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The flying arrows of the British Club’s darts team scored a bullseye success by securing a first-ever championship victory in the highly- competitive Bahrain Darts League following an intense 18-week-long competition and a dramatic knock-out final.
The 11-man squad, led on the oche by captain Sean Cocker, also featured Mark Townrow, Gareth Mcilroy, John Duffield, Stewart Walters, Luke Coast, Simon McInroy, Ali Bustani, Craig Baxter, Kevin Ross and Paul Fourie.
They jumped for joy after being presented with a prize piece of silverware at the Amwaj Marina Club after angling their arrows ahead of 11 other teams vying for the trophy and title.
Proud captain Cocker, 49, from Um Al Hassam, said: “We are extremely happy with the victory as it was our first time winning the league. Everyone worked hard for this. We have been putting our arrows to the test once-a-week to practice and the guys would also practice at their own homes. There was great team spirit throughout.”
The British Club only narrowly made it into the knockout final stage after securing fourth place with 23 points in the league. The top four teams were all looking for glory and in the semi-final the bubbling Brits tore up the form book and stormed to a convincing 10-0 victory over Falcons A in what the captain described as the team’s ‘best performance of the season’.
They then defeated the former champions, the highly-fancied Filipinos Darts Team, 6-5 in the grand final.
“To finish fourth in the league, make it through to the final and win is such a great achievement!” said Cocker.
The knock-out-style ending of the competition, which was in its third season, was organised in association with the Bahrain Darts League and Darts Bay. The original dozen league teams entered were made up of a minimum of six players and a maximum of eight, of all nationalities.
The Darts Bay shop has been sponsoring and organising the contest since 2013 and its executives participate in some of the major darts events in neighbouring Dubai as a regulator too.
Aref Murad, 42, from Muharraq, the founder of Darts Bay and an IT project manager in the Information and eGovernment Authority, is delighted to see the sport continue to grow in popularity in the kingdom.
He said: “I started the league to promote the game and motivate other dart-lovers to compete and play. There should be regular dart events in the country. The league makes it more organised, brings new players and enhances their skills.
“The event also gives more chances for people to get together in a friendly environment, make new friends and learn from each other.”
An official awards ceremony will be held next month that will include the presentation of trophies for the best individual league player, for the maximum 180 hits, for the highest check-out and prizes for the second-, third- and fourth-placed teams in the league.
The British Club darts team will also be presented with a cash prize that has yet to be announced as it combines the money collected from registration fees and venue fees. The next season will commence in November and new players are always welcome.
Captain Cocker said: “Darts is a very social sport and is open to all walks of life. The popularity of darts has grown tremendously worldwide over the last few years.
“In Bahrain, darts has become very popular and the standard here has certainly improved over the last couple of years. Aref and a selected committee set up the Bahrain Darts League three years ago and its popularity has gone from strength- to-strength.
“It is not an expensive sport to partake in and all ages can enjoy the game. The British Club also has its own club league which takes place on a Wednesday evening and gives members a great opportunity to take part, as well as improve their game.”
The British Club team members haven’t stopped celebrating since and are looking forward to next season playing as champions and its members are ‘ready to defend our title!’ said Cocker.
* The Bahrain Darts League invites new teams wishing to take part next season. For details, contact Murad on 39699616.
