Wiltshire man finishes 12-hour darts world record attempt

A school cover manager has provisionally set the Guinness World Record for scoring the most points on a dartboard in 12 hours.

Tom Barkham, from Wroughton, Wiltshire, set the world record at The Carter’s Rest pub on Saturday and had aimed to score 160,000.

Raising funds for Prospect Hospice, the amateur level darts player ended up achieving a score of 166,612.

Mr Barkham said his “calves felt like concrete” and his arm was “somewhat non-existent” but he felt relieved to complete the challenge.

Mr Barkham said: “I’ve never done anything like this before.

“It feels like someone injected concrete into my calves my right arm is somewhat non-existent.

“I started off terribly, I think the nerves got to me, and then at the end of the first hour I was about 30 mins ahead of schedule.

“At around 6pm I was taking my socks and shoes off to get some feeling back into my feet.

“I thought, ‘Am I going to get this done?’, then I caught a second wind and powered through.”

Mr Barkham said he trained for hours in the weeks leading up to the challenge, which meant he missed out on a lot of family time.

“It’s not been easy for my family so I think they’ll be happy to have me to themselves now,” he said.

“At the end my daughter ran over and gave me a hug.”

Mr Barkham was doused in champagne when he finished but he said the challenge had taken its toll.

“I was so tired and in pain,” he said.

“The feeling was more of relief than excitement – I was so tired.”

When asked whether he would attempt to set another darts world record in the future, he said: “It’s not something I’ll do again.

“I’ve been playing darts for over 20 years, but I’m going to take some time off now.”

Mr Barkham and his family, who helped collect witness statements and footage of the feat, now have to send the evidence to the Guinness World Record team for verification.

At the end of the process, which could take a few months, he will be awarded with a medal and a certificate.