World Record Attempt Hits 160

LtR – Rory O’ Flaherty, Coley O’Driscoll, James ‘Baby’ Young, Chris Keogh, Colin Osbourne, Richie McGrath, Jamie Caven, Mark Hurley – Photo Mike Bardsley

Two of the worlds top darts players, Colin Osbourne and Jamie Caven joined six Cobh players at the High Chapperal in Ballymore recently in an attempt to set a world record for the most bullseyes thrown by a team of eight in one hour. The evening, organised by local player Richie McGrath and other volunteers to raise funds in aid of Cobh Hospital gave a packed house a night to remember. Teams of two players took to the stage for a fifteen minute slot each and the standard for the night was set by first up Rory O’Flaherty and Coley O’Driscoll who threw a fantastic and best of the night, 43 bullseyes in their fifteen-minute stint. Next up were two more locals, James ‘Baby’ Young and Chris Keogh who followed through with 36 bulls to make a total of 79 bullseyes after just 30 minutes.

The tension in a packed High Chapperal was amazing and at times one could hear a pin drop as the darts were thrown and the clock ticked away. On the 30 minute mark, Richie McGrath and world darts player and cobh favourite Colin Osbourne took to the platform. With 79 bulls already on the board the duo added another 41 to take it to 120.

The guideline set out by Guinness World Records for the one hour attempt was 160 bullseyes and these needed to be recorded using live footage with two independent referees present for the duration.

With the pressure on, it was down to last up, Cobh favourite Mark Hurley and another world darts player in the form of Jamie Caven who were left with the daunting task of having to hit 40 bulls or over in the last fifteen minutes, but confidence was high as the lads began to chalk up the bulls.

The atmosphere in the building was electric at this stage and with 159 bullseyes on the clock with only seconds remaining up stepped Mark Hurley to secure number 160. Needless to say, the place erupted with delight. We’ve all been to some cup final or other and know that feeling when your team scores but never have I witnessed such euphoria as I did that night.

Speaking with organiser Richie McGrath afterward he said ‘Thrilled is an understatement. A brilliant achievement by the all who took part. We knew we had the players to do it. This is a first for Cobh and the High Chapperal and all we have to do now is wait to see if Guinness World Records will accept it into their records. We’ve did everything required by their guidelines so it’s finger crossed now. I’d like to thank everyone who took part and all those who turned out to support this evening. Lets not forget that the record attempt and the evening of darts that followed were all about raising funds for Cobh Hospital and we will announce a total of how much was raised when all monies are in.’