110 players from England, Scotland, Wales, Sweden, France and Spain, were bussed down along with 40 spectators, to compete against 40 local players. We’d been practicing at the venue the evening before, in the Joe Goldwin Masters Tournament (won by Dyson Parody), so expectations were high that we’d get at least one player in the last 16 (something we’d been unable to do last year). In the end we did better than we could have dreamed, with not one, but five local players winning their board finals to make the final 16. It was certainly a great day for Henry Zapata, Roy Rodgers, George Federico, Dylan Duo and Tony Dawkins, but it didn’t end there for George and Dylan who won through to the quarter finals and had to play against each other.

George Federico is Gibraltar’s top ranked player at the moment, but he was no match for the on-form Dylan, who won through 3-1, and found himself in the semi-finals facing top Newcastle player (now ex-pat, living in Torremolinos) Tab Hunter.. Their match was by far the most exciting of the day, with both dart scores and emotions at fever high pitch. In the best of 7 game, it went 1-0 to Tab, then 1-1, then 2-1 to Dylan, then 2-2, then 2-3 to Tab, before Dylan leveled it at 3-3. In the nail biting deciding leg, Dylan couldn’t quite keep up his earlier high scoring, and it was Tab who qualified for the final.

The final wasn’t quite as noisy as the semi, with the local support a little more impartial, although many cheered on Tab Hunter as he kept up his high standard of dart playing to win the trophy and £1000 in a spectacular 4-2 victory over top Staffordshire player Alan Carrington. Andy had earlier beaten last year’s runner-up Andy Gudgeon of Lancashire, 4-2 in the other semi-final.

The success of this venture is due entirely to the hard work of so many local darts players, especially George Federico, John Asquez and the JBS team, Chris & Antonia Machin, Lloyd Avellano, Johnny and Francis Remorino and the rest of the Laguna team who stayed behind to help clear up.

Our sponsors were great too, including support from Kronenbourg 1664, Colormendy, A & M Scaffolding, Khan’s Indian Restaurant and 101 Limited who gave cash, Gache & Co who gave the trophies, and even Rock Turf Accountants chipped in with some pens.

Special thanks to the workers at Victoria Stadium who went out of their way to be helpful, and of course the government who continue to support us, especially Mr Clive Beltran, the Minister for Sport & Culture, who presented the trophies.