Isle of Man wheelchair darts star Darren Kennish capped off a gruelling 2024-25 campaign by reclaiming the World Paradarts number one ranking recently.

This followed two strong performances at the season-ending Antwerp Open and Belgium Open the weekend before last.

In the Antwerp Open, the Manx darter began with authority, recording back-to-back 2-0 wins over Andre Mink and Anton Van Hermet of the Netherlands in the round robin stage.

He then swept Belgium’s Jurgen Vercammen 3-0 in the quarter-finals before producing another dominant display in the semis when whitewashing Holland’s Michel Van Den Hengel 4-0.

The final brought yet another showdown with Belgian world champion and regular rival Vincent D’Hondt. In a tight contest, missed doubles proved costly for Kennish as D’Hondt edged a 4-2 victory.

The Belgium Open, which took place the following day, saw Kennish begin with a 2-0 win over Bradley Zerefa of Malta, followed by a narrow 2-1 loss to Van Den Hengel.

A 3-1 quarter-final win over Belgium’s Serge Van Belle booked another semi-final berth, but once again D’Hondt proved the stumbling block.

Despite matching his opponent in scoring, missed doubles in every leg allowed the Belgian to seal a 4-0 win.

Attention then turned to the World Paradarts rankings, with only two points separating the top two players in the standing category and the wheelchair division also poised for a close finish.

Ultimately, Kennish’s consistency throughout the season saw him crowned world number one in the wheelchair rankings for the 2024-25 season - his first time at the top since 2021-22, following two successive runner-up finishes.

The achievement was all the more remarkable given that Kennish fractured his wrist mid-season, yet continued competing through the pain to secure points at key events.

He now holds both the World Paradarts and British number one ranking spots, securing automatic qualification for the World Masters and World Championships later this year.

‘It’s been a long, hard season, so to finish as both World and British number one is really special,’ said Kennish. ‘I’ve had to battle through a lot, including the wrist injury, but the hard work has paid off.’

The new season gets underway in early September in Austria, but Kennish’s focus is firmly on the British Classic Open and British Masters in Bridlington later that month - two tournaments where he will be aiming to start the year as strongly as he finished the last.

Kennish was quick to acknowledge those who have supported his journey. ‘A massive thank you goes out to my wife Janice and my family for all their support through a long season.

‘Thanks also to Horizon Darts for my own signature darts, shirts and equipment; Mike and Lorraine Callaghan for helping organise trips; JP Corry Isle of Man and Tim Presley of Corkill and Callow Funeral Services for making some events possible. Your support really means a lot.’

- Kennish remains on the lookout for additional backing ahead of the 2025/26 season. Companies or individuals interested in sponsoring him can contact [email protected]