OVER £2,000 was raised for charity after almost 120 darts players competed in the annual Bill and Edna Gregory Memorial Darts Competition recently. The event, which was held at the Ards Rangers clubhouse, attracted 98 competitors for the Bill Gregory Memorial and 40 women throwers in the first ever Edna Gregory Memorial competition. Craig Orr triumphed in the Bill Gregory event while Dawn Crothers triumphed in the ladies’ final, becoming the first winner of the Edna Gregory trophy.“Not only the family, but the whole darting community in North Down and across the country, have been blown away with the effort people made to be in attendance for the event,” said a spokesman for the organisers. “Darts within North Down is back.” The organisers would like to thank everyone who attended on the day, with special thanks to Ards Rangers F.C and their bar staff for the use of their premises and hard work throughout the whole event. “Thanks also to the board sponsors for their generous donations, thanks to everyone who sent donations or ballot prizes or helped with food in any way,” said the spokesman. “Many would agree that the competitions were the biggest North Down has seen in a good while, maybe even the biggest yet.” In the men’s competition Craig Orr beat Marty Moreland in the final, putting a new name on the Bill Gregory Memorial Shield. Both players have been in attendance every year since the competition began. In the quarter finals Marty Moreland beat Darren Clifford; Harry Anderson beat Darren Marshall; Noel Gates beat Gareth Chambers; and Craig Orr beat Mark Yeates In the semi finals Marty Moreland beat Harry Anderson and Craig Orr beat Noel Gates. The Edna Gregory Memorial Final was between Debbie Kittle and Dawn Crothers, with Dawn coming out on top. The beaten quarter finalists were Heather Moore, Suzanne McConnell, Sam Fisher and Suzanne Stewart. The beaten semi-finalists were Kelly Devlin and Mcn Jules.“A massive thank you to the 40 women who entered on the day and thank you to the support they brought with them,” said the spokesman.“ A special thank you goes to Julie McNarry for looking after the running of the Edna Gregory Memorial. The event has raised £2,069 so far for the Friends of the Cancer Centre.
