Shropshire is preparing for its biggest ever weekend of darts - and two county men will be rubbing shoulders with the game’s greats.
Dawley duo Glyn Humphries and Derek Box have both joined the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and will be making their debuts for the organisation in Telford.
The International Centre hosts a Players Championship on Saturday, before staging the Midlands regional final of the Blue Square UK Open 24 hours later.
Some £45,000 in prizemoney is up for grabs over the weekend and there is a chance both Humphries and Box could be drawn against Phil Taylor, Raymond Van Barneveld or any number of leading names heading to Shropshire.
Box, a 44-year-old plasterer, has already played in a number of tournaments around the world during a 20-year-plus darting career.But he is now looking forward to playing the PDC calender over the coming months.
“Me and Glyn have been mates for years and we thought we would give it a good go so we will see what happens over the next year or so,” he said.
“It widens your horizons and the only way you are going to get better is to play against the best.
“I played Eric Bristow in a final in America when he was in his prime and Phil Taylor in a competition tin Blackpool three years ago. He beat me easily and then beat me the next day in a pairs competition.
“But it was a great experience and it would be great to play these type of players again.
“The aim is to climb the rankings and make it to a TV tournament.”
Humphries, who is 34 and runs his own minibus company, is expecting nerves to be a factor over the weekend.
“I’m sure that will be the case but hopefully both me and Derek can start well,” he said.
“I’ve put a lot of practice in recently. I’m not going to say I’m going to do this or that but as long as I put the practice in, I’m sure I will do okay.”
Humphries and Box - who have both played county darts for Shropshire - are team-mates for The Lamb, Wrockwardine Wood, in the Shropshire Super League and the Rock & Fountain in Shrewsbury.
And the pair will get an early taste of the big time tonight. They are due to be in a bumper crowd at Birmingham NIA for the latest round of the PDC Premier League.
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