MORE than 100 darters went up to the oche and £1,300 in prize money was given out as the Golden Arrow returned to the calendar.

The event, at Burnley Miners’ Club, was dedicated to the late Les Gibson and attracted a high-quality field of darts stars from across the north of England.

And the competition didn’t disappoint from the first round through to the final as Mike Smith from St Helens beat his Superleague team-mate Doug Smith 5-2 in an enthralling contest in front of a packed house.

The losing semi-finalists were Longridge’s Tony Stone and local sporting all-rounder Graham Lalor.

The winner claimed the £500 top prize and the runner-up picked up £250, while Stone and Lalor walked away with £100 each for their efforts in reaching the final four.

There was also £50 each for the losing quarter-finalists and the eight board qualifiers received £20 each.

Following the success of the tournament, organisers hope to make the competition an annual event once again.