How the UKDA Promoted and Relegated Teams will Kick-off Their New Season:
The third season of the UKDA National League will be soon getting underway and the newly promoted teams to the Cosmo Darts Premier Division will begin their life in the top tier with a “Baptism of Fire” as they will take on the top division’s champions and runners-up from last season.
Reigning champions Lancashire will play hosts to Dorset while runners-up Yorkshire will travel to take on Humberside.
London, Kent and Cheshire were all relegated from the premier division last season to the Andy Wheeler Fisheries Championship division and they will begin their fight to regain their premiership status with London playing hosts to Cleveland.
Kent will have an away game against newly promoted to the Championship Derbyshire and Cheshire will travel to Northamptonshire.
West Midlands were the other team to gain promotion from division one last season and they will have to wait for their opener as they have a bye in the opening fixtures of the new campaign.
Berkshire, Gwyned, Devon and Gwent were all relegated from the Championship to Division One last season three of them will begin life in the L-Style Division One with away games.
Gwynedd will be the only team out of the four with a home tie and they will host newly promoted Tyne and Wear while Berkshire, Devon and Gwent will play away against respective opponents Merseyside, Somerset and the other promoted team Black Country.
Last season Surrey, Worcestershire and County Durham all lost their division one status dropping into division two. County Durham will have a tough opener playing away against Nottinghamshire who narrowly lost out on promotion last season finishing on the same 193 points as promoted Tyne and Wear.
While Surrey and Worcestershire will both play at home against respective opponents West of England and Norfolk.
The 2022-2023 division three champions Middlesex and runners-up Salopian will continue their quest for further promotion with the former playing away against Wiltshire while the latter will play hosts to Clwyd.
Relegated from division two last season were Cumbria, Bedfordshire and Gloucestershire, Cumbria will open up with a home tie against Northumberland while Bedfordshire will make the long trek across water to line-up against Isle of Wight.
After a season in division two Gloucestershire make a swift return to division three and will start their new season playing away against Shropshire.
After gaining two successive promotions from division three and division two, Black Country will begin life in the L-Style Division one with a home game against Gwent.
Gwent last season were relegated from the Andy Wheeler Fisheries Championship Division so it could prove to be something of an early season trier for the home side to see how they will shape-up in the new higher division.
West Midlands finished as runners-up in the L-Style Division One last season and as a result got promoted back to the Andy Wheeler Fisheries Championship Division but they will have to wait until the weekend of the 30th September / 1st October before they begin their season when they will play away against Cheshire as in this weekend’s opening fixtures they have a bye.
—–Ends—–
Words: Alan Towe ( With Red Dragon Darts)
Images:
