by Sam Hawcroft
Seventeen local darts players had the chance to take on 10-time world champion Trina Gulliver when she visited the Ship Inn in Keyingham for a special exhibition night.
The pub hailed the event on Saturday, October 3, as a great success, with landladies Lisa Porter-Forrester and her wife Linsey hoping to welcome the “Golden Girl” back next year.
Lisa only took up darts when she and Linsey took over the pub about six years ago – now she was welcoming one of the sport’s biggest names to their own oche.
She said: “Trina’s my darts hero. To have the most successful lady player in the world in our pub is just amazing.”
“It’s not every day you can walk into a village pub and play a 10-time world champion.”
The exhibition came about with help from Tony “the Tiger” Richardson, whose connections with Humberside County Darts and friendship with Trina helped bring her to the Ship.
Each local challenger faced Trina in a single leg of 501, with the emphasis on giving everyone an enjoyable evening at the oche.
Speaking during a break in play, Trina said: “It’s always nice to play against people and have a bit of fun. That’s what it’s all about.
“This is my first time here, and hopefully they’ll have me back.”
Alongside the excitement of hosting a world champion, Lisa and Linsey hoped the visit would encourage more women to take up the sport.
The couple and their fellow committee members run the Tuesday Ladies Darts League, which is played on a Yorkshire board. It has four teams based at the Ship, two at the Station in Hedon and one each at the Blue Bell in Sproatley and the Duke of York in Skirlaugh.
Lisa added: “Hopefully this is going to bring in a lot of women players.”
Trina, whose career also includes six World Masters titles and captaining England, spoke about the progress of women’s darts and the performances of Beau Greaves.
She said: “Where it was in my era, I was at the forefront, now it’s Beau. And she’s making record after record. It’s incredible, and long may it continue for her.
“She’s playing against the men as well now, and she’s doing brilliantly.”
Trina said greater exposure was helping the sport grow, although continued coverage remained important.
“The women’s game is going from strength to strength and we need the media as well to push it forward,” she said. “Social media is massive for the game, whereas in my day there was no social media. It was all in the newspapers and TV, which was very rare for us then.”
She now combines playing with a busy schedule of exhibitions, commentary work and coaching, and welcomed the wider choice of opportunities available to women.
Organisers thanked Keyingham Service Station, Kingston Engineering and Mam! Ah’m ’ere! pizzeria for their support, referee Simon Rimmington and Andy Dry for looking after the technical side of the evening.
They also paid particular tribute to Tony for helping make the event possible.
