Why I want Wigan to remain in the Premier League

At 7.45pm tonight Wigan will take on Swansea in a massive game at the DW stadium. Then again, Wigan fans have become accustomed to watching these sort of games at this stage of the season over the last few years.

Every year, Wigan Athletic almost deliberately seem to put their fans through the mire as they slip into an inevitable relegation battle, before somehow performing great escape after great escape under the management of Roberto Martinez. Should they lose to Swansea tonight though, the Championship bells would be ringing in their ears a lot louder. Currently they sit on 35 points with a game in hand on the sides above them on 38 points; Newcastle, Norwich and Sunderland. A win for Wigan tonight and suddenly Newcastle are in the bottom three on goal difference. But if Swansea manage to beat their old manager's side, then surely Wigan will be joining Reading and QPR in the Championship next season.

However, I really hope that Wigan remain in the Premier League and not just for this season. I should point out that I am not a Wigan fan and never have been. Instead, I have merely developed a liking for a club that I believe are one of the most attractive in England's top division.

One of the main reasons for this is the aforementioned Martinez. Still only 39, the Spaniard is an extremely affable man who is nothing but charming and honest in his interviews before and after matches. He has even shown himself to be a very knowledgeable pundit whilst working for the BBC and ITV among others over the last few years. Of course, there is more than one way to set up football teams and managers such as Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis have proven that filling your team with 'big men' can work, but Martinez has always wanted to play football the 'right way'. And this has been the case since he started managing at Swansea in 2007, whom he would lead to the League One title. In many ways, he laid the foundations for the Welsh club's success that they've had since he left under Brendan Rodgers and now Michael Laudrup.

Another reason to admire Martinez and Wigan is his (and therefore the club's) ability to scout new markets for players to bring in on the cheap. And they also tend to take a chance on players others wouldn't. Just look at Martinez's record of looking at players in the SPL. Whilst Scottish fans recognised the young talents of James McCarthy and James McArthur at Hamilton whilst they were in the top division, there were more than a few eyebrows raised when they were brought to the club in consecutive seasons. However, they are now mainstays in the team and McArthur scored a goal against West Brom on Saturday that may yet prove vital to their survival.

And what about Shaun Maloney? He may be frustrating to watch as a Scotland fan, but right now he is genuinely one of the most in-form players in the Premier League. He has been the catalyst for Wigan's latest battle to survive after scoring a tremendous free-kick against QPR a few weeks ago and played out of his skin against West Brom on Saturday. Martinez took a gamble on the former Celtic man because he had failed in England before with Aston Villa but he has certainly got the best out of the little Scotsman.

Martinez has also used his contacts in Spain to brilliant effect for Wigan. Whilst it is hardly an unknown league, not many would have heard of strikers Arouna Kone and Jordi Gomez as well as defender Ivan Ramis who have all played their part this season before they came with Kone scoring an impressive 13 goals in his debut season in England.

I also love Wigan for the way they continually punch above their weight. If we were going on attendances alone,Wigan would always be in the bottom three. This season, their average attendance is currently 19,192, which is only good enough to beat fellow strugglers QPR. Last season on average, they only filled 74% of their ground for their 19 home matches. This is a team which regularly sees its attendances beaten by teams in the Championship and even League One. Many feel this shows they don't deserve to be in the Premier League. What nonsense. Wigan are a great story of a team rising through the leagues and they have rightfully earned their place to fight against the 'big boys', just as they will do when they take on Manchester City on Saturday in the FA Cup final.

And their continual survival is made all the more remarkable when you consider Wigan is historically and in many respects to this day, a rugby town. The people of Wigan love the rivalries against St Helens in Rugby League and a lot of them wouldn't dream of going to the DW Stadium for a football game. Every other club in the top league (with perhaps the exception of Swansea) plays in a place where football is king.

My final reason for my growing love affair with Wigan is the fact that everybody writes them off season after season. On Saturday night, Alan Hansen claimed on Match of the Day that "everyone had written them off". I have news for you Alan; I hadn't consigned them to relegation and I bet those words will have fired Martinez's men to avoid that fate even more now. 

Every underdog has its day goes the saying but perhaps Wigan have had theirs already considering their past escapes. But I hope that they are going to play up to another animal cliche and use up another one of their nine lives and take their place in the Premier League next season.

The Rise and Rise of Ayrshire Sport

I may not have been born in Ayrshire but I have lived in this part of Scotland almost all of my life. And since a young age, sport has been one of my biggest passions.

This last year has seen an incredible rise for Ayrshire sports teams and individuals and their success deserves every bit of respect from the wider public. When people mention Ayrshire in relation to the world of sport, usually people think of golf and rightly so considering the world-class courses in the area including Open venues Royal Troon and Turnberry. And whilst Ayrshire are still producing talented golfers such as Jack McDonald and Michael Stewart, it is in other sports where Ayrshire has been even more successful in the last 12 months.

Rugby has always been played in the area to a very high standard and in recent years Ayr Rugby Club have taken that to a whole new level. After winning the Premier 1 Championship in 2008/2009 after 104 years of winning nothing, they have gone from strength to strength. This season they have captured the Premiership title again holding off a strong challenge from Gala by winning 16 out of 18 games in the league.

And on the 20th April, they became only the third Scottish side ever to do a league and cup double when they beat Melrose 28-25 in an unbelievable final at Murrayfield. They needed extra-time to secure the trophy and then some. They fell 25-23 behind in added time and time was actually up when the score remained that way. But they won with the final play of the game with replacement winger Cammy Taylor diving over in the corner. This summed up the incredible spirit that Kenny Murray has brought to the club and with three RBS Scottish Cup wins in the last five seasons, it is hard to argue against the fact that Ayr are one of the best club rugby sides in Scotland right now.

Another rugby club definitely on the up are that of my old school Marr College, in Troon. Whilst I never played rugby myself, I was always aware of the fantastic rugby programme the school had as well as the senior side who also play in the town. Two days ago the senior side completed a remarkable campaign by beating Helensburgh 24-22 to ensure a 100% winning record in RBS West Division One and to show their dominance, they finished the season with an incredible points difference of +687. A week earlier they had joined in celebrations with Ayr at Murrayfield when they won the RBS Shield in front of 1,000 of their loyal fans by beating Livingston 30-15. And if that wasn't enough, the schools side won the U18 plate final last Tuesday with a 21-13 victory over Galashiels. The future is all set to be wonderful for my old school.

But it isn't just with an oval shaped ball that Ayrshire is celebrating success in. The teams playing the round version have done very well this season too. Auchinleck Talbot have recently reached their third Scottish Junior Cup Final in succession and will be looking to atone for last season's defeat when they take on Linlithgow Rose on the 2nd June. They are also on the brink of winning the Super Premier League Division and haven't lost a game in the league yet.

Drop down a division and the Ayrshire sides are outdoing their Glasgow counterparts there also with Hurlford, Kilbirnie and Largs occupying the top three spaces in the First Division with the first two well set to be promoted to the top league in the next couple of weeks.

And my hometown Troon have also shared in this success by gaining promotion from the Ayrshire League with 51 points from 22 games, playing some nice football along the way and forging close links with local senior side Ayr United. The club are certainly not short of ambition and won't be ruling out another promotion next season. The senior sides in the area Ayr and Kilmarnock have struggled this season, but the juniors have promoted the area to a superb degree.

And in the so-called minor sports Ayrshire are excelling as well. The bowls scene in the area is continuing to flourish and Troon man Paul Foster is a stick-on to feature in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games after winning a pairs gold in the 2006 event. He is also the proud holder of four World Indoor Singles Championship. And he achieves all this whilst still running a taxi firm!

And what about North Ayrshireman Robert Thornton from Ardrossan who is fast becoming one of the best players in the world at darts. After winning the prestigious UK Open last year beating Phil 'The Power' Taylor in the final, he has really kicked his performances up a gear. With that win, he received an invite to the 2013 version of the 'Premier League' and with two weeks of regular fixtures left he has every chance of making finals night where the top four will battle for the trophy and prize money. If Thornton keeps this form up, he has to be considered a real contender for the World Championship later in the year.

Finally, not many of you will be aware I suspect of an American Football team being based in Troon, but not only is there a team, they are a very good one. Last season they gained promotion after winning nine out of ten games in the British American National Football League Division 1 North and they were extremely unlucky not to win the Brit Bowl at the end of the season. They got off to a poor start on Saturday when they lost their first game in the Premiership against the Birmingham Bulls, but I saw enough to fully believe that they will have no problems holding their own in the league.

So let's raise a glass to the teams and individuals doing Ayrshire proud right now and punching above their weight. Long may it continue.

Masters 2013 Preview: Five Golfers to Watch at Augusta

With the Masters now only one day away, excitement has reached fever pitch amongst golf fans around the world, as they eagerly await the first major of the season to tee-off.

For many people, the Masters each year represents the start of the golfing season, but already in 2013 we have seen Tiger Woods regain the number one spot by winning three tournaments in America, Rory McIlroy struggle for form with his new clubs and for us Scottish golf fans, a win for Martin Laird in Texas last week.

Having regained the number one spot, Woods is the clear favourite to win The Masters and if he does so he will be pulling on his fifth green jacket, which would move him one behind Jack Nicklaus's record of six wins at Augusta and only three behind Nicklaus'sall-time record of eighteen Major wins.

But what of the other contenders this week? Here I look at five other men who could have to make some room in their wardrobe for a new item come Sunday.

Rory McIlroy (12/1) The Northern Irishman has endured a difficult start to 2013, having lost his spot at the top of the World Rankings and he also struggled to adjust to his new Nike clubs. However, he bounced back last week with a second place finish at the Valero Texas Open and it looks to have been the perfect warm-up for him. 

Whilst memories of his meltdown on the course in 2011 as he led going onto the back nine in the final roundwill be fresh there is no doubting McIlroy has all the attributes to succeed at Augusta. He is a beautiful ball-striker and has a lovely touch around the greens. And it must not be forgotten that the previous two occasions he has won Majors, he has been soundly written off beforehand, then gone on to romp to victory. Keep that in mind.

Adam Scott (22/1)  Scott is someone who should have picked up a Major Championship long before now. He threw The Open championship away last year when it was in his grasp with four holes to play. Seven other top ten finishes in Major Championships shows that the Australian loves being at the front end as Majors draw to a close. 

So can he win the Green Jacket this year? He has finished in the top ten the last two years in The Masters, including tied 2nd in 2011 and is yet to miss a cut this season. He has improved his putting hugely, but due to his mental fragility, I would not go putting the mortgage on him.

Louis Oosthuizen (28/1) The South African was so unlucky to lose out last year at Augusta in the play-off to Bubba Watson and will be keen to go one better this time. The 2010 Open Champion must have thought he had one arm in the green jacket when Watson's drive found the rough in the play-off, but then the American played one of the greatest shots ever seen at Augusta. 

However, Oosthuizen will have put all that behind him now and with finding the fairways key at Augusta, Oosthuzien is well worth some of your money. Blessed with a great short game as well, don't be surprised if he adds his name to the South African winners in recent years.

Matt Kuchar (40/1) The American is my top tip this week to win the 2013 Masters and is priced remarkably high at the bookies. Until he bogeyed the 16th in the final round last year, he was right in contention before finishing a very respectable tied third. He has already tasted victory this season in the WGC Matchplay and confirmed to me there how fantastic his touch around the greens is. 

He also hasn't missed a cut this season and I have a real sense that it is Kuchar's time to win a Major having featured in the top ten of all four Majors over the last few years.

Nicolas Colsaerts (110/1) The Belgian is my real darkhorse this week as his odds would suggest. Colsaerts is playing in his first Masters tournament so it would be remarkable if he won on Sunday, considering only one debutant (Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979) has done so in 77 years. 

However, he is certainly worth a couple of quid of your hard-earned cash. He has spent time in the company of Jack Nicklaus going over how to play the perfect shots on each hole and his huge distance off the tee certainly gives him a chance. And don't go thinking Colsaerts can't handle the big occasion. He was one of Europe's key men in the incredible 2012 Ryder Cup victory and also won the Volvo Matchplay championship that year. Winning a Major is different than showing off blistering Matchplay form, but he could spring a surprise this week.

Whatever happens, it promises to be four days of thrilling golfing competition. Of the 93 players lined up, everyone will step onto the first tee tomorrow thinking they can win. Unfortunately, only one of them will require the services of a tailor come Sunday night.

*All odds supplied by William Hill at the time of writing.

The Continuing Enigma That is Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronnie O'Sullivan is undoubtedly the most naturally talented person to ever pick up a snooker cue. He might not have won as many World Championships as Stephen Hendry or Steve Davis, but if there was ever a man born to play snooker, it was Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Currently, the 37 year-old has four World Championships to his name with his most recent coming last year when he beat Ali Carter 18-11. He is the winner of 24 ranking events during his career and when playing his best snooker, O'Sullivan is simply unstoppable. 

He is also a constant source of frustration for fans of the sport like myself. I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if I looked up the word 'enigma' in a dictionary and a picture of O'Sullivan was there beside the definition.

On Tuesday, O Sullivan finally put an end to months of speculation when he confirmed he would be back at the Crucible to defend his World Championship in April. That summed 'The Rocket' up down to a tee. It's hard to imagine say Novak Djokovic or even Phil Taylor going through a situation where the governing bodies and fans of their sports won't know if they will be turning up the following year to defend their titles.

O'Sullivan is a real joy to watch and remains the biggest draw in the sport by some distance with his entertaining, fast-paced style. In 1997 he hit a truly remarkable maximum 147 break in just five minutes and 20 seconds; a record that will surely never be beaten. This is the O'Sullivan snooker fans wish would turn up on every occasion- the player that won his first UK Championship just aged 17, the man that shows no remorse to any opponent in building century break after century break and the player that should be favourite for the World Championship when it begins next month.

However, the bookies currently have O'Sullivan third favourite for the championship behind Judd Trump and Mark Selby which sounds about fair to me. But neither of them have won the championship before. O'Sullivan knows exactly what it takes and if he's in the mood, then not even the fact that he's only played once since winning last years event  could stop him.

I'd advise not wasting your money though. Nobody including O'Sullivan himself knows what sort of psychological state he is going to turn up in every time at the baize. I have often criticised O'Sullivan as at times it has appeared he hates the game. Why should people turn up to watch someone who isn't going to put in 100% effort? Indeed, I was full of sympathy for the fans who had turned up to see him in an UK Championship quarter final match in 2006, only to watch him walk out in the 6th frame against Stephen Hendry saying "He had had enough of it mate." This was truly shameful behaviour, but it is too simplistic to say that.

O'Sullivan isn't your typical snooker player. Both his parents have served in prison, with his Dad notably serving 20 years for a murder in 1992 when Ronnie Junior was just 16 years old. Only two years later, his Mum went to prison for tax evasion and Ronnie, still only 18 had to provide for himself and protect his fledgling snooker career. He's suffered problems with both drink and drugs which included spending a stint at the Priory rehab clinic in 2000. O'Sullivan also assaulted a media official at the 1996 World Championship and has also suffered from bouts of depression. Most 'ordinary' people would find this set of events almost impossible to deal with; O'Sullivan has had to do it all whilst remaining in the public eye as a world-class sportsman.

All I want as a snooker fan is for O'Sullivan to look like he is enjoying playing the game. He doesn't have to be playing with a smile on his face but I hope to be sitting in my lounge when the World Championship starts in April watching a player that is in a good frame of mind and one that will provide exciting viewing.

'The Rocket' remains the sport's biggest draw because he is a naturally gifted player. In all honesty, he should have been as dominant at the Crucible as Rafael Nadal as been at the French Open or Phil Taylor has been at the World Darts Championship. But it really is a lottery with O'Sullivan and the ultimate question is whether he'll fulfill his talent before he retires for good.

One thing is for certain- it will be a bumpy but extraordinary ride to watch.

Why It Is Time To Start Praising Scotland's Golfers

There are five Scottish golfers currently residing in the top 100 of the World Golf Rankings. I am willing to bet that not many of you would have been able to tell me that.

Stephen Gallacher's long awaited second European Tour victory at the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday was merely the latest in a long list of triumphs for Scottish golfers over the last two years.

For too long, Colin Montgomerie held the baton as Scotland's only top golfer in winning eight European Tour Order of Merit titles between 1993-2005, including seven in a row. 'Monty' also consistently challenged at the Majors in those two decades, finishing second on five occasions.

Outwith Paul Lawrie's stunning victory at The Open in 1999, Scottish golf relied on Montgomerie to shine the brand image in a positive light, which to his credit, Montgomerie managed on a regular basis in Major championships and Ryder Cups.

However, in recent years new names have came to the fore and it is about time they start getting the praise they deserve. Gallacher's win in Dubai was spectacular; he shot a round of 63 to open and went one better on the Saturday.

Despite starting badly in his final round, the nephew of the legendary Bernard Gallacher held his nerves brilliantly, especially when delivering a super shot at the 9th hole through a group of trees. In my 15 years of watching golf, I can honestly say I have not seen many better strikers of a ball than Gallacher and it is quite astonishing he had to wait almost nine years to pick up a second European Title after winning at St Andrews in 2004.

Stephen Gallacher: Red-hot in Dubai

The undoubted great story of Scottish golf in 2012 was the renaissance of Open champion Paul Lawrie. After winning for the first time in nine years in 2011 in Andalucia, Lawrie rolled back the years in 2012. He won in Qatar and at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Glenegales and had five other top tens during the year which enabled him to finish in the Top Ten of the Tour's Order of Merit for the first time in a decade. And he arguably produced the greatest performance by any European player on Ryder Cup singles day, when he destroyed Brandt Snedeker 5+3.

It might only be February, but Gallacher is not the only Scotsman to win on the European Tour this season. Scott Jamieson collected the first title of 2013 when winning the Nelson Mandela Championship in South Africa. He then finished in the top three in his next two events, to rise up the rankings to his current position of 68th.

Just ahead of both Jamieson and Gallacher in 59th place in the World Rankings, is Richie Ramsay, who is another Scotsman who can certainly be bracketed under the tag "He has shown a lot of promise, but never delivered."

Last year Ramsay finally did deliver when he won the Omega European Masters in September, and then followed that up with a second place finish in Holland a week later. Still only 29, Ramsay has the potential to win far more European Tour titles and I expect his trophy cabinet to be added to later this year.

I haven't even mentioned Martin Laird, who has already won twice on the PGA Tour in his career as well as finishing second at the Players Championship last year. He is in the midst of a slump right now and sits at 86th in the World Rankings, but with his long game he can surely rise to the top again.

With three out of the next four Open Championships being held in Scotland and the Ryder Cup taking place at Gleneagles in 2014, it would be fantastic if we could see Scotland's golfers challenging for golf's oldest Major. 

And what price for more than one Scotsman making the European Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles? That would be something truly special.

We'll have to wait and see if the new talent can deliver but I am just glad we have more options than Colin Montgomerie nowadays to cheer on.

Why Paul McGinley is the right man for Europe in 2014

Yesterday's decision by the European Tour's Tournament Committee to appoint Paul McGinley as the European Ryder Cup captain for 2014 was absolutely bang on the money.

The 46 year old Irishman was simply the only man for the job despite the late pleas of the man who captained Europe in 2010, Colin Montgomerie. It would have been absolutely outrageous if 'Monty' had been given the job again.

And I say that as someone who is from the same town as Montgomerie and you would also be hard pushed to find someone who was more disappointed when he blew his chance to finally win a major title at the US Open in 2006.

However, it is time to move on from this debacle and get behind McGinley who I think will be an excellent European captain at Gleneagles for many reasons. Firstly, he has the support of the entire team at Medinah, a large chunk of who will be members at Gleneagles too.

As seen with Nick Faldo's disastrous captaincy in 2008 (the only time Europe have lost the Ryder Cup in this century), if you don't have the support of the 12 men on the team, then you are already facing a massive uphill struggle to win the trophy. With Twitter support coming from the world's best two players in Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald plus the miracle man of Medinah, Ian Poulter, then it is clear for all to see who Europe's top men wanted as captain in 2014. 

Factor in the support of successful former European captains Bernard Gallacher, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam and you quickly realise the Irishman isn't short of experienced heads to turn to for advice.

McGinley is one of these typical Europeans that come alive when the Ryder Cup comes around. He may give out a pretty calm persona most of the time, but he thrives on this sort of event. He was never on a losing side in three appearances between 2002-2006 and most famously holed the winning putt to win the Ryder Cup back for Europe at the Belfry in 2002.

There was a false perception going around before the decision was made to appoint McGinley that he wasn't a 'home captain' and the European committee simply had to pick someone to rival American captain Tom Watson. With all due respect, that was an utterly ridiculous opinion. McGinley might not be as passionate and charismatic as say a Seve Ballesteros or Ian Woosnam or indeed his opposite number Tom Watson, but he has tactical nous in abundance that can enable the Europeans to win again at Gleneagles.

There can be no arguing that the last two Ryder Cups have been absolutely thrilling as Europe have fought back to win them both. However, there was a real chance that we would be remembering Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal as losing European captains, rather than winning ones.

The true great European captains of the last decade were Bernard Langer and Ian Woosnam in 2004 and 2006 respectively when Europe won 18.5-9.5 on both occasions. I am not foolish enough to suggest that McGinley is going to lead his side at Gleneagles to this level of victory, but the best quality of Langer in particular was his incredible attention to detail.

McGinley will be another captain that will leave absolutely nothing to chance. He will make sure that every pairing is spot on and that every American player's strengths and weaknesses are analysed down to a tee. The Seve Trophy is not on the same scale as the Ryder Cup in terms of prestige, but it was this sort of planning in 2009 and 2011 that enabled McGinley as captain of the Great Britain and Ireland team to lead them to victories over continental Europe.

McGinley might not be as well known as Tom Watson, but he can match him in terms of motivation, tactics and organisation. You really can't ask for much more from a European captain.

Being European Ryder Cup captain is a monumental task for any man and McGinley will come under intense scrutiny until the event begins and during the three days at Gleneagles. 

But as he has shown as a Vice-Captain in the previous two events and as a winning player on three occasions, he handles high pressured situations extremely well.

Why Michael Van Gerwen is the future of darts

Dutch darts player Michael Van Gerwen may have lost the PDC World Championship final on New Years Day, but he surely won't have to wait too long to get his hands on the trophy.

He was defeated by the greatest man to ever throw a dart, Phil Taylor, by seven sets to four at the Alexandra Palace but at one stage he led 4-2 and had darts to extend that lead further.

Taylor's class and experience ultimately shown through as he fought back to win a 16th world title.

However, in many ways the 2013 PDC World Championship was all about Van Gerwen. Still only 23, MVG finally delivered on the biggest stage of them all having came to life in the previous big events before the World Championship in reaching the Grand Slam final and winning the World Grand Prix in Dublin.

Phil 'The Power' Taylor will be around for a few years yet and stated after winning on New Years Day that he hopes to achieve an incredible 20 world titles by the time he retires. However, Van Gerwen is well placed to go on and be one of the favourites every year for the World Championship now and in the next decade become the undisputed world number one.

For years Van Gerwen was touted as the next big darts player after he burst on the scene and won the World Masters at the age of 17 in 2006, but over the next few years he flattered to deceive and from 2008-2012, he never got past the third round at the PDC World Championship. And somewhat remarkably, his best finish in a major PDC event in those years was a 4th round exit at the UK Open in 2011.

In October 2012, it suddenly clicked for MVG at the oche in Dublin. He defeated former world number 1 Colin Lloyd, two-time world champion Adrian Lewis and top 6 players Andy Hamilton and Wes Newton, before coming from 4-1 down to beat Mervyn King in the final. 

He continued his fantastic form the following month at the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts, where he produced one of the finest performances of the darting year when he defeated Taylor 10-5 and averaged over 108 before losing to fellow Dutchman Raymond Van Barneveld in the final.

Van Gerwen's form meant for the first time in 20 years, Taylor wasn't favourite for the World Championship and instead the Dutchman was installed as the favourite at the bookies. After a shaky start, he showed his clinical best in an unbelievable quarter final match with Adrian Lewis. Both men averaged over 100, with each of them pounding the treble 20 like there was no tomorrow before Van Gerwen stepped in to steal the match with three successive legs.

He saved his best for the 6-4 semi final win over James Wade though. Sitting at home watching the match with a fellow darts loving friend, we both cheered for joy when he hit a fast and furious perfect nine darter. And then he almost did it again. This was the moment when MVG mania went through the roof.

And his style of play is what the fans want to see. There can be no doubting that players like Justin Pipe and Mark Walsh have quality in abundance, but their slow play can often turn off fans both at the venue and at home.

Van Gerwen throws unbelievably quick yet hits an absolute barrage of 180s throughout the match, which he regularly celebrates with huge roars of joy. With darts continuing to grow and grow, Van Gerwen is the ultimate arena player and will be a joy to watch as the Premier League tours the country over the first half of the year.

Darts fans are a unique bunch. With the pints flowing and just about everyone in fancy dress, the atmosphere at these events is just getting louder and louder. With Van Gerwen regularly averagig over 100 every three darts and with the ability to hit nine darters in every match he plays, Van Gerwen is the face of the new darting world.

Expect the fans favourite to cement his place at the top of the world just as quick as he throws over the next year.