Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in darts: lessons on the German stage!

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in darts: lessons on the German stage!

The NB Darts trio consisting of Marko Bag, Nico Lehmann and Robin Holtz recently took part in the German Steeldart Championships (German Masters) in Kornwestheim, Baden-Württemberg. Unfortunately, the three darters from the association league were unable to perform at their usual level and were eliminated from the competition early on. Despite the disappointment, Robin Holtz said that the experiences and learnings could outweigh the early defeat. These championships not only provide athletes with a platform to compete, but also provide valuable insights that can be useful in future competitions.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania started the team competition for the DDV state cup with two teams. Nico Lehmann played in the first team that lost in the first round against Nordrhein-Westfalen II 3:7 after Lehmann lost his singles 1:3. The second team, consisting of Beutel, Holtz and Ronny Wetzel, was only able to win one of eight individual games and had to admit defeat 1:7. Marko Bag showed a respectable performance, but was unable to use his match darts to make it 3-1. At the end of the competition, Bayern I secured the title in the team competition.

Individual achievements in individual competition

The individual championships took place on the second day. Here Nico Lehmann already failed in the round of the last 256 against Timo Neidhold with 2:4. Lehmann stated that nervousness and the high temperature in the hall had a negative effect on his performance. In contrast, Bag and Holtz managed to reach the round of 128 after their opening victories. Holtz won his first match against Menno Soltow from Rostock, while Ronny Wetzel unfortunately lost his opening games. Jens Meyer from Reinkenhagen, who made it to the last eight, provided further positive news from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The individual title went to 20-year-old PDC professional Liam Maendl-Lawrence. The DVMV Team I with Juliane Dahms and Nancy Höhr was active among the darters, but they were also eliminated after a 1:5 defeat in the round of 16 against Baden-Württemberg I. However, Dahms was able to score an honorary point for her team. Bremen secured the women's title, while Dahms and Höhr were eliminated in the round of 128 the following day after their opening victories. Stefanie Lück from Hesse won the title in this competition.

The German Dart Association and its development

The roots of darts in Germany go back to 1979, when the first attempts were made to define common rules. The German Dart Association (DDV) was finally founded as a registered association on August 21, 1982. Since then, the association has continuously developed and today organizes seven ranking tournaments, as well as two cup competitions and the Winmau Bundesliga, which has existed since the 2003/2004 season. This is divided into a north and south group, each with nine teams, with the top four in each group playing for the German team champions.

The DDV consists of 13 regional associations and had over 16,000 active members in 2020, an all-time record. The DDV athletes have represented Germany at international tournaments under the umbrella of the WDF since 1983. In recent years, the association has received increasing funding, including for the first time in 2018 from the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), to support top athletes and further increase the level of darts in Germany. With Dirk Wurzler as national coach since 2022, competitive sport will be further professionalized.