Durham pub darts team regains national title – and wins chance to play a PDC pro

A pub darts team from Durham will have the chance to play against the pros after winning a national competition.

The eight-strong group from The Avenue tavern battled it out against 32 other regional finalists from across the country at the Punch Darts Classic at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens.

And for the second time in three years the team walked away with the £3,000 top prize plus trophies and a special “money can’t buy” chance to face off against a professional darts player at the PDC World Match-Play Championship.

Team captain, Paddy Lenagh, said it was a great feeling to regain the title.

“I’m really proud, the team are very passionate about the sport and they deserve the win,” he said.

“Darts is hugely popular at the pub and we have a lot of support. We have been playing together for five seasons now and they are a great set of lads who are getting better every year.

“We love taking part in the Punch Darts Classic as it’s the best darts competition around. We really like taking part and it’s great to see how the competition evolves and the standards are raised year on year.”

Now in its 10th year, Punch’s Stephen Martin said he was pleased with the pubco’s competition’s success.

The popularity of this competition has grown considerably in the last nine years and we have gone from a few hundred pubs to over 1,100 pub teams playing in the national final,” he said.

“The competition is a big business driver for our pubs as pub events, like darts nights, are a great way to drive footfall into pubs on the quieter week nights.

“They create a real sense of competition and community – as seen from the support given to The Avenue.”