County darts hits bullseye as teenagers show the way

Mar 19 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

Amy Whyte plays darts

TRADITIONALLY a darts player’s idea of a balanced diet was a pint of beer and a ciggie in each hand.

But now in 2009 the country’s top arrowmen have shaken off the stereotypes of the past, are raking in millions of pounds a year and are far more likely to be sipping nothing stronger than an orange juice as they perform in packed 10,000-seater arenas.

Darts has come full circle and the focus on the game has shifted to youths in a move which has reaped immediate dividends.

TV viewing figures place darts as the second most watched sport on Sky behind football.

Millions of armchair fans now watch the likes of Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld duel, arrows in top pocket, for whopping pay days in excess of six-figures in Sky Sports’ Premier League of Darts.

But closer to home the foundation stones of the next generation of legends of the oche are being laid in regions all over the UK.

West Lothian has its own burgeoning arrow scene with three leagues all under the umbrella of the British Darts Association and the Scottish Darts Association.

There is a Bathgate league, playing Fridays, a West Lothian league, who play Mondays and a Livingston Summer League.

And players from each of the three leagues come together to play in the Super League from which the top players are selected for the County Select.

Every Monday, Friday and Saturday the county players take their places at the oche for another encounter with the arrows.

Riding the crest of the darting wave in West Lothian are a bunch of brilliant teenagers who, impatient for waiting for their turn at the top of the pile, are elbowing the older and more experienced players out the way in the jostle for top dog county status.

Mark Campbell, Darren Coffey and Frank Quinn are just three prodigious talents who are being tipped for big things.

But another two prospects who have caused ripples within the corridors of power at the BDO are teenagers Arran Edwards and Amy Whyte.

The duo are far from content with local domination and have switched their sights onto international competition and both have earned selection for the Scottish youth squads.