McGeeney’s Lakeside dream over

LAST LEG DEFEAT: Mark McGeeney. PICTURE by DAVID GILL/BDO.

Darts: TOWN team ace Mark ‘the Gladiator’ McGeeney did Oldham proud before bowing out of the BDO Lakeside World Championships.

Taking on reigning champion Scott Mitchell in front of another sell-out audience, McGeeney lost his second-round clash in the sudden-death leg at the end of seven pulsating sets.

Stockport-based McGeeney took his ‘A’ game to the stage from the off, registering back-to-back maximum scores of 180 in a breathtaking 12-dart opening leg.

But despite nailing checkouts of 136 and 130 in the opening set, ‘Scotty Dog’ Mitchell matched his opponent almost dart for dart as the match progressed.

By the end of the game McGeeney had missed an incredible EIGHT potential tie-winning darts as sixth seed Mitchell booked a last eight date with Dutchman Richard Veenstra.

Despite his crushing defeat, Lancashire county star McGeeney left the stage with a beaming smile on his face as he had made his mark in what has been a hugely impressive debut appearance at the Lakeside showpiece.

McGeeney said: “It’s been a fantastic experience and the game against Scott was just brilliant.

“To be honest I’ve loved every single second since I arrived in Frimley Green. It’s made me even more determined to make sure I get back here next year.”

Mitchell knew he had been pushed to the limit. He added: “I knew it was never going to be easy. I knew he was never going to break and sometimes today it was better to be lucky than good.”

If McGeeney performs like he has in his two games this week - his three-dart average in the third set against Mitchell was 107.3 - he ought to have few problems gaining sufficient ranking points as he works his way through 2016.