DARTS
DALE darts player Kirsty Hutchinson bowed out in the second round of this year’s World Darts Federation (WDF) world championships at the famous Lakeside venue, Frimley Green, Surrey.
Kirsty began her campaign in confident style, taking the first set in a best of three first round match against Hungary’s Veronika Ihasz 3-1 in legs.
The Middleton-in-Teesdale thrower then led 2-0 in the second set and looked for all the world as if she would cruise through.
However, a slew of missed match darts were punished by her opponent, who took the set 3-2.
Ihasz hit the front in the third set but errant scoring cost her, with Kirsty, currently world number 18 in the WDF rankings, eventually sealing victory on double five and booking a second round tie with Deta Hedman.
Three-time finalist Hedman proved too strong, although she was made to work for it by Kirsty, who started the stronger, breaking the Hedman throw in the opening leg of the match before taking out 40 to win the first set 3-1.
She didn’t get another look from there though, with Hedman starting the second set with a brace of 17-darters.
Those two legs were the start of a six-leg run from Hedman, who pinned double two to seal a 2-1 victory.
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
