6) v Snipers (1).
