THE BLUE Lion in Lewdown played host to the 2024/25 Captain’s Cup on Friday, January 31, in the Lydford Darts League.

All seven team captains were divided into two groups for a round-robin to decide the four semi-finalists.

Group one was won by the reigning cup holder, Ian Downing (Fox B), but he was pushed hard in game two by Jonty Hughes (Tossers), who joined Ian in the semi-finals.

Group two saw another dominant display in this group from Tom Hughes (Bratton Clovelly), winning all three matches. Tom "Bullseye" Eggins (Copper Penny) also went through courtesy of legs won after he, Josh Sleep (Fox A) and Dan Tossell (White Hart) had won the same amount of games in the group stage.

Tom Hughes consistently outscored a resolute opponent in Jonty Hughes to take the first semi-final comfortably, winning 3-0 in the best of five legs.

The second semi-final was a little closer, with Ian, again, scoring consistently well and edging past Tom Eggins (who hit a magnificent 128 check out, finishing with a bullseye) 3-1 as a result.

Tom H and Ian, the same two players who have graced the final over the last four years with the score at 2-2, were to go at it once again.

Tom started quickly and secured the first leg, Ian responding with a commanding 2nd leg victory. The very high standard of darts continued but Tom was strong at the business end and won the next two legs and regained the trophy.

Credit goes to both players who averaged around 90 for the final and to all others who took part and fought hard.

Finally, a big thank you to Charlie Hughes and the Blue Lion for hosting the event.