The inaugural Australian Darts Association tournament kicked off in style with a plethora of ton+ averages and three-figure checkouts.
Two 170 and 160 pegs, plus a myriad other massive leg-winning scores, were just the beginning.
Several players clocked 100+ averages, a 127+ at one stage, and an incredible tally of 11 dart legs was the order of the day as high-class elite Darts hit the Pine Rivers Dart & Sporting Club in Sandgate, Qld.
Across the whole event, which counted for 60+ players, an average close to 75 was achieved.
Raymond ‘Guru’ Smith was victorious in the opening ADA tournament when defeating WA’s Tim Pusey in the Final after an exhausting evening of Darts.
“I didn’t expect to come here and win,” he said.
“I knew coming into it I wasn’t playing my best, but I needed to come along and test myself as I knew it would be a strong field.”
“Once I got through my first match, I had the feeling my game was near to where it needed to be and the format, best of 11, is superb,” he concluded.
His sentiments were echoed by Ben “Big Rig’ Robb, who added: “The format is fantastic, the running of the competition was excellent, and I knew this was a set of Tournaments I wanted to play in.
“I didn’t come over from New Zealand expecting it to be easy, and it wasn’t in a high-standard field.
“It’s what I wanted, I wanted to be challenged, be put under pressure, and, although not seeing it through last evening, it has helped me to focus and be better mentally prepared.
“These are the tournaments the players want to play in. Well run, high pressure and what all the players want to enter,” he finished.
On his winning run, Smith stated: “A win like this in such a talented field can only be great preparation for my upcoming Modus Darts and BDO tournaments.
“I’m happy with the win, I’m in a good place, but now I need to back it up, which won’t be easy in this company.”
The ADA qualifying tournaments continue with 2 & 3 on Saturday, 28th June and conclude on Sunday, 29th.
You can follow all the action via DartConnect and Dart Stream Live