The 32 edition of the Malta International Darts Open came to an end last Thursday with top quality darts witnessed throughout the 3-day event.
ADVERTISEMENT
277 men, 43 ladies and 22 players in the disability competition participated in the singles competition with another 165 pairs in the doubles competition for a total of 507 entries from over 20 countries in Europe.
In the men’s singles competition the final was contested between Thibault Tricole from France and Joe Davis from England with the later coming out on top in a 6-4 victory to claim the prestigious trophy after being 1-4 down. The best performance for a local player came from Mario Sciascia who finished in the last 8 losing to Scott Walters. Tony Borg and Kirsten Aquilina were eliminated at the last 32 stages by Welsh player Mark Leyton and Englishman Owen Maiden respectively.
In the ladies’ singles competition the honour went to Jo Locke from England who defeated Paula Jacklin also from England 4-2. The best performance by a local player was Jane Baggeley Agius’s 16th finish.
In the pairs competition, the men’s title went to the English pair of Joe Davis & Rob Collins who comfortably defeated Kevin & Doug Thoburn 4-0 in the final. The best local performance came from Kirsten Aquilina/Melchior Farrugia, Marvic Micallef/Mario Tonna, Gordon Stanmore/Andy Keen and Godfrey Abela/Tony Borg who all made it to the last 16 stage.
The ladies’ pairs title was won by the English pair of Jo Locke & Amanda Harwood who defeated 2 time Malta Open winner Deta Hedman and our very own Althea Ciantar 4-1.
For the second year a disability event was played during the Open with Thomas Callaghan (England) defeating his father Mike Callaghan 3-1. They eliminated Bernard Martens from Belgium and Tommy Dillon from Northern Ireland in the semis.
https://twitter.com/ONE_news_Malta/status/1198602198722236416
ADVERTISEMENT
I stumbled into the world of darts quite by accident back in 2013. For a Journalism School assignment, I had to produce a live sports report and as it happened, the European Tour event in Veldhoven was the only available option. That weekend, I caught the darts bug. The post-match interviews especially appealed to me, as darts players tend to be much more open and approachable than what you usually see with footballers on television.
After a few detours, I joined Dartsnieuws.com in 2017 as editor-in-chief. I don’t have much competitive experience myself, although I once entered a PDC Development Tour weekend just to experience what it’s like from a player’s perspective. I even managed to win a leg against a Tour Card holder and, quite by accident, earned £50 in prize money.
In 2022, I was also involved in the founding of the TOTO Dart Kings, a commercial darts team, where I worked as media manager for three years. Unfortunately, due to new legislation in the Netherlands, that project came to an end in 2025.
Through my work in darts, I’ve been fortunate to travel to some incredible events, from Premier League nights at Ahoy Rotterdam, to several World Championships, and even the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Beyond darts, I’m a passionate sports fan in general. You can always wake me up for a game of tennis or padel, and I love following football, tennis, padel, cycling, Formula 1, and ice skating.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Well,I suppose if you don't play the tournaments ,then why should any player qualify? There are players who enter every tournament,and if they don't win it,they carry on, spending money they haven't won,yet certain players seem to think they should qualify. Winners only I thinkrick6714-11-2026
- Everyone knows what a fantastic champion Taylor was,but his performances in the seniors were poor. He wouldn't throw littler off stage,as he'd miss these days!!rick6712-11-2026
- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026