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Bahrain’s best arrow-throwers are hoping to land a bullseye as they step up to the oche this weekend to compete for the Darts Players Middle East GCC Cup.
The Dilmun Club in Saar will host the prestigious regional tournament on Friday, the second iteration after a successful premiere in Dubai last year. Six teams will compete; reigning champions Dubai, two from Saudi Arabia and three from Bahrain.
Bahrain team manager Aref Murad, the owner of Darts Bay in Umm Al Hassam, believed to be the only niche darts retail outlet in the Middle East, believes Bahrain are in a strong position to claim the crown.
He explained: “Last year, we had a talented team but they had little tournament experience, and unfortunately we lost in the semi-finals. However, this year we have much more big-game involvement under our belt, and I think we will hold our nerve much better which is vital in darts.”
The tournament will be a round-robin format, with three teams in each group and the winners facing off in the final. Teams consist of 10 players, with each playing their opposite number in singles matches, before five doubles matches. Each match is best of five legs.
Fans are welcome at the club to cheer on their team, Murad said. “I hope people come down and cheer us! The darts community is burgeoning in Bahrain, evident by how many players we have competing, and we’re always looking for new talent to be inspired.
“On a personal level, of course, I want us to win because we are hosting the tournament on home soil. However, I’m also looking forward to having fun and meeting other competitors from across the region, as only together can we grow the sport.”
Murad, 43, from Isa Town, first developed an interest in darts after watching his older brother, Rashid, play. He said: “It was 1995 when I first took an interest in the sport and I was hooked from the start, although I didn’t understand all the rules at the time. I just liked throwing the darts at the board and, thankfully, my understanding of the finer points of the game gradually increased.
He has been playing darts in the kingdom for years and says that during the 1980s and early 1990s, the sport was very popular in Bahrain and hotels held monthly competitions.
In the past decade these events have been slightly few and far between with the majority of the kingdom’s darts action taking place at expat clubs such as the British Club, Bahrain Rugby Football Club and the Dilmun Club although interest in the sport has suddenly taken off again.
As well as being a professional competitive sport, darts is a traditional club game, commonly played in the UK, across the Commonwealth, the Netherlands, Belgium, Republic of Ireland, the Scandinavian countries, the US and elsewhere.
Many believe the reason the sport is so popular globally is because it appeals to ‘the average man in the street’. Murad said: “It’s not hugely expensive, it’s accessible, fun and there’s no age limit.”
