Newark & District Double Board Darts League winter season comes to an end with presentation evening and mixed pairs competition
The curtain falls on the Newark & District Double Board Darts League’s winter season this Thursday with the presentation evening and mixed pairs competition at the Castle & Falcon.
Attention will then turn to the new summer season which kicks off next week.
In the ladies’ division Railway Youngers will be looking to make it four league titles in a row as they open their campaign with a trip to Caffs Ladies who finished next to bottom.
Their main contenders are likely to once again be Castle & Falcon Bangers who have finished as runners-up to the Youngers for the last three seasons since they turned the tables on their rivals when winning the title in 2019 prior to the two-season break caused by the pandemic.
Several other sides will also be hoping to feature in the title race, especially The King’s Queens and Falcoholics, who finished in third place in last summer’s campaign and the recently completed winter season respectively.
The King’s Queens have a tricky opening fixture against the Bangers while Falcoholics are away at Collingham FC MC, who will be hoping to improve on last summer season’s sixth-place finish. The remaining opening fixture will see Railway Club Artists, who finished at the foot of the table last term, up against Wheatsheaf Wanderers who finished fourth.
In the men’s division Rose & Crown Marauders (Balderton) will be hoping to defend their crown which was won in dramatic style last season when they won a play-off match against Castle & Falcon BBC2s after the two sides ended the season dead level.
The Marauders start their defence with a trip to Railway Club who finished fourth while the BBC2s, who won the title in 2023, have a tricky match away at RHP 26ers who finished fifth in their debut season last summer and then fourth in their winter campaign.
The main challenger to last season’s top two is likely to be Wheatsheaf Bellies & Bullseyes, who finished third last summer and as runners-up to the Marauders in the winter season. The Wheatsheaf open their campaign against The Hedgehoggers who are now playing from the Railway Club and who will be hoping for a better season after failing to win a match last season as they finished bottom of the table.
The remaining opening fixture sees the teams that finished last summer sixth and seventh respectively, with Castle & Falcon Arrows entertaining RHP Darts of Hazzard.
The knockout cup draws have seen some interesting match-ups with Railway Youngers, who are looking for an eighth successive win in the competition, drawn away to The King’s Queens in what looks to be a tough tie while last season’s losing finalists The Bangers have a difficult ‘in-house’ clash with the Falcoholics.
Railway Club Artists, runners up in 2017 and 2018, take on Collingham FC MC while the losing finalists in 2023 and 2022 make up the first round draw as Caffs Ladies entertain Wheatsheaf Wanderers.
In the men’s competition, cup holders Wheatsheaf Bellies & Bullseyes will be away to Railway Club as they start their defence while Rose & Crown Marauders, who have featured in the last six finals, winning three, have a difficult trip to last season’s title rivals Castle & Falcon BBC2s. The remaining cup matches see the two RHP sides drawn away with Darts of Hazzard against The Hedgehoggers while The 26ers play Castle & Falcon Arrows.
On the individual front, Linda Brockson and Steven Barnett will look to defend their singles crowns while Jackie Dennis and Jane Hartley plus the Railway Club duo of Craig Roberts and Chris Brown will be hoping to retain their respective pairs titles. At the end of the season John Esam and Mandy Walker will hope to defend their mixed pairs crown.
