The Society took to the boards this week as an optional match. We were scheduled for the second of back-to-back bye weeks, but we opted to play a friendly game, with the chance to hang out at our home away from home, Society Billiards. So, we accepted the invitation from The Gaf to join us for what we thought would be a casual night of darts, and to battle for the single extra point awarded to the bye week winner. And what a battle it would become....
Things started out inauspiciously, although we should have realized that there was the potential for a problem when we split the first three matches of the night. In the race to nine points, nothing had been decided, until Dave stepped up in the last game of S501 and swept both games. 5-3 for the Society, and things are looking good.
Cricket brought about more parity, as Rich / Scott split their first two games, and Dave / Andrew split their two games, making the score 7-5, heading in to the last round. Luckily, the games were lasting a long time, as well, so not only was nothing being decided, but it was not being decided slowly.
Things started to run off the rails when Dave / Scott were swept in the first round of D501. Suddenly, the score was tied, and someone got the brilliant idea to ponder what might happen if we ended the bye week match tied. Who would get the extra point? Wouldn't it be a waste of time to play, and have both teams end up with the same 8 points they would have had anyway? So, texts were send in to the league, and the official NYDO rulebook was consulted, and it was determined that the official way to settle a tie was with a four-on-four 1001 battle royale. But, there was still some work to be done before we knew if this would be necessary.
Despite looking good in the beginning of the game, Rich / Andrew dropped the first of their D501 matches by a slim margin. High Society was now down 8-7, with one game left to play. Coming out blazing hot, Andrew hit 60's left and right, and he nailed the win with a double-3, to send the teams into the Octagon to settle things once and for all.
After midnight, the teams lined up their rosters. High Society was left to play with only three players, as Scott was the the only sensible, responsible person who went home to be with his family. (We had not yet decided to play the 1001-off when he left.) So Rich, Andrew and Dave lined up to take their lumps in what should have been a (long, drawn-out) formality to determine a winner for the night.
Quickly, High Society was on the ropes, down by over 200 points, as we were not only spotting the other team an extra player, but they were nearly throwing Ton-80's when they played. Our string of Breakfasts was not quite getting it done, and we still had over 500 points on the board while they were nearly doubling out, creating the potential for a "virtual midget tossing".
But the beauty of '01 is that it ain't over till it's over, and when the other team stalled out on double-2, High Society had the chance to make up some ground. Suddenly, we found ourselves actually "ahead," as we were facing double-1 to their double-2. After many more rounds of anguish as both teams couldn't manage to put the game away, Rich managed to double out and put an end to the long evening. Hopefully the single extra point we received will be the deciding factor that will launch High Society into the playoffs at the end of the season.
I need a nap...
