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Bahraini darts players Bassim Mahmood and Abdulnaser Yusuf are eyeing the bull’s eye this weekend as they gear up for the Bahrain Darts Masters, taking place tomorrow and Friday at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).
The duo qualified on December 17 and 18, 2022 to compete amongst the world’s top darts players after they finished at the top of a national qualifying tournament, held at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club.
“I am excited for the upcoming weekend and plan to do my best to put Bahrain on the international darts map,” 62-year-old Yusuf told GulfWeekly.
The local pair will join six other players from the wider Asia region – including legendary Singapore star Paul Lim, Japan’s Toru Suzuki and Philippines’ Lourence Ilagan - to be part of a field of 16 that includes eight of the top names in the global game.
In addition, Japan’s Yuki Yamada, Alain Abiabi of the Philippines, India’s Nitin Kumar and Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung will star in the event.
Among the superstars confirmed to be taking part are former Premier League and World Cup of Darts champion Jonny Clayton; world champions Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross and Raymond van Barneveld; Grand Slam of Darts champion Michael Smith; two-time World Series winner Dimitri Van den Bergh; and rising star and world number five Luke Humphries.
Both Mahmood and Yusuf are veterans of the sport – with the former having started in 1995 and the latter in 1985.
“I started playing when one of my friends got a dart board and invited us over,” 47-year-old Mahmood added.
“I kept playing and in 1997, went professional. At that time, a big challenge was that we could only play locally since we did not have an internationally recognised association.
“But this changed in 2016 when the Bahrain Darts Association was formally recognised and we were able to travel regionally.
“For the Darts Masters, I have been practising for two hours every day to make sure my skills are up to the mark! This is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase Bahrain’s talent in this game.”
The Bahrain Darts Masters 2023 will mark the opening round of this year’s PDC World Series of Darts global tour.
It will comprise two days of competition at the dome tent at the BIC, which has been transformed into a darts venue for the event.
Tickets to watch the duo as well as the entire Bahrain Darts Masters are now available on the BIC website or through the BIC hotline on 17450000.
