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Friday night is darts night in Newry and a new True North film airing next week on BBC1 follows the fortunes of four players aiming to hit the top spot in one of Europe’s biggest darts league.
'True North: Darts City' puts the spotlight on the Newry City Darts League, the oldest on the island of Ireland. The stakes are high and the film focuses on the players who are attempting to make it all the way to finals night, the most important event in the league calendar.
The league has around 600 registered players and Club Secretary Liam Bradley says it is not all about competition and there is a social aspect to the game which is a way to meet new people. Although with only eight places available on the finals night stage, it will take determination and skill to go the distance.
Anna Madigan, a grandmother of 11, describes herself as one of the best female players in the league and is a record six time champion. Hitting the board proved difficult when Anna first started throwing darts, and she practiced eight hours a day, seven days a week to improve her skills.
Anna says: “I first got involved in darts, because I got divorced and I sat in the house. So a friend of mine decided ‘Anna, come on out and watch the darts’. So that’s what I did and we went to watch the very first ladies’ individuals.”
The ladies started and I could hear the scores and thought, I can do that and I said to the team I’m going to be here next year.”
It has been a number of years since Paul Irwin was crowned champion, and this year he has high hopes of taking his team into the final to retain their place as league leaders. Paul reveals how he overcame 12 years of Dartitis, a psychological condition which severely damages performance and almost ended his love for the sport.
Dylan Quinn, a carpenter by trade, is a rising star in the game and played against superstar Luke Littler last year. He hopes to turn pro and is playing in competitions across Europe to move up the rankings and achieve his dream.
We follow him to Budapest where he takes on the Hungarian number one in a bid to make his mark in this tough competition.
In Rostrevor, the shelves in Martin Carvill’s home are filled with trophies from a competitive darts career spanning 50 years and this veteran thrower and former Northern Ireland number one says it takes discipline, ability and belief to win games.
Martin has a life-limiting illness, but is refusing to let it limit his ambitions of taking to the stage on finals night playing the sport he loves.
It takes months of practice and dedication to reach the top of the leaderboard in this competitive darts league. Will these players be crowned champions in their respective leagues?
Narrated by actor Martin McCann (Blue Lights), True North: Darts City airs Monday 12 August at 10.40pm on BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer.
