The annual Martin Kelly Cup took place in the Hollywood Bar, Roscommon Town, last Friday, with an impressive 52 players taking part. Thirteen youths competed in the youth section.
Two top semi-finals saw Paul Kelly better Daniel O’Connor, while Dean Hoare edged Senan Shannon. A tight final saw Dean emerge the winner on a 2-1 scoreline.
The adult section saw 39 entries compete in a round-robin format. The trophy for top lady went to Elaine Hannon, who impressed throughout the night.
Top checkout went to David Concannon with a 160 finish.
The final on the night saw two seasoned contenders battle it out. Thomas Concannon recorded wins over Sean Fleming and Krystof Wesolowski before a semi-final victory over Arron Blaides booked his place in the decider.
On the other side of the draw, Martin Fleming recorded a last-16 win over Ken Turkington, before following up with a quarter-final victory over Robbie Dolan and a semi-final win over Paul Carton.
The final itself was a highly entertaining affair. Concannon started the stronger, with some strong scoring seeing him take a 1-0 lead, before Fleming struck back to level the contest at 1-1.
Fleming went ahead for the first time in the third leg to lead 2-1, before a 109 finish helped Thomas level the game at 2-2.
A tight final leg saw both players open with scores of 100 from their first three darts. Fleming’s consistency – three scores of 85 – was met by a crucial 140 from Concannon, setting him up on a finish of 16, which he took out at the next opportunity.
Well done to Thomas and hard luck to Martin.
Many thanks to all the players who entered on the night and helped create such a high standard. A raffle held on the night raised €670 for Roscommon/Mayo Hospice. Many thanks to those who supported the raffle and donated prizes.
Finally, many thanks to the Hollywood Bar for its sponsorship of the event and continued support of darts within the county.
