Isle of Man wheelchair darts player Darren Kennish enjoyed a memorable few days on home soil after claiming the BDDA and World Paradarts open title during the 40th Isle of Man International Darts Festival at the Villa Marina last weekend.

The Caliburn-sponsored annual event got underway in the Royal Hall last Thursday and culminated with the grand finals on Sunday afternoon.

The festival is one of the most established events on the World Darts Federation calendar and regularly attracts players from across the UK and Europe.

Kennish produced a series of strong displays across the paradarts events, reaching two finals and securing one title against experienced international opponents.

The Manx thrower began his campaign in the BDDA and World Paradarts Isle of Man Classic, where he faced Mark Couchman and Mick Jones in the round robin stage.

Kennish opened with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Couchman before bouncing back with a convincing 2-0 victory over Jones to secure his place in the final.

He again met Couchman in the decider and, despite a determined effort, the Manxman had to settle for the runner-up spot as the Englishman edged the contest 4-2 to lift the Classic crown.

But Kennish responded in style during the BDDA and World Paradarts Isle of Man Open.

The island player swept through the group phase with 2-0 victories over both Couchman and Jones to book his place in another final.

This time Kennish produced one of his best performances of the weekend, defeating Couchman 4-1 to claim the title and give the home crowd something to celebrate.

His success formed part of another busy and high-quality festival, which attracted a large international field for four days of competition across multiple events.

Among the headline tournaments, Jack Drayton lifted the Open Singles title after defeating Ben Townley 6-2 in the men’s final.

In the women’s competition Gemma Hayter produced an impressive performance to beat Steph Clarke 5-1 and secure the Women’s Open crown.

The Isle of Man Classic also delivered high-quality darts, with Moreno Blom claiming the men’s title after defeating Daniel Zapata 5-1 in the final.

The women’s Classic proved a thriller, with Leanne Topper edging a dramatic 5-4 victory over Eve Watson to take the trophy.

In the Masters events, Reece Colley secured the men’s title thanks to a 5-3 win against Jim McEwan, while Rhian O’Sullivan defeated Aileen de Graaf 5-2 to claim the women’s crown.

Elsewhere during the festival, Ben Townley captured the youth title, while Macy Gibbons was crowned girls’ champion following dominant displays in their respective competitions.

The festival also featured several team events, with James Beeton and Jenson Walker winning the Open Pairs title, while reigning WDF women's world champion Deta Hedman and Anca Zijlstra claimed the Women’s Pairs crown.

In the Mixed Triples competition, the trio of Steve West, Michael Huntley and Hayter emerged victorious after a strong run through the knockout stages.

- For more information about the Isle of Man International Darts Festival, visit the event’s official website which can be found at https://www.isleofmandartsfestival.com/