Sport / Darts team rack up the points and cash in Macmillan marathon challenge
EVERY darts fan has witnessed a leg that has seemingly gone on forever, but local team Bar Fines took that to a new extreme in aid of charity on Saturday.
The premier league side took on a marathon all-day darts challenge to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, standing at the oche for a full 10 hours in a quest to reach 100,000 points as soon as possible.
For the uninitiated, that is the equivalent of almost 200 ordinary legs of darts, in which players score down from 501 to a finish.
Bar Fines roped in friends from other teams to help them out on the day as their arms tired during a solid shift at the arrows.
And their mammoth mission has seen them raise £2,000 for the charity, with donations still coming in.
Team member Bobby Cumming was one of the last two standing after 10pm on Saturday night, along with Craig Main, as they finally reached their target.
He said the Bar Fines “enjoy a social” – so decided the darts marathon was the perfect way to raise money for Macmillan while doing what they love.
“It took little to no persuasion to get the team bought in to the idea,” he told Shetland News.
“The toughest part at this time of year is arranging a date that suits everybody. More than half the team managed to represent on the day.”
While many might think the toughest aspect of the marathon was having the endurance to stand and throw for that length of time – or the maths to count down from 100,000 – Cumming said there was something else they found most difficult.
“The hardest part of the challenge was balancing how many beers you had on the day to ensure you could still hit decent scores!
“It was mentally more exhausting than anything, maintaining concentration.
“It took just over 10 hours to complete on the day. Based on the scoresheet I think there were around 120 games of darts played with various formats to keep things interesting.”
A total of 17 180s were recorded during the action, as well as seven high checkouts – finishes of 100 or above.
Bar Fines have raised £2,000 so far for Macmillan, and Cumming said the whole team were “delighted” with that total.
“Thanks to everyone who came along throughout the day to lend us a hand, the support was seriously appreciated,” he added.
People can still donate to the fundraiser here.
Fellow premier league side Sandwick Arrows will take on the same challenge next month in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
The team will start at 12.30pm on Monday 29 December, aiming to play for 12 hours or until they score 100,000 points.
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