ROYAL Selangor Club (RSC) aims to wrest the title from defending champions Kelab PJ at the 14th Interclub Invitational Darts Tournament on Oct 10 and 11.
The two-day competition features 32 teams battling for a share of the RM6,100 prize money at RSC’s Dataran Merdeka ballroom in Kuala Lumpur.
The hosts are fielding four teams – Dalmatians, Tigers, Rhinos and Angels – with a contingent that includes former national champions Victor Poulose and Connie Loo.
They will be joined by SS Ruben, who recently won the Altis Unseeded Challenge Final Series.
RSC darts section convenor and tournament organising chairman Alwin Rajasurya said the hosts hoped to improve on their recent results against Kelab PJ.
He said Kelab PJ had beaten RSC in the final of the previous team edition of the tournament and again in the semi-finals of Kelab PJ’s own tournament last month.
“They are our biggest rivals,” he said at a press conference at the clubhouse.
Alwin said RSC had stepped up training following last month’s semi-final defeat.
He said RSC had benefitted from competing in the Selangor Darts Association’s Premier League this year.
He added that playing regularly against stronger opposition helped narrow the gap and build confidence against higher-level opponents.
Other notable clubs competing include Royal Lake Club, Royal Port Dickson Yacht Club and the Malaysian Bar.
RSC sports chairman Jimi Low said interclub tournaments helped strengthen ties between participating clubs.
“They give players the opportunity to compete, build friendships and establish connections across clubs,” Low said.
“We are particularly proud to have former national champions Victor and Loo representing RSC alongside rising talent Ruben.”
Alwin said response was overwhelming, with all 32 places filled quickly.
He said the teams would be divided into eight groups of four for the round-robin stage, with the top two from each group advancing to the cup competition and the remaining teams entering a separate knockout competition.
Each team comprises five players, with matches featuring singles and doubles contests.
Preliminary rounds will be held today while the finals are scheduled for Oct 11.
Alwin said the club was considering hosting an open tournament in December or January to help raise playing standards.
He said the interclub tournament was funded through personal donations by club members as well as corporate sponsorship.
Also present at the press conference were RSC president Ranmit Singh, RSC tournament director K. Ravichandran and RSC darts team captain Jega Rao.
