The Black Bull darts team with Punch category manager Stephen Martin (right)
The Black Bull, in Blaydon-on-Tyne, has won Punch’s 14th annual darts final, at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, for the fifth year in a row.
A record 800 teams registered to take part in the 2017 competition and the final saw the best 34 come head to head over a weekend of darts.
The winning Black Bull team was awarded £2,500 and a darts exhibition for their pub, as well as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play on stage at a 2017 Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) event. Runners up, from the Red Lion in Bradford, were awarded £1,200 and a darts exhibition for their pub.
The event also saw 156 singles compete against each other. Louise Stockings, reigning champion of the ladies’ competition, was able to hold on to her title for the second year in a row, while Brian Dawson, of the Ash Inn, came out on top in the men’s competition.
Additionally, publicans were able to compete in the licencees’ challenge, which saw Bob Ward, from the Red Lion in Bradford, win a darts exhibition for his pub.
Stephen Martin, category manager at Punch, said: “Every year we are so pleased with how well the darts competition is received with Punch publicans and customers up and down the country.
“We love offering initiatives and events that our publicans can get involved in and the darts final in Blackpool this weekend has been great fun. We want to congratulate the winners, as well as all those that made it to the final.”
