Darts star Chris Dobey prepared for Thursday’s Cazoo Premier League night in Leeds by joining the PDC’s Bullseye Maths session held at Holy Name Catholic Voluntary Academy.
Newcastle’s Dobey shot into the sport’s elite in January by winning the Cazoo Masters, and is one of the eight stars competing across Europe at present in the weekly Premier League.
Ahead of the visit to Leeds’ First Direct Arena, 32-year-old Dobey took part in Wednesday’s Bullseye Maths session alongside 29 pupils at the Cookridge school, inspiring some potential stars of the future.
Bullseye Maths was introduced in 2022 as a fun and inclusive way to promote numeracy, after studies found that numeracy levels amongst children had been affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the scheme supported by numeracy charity Maths One Toast.
Alongside an online portal at pdc.tv/maths, in-school sessions have been held throughout the past year as stars of the sport joined pupils for a combination of numeracy exercises and darts-based games.
“It was great to be involved and I really enjoyed the Bullseye Maths session,” said Dobey.
“Maths is a key part of the sport of darts because you’re constantly adding, multiplying and subtracting whilst playing, and it was really interested to see this taken into school.
“The pupils all got involved in the session and hopefully it will help them enjoy maths more in the future.”
The in-school sessions are run by Gary Horsley from Nottingham College’s Room 180 Academy, who said: “This was one of the best sessions we’ve run since starting Bullseye Maths last year.
“We had 29 pupils from Year 4 at Holy Name and they all did superbly, and really applied themselves to the exercises throughout the session.”
Philip Stewardson, Year 4 teacher at Holy Name, added: “The children had a great time and were really enthused about not only playing the game of darts but also using their maths skills to solve the problems being set and work towards scoring the most points.
“I would highly recommend Bullseye Maths. It is a great way to combine maths, sport and a little bit of competition – with the children not really recognising they are working at the same time.
“Gary and his team were great at leading the children and building not only their confidence in maths and the playing of darts but also developing their resilience, as it is not necessarily something they have done before.
“Chris Dobey was fantastic with the children and really got involved with them, offering advice, showing off his skills and answering questions from pupils.
“One of the girls in the class has already said that she wants to play more darts and become a professional, which shows the impact the session has had!”
Chris Dobey’s Cazoo Premier League season continues with Thursday’s Night 13 at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on Thursday April 27.
Further Bullseye Maths sessions will be held throughout 2023, and further information can be seen at pdc.tv/maths.
The PDC’s online Bullseye Maths portal includes an interactive game, provided by GoDartsPro, and downloadable worksheets to allow all people interested in numeracy to take part in darts-based exercises.
—–Ends—–
Images: Supplied via PDC
