Darts and laurels for city family

Maharashtra Herald June 19, 2007

BY SUHRID BARUA

PUNE:As a sport darts may not possess a huge fan following like cricket in the country and could even struggle to capture the imagination of the sports buffs, but it is slowly but surely showing signs of making an impact in India.
Ask four-times national darts champion Ashfaque Sayyed and he would vouch for that. “Darts is still in its nascent stages as far as public awareness is concerned. But what is interesting is that lot of people have a fair idea of darts, but they don’t know enough about the rules of the sport and also about how to play,” Ashfaque told Herald yesterday.
The 43-year-old national champion feels darts has the potential to grow as a sport if enough is done to promote the game at various levels. “It’s a sport that people may enjoy if they take IT up. Obviously, the All India Darts Association (AIDA) has done a lot to keep the sport alive in the county, ever since they conducted the first national dart championships in 2002. So, I have no doubts that darts would pick up in a big way,” he puts things in perspective.
Four nationals crowns in a row would mean winning national titles must have been a cinch thing for him, but Ashfaque believes there is cut-throat competition now than it used to be two years back. “It’s true that for the first couple of years I had a virtual cakewalk. I won’t deny that. But I faced stiff competition in the 2006 nationals and in the 2007 edition at Hyderabad. Actually, it’s a healthy sign, lop-sided matches are never good for the sport or for the crowd,” he says with a touch of realism.
Serious stuff aside, how does it feel about being called the first darts family in the country? For stats-minded, his wife, Ayesha Sayyed was runners-up in the women’s singles in the just-concluded 2007 nationals in Hyderabad, while his daughter Nausheen Sayyed finished second-best in the girls’ youth or under-18 segment. “It’s a great feeling, I can tell you that. We are passionate about darts and train at home mostly. We do it at our own comfort level. Lets see how we can take it further,” he says.
Wife Ayesha is swelled with pride talking about her feats. “Darts is a kind of sport, which even I as a housewife can play while taking care of my household duties. It’s a sport where you don’t need much physical strength, though I’m no way saying that fitness is not important in darts,” she observed.
Daughter Nausheen, little bashful by nature, even dared to compete in the women’s singles event and reached the semi-finals, where she went down to her mother Nausheen. No wonder, Ashfaque has nothing but praise for his daughter. “She has a natural throw, which gives her an edge over her opponents. Having a natural throw is a great asset in darts, something I worked on for two years to perfect it. She can make it big on the international stage provided she has the desire and realisation to do it. I hope she surpasses whatever I’ve achieved in darts,” Ashfaque signed off on an optimistic note.