DARTS teams from Oswestry and Whitchurch have joined a new Shropshire-wide league, part of a wider UK organisation formed to rekindle interest in the sport.

The UK Darts Association (UKDA) has been formed to reinvent the county darts format, and Salopian Darts has been accepted by the new organisation.

A men's super league has already been formed featuring 15 teams from towns across the county who have registered an interest from Oswestry to Whitchurch, Wentnor to Market Drayton, Shrewsbury to Telford and towns in between.

Crucially there is a strong base within ladies' darts which gives the potential for a strong individual league.

Che Kerin will head up the Whitchurch team in the new super league, something he is looking forward to.

"Although it's been almost six months since a dart was thrown in pubs and clubs across Shropshire and beyond, much has happened in this time as local darts has undertaken a revolution that will potentially change the landscape of darts as we know it," said Che.

"For many years the British Darts Organization (BDO) was the driving force in local and county darts but in recent years they have endured darker times that have seen pub and club darts dwindle.

"This has sadly had a dramatic impact on the super leagues that feed into the county darts set up, while ironically, the popularity of darts on TV platforms such as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) go from strength to strength.

"Good news is just around the corner however, as from the shadows of the BDO a new organization, the UKDA has emerged heralding exciting times for British darts.

"The UKDA has plans to reinvent the county darts format and while there is much work still to be done they have allowed an opportunity for alternative darting regimes to join the association.

"As a result of these changes and in a ground breaking move Salopian Darts was recently accepted into the UKDA which means Shropshire now has two teams representing the county.

"Other counties from all over England and Wales such as Cumbria, Cheshire, Cleveland, Carmarthenshire, Lancashire, Clywd, Kent, Merseyside, Wirral and Derbyshire have joined the alliance with more to follow.

"That is only part of the story for the Salopians who have gone back to the grass roots of darts within the County, integrating with numerous local leagues to develop a platform that will suit all ladies', men's and youth darts, and which will ultimately strengthen and feed new players into the county scene.

"Despite these unprecedented times where sports such as darts have taken a massive hit, it seems there is light at the end of the oche."