Tanzania: Regional Darts Champions Starts in Dar Es Salaam On Saturday

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

Japheth Kazenga

22 April 2011

DOMESTIC darts players will be seeking to make their presence felt at the competitive level of the sport, when they battle it out in the East Africa Championship scheduled to start in Dar es Salam on Saturday

The two-day event, to be held at the Moshi Hotel venue, has also attracted players from neighbouring Kenya and Uganda with participating players competing in singles, doubles and team events.

Tanzania Amateur Darts Association (TADA) vice-chairman, David Msabi, said the hosts will be represented by a national team and a handful of other clubs, while Kenya and Uganda will field their respective national teams.

“The national team (Tanzania) will comprise four men and women but we have also been given the priority of fielding two more teams of men and women respectively, courtesy of being the hosts,” said Msabi.

He said several other clubs will have the opportunity to enter the fray but will be required to meet their participation costs. The tournament, which has been sponsored by the Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL), will be officially opened by guest of honour, Leonard Thadeo, who is the Director of Sports in the Ministry of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports.

“We had earlier been expecting players from other East African nations of Burundi and Rwanda but they had, until on Saturday, yet to confirm their participation in the event,” added Msabi.

He said cash and trophies have been set aside for winners of singles, doubles and team events respectively in which, champions will receive trophies and cash prize while the runners-up will take cash.

“Cash prizes will also be presented to the best individual performers namely the highest scorer and highest finisher in all three events,” he added. Msabi expressed hope that the national team will excel in the championship despite TADA’s failure to conduct intensive preparation for the squad because of financial constraints.

“We lacked funds to put the team in camp therefore, the players trained at their respective clubs. We are however optimistic they will perform well as they are all talented performers who never hesitate to exploit chances in matches,” he said.

“This year’s national amateur darts championship, played in Dodoma in February, was so far the only significant opportunity to assess the level of domestic players’ competence ahead of the East Africa championship and, the captivating competitiveness seen in Dodoma, basically, offers much hope on our ability to push our opponents all the way,” added Msabi.

Tanzania will be making a fifth appearance in the East Africa championship, whose previous edition was held in Uganda with Kenya winning the team event.

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