Who’s playing at the Isle of Man Festival of Darts?
Watch all the action from The Isle of Man Festival of Darts LIVE this weekend on the UK’s only free sports channel.
It will be the first time in the event’s 32-year history that it will be screened live – and also the first sporting event ever to be broadcast live from the Isle of Man.
And with more than one thousand fans expected from March 9 to 12, the atmosphere’s going to be electric!
Previous winners of the male singles include some of the biggest names in darts: Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson, Scott Waites, Steve Bunting, Robbie Green, David Chisnall, Darryl Fitton and Ted Hankey. This makes it one of the most prestigious titles from the British Darts Organisation.
The line-up for the weekend looks impressive, and everyone is wondering who will net over £30,000 in prize money?
Here are some of the competitors hoping to lift the trophy, including 2016 male and female champions Tony O’Shea and Lisa Ashton.
Three time world champion Martin Adams will be fronting the Prostate Cancer Charity during the tournament after battling the disease himself. He will be competing at his staggering 15th Isle of Man Festival, the most in history. Adams will also be hoping to take home the trophy after finishing second in both 1995 and 1997.
The reigning women’s champion is back to defend her title. Since her victory she has also become world champion and will be the favourite to continue her excellent winning streak.
The current world number three is one of only two international players among the favourites, and will be fancied to reach the penultimate stages of the competition at this year’s event. The Netherlands star is long overdue a British Darts Organisation major title victory after failing to do so since the 2015 World Masters.
The current world champion from Middlesbrough will be hoping to win his first Isle of Man Championship later this month, after finishing as runner-up to Tony O’Shea last year in a narrow 6-4 defeat.
Trina Gulliver will no doubt be hoping to add another title to her illustrious career and bulging trophy cabinet. The 10-times world champion shows no signs of slowing down after winning the women’s World Championship and Women’s Masters in 2016.
The Australian will be determined to win her first major title since joining the British Darts Organisation, with her best performance coming in the loss to Lisa Ashton in the final of the 2017 World Championships in January.
The ladies event will see the world number one Deta Hedman try to avenge her defeat to Lisa Ashton in the 2016 final.
Noppert will be hoping to become the second overseas player to win the competition, after his Netherlands compatriot Jeffrey de Graaf defeated Jan Dekker in an all-Dutch final in 2012.
The current men’s champion, who defeated Ryan Joyce 6-4 in last year’s phenomenal final will hope to win his first BDO tournament since his superb performance. But he’s had a run of bad luck recently, having failed to claim victory in his last 16 competitions and only competing in one final within the past year.
The former world champion who beat Martin Adams in 2015 to sit atop of the proverbial mountain, is among the favourites to win the Isle of Man male singles.
Pokerstars Isle of Man Festival of Darts is being aired LIVE on Front Runner the weekend of March 11 (from 3pm) – March 12 (from 2pm).
Front Runner is available on Freeview ch91, FreeSat ch250, Talk Talk/BT ch91 and Sky ch468.
