The Birth of The RDDCT

When it was decided that the thought of another dull PE session at that time of year between rugby/football and cricket seasons was asking too much; and that time could be spent more productively than by wandering listlessly through Mote Park or the Maidstone Chequers Centre; the prospect of a Darts Tournament to fill the space was embraced.

There were eight original competitors for the fledgling tourno, each with a catchy, or frankly ludicrous nickname:

Gareth "The Irrelevant Ripper" Pugh. Tournament organiser and host. So called because of a penchant for regurgitating trivial facts and statistics. Seeded #2 on the basis of home advantage.
Matthew "The Crafty Cripple" King. #1 seed due to a victory in Butlins darts event while on a football tour. "Crippled" due to a recent knee injury sustained in the cricket nets.
Scott "The Tartan" Williamson. He's got a nice tartan scarf and was pushed for time. #3 seed on the basis that he might be good.
Ashley "The Assassin" Dampier. Nice alliteration. Seeded #4 because he at least owns a dartboard.
Ted "The Coat" Snelders. Named after his fetching line in outdoor clothing.
Alan "The Crafty Canadian" McDougall. Dual nationality the key to this one.
Michael (Mickey) "Mr Darts" Fisher. A bold claim indeed.
Steve "Deadly Dud" Forbes. Not as clever as it may now look...based on his old man's moniker.

So they were the eight who made themselves available for an afternoon of darts. There would be an entry fee from which prize-money would be allocated, so once everyone was paid up, it was game on.

When collecting the money one break time, a rather generous chap by the name of Richard Dunmall happened to be standing near-by and voluntarily slipped a quid into the pot. How could this benefactor be rewarded? A wild-card in the event maybe? No he was taking the National Curriculum a bit more seriously...then what? He insisted on no reparations at all, but in spite of this there was one gesture that could be made.

The tournament would need a name, so it was decided that we would be playing for The Richard Dunmall Darts Challenge Trophy.

Now, we just needed a trophy......