Young darter takes elite stage

A young Shropshire darter is gearing up for his second appearance on one of the sport’s most famous stages.

David Pallett has been selected for the youth section of the England team to take on the Rest of Europe at the Lakeside - which plays host to the BDO World Championships - on March 22 and 23.

The 17-year-old from Newport will be in elite company with the England men’s team captained by Martin Adams and the ladies by Trina Gulliver, both former world champions.

Pallett, a student at Stafford College, played at the Lakeside in a special challenge match against Holland last year but lost his game.

But after an extra year of playing competitions around the country - including defeating former world champion Dennis Priestley 5-2 in a UK Open qualifier - he will be hoping to make a winning re-appearance. Pallett, a regular in Shropshire’s men team and North of England Youth team, will be joined by fellow Shropshire darter Steve Farmer.

The 42-year-old from Telford, who has also been named in the team for the next month’s Six Nations Cup in Merthyr Tydfil, will be hoping for better fortunes that when suffering a first round exit at the World Championships at the start of January.