The late Stu (Blondie) Leach started something that has continued into its second year and shows every sign of becoming a local sporting fixture.
Turanganui a Kiwa and Gisborne Club darts associations first contested The Clash of the Associations last year.
This year, thanks largely to the organisational skills of Stu's widow Ange Leach, the two associations got together again last week and contested a tournament split into A and B grades.
Honours were shared — a Gisborne Club Darts Association team won the A Grade and a Turanganui a Kiwa Darts Association team won the B Grade.
A Grade teams played a 21-game format, first to 11 games, best of five, 501 straight start. It had supporters of both sides cheering as if it were a PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) final.
For Turanganui a Kiwa Darts Association, the Ford Falcons team comprised captain Harley Ngarangione, Te Kotahi Kaio, Tahuna Irwin, Jordan Ngarangione, Sam Kirikino and Ihaka Kaio-Wynyard.
For Gisborne Club Darts Association, the 2NZEF Kingz team comprised captain Cris Kiri, Tyson Eyles, Joe Kiri, Kanye Arahanga, Irie Eyles and Hunter Eyles.
In the first set of singles, Ford Falcons took the lead 5 games to 1. Some of the games were close, with 3-2 scorelines making the darts exciting to watch.
Ihaka Kaio-Wynyard, the youngest member of Ford Falcons, pegged the first 180 in the singles section.
In the pairs, Ford Falcons took a 3-1 lead. This sparked a revival by the 2NZ Kingz, and in a great comeback they won the last five pairs clashes to reduce Ford Falcons' lead to a single game, 8-7.
In the last set of six games, the reverse singles, both teams knew the match was there for the taking. Ford Falcons needed three wins, the Kingz, four, to clinch the match.
Ford Falcons couldn't get off the mark. Arahanga, of 2NZ Kingz, beat the Falcons' Irwin 3-2 to make the overall score 8-8.
This inspired his teammates. Tyson Eyles chimed in with a 3-1 victory over Jordan Ngarangione to put the Kingz ahead, 9-8.
When Irie Eyles beat Te Kotahi Kaio, Kingz led 10-8, and needed just one more win for the match with three games to go.
Young gun Hunter Eyles took a 2-0 lead over Harley Ngarangione but the Falcons skipper rallied and pulled back the next two games to draw level at 2-2.
Eyles responded with some great darts in the last leg. He eventually pegged the winning double for the game and an 11-8 match victory for 2NZ Kingz, whose supporters roared with excitement over the comeback win.
For the B Grade contest, Gisborne Club Darts Association's 2020 winners weren't available for the clash, so Ange Leach, leader of runners-up RSA XFMO, captained a team comprising daughter Juanita Reeves, moko Bray Reeves, Verna Ngauu, Johnny Hyslop and niece Karlia Waikawa.
They brought their A game to the oche and didn't make it easy for Turanganui a Kiwa Darts Association's Knights, who comprised Kino White (captain), Lyn Edwards, Victor Mackay, Tom Hindmarsh, Ripeka Te Kira and Anaru Cashmore.
The first set of singles ended 3-3.
In the pairs, White led the Whites close to victory with a 7-2 result that took the overall score to 10-5 before the reverse singles.
The Knights needed one more game for the match and Tom Hindmarsh provided it for an 11-5 scoreline in their favour.