Four darts players from Mid Wales and the border have won the chance to pitch against world stars of the sport at a major darts exhibition event in Builth Wells on Sunday.
World number one Michael van Gerwen, Welsh star Mark Webster, Australian ace Simon Whitlock and Liverpool’s Stephen Bunting will showcase their skills to an audience of up to 800 people at the ‘Night of Champions’ event, which starts at 2pm at Penmaenau Farm, Builth Wells.
Joint sponsors Coinspinner and Red Dragon Darts held a ‘Super Series’ of four contests at The Fountain Inn, Builth Wells to select four local darts players to take on the big four.
Mark Layton of Llandrindod Wells will take on van Gerwen, Jim Williams of Kington, will pitch against Bunting, Mark Davies of Builth Wells will face Whitlock and Jon Gibson Lapper from Llandrindod Wells will take on Webster.
Williams can’t wait to take on Bunting. “Stephen Bunting beat me in the quarter finals of the World Masters and it will be nice to have a rematch against him,” he said. “It’s going to be a really top night and I’m looking forward to it.”
All four star players are keen to impress at the biggest darts event staged in Mid Wales. “I’m looking forward to being a part of the first big darts event in Powys,” said van Gerwen. “It’s a fantastic line-up and I will be doing my best to make sure I am the first winner of this event.”
Welshman Webster said: “It’s always great to play in a brand new event and it’s fantastic news for Powys to be experiencing a big darts tournament for the first time. There are some of the best players in the world on show and we will all be aiming to be the first champion.”
A few £50 VIP tickets and £20 allocated seating will be available at the door for the ‘Night of Champions’, which also stars glamorous walk-on model Danielle Allfree. Call Barry Bear on Tel:07516 740311 for ticket partner details.
It’s the second time that Coinspinner and Red Dragon Darts have teamed up to organise a major darts event. Last summer, they organised the inaugural Champion of Champions Grand Final at The Hi-Tide, Porthcawl, a competition which brought together the best pub darts players in the Wales and the borders to play the best of three, 501 legs matches.
The prize fund for this year’s Worthington’s Champion of Champions contest has been boosted to £17,500 thanks to joint sponsor Molson Coors and there will be 236 venues across the whole of South Wales together with an additional 20 events taking place across the UK. The final will be held at St. David’s Hall, Cardiff in front of 1,600 darts fans.
The sponsors are keen to get more people playing darts to support pubs across Wales and the borders. With offices across the UK and Europe, including a new hub in Ebbw Vale, Coinspinner – www.coinspinner.co.uk – specialises in supplying pay-to-play entertainment equipment to pubs and members clubs, while Red Dragon Darts is a Bridgend-based darts specialist with a client base across the UK.
