NOW in its seventh successful year, The Brydens Barbados Darts Festival has engendered new interest in the sport in the region and has made a major contribution to improving standards of play.
It would have been unimaginable seven years ago to think that a darts player from Barbados could share the same stage as the current world champion and be the object of attention of a global TV audience of millions – and then nearly pull off the biggest darts upset in the history of the sport!
Conceived eight years ago by its Tournament Director Michael Heal, whose company has been involved in organising sporting events for nearly 30 years, and The Barbados Tourism Authority, the event has grown in prominence and prestige each year.
“The BTA saw the potential of this event as attracting important tourism business to Barbados in the low season,” says Heal. “Now we have a well established Festival which attracts darts players from the UK and from all over the Caribbean and South America”.
“It also provides the regional darts players with the opportunity to play against the very best in the world at the PDC Ladbrokes.com World Championships – the most prestigious darts tournament in the world. Is there any other event staged in Barbados which offers this kind of incentive? It is the equivalent of a regional golfer winning a golf tournament in Barbados which earns him the right to tee off with Tiger Woods at The British Open!”
An integral part of the Brydens Barbados Darts Festival has been the presence of a number of world champions and darts legends who have acted as hosts of the Festival and inspired the regional players to greater heights.
They have included both current and former world champions such as John Part, Colin Lloyd, Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Cliff Lazarenko and Deta Hedman.
“All these champions are members of the Professional Darts Corporation, (PDC ) the governing body of the professional game. They were impressed by what they saw in Barbados and backed the request of allotting a place at the World Championships for whoever won the premier event of the Festival. This event is The Carib Beer Caribbean & South American Masters and it is only for those darts players with a Caribbean, Central or South American passport. The winner of the event is a true representative of the region”.
“The smooth staging of the Festival is crucial to maintaining the confidence of the PDC and this element has been the responsibility of the Masters Darts Club and without the leadership and determination of Brian Evelyn and Len Warner this event would never have got off the ground. The event owes a similar debt to sponsors such as the Tourist Development Corporation, Brydens and Cockspur. An event of this stature cannot be staged without a considerable financial contribution from a number of organisations”.
The British contingent, hosted by three times World Champion John Lowe, will give the Bajan darts players some early tournament practice in The Warrens Motors Mens and Ladies Pairs at The Ship Inn on Friday night November 7.
The action moves to Almond Bay on Sunday with a 2 p.m. start for The Cockspur Rum Mens Singles and the Guinness Ladies Singles.
The British threat will be lead by Robert Sime, who reached the singles final last year and the ladies will be hoping that Janice Simpkins and Karen Lowe can rediscover the form they displayed in the doubles.
On Thursday November 13 the Festival welcomes participants from all over the Caribbean and South America and the action takes place at the Brydens Complex on Thursday and Friday nights from 8 p.m.
On Thursday we have the Right Guard Mens Singles and the Oh Henry! Ladies Singles. The Bajans and Brits will face stiff competition from players such as Vivekanand Dyal and Rahaman Hassanali from Trinidad, Norman Madhoo and Sudesh Fitzgerald from Guyana and Hank Ebanks from the Cayman Islands.
In recent years the threat from the visiting ladies has come from Trinidadians Nanette Brookes and Rosemary Duff and they are likely to be as determined as ever to return with the prizes this year.
Interested persons desirous of taking part in any of these tournaments should contact: Len Warner on 426 3398/ E: sunil@sunbeach.net. 11/4/2008 (story source)
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