Darts team off to All-Irelands with confidence high

THE Wicklow darts team will head to Ennis this weekend for the 2019 All-Ireland championships.

Confidence has never been as high in the team following superb recent performances including a run to the final of the recent Leinster championship.

The team is managed Mick Lott and assistant Pat Murphy. Lott had this to say: ‘Despite the unbelievable start myself and Pat have had, we are under no illusions of the magnitude of the task that awaits us in Clare.

‘We have to continue to progress and preparation is the key to our recent success, and we are hopeful that with a bit of luck in the draw we can have a really good weekend.

‘With a strong backroom team behind us led by Eamon Franey, Alan Dignam and John Byrne we have really enjoyed the campaign so far and despite Wicklow going down as an unseeded team we feel we are the county everyone wants to avoid in the draw Friday evening.

‘Wicklow are a feared unit and it’s about time the talk of Wicklow is positive.’

Captain Martin O’Connor added: ‘In 30 years of playing darts in Wicklow we have never had a stronger team and it is such an honour to be their captain. We feel we are in with a fighting chance of been involved in the business end of the competition.’

The committee would like to take the opportunity to thank their wonderful sponsors. The Woodpecker in Ashford, Shay Doyle’s in Rathnew, Healy supplies limited and the Parkview Hotel in Newtown who have been such a help to the team.

The team representing Wicklow this weekend is: Mick Lott (manager), Martin O’Connor (captain), Pat Murphy, Shane Byrne, James O’Toole, Trevor Doyle, Mick Cummins, Glenn Fitzpatrick, John Murray, Peter White, Karl Kelly, Neville Doyle, Martin Fortune, Eamon Franey, Robbie Hammond, David Peacocke, John White, Robbie Smith, TJ Carter, Jason Gifney.