Rileys Lockdown Challenge

April 28, 2020

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In these unprecedented times, the creativity of the darts community should be greatly admired. There are more streaming leagues now than in living memory, while the servers of Dart Connect and Nakka continue to see record usage. Darts Planet TV, meanwhile, continues to support the darts community with streams, giveaways, tournaments and regular content.

Elsewhere, I’ve been set a challenge by those in Rileys Towers – an unusual one for unusual times. They want me to play as many Rileys UK Open Qualifiers online as possible. There have been over 200 since they began in 2010. Full list here

Each match would involves a short interview over the phone (which we published here in the coming weeks) and a short seven leg match via nakka.com. I most definitely do not expect to win a leg during this challenge!

If you are interested, get in contact via DM or leave a comment via Twitter or Facebook.

As of the 28th April, I’ve played and interviewed 15 former qualifiers. Its been fascinating to hear their experiences of the UK Open and hear about what happened next. For some it was glory in the form of winning their Tour card, while others still strive to get there. Most look back on their trips to Bolton and Butlins Minehead with a great deal of fondness and pride. A small piece in the greater picture of becoming a pro player.

Here is who we’ve caught up with so far. With thanks to everyone who has been involved so far!

Averages leaderboard

107.36 Rob Collins (11/4, 4-0)

96.97 Reece Robinson (21/4, 4-0)

92.5 Rhys Hayden (9/4, 4-0)

92.49 Dave Parletti (18/4, 4-0)

84.68 Darryl Pilgrim (16/4, 4-0)

79.11 Darren Beveridge (26/4, 4-0)

79.11 Craig Winstanley (13/4, 4-0)

8th Alan Casey (10/4 4-0)

9th Ben Burton (9/4, 4-0)

10th Ian Jopling (12/4, 4-0)