Seaforth Club are league champions
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SEAFORTH Club have been crowned Inverness Winter Darts A League champions for the first time after going through the entire season undefeated.
The Nairn club put in a dominant performance to claim the league title and bring it back to Nairn with two matches left to spare.
The club also won a number of individual and doubles titles through the season as they stamped their authority on the winter campaign.
Now the squad hopes that their victory will help boost the sport in Nairn and get more players keen to step up to the oche.
Seaforth won the league title by six points from nearest rivals Portland A who had dominated the competition in recent years.
Seaforth Club are the first team from Nairn to win a league title since Uncle Bob’s who won in the 2014/15 season.
Seaforth captain Phil Keen says it was a tremendous effort from his players to produce consistency throughout the campaign to become champions.
“This is our second year as the Seaforth Club,” said Keen.
“We were previously with Jackos before we decided to join up with the Seaforth. We are the same group of boys and we have all been together for over 10 years.
“We won the league with two games to spare, we were undefeated in the league this season as we won 12 and drew two matches.
“When we played Portland in the first match, we were 5-0 down before going on to win 7-5.
“The consistency of the team has been brilliant. All the guys have managed to peak at the same time. Young Jack McNeilly has been brilliant for us and Mikey Maclean is the best in the league. But all the players have been brilliant.
“All of the players in the Seaforth Club come from either Nairn or Forres
“The ages of the Seaforth team vary with the youngest player in his 20’s and Rab Thorburn in his 70’s.
“We have had the same core for the last 12 years and have always been chapping at the door. Finally we have won the league title so happy days.”
As well as winning the league title, Seaforth also had success in singles and doubles competition.
Jack McNeilly won the A League singles championship. Mikey Maclean and Jack McNeilly claimed top honours at the Innes Bar Winter Darts A League Doubles Championship.
Stevie Ross and George Smith claimed victory at the Inverness Winter Darts League Doubles Championship.
Seaforth Club have only had a short time to celebrate their victory as they are straight into the Inverness Summer League which starts on Thursday.
In the summer league, Seaforth will be introducing a second team in the competition and Keen hopes their victory can give a general boost to darts in Nairn.
“This season we will have a B team going into the summer league with a young lad starting up the team.
The guy who started up the team came to us because he liked the venue and every week we will have teams playing at home and away.
“I think our league win will boost the sport in the town, the Seaforth Club has a big hall and it does two darts competition during the year and it brings in over 100 people which is great for the club.
“The Seaforth Open is also scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 15.”
The club came agonisingly close to winning the summer league title last season but were pipped by Portland A.
But Keen says they are determined to go one better and ensure they also claim the summer league championship for the first time.
He said: “We start the summer league on Thursday so we are going again, we are looking to win that title too.
“In the summer league last year, we lost the league despite being undefeated, but we drew four matches. We have gone two seasons undefeated in league competition which has been fantastic.”
