Sport / Shetland celebrate double darting success
SHETLAND’S men’s and women’s darts teams celebrated another famous home double over rivals Orkney in the annual inter-county fixture.
The women’s team retained their title for another year with a 13-8 victory over the reds in the Lerwick Legion on Thursday night.
Shetland raced into a 5-0 lead before Orkney were able to get their first score on the board, but the reds then threatened a sensational comeback when they pulled it back to 5-4.
However the blues regained their composure and were soon 9-5 in front, reaching 11 points soon after to put the game beyond Orkney’s reach.
The eventual 13-8 score was the same score by which the blues defeated their opponents last year too, and it means captain Ann-Marie Smith and her team held onto the trophy for a third consecutive year.
It was then the men’s turn a night later, as they looked to earn revenge for an 11-8 defeat in Kirkwall in 2024.
That match – like it was in Shetland two years ago – was a see-saw encounter, with the two sides locked at 3-3 after the doubles matches.
Wins for Ryan Inkster and Kyle Tait in the opening singles matches put Shetland 5-3 ahead, but Orkney would win the next four games to move 7-5 in front.
Heading into the final three four-a-side games the teams were again inseparable at 9-9, with either side needing to reach 11 to secure victory.
The reds triumphed in the first match to leave them one away from back-to-back victories in the fixture, but Liam Sutherland, Roger Irvine, Ramsay Hogg and Craig Main were able to win the next match to set up a final leg shootout for the intercounty.
And John Phillip Sandison hit the winning double as he and Stuart Paul, Tommy Williamson and Ryan Inkster saw Shetland over the line for an 11-10 victory.
The Shetland B team now head to Orkney on Saturday 3 May looking to reclaim that trophy too, which would give the blues a clean sweep in the fixture.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
