IT SHOULD have been a friendly game of darts between two pub league teams. Instead, the match erupted into a furious row, with accusations of homophobia and the winning team being banned for life from the league. The feud broke out soon after The Bevendean Hotel side beat The Stag, the host pub, 8-1, putting them 18 points ahead in the United Darts League in Brighton. Within days of celebrating the victory, which put them on course to top the mixed league, the winning team were accused of homophobia and banned from the tournament for life. The players are appealing against the decision by the league and say that they have not been given the chance to defend themselves. However, members of the all-gay team at The Stag said that the abuse they suffered was "disgusting and offensive". Fran Bailey, captain of the Stag team, said: "There was constant abuse all night. If their darts fell on the floor, we heard them say: 'I wouldn't bend over to pick up your darts in this pub.' " After the match the Stag team wrote to Steve Burtenshaw, chairman of the league, to complain and the Bevendean team were given lifetime bans. Penny Priest, landlady of the Bevendean and a team member, said: "We completely deny we were or are homophobic in any way. I never said anything like what they're accusing us of and I've spoken to the rest of the team and they say they didn't."
And just think, Valentines Day is fast approaching.