Another imperious performance from the Centurion 'A' has seen them handed an inaugural title victory after they slayed, nay battered, the Green Dragon on Monday night.

Their rise has seen them gain worldwide recognition, but with sudden notoriety comes a price: huge, often insurmountable pressure. As the night began, the question on every athletes lips was who would soak it up, and who would bow.

The Centurions fancied their chances as the 2^nd placed Green Dragon nonchalantly rolled up late, seemingly trying to unsettle their opponents. But unsettled they clearly were not. The atmosphere was palpable, the mood contagious as the theme from The Magnificent Seven rang through the ears of all involved. Tim ‘One Dart’ Way was evidently unaffected by the occasion as he surged to an early lead, hammering in ton after ton before finishing with a powerful 4 checkout. The second leg went the same way, and the Centurion were ahead.

Next was Bobby ‘Bling’ Lowe, a man many had fancied, and not just for the win. In his long career he had accumulated many an admirer, a burden he had to carry on his back throughout. But the Bling was out of practice after a week of soul searching ‘tup north. He had returned from his break a calmer, more serene man but unfortunately success did not follow. Some say he’d accepted a bung, some saw an unnamed woman flash her white boots in his direction. Regrettably, they weren’t the only legs flashing by. The Bling was soon down two-nil, parity was restored, and an uneasy silence descended upon the home support.

Yet again it was down to Sam ‘Frank’ Spencer to turn things around. A lacklustre first leg ended in a loss, and heads dropped. The saying goes that form is only temporary, whereas class is permanent. All we know is that winning seems to be something of a life choice for this man, a dial that can be switched to ‘Pain’ at any given moment, a flare that can be lit in one’s eyes, a darting epiphany, a leg that can be stolen from an opponent, a win that can be snatched from the jaws of defeat. The crowd erupted, the lead had been rebuilt, and it was now the Dazzlers time to bask in the sublime.

 At only 4’6’’ the board towers over him, but holding this man down is as easy as Louis Fair holding down a wage packet. He blew his opponent away. Before anyone could say ‘Bushmills’ he was two nil up, and the Centurion were sauntering towards victory.

Next up was Caine ‘The Klunge’ Way, the unlikeliest of heroes, but a hero none the less. After a frustrating season dogged by klunge-related commitments, no one knew which side of his game would turn up. And I mean no one. Not even himself. He got off to a blistering start however, snatching the first leg with a double one, and then hitting a 98 in his first three darts of the second. The leg fell away from him from then on however, as his opponent grew in confidence. However, the Klunge seemed to react well to the pressure, a trait that runs throughout the Centurion squad. He ploughed through the following leg, finishing with an admirable double 5, and leaving the Cenny requiring just one win from the following 4 games to take the match and the league title.

Louis ‘Mr Muff’ Fair was the man charged with the first attempt at securing the crown. After last week’s heroics the win was expected, but unfortunately failed to materialise as a series of bounce-outs enraged both himself and the fans. Despite wise words from Captain 'Pain' Louis’ legs had gone, the Muff continuing on a violent downwards spiral, losing the match and throwing his darts in anger, wrists flapping in Scarney-like fashion. Tensions were running high, but the momentum was still with the Cenny.

Yet again it all boiled down to Brad ‘Twig’ Sanders. The No 2 seed has only grown in stature since his debut three seasons ago, commanding an almighty presence whichever path he treads. The first leg was sewn up in a matter of minutes, the Twig swaggering from oche to board, plucking darts out of the trebles time after time to leave yet another Dragon in a pit of dismay. The Green Dragon knew they had to win the next leg to keep their title hopes alive. But they hadn’t considered the scale of the task ahead of them. This wasn’t just anyone standing in their way. It was an artist, a machine, a tree. A flurry of tons and trebles left the Twig needing tops, and the crowd sensing victory. Never had this team won a title under their current guise, never had such plateaus been scaled, never had a campaign been fought with such vigour and sweat, never had double-tops meant so much, to so many. And tops it was. The dart flew in. A legend had been born.

With the win secured, Captain Graham ‘Pain’ Symes gave himself licence to roam. His darts peppered the 5’s and 1’s; the board eventually succumbing to a double 5 finish 149 darts later, and an equally unobtrusive finish in the second leg. But it didn’t matter. ‘Pain’ knew he had led his team to glory, his first success as Captain, and his first league title trophy.

Nick ‘Quando’ Sutherland had evidently lost himself in the glory, and proceeded to allow his opponent to meander his way towards a first leg win, before waking up and taking the leg with a 40 checkout. A win in the second leg would make it 7-2 on the night, and ‘Quando’ could do nothing but oblige. After a couple of healthy scores a double of unrivalled decadence completed the rout, his 159 5 dart checkout completing a glorious season, and allowing the celebrations to begin. Shant. On.

After beers had been sunk, and hands shaken, a sudden moment of clarity followed. The mighty Centurions were champions. Division B calls next season, and with a team spirit this strong, who could possibly deny them more success.

G’DAARRRTTSSS!!!