The cosy Edinburgh pub with a darts team on course to break unbeaten record
A Leith pub's darts team is on course to break the long-held unbeaten record thanks to its ’great team spirit’.
Fox’s Bar in Bonnington Road has enjoyed great success in recent years, with the team having won five out of the last six Leith Darts League titles.
The players are currently 84 games unbeaten over that period, with only four matches drawn in that time.
When the season resumes in January, the pub hopes its team of 11 players will smash through the 100 unbeaten record and pass the current record of 103 games unbeaten set by the Norhet Bar more than 10 years ago.
The pub’s women’s team has also been hugely successful, winning 10 league titles in a row and aiming to make it 11, having won their 10 games so far this season.
The men’s team captain Mark Pearson is the son of the owner of Fox’s Bar, and he is also a barman at the Leith boozer. He is confident his team will go on to smash the unbeaten record and claim the title of Edinburgh’s best ever darts team.
He said: “We will definitely break the record, and I think we should get it done in the next league, which runs from February to May.
“It’s because we are all friends and all get on, that’s the main thing about our team. None of us ever argue, we are the best of friends. Anybody that’s a problem that way at all we move on quite quickly, as I believe our great team spirit is the main reason for our success.
“We don’t go to our games thinking we are going to smash the other team, we just want to play darts because we enjoy it so much, we love the game. It’s all about being relaxed, having fun with your mates. It’s a really good team we have, a great group of guys, mates for life.
“The teams we play often have half of their team sitting at one side of the bar and the other half on the other side, but we always stay together as we have got great unity, and that’s why we win all the time I think.
“I’m very proud of the team, and the aim now is to get over 100 unbeaten, pass the record of 103, and just keep going as long as possible.
“We just want to get the longest unbeaten run we can, to make it difficult for other teams to ever surpass, so we leave a real legacy, and everyone always remembers the darts team at Fox’s Bar.”
With the pub set to change hands in five years time, Mark would love to see his team and the women’s team continue to succeed right to the end.
He said: “We have only got five years left at this pub as the lease will be up then, so it would be so incredible to get to the end unbeaten. It will be difficult but I wouldn’t bet against us.
“And the ladies team have done so well also, they are a really good team and are also achieving great things just now, it’s great that both teams have had such success at the same time.
“I just wish our B-team would get to the level of our team and the ladies team, but they are not quite there yet. They will get there eventually.”
Fox’s Bar’s darts team has really hit the bullseye since Mark became captain, and he explained his secret to success.
He said: “I have been involved for six years now, since my dad took on this pub. Since I took over as captain we have won the league each time, so three in a row.
“The secret is I have been good at recruiting players. One guy was just walking past the pub and somebody said he was a good player, so I grabbed him in and he joined the team.
“We have 11 players, with eight playing in each game, and you need the back-ups in case anyone can’t make a game. We delve into the squad and we can trust our back-up players to produce.
“Although, I often say we only have 10 and a half players, as my dad is in the squad. We actually have one of the smallest squads, as most teams have 14 players to choose from.
“Some of our players we’ve brought in from other pubs. I would tell them they were too good to play for their current pub and if they want to win they should come to us.”
And it’s not just the players in the team that make the difference at the oche for Fox’s Bar, with fellow regulars keen to support the team.
Mark said: “This pub has been champions of Leith before in the past and always had a darts team. But the last few years have definitely been our best period of success.
“We have a few regulars that come and support us at other pubs. We love that support and really feel the benefit of it.
“When I come into the pub on a Tuesday everyone asks how we got on in the darts game on the Monday night. My dad is always messaging me during the games for updates.
“And we have customers who we’ve given our team shirts to and they have sent us photos of them wearing them all over the world, including at the San Siro in Millan and the Melbourne Cricket Ground.”