The 12th Bryden Stokes Barbados Darts Festival came to a fitting finale at Solidarity House on Sunday evening with a superb display of darting excellence from Lancastrian Peter Ward in the final of The Carib Mens Singles against Bajan Anthony Forde.
Both finalists had to overcome stern opposition to get there as the standard of darts in this year’s festival reached a new level. In fact, any of the eight quarter-finalists at this year’s event would have been worthy winners – including Bajan Mark Griffith.
The semi-finals pitted Brit against Brit and Bajan against Bajan. Peter Ward defeated his good friend John Downs and Anthony Forde came out on top against Griffith.
In the first game of the final, Forde had his chance to close out the game with a double but when he failed, Ward pounced. That then unleashed a tungsten tornado from Ward every time he stepped up to the oche.
Forde was simply blown away as the Lancastrian completed the next two games with 17 dart finishes – a standard that would be envied by even the top professionals.
The Lipton Ladies Singles final was contested by Jaswantie Hiralall from Guyana and the vastly experienced Nannette Brooks from Trinidad. To reach the final, Brooks defeated the top ranked player in the Caribbean, Bajan Shelley Taylor, and Hiralall came through against English county player Wendy Reader.
In the final, Brooks had opportunities to check out with doubles in both of the first two games but was unable to grasp the opportunities.
The less experienced Hiralall was expected to buckle under the pressure but she obviously had not read the script and took her chances to take the first two games to take the title.
“It has been extremely satisfying to see the festval grow in stature over the years and the sponsors Bryden Stokes have already made a public commitment for the 2015 festival,” festival director Michael Heal noted.
“Long may it continue because it gives darts players from the Caribbean an incentive to improve standards and it also delivers an appreciable number of visitors to Barbados in the low season,” he added. (PR/EZS)