Darts academy teens aim to be tops in world juniors

THE young members of a Fettercairn darts academy are already seeing success at the Junior Darts Corporation World Championship in Gibraltar, which began on Monday.

Thomas Keane (17), Sean McKeon (17), Paul Ryan (13), and Scott Doyle (13) from the Hornets Darts Academy in Fettercairn are competing in the championship.

Also joining them is the up-and-coming young darts player Blake Martin (13), who will compete in the MVG Open and Gibraltar Open and is also finessing his darts skills with the Hornets.

The competition is already in full swing, with Scott and Paul reaching the quarter-final of the men’s event on Monday, while Blake reached the quarter-final of the youth event.

All of the young men are now preparing to compete in the World Championships this weekend, while Sean will be competing as part of the Ireland team in the Junior Darts World Cup on Saturday.

When Brian Doherty, the director and head coach of the Hornets Darts Academy, spoke to The Echo from Gibraltar on Tuesday afternoon, training was in full swing.

“The kids are absolutely buzzing about it,” he said, when asked how they felt about the academy’s success at the championship.

“The main thing is that the three kids competed in international events, and young Scott and Paul getting to the quarter-finals is some achievement – there were professionals and all playing in it.”

The young players participated in twice-weekly training sessions in the Fettercairn Community Centre in the lead-up to the competition, and their hard work is already paying off.

“It’s been unbelievable,” added Brian. “The kids did the job, and the coaching they received for the championship . . . it’s great to see that getting to the forefront.

“They’re placing highly in the competition, and that’s a lot for a small little academy that’s in the middle of Fettercairn.”

They boys are all gearing up for the remaining competitions before the championships end this weekend, and they are keen to make their mark on the world darts stage.

“The kids are after gelling together really well and they just want to get going,” said Brian.

“Everyone is 100 per cent ready and focused. They’re going to give it their best shot, they’ll be giving it everything they have.”