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.
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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.
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