Two-time Lakeside champion Glen Durrant kept his promise to Angus Darts Academy youngsters on Friday night.
Durrant – who is a friend of Arbroath darts player Alan ‘Soots’ Soutar – made a pledge live on Channel 4 when he won his second title back in January that he would bring the trophy to Arbroath.
The world champion made good his vow and kicked off a busy weekend for Angus Darts Academy which is welcoming young players from Italy who are on a fact-finding mission to the Cafe Project on Brothock Bridge.
Durrant played around 20 junior and senior players on Friday night who were also given a chance to get a picture with the two-time champion and the famous Lakeside trophy.
Scotland international darts player Soots – who runs the Angus Darts Academy – said: “Glen promised live on Channel 4 after he won the world title at Lakeside that he would bring the trophy to Arbroath to share with our youngsters.
“We struck up a friendship playing darts and he totally supports youth darts and everything I have done up here in Angus and Scotland for youth darts.”
The Cafe Project will host the Angus Youth Masters on Saturday which will include an international challenge match between Scotland and Italy.
On Sunday the Angus Youth Singles event will take place to bring the curtain down on a full weekend of darts and friendship in Arbroath.
Soots said he was proud that what is going on in Angus is now being replicated in Italy.
He said: “The friendship with Italy was created from playing for Scotland at Europe and World Cups over the last few years,” he said.
“They wanted to come and experience darts in the UK and say our Angus Darts Academy is the top academy in Britain so it’s the best place to come.
“The Italian Darts Academy is very new and they are looking to reproduce what we do Italy-wide. Some of our youth players are around the best in the world.”
The Angus Darts Academy was put firmly on the world map in January 2017 when Craichie youngster Nathan Girvan finished runner-up at the BDO Lakeside World Youth Championships at Frimley Green.
Nathan is the most high-profile of the youngsters that play darts every week at the Café Project in Arbroath under the watchful eye of mentor Soots.
