HISTORY OF THE PAPHOS PUB LEAGUES

2006

AS WITH MOST GOOD THINGS IT STARTED OVER A PINT

 

TERRY McGOVERN AND MYSELF FORMED THE PAPHOS DARTS LEAGUE AND THEN SET ABOUT GETTING TEAMS TO FILL IT.

 

AFTER A LOT OF HARD WORK WE WERE ABLE TO FILL FOUR LEAGUES WITH THE TOP LEAGUE BEING FOR TEAMS THAT WANTED MORE SERIOUS DARTS AND NOT BEING SUBJECT TO ENFORCED RELEGATION. THE OTHER THREE LEAGUES WERE SUBJECT TO PROMOTION AND RELEGATION BUT WERE NOT FORCED TO JOIN THE TOP DIVISION UNLESS THEY KEPT WINNING THEIR DIVISION TO PREVENT TROPHY HUNTERS.

THE DARTS LEAGUES WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL AND CAME TO THE ATTENTION OF THE CYPRUS DARTS FEDERATION WHO WANTED US TO JOIN SO THAT THEY COULD INCREASE THEIR COFFERS TO SEND THE CYPRUS DARTS TEAM ABROAD ALONG WITH THEIR HANGERS ON,SORRY COMMITTEE,

TO CONFUSE MATTERS ANOTHER PAN CYPRIAN FEDERATION WAS FORMED AND A TURF WAR STARTED.

 

2007

THE FIRST PAPHOS OPEN, WHICH WAS WELL SUPPORTED BY PLAYERS FROM ALL OVER THE ISLAND AT THE AMBASSADOR RESTAURANT,AND WITH THE HELP OF STEVE CLAXTON OF TIMBERTECH WHO CAME AND BLANKED OFF WINDOWS AND BUILT A PERMANENT STAGE SUITABLE FOR THE FINAL STAGES TO BE PLAYED ON AND FUTURE EVENTS AT NO COST.

  

2008

WE HAD OUR FIRST VISIT FROM JOHN LOWE, SPONSORED BY THOMAS COOK, WHO ENTERTAINED THE AUDIENCE FROM ALL OVER THE ISLAND AT THE AMBASSADOR AND WEHAD A SMOKE MACHINE FOR HIS ENTRY WITH HIS WALK ON MUSIC “SMOKE ON THE WATER”. WHILE HERE JOHN WENT TO THE BASE AT AKROTIRI AND GAVE AN INTERVIEW ON FORCES RADIO.

JOHN WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE ORGANISATION OF HIS VISIT AND COMMENTED THAT HE HAD BEEN TO PROFESSIONAL VENUES THAT WERE BELOW THE STANDARD HE FOUND IN PAPHOS.

WE HELD AN OPEN FOR A FEW YEARS BUT THE DIFFICULTY IN FINDING A SPONSOR AND LACK OF DECENT PRIZE MONEY, ALONG WITH WHETHER A CYPRUS DARTS FEDERATION COULD PLAY AT A COMPETITION THAT HAD PAN CYPRIAN DARTS PLAYERS IN IT AND VICE VERSA ,THEY DWINDLES OUT.

 

2011

UNFORTUNATELY IF YOU MAKE A JOB LOOK EASY THROUGH THE WORK YOU HAVE PUT IN YOU THEN FIND,AS WITH MOST THINGS, PEOPLE THINK THEY CAN DO IT.

AT AN EXTRAORDINARY DARTS MEETING HELD AT THE WELCOME INN, MORE LIKE UNWELCOME INN, THE OWNER OF THE BAR SUPPORTED BY TWO OTHER GUYS WHO HAD THE KNIVES OUT FOR TERRY FOR SOMETHING NOT RELATED TO DARTS BUT WAS USED FOR THEIR VEHICLE TO GET TERRY OUT.

TERRY LIKED KARAOCHE AND ONE NIGHT WENT INTO THE STREET SINGING, BUT AS ANYONE WILL KNOW THE AMPLIFIER REMAINED IN THE BAR, AND THE BAR OWNER TOOK EXCEPTION TO THIS AS HE SAID IT WOULD UPSET HIS NEIGHBOURS WITH THE NOISE.

I RESIGNED FROM THE DART LEAGUE ON PRINCIBLE ENABLING THE TWO GUYS WHO WANTED THE JOBS TO HAVE THEM.

IT LASTED TWO YEARS BEFORE IT FELL APPART WITH NO FUNDS AS THE NEW CHAIRMAN HAD KEPT THE MONEY AT HOME, INSTEAD OF THE LEAGUE BANK ACCOUNT, AND WAS ROBBED AND THE MATTER WAS QUIETLY FORGOTTEN.

 

2012

OVER ANOTHER PINT TERRY AND MYSELF DECIDED TO FORM THE PAPHOS PUB LEAGUE WITH CRIB AND POOL ADDED TO A NEW DARTS LEAGUE.

 

THE CRIB LEAGUE STARTED WITH EIGHT VENUES.

 

THE POOL LEAGUE STARTED WITH SIX TEAMS BUT AS THEY SAY FROM SMALL SEEDS BIG APPLES GROW.

 

THE NEW DARTS LEAGUE STARTED WITH JUST EIGHT TEAMS AND WERE FOR CASUAL DARTS PLAYERS WHO ENJOYED A NIGHT OUT PLAYING DARTS WITHOUT TAKING IT TO SERIOUSLY.

 

THE SERIOUS PLAYERS FORMED THEIR OWN LEAGUE

 

2014

ONCE AGAIN SOME MEMBERS OF TEAMS IN THE DARTS LEAGUE THOUGHT THEY COULD RUN A BETTER LEAGUE AND LEFT BUT OTHER TEAMS WERE FOUND SO IT CONTINUED WITH SIX TEAMS.

THE BREAKAWAY LEAGUE LASTED TWO YEARS BEFORE IT BROKE UP BECAUSE OF INTERNAL DISPUTES.

PLAYERS FROM THAT LEAGUE NEVER JOINED US BECAUSE I THINK THEY WERE ASHAMED, EVEN THOUGH THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN WELCOMED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE TROUBLEMAKERS WHO RATHER THAN SAY WE ARE LEAVING TO FORM OUR OWN LEAGUE CHOSE TO MAKE FALSE ALLEGATIONS.

 JOHN LOWE

 WE HAD ANOTHER VISIT FROM JOHN LOWE ALONG WITH ERIC BRISTOWE AND JOHN GWYNN FROM SKY. AT THE EXHIBITION AT THE AMBASSADOR JOHN AND ERIC WERE THE CAPTAINS AND EACH HAD A TEAM OF PLAYERS ALLOCATED TO THEM AND THE CAPTAINS PLAYED EACH PLAYER FROM THE OTHER CAPTAINS TEAM.

EACH PLAYER WAS PRESENTED WITH THE SIGNED SCORE SHEET FROM WHICHEVER CAPTAIN THEY PLAYED.

 2019/20

COVID

DUE TO COVID THERE WERE REATRICTIONS PUT ON BARS, CLUBS AND RESTAURANTS THAT STOPPED ALL OUR GAMES.

THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAD AGREED A SET OF CONDITIONS WITH THE FEDERATIONS BUT THEY DID NOT COVER US.

I CONTACTED THE MINISTRY AND AFTER A WHILE GOT THEM TO AGREE A SET OF RULES THAT WE HAD TO COMPLY WITH TO ALLOW US TO START PLAYING AGAIN.

THESE RULES WERE SHARED WITH THE DARTS AND POOL LEAGUES IN PAPHOS, LIMASSOL AND LARNAKA SO THEY COULD RESTART.

 

2023

A DOMINOES LEAGUE WAS STARTED WITH JUST EIGHT PEOPLE BUT FOLDED AS THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH INTEREST TO CONTINUE.

 

2025

 AS MOST PLAYERS ARE OF THE OLDER GENERATION THE CRIB LEAGUE FOLDED DUE TO LACK OF PLAYERS.

 26

WE LOST TERRY McGOVERN ,ONE OF OUR FOUNDERS THROUGH BLOOD CANCER.