EAMONS PIANO BAR TOURNAMENT, BLACKLION Co.Cavan....

Dessiemc27

This annual tournament is nearing its final weeks and this has been one of the best attended stagings of it ever. It is a really well run tournament. James McGrath along with Brendan Dolan, Mickey Dolan and a few others from the Belcoo/Blacklion area must be commended for this excellent competition which is played over 9 nights, (always Mondays) usually from the start of January running up to the final which is usually played before St. Patricks Day.

It is E10 per night to enter and if you are lucky to get through to the finals night the prizes are:

Winner: E1000 and the prestigious Eamons piano bar Memorial Cup.
Runner up: E500
Semi Finalist: E250
Qtr Finalist: E125.
Also if you enter 4 weeks in a row and don't make a final then you get entered into a draw for E100 .

The quality of the darts have been excellent from the earlier round reports although I only made it up for the first time on monday 2nd March, the second last night of the qualifiers, and there was a record 60 entries!.

The heats are all best of 5 x 501's and there are four boards on the night, losers having to chalk the next game on the board after they loose.

Last night I won my first Round match 3-1 only to loose in the last 32 3-1, but enjoyed the craic and banter which is legendary here. Brendan Dolan (the defending champion) was on hand helping out with the draw and being MC for the night and a few other good local throwers including Denise Cassidy, took part.

On the night The Final was between Andrew Dempsey from Longford against Seamus Gormley.

Andrew won the match and progressed to the finals night after a very impressive display, dispatching his opponent 3-0.

So far the players qualified for finals night are:

Brendan Dolan (Belcoo) Defending champion.
Aodhagan O'Neill(Cavan) Beaten Finalist 2008
John Joe Dolan (Belcoo)
Steven Ganley(Longford)
Bob Alexander (Sligo)
Andrew Dempsey (Longford)

Also one other player who's name escapes me at the moment!.

The latter stages were fiercely competitive and a few Names who stood out for me on the night were Eugene McCusker (irvinestown) Campbell Jackson(Strabane) these two met in an excellent 2nd round game, Gaby Mc Barron (Enniskillen) And James Deery from Beleek who made the semi finals.

The Final night of qualification is on next monday night (9th march) so if you fancy a really good night of darts and craic and think you have what it takes to win a good floor tournament then get yourself off to Blacklion, Co. Cavan right on the Fermanagh/Cavan Border , next to Belcoo for a really good night of Darts. The Finals on the 16th March are not to be missed.

padr81

Brendan Dolan and Aodhagan O'Neill.... that must be an easy tournament to win lol. 2 of the best dart throwers in the country. You'd need to be touching a ton average to win that.

Dessiemc27

I know, they are top players. Colin Maxwell from Castlederg was the other player who qualified.

Andrew Dempsey played great stuff last night. I would have liked to see his 3 dart average after the final.

Are you heading up? Maybe you could win the last place in the finals? after all those big guns cant play in the final heat

Carrickman

A few of the lads from our league have been going to this for this past few years and they have nothing but good things to say about it!! Haven't made it up any night yet myself but it is highly recommended from what I've heard and the standerd is high heard that Campbell Jackson was on for a nine darter last Monday week.

Dessiemc27

He is a talent in the making. Saw him warm up on the board in the lounge and he was pinging that treble twenty like no tomorrow. He won the inaugural Laurence Brannigan Memorial in the Weigh Inn Bar in Omagh a few weeks ago. came through a large field of ninety throwers.

I think he made the final one week in Blacklion. I have to say I watched the match between him and Eugene McCusker from Irvinestown and it was great darts. Eugene's experience took him through but it was close.

Dessiemc27

That list for the final should read Steven GANLEY and Bob ALEXANDER.

Kingp35

Dessiemc27 wrote: »

That list for the final should read Steven GANLEY and Bob ALEXANDER.

Fixed.

Dessiemc27

Thanks kingp. hope to have the last heat qualifier up soon. didnt make it last night.

Dessiemc27

Sean McGowan won last nights heat. Therefore the final nights lineup reads:

Brendan Dolan
Aodhagen O'Neill
John Joe Dolan
Colin Maxwell
Bob Alexander
Andrew Dempsey
Steven Ganley
Sean McGowan.

Campbell Jackson was unlucky to loose last nights heat. His second final in the tournament. Although he has picked up a number of tournament wins lately.