Gibraltar Darts at WDF Europa Cup

Gibraltar Darts concluded its participation at the WDF Europe Cup in the Faroe Islands, having fielded teams in both the Open and Ladies categories.

The tournament also marked Gibraltar’s return to the Ladies team event for the first time since 2006.

Gibraltar’s Open team consisted of captain Nico Bado, Juan Carlos Muñoz, Ethan Pulham and Kirei Walker, with Darren Olivero as manager. The Ladies team was captained by Erika Ward alongside Isabel Dominguez Heras, Bryanna Tosso and Tarika Ward, with Helen Olivero as manager.

Both teams began their participation in the team events, with Gibraltar’s Open team drawn in Group 3 alongside Germany, Lithuania and the Republic of Ireland.

Gibraltar opened with a 9-4 defeat against Germany before pushing Lithuania close in a 9-7 loss. Their Open team event concluded with a 9-1 defeat against the Republic of Ireland.

The Ladies team faced a demanding group containing Wales, Germany, Austria and Estonia. They opened with a 9-0 defeat against Wales before producing an improved performance against Estonia, losing 9-4.

Austria were next, winning 9-0, with Gibraltar also completing their Ladies team event against Germany.

Attention then turned to the Open Singles and Ladies Pairs events.

Gibraltar’s participation in the Ladies Pairs came to an end with both pairings defeated in their opening matches. Bryanna Tosso and Isabel Dominguez Heras lost 4-0 against Norway’s Rachna David and Veronica Simonsen, while Tarika Ward and Erika Ward were beaten by the same score by the Republic of Ireland pairing of Katie Sheldon and Robyn Byrne.

In the Open Singles, Kirei Walker exited following a 4-1 defeat against Latvia’s Roberts Bulko, while Ethan Pulham lost 4-0 to Austrian former professional Rowby-John Rodriguez.

Nico Bado and Juan Carlos Muñoz both progressed further in the Open Singles.

Bado began with a closely contested 4-3 win against Iceland’s Gunnar Olafssen before beating Northern Ireland’s Mark Yeats 4-2. His run eventually came to an end with a 4-2 defeat against Czechia’s Dominik Moravcik.

Muñoz progressed furthest of the Gibraltar players.

He opened with a tight 4-3 win against Slovakia’s Lubos Pivarc before edging Finland’s Mio Varila by the same score. The latter included a 106 checkout to level the match at 3-3 before Muñoz secured the deciding leg.

The result took him into the last 32 of the Open Singles as Gibraltar’s final player remaining in the competition, where Norway’s Jonas Graversen ended his run with a 4-2 victory.

The defeat concluded Gibraltar’s participation at the WDF Europe Cup, with team managers Darren Olivero and Helen Olivero congratulating the players on their performances and professionalism throughout the tournament and describing them as great ambassadors for Gibraltar Darts.