Lancaster’s competitors lapped up the support in the pool and dart tournaments.
As soon as I saw the pool tournament was being held in Lonsdale Bar on a Friday afternoon, I knew what to expect. A massive crowd packed around two pool tables, cheering every pot, clever hit, or mistake.
Of course, the stench of beer was thick, and you could spot a few in the crowd that began swaying as the alcohol began to set in. Even some of the players were drinking – so much for drinking bans then.
There were some impressive shots from both Lancaster and York, but Lancaster came out on top, earning the maximum ten points on offer. Before moving onto the darts, I’d like to add that some competitors, were allegedly nearing professional standard, so this was an outstanding battle of the Roses to witness live.
Darts came on Saturday with the tournament being played throughout the day, beginning with the opens, then the women’s 1sts, and finally the men’s 1sts. Held in the Great Hall, there were no chairs for the crowd – the venue looked more like a school disco if anything. One thing that didn’t change between the two sports was the crowd, who were once again (to put it bluntly) absolutely bladdered. Chants were being yelled, some more expletive and anti-York than others.
The games were held as a 9 v 9 tournament; each match was a best of three, with the victor winning a point for their team. Lancaster dominated the darts, earning all ten available points.
To say Lancaster stole the show in both sports would be an understatement. The men’s team thumped York 8-1 in both tournaments and the women’s team edged a 5-4 in pool before claiming an 8-1 slam over York in darts.
As victory became certain for Lancaster in the men’s darts tournament, the announcer declared that this victory had made certain that Lancaster had won this year’s Roses all together.
A historic moment for the competition, met by the loudest of cheers.
