Youngsters on target for big battle of oche
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UP-and-coming stars of the oche will be bidding for glory at what will be the biggest tournament staged by Caithness Youth Darts (CYD) on Saturday.
The Caithness Youth Open will see the top under-18 players from across the far north battle it out in Wick’s Francis Street Club.
The first youth tournament held in Caithness follows a major upsurge in the number of youngsters taking up the game in the county over the past couple of years.
The club has around 60 members based in Wick and Thurso who play regularly.
CYD chairman Rab Edwards said the growing popularity of the sport among children and teenagers in the county meant it was only fitting to organise a major tournament to showcase their talents.
With the number of players in Wick and District Darts League (WDDL) decreasing, he said the club can play a vital part in keeping the sport alive in the county.
"The tournament has been held in a bid to get more youngsters into the game of darts," he said.
"The number of players currently in the Wick and District Darts League is dropping so we need to get more youngsters into the game and get new players into the league.
"We are pleased to have so many youngsters in the club.
"When the kids first started, some of them couldn’t even hit the board.
"But they can now give you a good game of darts with a lot of them now hitting 180s. We have a lot of talent at the club."
A number of local youngsters have made their mark after competing in tournaments across Scotland.
Caithness has three players in the Scottish top 10 girls’ rankings, with Abigail Duncan fourth, Sammie Campbell sixth, and Kara Sutherland seventh.
CYD committee member Lynne Duncan said with the success of club members at national level, it is hoped that the Caithness competition will become a youth ranking event next year. If it does, it could increase the chances of players from Caithness playing at international level.
She said: "It is our hope that the tournament will eventually be put on the tour calendar and we can get players from further afield travelling to Caithness to take part in the competition," she said.
"If it gets on to the youth tour, it will lead to players being awarded ranking points with the four highest boys and two highest girls usually getting picked to play for Scotland.
"The youth open has already attracted interest, with players from Ayrshire already asking about taking part in next year’s competition.
"Orkney has also approached us about getting involved so there has been a lot of interest.
"Some of the youngsters at the club are competing on the Scottish Youth Tour and doing quite well.
"How fast the children have come on since the club has been set up is amazing."
Registration for the competition takes place from 11am to 11.45am, with play starting at noon.
