The Papua New Guinea Men's Darts team reclaimed the South Pacific Darts Championship title following its conclusion in Suva, Fiji, last week.
PNG Darts Federation President Molean Kilepak said it was a tough journey and preparation for the national team, however, they made it on time to reclaim the 4th SPDC title since 2018.
“We want to thank everyone, the darts community especially, who was following all matches through the live stream. It means a lot receiving support back home,” the president said.
“For our men's national team, it’s a great feeling to reclaim the title as kings of the South Pacific Darts Championships.”
He said PNG won the inaugural SPDC title in 2018 when the first championship was held in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
Despite not making appearances at the 2020 SPDC in Niue and 2023 in Tonga, they were determined to return in this year’s championships, with the support from friends and families.
“I was part of the 2018 team. This year’s team was led by one of our surviving members, Ikau Karo, who captained the team to victory,” Kilepak said.
“Our team did exceptionally well. It went down to the wire during the finals against the Cook Islands, who were the defending champions.
“We could’ve beaten them in the fifth single after leading, but somehow our nerves probably got the best of us and we couldn't get that particular win. However, we fought to the end and got the results.
“We had a lot of big checkouts, especially leading up to the finals, the highest checkout was 155 during the grand final against the Cook Islands.”
Meanwhile, the women’s national team also did well, despite the unfortunate podium finish, with 13-year-old Sarah Pepena becoming the star of the show as the only youth player in the championships. Her highest checkout was clearing a 180 during a match.
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