Watching a recent darts final on tv I thought it was time to find out about the game in Cumbria.
I contacted Ben Nicholson, a keen young darts player who has been involved in setting up exhibition matches in the county for some of the top names.
Ben, just tell me a little about your own involvement in darts, how you got into it and your experiences so far.
My involvement in darts started when I was around 12 years old and my dad put a dartboard up in our front room.
At first I paid it no attention at all but as time went on I would throw the odd dart here and there at it and it grew on me. He then took me to Blackpool to watch the World Matchplay Darts and from then I was fixed on it.
I went on to run many darts exhibitions all over the U.K. but mainly in Cumbria with names such as Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow, Adrian Lewis, Glen Durrant and Andy Fordham.
My playing ability has dipped over the last couple of years due to spells of Dartitus which has affected my throw and halted any progression. I am currently trying to play through it and get the hunger back for competitive darts again.
How strong is the game of darts in Cumbria at the moment and is at rising or falling in popularity?
It’s no surprise that darts in Cumbria has massively declined over the last few years with many well established leagues and competitions either completely finishing for good or seeing numbers plummet.
However since the end of last year and up to now a new surge has started with the focus of most players in Cumbria turning from traditional team based leagues to individual leagues ran by local committees or the new ADC (Amateur Darts Circuit) which is giving players a lot more opportunities to play darts around the country in a nationwide system with prize money on offer.
Looking at the county as a whole are there still as many Leagues operating as there used to be. The Marsh and Quay used to be massive in Workington but seems to have shrunk considerably?
Standard league darts is struggling nationwide and therefore locally. Established leagues such as the Marsh And Quay league in Workington is feeling the effects of change a lot with many teams dropping out of it.
This is due to a couple or more factors such as players being lured to individual leagues where they don’t have to worry about getting a 6 man team together every week, considerably more prize money on offer, more national competitions and guaranteed weekly games.
Another problem I find is that the old league committees are very reluctant to change and adapt to the modern game and thus the youth players won’t play in an old system.
What about the Cumbria team? How long has that been going and how are they doing at the moment?
The Cumbria County team is currently sat in 5th position in the Division 2 league. I’m not sure how long the team has been going but they now play in the UKDA system following the collapse of the BDO.
How does it operate with selection. Do you have trials, recommendations or competitions to decide teams?
Selection for the county team comes from the Superleague system. Superleague runs with 4 man teams across Cumbria and the county selectors look at the wins and the winning averages to select the team for the next county game.
Women in sport have flourished for a few years now. What is the situation with women’s teams in Cumbrian darts?
Lately the women’s game globally is surging and this is due to TV success stories such as Fallon Sherrock, Beau Greaves and Lisa Ashton. Seeing these brilliant players win titles on tv and compete against the men in the PDC World Championships is inspiring women around the country and indeed the world to pick up a set of darts and play.
Personally in Cumbria I have not seen a massive new uptake in women’s darts but the current ladies leagues and ladies county team are steady away.
Are there plenty of young players taking up darts seriously and progressing through the County teams?
Youth darts across the country is booming at the moment again with the help of constant tv coverage of darts and with the help of fantastic youth darts academies. Sadly the one big thing we lack in Cumbria is youth darts academy which would see players from the ages of 12 to 18 come through a tiered system which would not only learn them the fundamentals of darts but life skills such as maths, teamwork and concentration.
The new ADC leagues and tournaments have certainly caught the attention of many younger players due to the prize money and possibilities available through it.
Above county level are their international teams and have we had or have anyone close to a call-up?
As regards national teams, with it being a new system, I’m not sure how it works but to my knowledge we haven’t had anyone called up for national teams lately. We have had Workington-based player Michael Adams compete in the Scottish open last weekend which saw him get to the last 16 of the open, narrowly missing a dart at tops to progress through to the last 8.
You have been involved in booking star names for exhibition matches. Who are the biggest names you have been involved with and who has impressed you the most?
My time with the exhibition circuit has seen me work with names such as Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow, Andy Fordham, Adrian Lewis and new World Champion Michael Smith. I’ve made great friends with many of the pro players over the years and I do value their trust and friendship with me.
Especially Colin Lloyd who I absolutely love working with although my stand out exhibition player for entertainment value has to be Wayne Mardle.
I’ve worked with Wayne many times and in July last year we welcomed him back to Workington Royal British Legion for our summer sizzler event where he went on to hit 13x 180’s in his 16 legs of darts he played on the night. A new record for myself with Adrian Lewis in second place with 11x 180’s.
If a rich benefactor left Cumbria County Darts a shed load of money, how do you think it should be best spent?
If a rich benefactor did leave Cumbria county darts a shed load of money or a sponsor could be sought then the best thing that could happen for darts in Cumbria would be a new youth academy to secure the future of all darts in Cumbria, both with local leagues and county wise.
