Darts is a family affair for the Beavan family. Three generations often find themselves up on the line, competing against each other within the Great Lakes Darts Association.
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“I’m not as good as he is though,” said grandmother Doreen, with a nod of pride to grandson Marcus.
Nabiac’s thirteen-year-old Marcus Beavan has been playing since the age of four and loves darts for its social and competitive aspects.
“The pressure sometimes gets to me but I’m learning to back it off.”
After winning last year’s senior singles and doubles state championship, he has finally been able to compete on a state level on home ground.
“We wanted to bring more darts closer to home,” club president Andy Faulkner said, referring to the NSW Junior Darts 4's Championships held at Club Forster mid July.
“I counted 63 icecreams heading upstairs.”
As Forster’s first state dart competition, Andy said the turn up was better then expected with children across NSW between the ages of five and 18 competing.
“The sport is growing every year,” president of NSW Junior Darts Greg Clegg said.
“It requires a large level of both fine and gross motor skills to guide your darts to within millimeters of the intended target,” he added, praising the local facilities as among the best in the state.
As the only junior player in the region Marcus frequently finds himself challenging older players in both junior and senior competitions. For juniors he plays for Newcastle Diggers, which came third in the recent comp in a close match.