You know what's next, Sammy.
Ferns.
Posted on 01/24/2005 9:35:09 PM PST by ijcr
All six members of a pub darts team have been banned for life after being accused of making anti-homosexual jibes while playing against a side made up of homosexuals and lesbians.
The three men and three women from the Bevendean Hotel in Brighton have been told by their league that they will never again be allowed to throw competitively.
Players from the Bevendean - the runaway leaders of the mixed division of the United Darts League in Brighton - were accused of refusing to shake hands with their opponents or even to eat the food on offer when they went to the Stag pub in the Sussex resort for a league fixture. They were also said to have made ribald comments every time one of their players went to pick up a dart that had fallen to the floor.
Yesterday, Penny Priest, the landlady of the Bevendean Hotel and a member of the team, denied that her players had done anything wrong and accused the league of organising a "kangaroo court" to ban the side after they had thrashed the Stag 8-1.
Fran Bailey, the captain of the Stag's team, insisted that her team had endured "constant abuse all night", adding: "We heard them say, 'don't shake hands - you never know what you're going to catch'.
"If their darts fell on the floor, we heard them say, 'I wouldn't bend over to pick up your darts in this pub. I would rather buy a new pack.'
"It is courtesy to supply food when you are the host pub for a match but when we said we were going to bring it out they said, 'We don't want to eat in here because we don't know what we are going to catch.'
"They even booked their taxi well in advance and we heard them say that they would rather pay waiting charges to the taxi than stay another minute longer in the pub.
"We were intimidated in our own pub. Their behaviour was disgusting and offensive."
Derek Henderson, landlord of the pub, added: "We are not a gay pub. We are a mixed pub but we have a zero-tolerance policy against any kind of abuse against anyone."
After the match Stag team members wrote to Steve Burtenshaw, the chairman of the league, to complain and all the members of the Bevendean team were given life bans.
Mrs Priest said that her players had been unfairly treated because they had not been given any opportunity to defend themselves.
She added: "We completely deny we were or are homophobic in any way. They are just being so petty. I have seen full-scale rows after dart matches with ashtrays and chairs flying, and those teams haven't been banned.
"We have not once been given the chance to defend ourselves.
"We were banned straight away. It was a kangaroo court."
Makes me laugh, too!
Funny, if it's true what the lady said, that full-scale fights after darts matches didn't get teams banned, but supposedly making anti-gay remarks got this team banned. I guess a zero-tolerance policy trumps an ashtray to the back of the head.
It's bar darts. What did they expect.
I thought taunting was part of the game, what a joke.
These crybabies must've been Kerry supporters, too.
Yes, I know it's England, but the tradition of "taking the Mickey', or "Takin' the pi$$" is an English tradition (kibitzing in NY). Their humor is based around good-natured ribbing.
This was the revenge of a humorless lot of sore losers, DU, UK style.
You will be now. Enjoy.
"... homosexuals and lesbians."
Now there's a statement that causes one to pause and wonder.
Was it a bar darts pub, or butt darts pub?
You beat me to it ;)
... and if you don't go away, I shall taunt you a second time.
were accused of refusing to shake hands with their opponents or even to eat the food on offer when they went to the Stag pub in the Sussex resort for a league fixture.
Can anyone really blame them?
You know what's next, Sammy.
Ferns.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.