I found out how easy a beginner in darts can become the next Michael van Gerwen or Phil Taylor

Darts. Is it a pub sport too far commercialised, or is there real skill behind the top players who win millions every year?

Gerwyn Price won £500,000 from a total prize share equivalent to the value of 10 Ferrari 488’s, £2.5 million, after beating Gary Anderson in the 2020/21 PDC World Championships final. As Price grasped his hands around the Sid Waddell Trophy, I decided to put in the practice and play some darts, with the long shot thought of whether easy success in the sport could put anyone in the driver’s seat of a moving, extravagant Bellagio roulette table.

First, I had to pick my poison. I was never going to maximise my darting potential by using any old piece of tungsten-I needed something that was lightweight, featherlike almost, but inexpensive. The Red Dragon Euro 11 was chosen.

Weighing in around four-fifths of an AA battery, it was ideal for me as in my minimal previous experience of playing Darts, the lighter point scorers seemed to hit the board more so than heavier darts. Furthermore, they came under the Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright collection and arrived with neon dart flights featuring a large snake head-in my mind that would make it seem even more impressive when I would record my first 180. That later turned out to be an if.

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With many nations across the globe in a state of lockdown, the sport of darts enjoyed record-breaking figures as virgin eyes of the sport clasped onto the tournament. Average viewing figures the size of East African nation Djibouti’s population, witnessed ‘The Iceman’ beat Anderson to become the first Welshman to win the World Championships. Yet, whilst I watched most games during the Christmas period, it seemed I had forgotten all my mental notes on how the professional players perform, and instead was playing like Bambi on ice; hopeless.

My right foot planted beside a picture frame of a Liverpool FC 2011/12 squad photo, as a marker for the 7 feet 9.25 inches the Euro 11’s would have to fly across. Inadvertently though, one of the three darts would wander away from the other two almost as if it were a bad behaving child on a school trip. Scoring two 20’s and a 12 was a common occurrence on the brand-new Winmau Blade 5 board.

Occasionally, I would get a good score an imitate Price’s iconic roar, however, instead of being on the verge of a world title, I would have hit double four for the fifth time asking.

Was it my grip on the darts? Too tight or too loose? A maudlin marksman’s aim would be superior to mine, yet despite my soberness, whatever I set my eyes on seemingly missed with perfect precision. If hitting triple five was the equivalent of scoring a goal, I would be Andy Cole on the all-time Premier League top scorers list.

It was clear like countryside air; becoming as talented as the likes of Michael van Gerwen or Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor is anything but easy.

I never liked Ferrari interiors anyway.