Tonga’s darts team have placed 5^th (ladies) and 7^th (mens) overall at their first international competition at the South Pacific Darts Championship held in Vanuatu last week.

In the Ladies Division, Tonga played seven games and won three, while in the Men’s Division, Tonga won two out of seven games.

For overall performance during the tournament, Tonga’s Fine’eva Dilger won three silver medals in the Ladies Awards for having the most 100’s scored; the most individual peg outs; and the most team peg outs in the competition. In the Men’s Awards, Tonga’s Salesi Aho’s score of 180 against Nauru was highlighted.

Tonga Darts Association Team Manager, Tony Dilger said that the competition was a great learning experience.

“The ladies far exceeded our expectations and were very competitive throughout the competition.”

“The men's competition was a lot harder and was [a] real eye opener for the Tongan team to see what standards the other nations are playing at.”

He said it “was a big learning curve for the Tongan team in what darts need to be thrown to be competitive”.

Overall, in the Women’s Division, Papua New Guinea took out Gold, Niue Silver and Nauru won Bronze. In the Men’s Division, Papua New Guinea also won Gold, Nauru Silver and Niue won Bronze.

The next South Pacific Darts Championship will be held in Niue in 2020.