Hundreds of onlookers packed into the Villa Marina in Douglas, Isle of Man, over the weekend as the island's annual darts festival celebrated its 40th anniversary. The event, which first ran in 1986, featured players from across the British Isles and Europe competing in youth, doubles, female, and men's categories.
England's Reece Colley claimed the men's title, while Welsh player Rhian O'Sullivan won the female award. The festival has crowned notable winners in the past, including Stephen Bunting, Luke Littler, and Beau Graves. Most competitors travel to the island by ferry, a tradition highlighted by former professional Ronnie Baxter, one of the event's first winners and holder of the most wins record.
Baxter, who won titles between 1996 and 2000, recalled packed ferry trips full of darts players and friends, with the party starting early on the journey. He reminisced about enjoying "the odd disco" and the island's nightlife, stating, "I've so many good memories." He praised the camaraderie among players, saying, "Darts players have the best camaraderie, it's so much fun wherever you go - the travelling and the people."
In 1997, Baxter won his second title on the island, defeating fellow Englishman Martin Adams in a final where Adams was distracted by a cleaning lady. After the match, Baxter joked, "I said to him, 'there was only two people that cleaned up today, me and the cleaning lady!'" Despite his success, Baxter was forced to retire due to dartitis, a condition affecting dart release, which he described as weird and frustrating, noting, "I couldn't understand why I couldn't let go of the dart."
