Lowton Community Darts Club has crowned its first-ever Lowton Open champion — and raised more than £700 for a Leigh charity in the process.
The tournament took place on Saturday, 16 May at Lowton Social Club, with more than 30 players from across the local area taking part. All proceeds went to Boxing for Better, a non-contact boxing organisation based in Leigh.
The final came down to a deciding leg between Lowton Community Darts player Mark ‘Macca’ Gannon and the highly experienced Mike ‘Hurricane’ Harrison from Ashton. Gannon held his nerve to nail the double top and take the title on home turf.
Trophies and prize money were presented by Daniel Vernon of LCD and Boxing for Better trainer Jonny Brown.
The event raised £715, which has been added to Boxing for Better’s crowdfunding appeal — currently standing at £39,485. The funding will go towards establishing a community boxing hub in the centre of Leigh, offering fully inclusive sessions open to anyone regardless of their circumstances. The project has already received support from Sport England and Maverick Stars.
Boxing for Better, led by Chief Executive David Morris, already delivers sessions across Wigan, Leigh and the surrounding areas — working in schools, community hubs, and with children, adults, young offenders and, most recently, people experiencing homelessness through the BRICK project.
Trainer Jonny Brown said: “We are all very motivated in the team to help people through our boxing-based sessions. We are not trying to produce amateur boxers, but to use our non-contact boxing as the tool to help people with their fitness and overall wellbeing. Mental health is such a big issue for everyone these days, be it young or old, and it’s been proved over and over that fitness training really helps people cope with the pressures of life.”
Tournament organiser Andy Brown paid tribute to everyone who helped make the day a success, including Gavin Pinion, Andy Stott and Mark Gannon, as well as all those who entered and bought raffle tickets. He also thanked Community Champion Natasha from Leigh Tesco, who donated gifts for the raffle.
Andy added that he intends to make the Lowton Open an annual event. “Lowton Community Darts is a fantastic club with great people and I fully support Boxing for Better in what they are providing to the community,” he said.
For more information, visit www.boxingforbetter.co.uk and www.lowtoncommunitydarts.co.uk.