Darts: Manx side battles adversity to contest Islands International

'Around half' of team had to compete remotely due to storm disruption

The Isle of Man Darts Organisation (IOMDO) is praising its players for battling through adversities to take part in this year's Islands International.

A 20-strong Manx squad contested the third edition of the tournament which this year was hosted by Jersey on 25-26 January.

However, only around half the team made it to Jersey in person due to travel disruption caused by Storm Eowyn with those stuck on the Isle of Man having to play matches remotely using live feeds and scoring systems.

Despite the setbacks, the Isle of Man women's team went on to finish second whilst the men's side secured third place.

The competition sees the Isle of Man face counterparts from Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland in a series of round-robin formats.

In their opening match, the ladies were on the end of a narrow 4-3 defeat to Guernsey but responded positively to overcome hosts Jersey 4-3 in their following fixture.

The Isle of Man ladies' final fixture on day two pitted them against WDF World Cup champions Republic of Ireland who would go on to win the encounter 5-2.

Elsewhere, the Manx men's lineup had a similar start to their female counterparts with a slim 7-6 loss at the hands of Guernsey.

They were on the right side of the same scoreline though in their second match claiming a 7-6 success over Jersey.

The Republic of Ireland men's side proved too much for their Manx opponents on day two to take a 10-3 victory.

IOMDO is also thanking Jersey Darts for being accommodating and allowing players to take part in matches remotely as well as volunteers who set up the venue on Island at short notice.