DEFENDING champions Red Lion finally got off the mark in the Hire IT Wribbenhall Darts League on Friday night with a 6-1 win over Black Boy Hotel.

Captain Alan Marshall’s quest to see his team win a league match started with a gritty display of off-target darts against Nick Jones.

Marshall was scraping through the leg on scores of 45, 30, 26 but he managed to clinch it with a 90 closing shot.

Lion’s Darren Wilks lost his leg to James Muckian but Hotel could add no more wins against their opponents.

County player Russ Wilks hit a 11-dart run against Richard Lansbury, while Steve Mole hit out treble 20 and double 18 to secure a much needed win for the Lions.

Rising Sun gave league leaders Wribbenhall a hard night before being edged out 4-3.

Sun came within a whisker of an upset had it not been for Dave Edwards and Andy Brown in the final trebles leg.

Great Western went down in another close match against Waggon & Horses.

The highlight of the night came from Western's Pete Carter, who hit the highest closing shot in the league this season when he took out a 144, which was made up of two sets of treble 20 and double 12 against Chris Edwards.

Western’s Glen Trow took a surprising leg win over Stacey Cooke but that did not stop Waggon’s Shaun Portman ensuring a 4-3 win in the final leg against Dave Pratt, hitting treble 18 and double 19.

Portman took the leg in 12 darts hitting treble18 and double 19 for the home win.

Friday results: Waggon 4, Western 3; Rising Sun 3, WSC 4; Red Lion 6, Black Boy Hotel 1.

Friday fixtures: Waggon v Bowling Club, Rising Sun v GT Western; Red Lion v WSC.