BY CHARLIE McGOVERN
THE Sunday of September 7th saw 36 of Leitrim's finest travel to the brilliant Blue Devon in Dromahair in the hopes of clinching the Second of the Four Super Sunday Series .
The group stages of the trial saw plenty of drama with many players missing out by the narrowest of margins, demonstrating the ever growing standard of Leitrim darts as a whole.
As the group stages unfolded it was familiar names who prevailed and raced ahead of the crowd.
The standout player on the day was Ireland international, Ray Mulvey, who was full of confidence after some recent impressive victories in competitions away from the Leitrim county scene.
This included a tournament win in Tullamore, with Ray even picking up a whitewash victory against Tyrone’s defending champion Justin McGuigan, with Ray stating: "I’ve never felt like that for a night of darts before”.
He brought that form into the Leitrim trials, as he continues to push himself and all players around him.
Mulvey raced through the group stage without dropping a leg, leaving no doubt heading into the knockout stages that he was the man to beat.
Elsewhere, Gerard McGoldrick, playing out of his home venue, shone once again, showing why he’s earned the title of Leitrim's Number 1 and captain as he sets himself up perfectly to repeat the feat for a second year running.
That, in itself, is a brilliant achievement for the Dromahair native.
Doubles proved to be the difference on the day for players and we saw lots of drama and lots of emotion on and off the oche with players understanding the importance of victories in the latter stages of county events .
The atmosphere on the day showcased the tension and desire to win by all involved.
Concluding the group stage, the field had already taken shape with the usual suspects making their mark on the field early the battle for second spots also proved pivotal in the competition being so competitive.
It was clear to onlookers that some players progressed with relative ease while others had to endure the roller coaster of emotions while fighting to claim a spot in the knockouts.
Once into the knockouts it was clear to see the rise in both levels of intensity and play.
The first game saw Ray Mulvey beat his teammate David Bohan 4-0, the scoreline perhaps not reflecting the intensity of the game as David was close by in all legs.
Around the boards, Leitrim's younger players prevailed with impressive victories from the likes of Charlie McDermott, Ben Mulvey, Liam McGourty and James Rock, beating some experienced campaigners on the way.
This shows the amazing work behind the scenes that the likes of Leitrim county manager Brian Kelly and Graham McDermott do regarding the development of youth darts in the county.
The final between Ray Mulvey and Gerard McGoldrick was one for the books, as it perfectly encapsulated what darts is all about with two of Leitrim's finest fighting tooth and nail for both crucial ranking points and bragging rights .
With heavy scoring and impressive checkouts picked off at crucial times, the final went all the way.
It was Mulvey who clinched it 6-5, continuing his streak of five consecutive final victories.
A tournament average of 77.73 and and a strong tally of 100+ scores highlighted his strong performance and consistency on display from start to finish.
McGoldrick, meanwhile, will take away lots of positives pushing the champion on the day, earning the respect of his fellow throwers and spectators as he continues to prove why he remains one of Leitrim's dominant forces.
With the ranking series coming close to its conclusion, the county panel is becoming clearer by the day as Leitrim look to improve upon their recent results which included making it to the quarter finals of this year's INDO Inter Counties Championships.
Although nothing is guaranteed yet, players and onlookers are aware of what needs to be done in order to secure the spots on both the Leitrim A and B teams.
With two Super Sundays left to play for and superleague finals day left to come, tensions are high and expectations even higher as we conclude the season in spectacular fashion.
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