ONLY three Premiership teams remain in the Crewe Liberal Club Open League Team Knockout Cup as it reaches the quarter-finals stage.

Pioneers A, Delamere Arms and Vine A are joined in the last eight by teams from divisions two to four.

In round three, Nantwich Rd Aslef were knocked out 9-3 by Pioneers A, while Delamere progressed at the expense of Amalgamated B. Vine A overcame White Lion (Copp) 8-7.

Commercial edged out White Lion Ford Lane 8-7, while The Imp overhauled Hawk 9-4 – the same score as Oddfellows’ success over Kings A.

Brunell A registered a 9-5 victory over Prince of Wales D, while Swan & Cheqers strolled home 8-3 at Liberal Club.

In the all premiership clash with Nantwich Rd Aslef, Tony Richardson got the Pioneers A off to a good start winning the first game in 15 darts finishing with a 106 checkout as they built a 6-1 darts advantage and with John Cooper,Jane Booth and Keith Morgan winning three of the five dominoes games played this gave them a comfortable 9-3 aggregate victory.

Delamere Arms also took the darts 6-1 assisted by Clive Lucking winning in 18 darts and coupled wth a 6-2 dominoes score they ran out easy 12-3 aggregate winners over Amalgamated B.

Vine A, the other premier side to get through to the quarter-finals, had a much more difficult time with the match being decided on the final dominoes game.

In the darts games their fourth division opponents White Lion (Copp) managed to win three games holding them to a 4-3 advantage and with the dominoes singles games shared Vine had a 7-6 lead as Graham Tomkinson and Steve Walker took first blood to level the tie at 7-7.

That left all to be decided on the final pairs game with both pairs needing two holes for the match. The Vine pairing of Terry Walker/John Hulse pulled through by the skin of their teeth or otherwise known as the luck of the drop to give them an 8-7 success.

There was another close encounter at the Commercial as they won the first four darts games with Barry Cooper winning in 18 darts as visitors White Lion Ford Lane retaliated winning the next three to leave the Commercial with a 4-3 advantage.

White Lion Ford Lane took a similar 4-3 dominoes advantage to level the match at 7 all as White Lion duo Nigel Hinds/Karl Bennett won the final dominoes pairs game to seal an 8-7 victory.

Ben Snape and Stuart Wilson both won in 19 darts for The Imp while Dave Arrowsmith hit 19 darts for Hawk as The Imp took the darts 4-3 but Hawk responded winning all six dominoes singles games for a 9-4 aggregate victory.

Another premier team to fall were Kings A as first division Oddfellows recorded a resounding 9-4 aggregate win.

Division one Brunell A also registered a 9-5 victory over division five team Prince of Wales D while Swan & Cheqers strolled to an 8-3 success over hosts Liberal Club.

Quarter finals ties, Monday, January 12: Brunel A v Swan & Chequers, Pioneers A v Vine A, Hawk v Delamere, White Lion Ford Lane v Oddfellows.