Stanley ‘Stan The Man’ Smithson, 14, practises the sport daily
Young Hull darts player Stanley Smithson(Image: Stanley ‘Stan The Man’ Smithson/Facebook)
He racks up 180s “for a laugh” and beats men at the game but young darts player Stanley Smithson “couldn’t hit the board” not very long ago. The east Hull schoolboy, who has just turned 14, is the pride of his extended family and growing in confidence all the time as a result of his love of darts.
His stepdad, Tom Johnson, said: “I’ve always played darts – I put a board up in the kitchen during lockdown. Stanley and his friends would play but he was useless, to be fair, up until 18 months ago; he couldn’t even hit the board.
“He’s just got really into it and sticks at it and now he’s qualified for the world championships in Gibraltar.” The teenager, who goes by Stanley “Stan The Man” Smithson on Facebook, will be going to Bristol next month to compete in the national championships before heading for “The Rock” in November, for a week, for the under-18s world championships.
Tom said: “I started the page for him on Facebook. Stanley was a bit embarrassed about playing and didn’t really want to do it [have a Facebook presence], but I realised he needed the platform and it’s where he will be able to build a following and some sponsorship, things like that.
“He knows there are kids he is beating who already have professional contracts. He’s 14 now, it was his birthday in July.
“He comes home from school and he’ll be straight out to practise. We’ve got a garage outside that we built for the darts and he’s straight in there for an hour.”
As well as being a member of Hull Junior Darts Academy, and playing in the Junior Darts Corporation’s Volts Series, Stanley also joins in the men’s game, including playing for his stepdad’s side on a Thursday evening. “He’s third out of everyone and we play in the premier division,” Tom said.
The high-averaging Stanley “hits 100s and 180s for a laugh”, said Tom. “There are a lot of young darts clubs getting going now; it’s the Luke Littler effect.
“I get a buzz out of seeing Stanley play. He’s such a confident player now and he beats me all the time. He plays darts every day, sometimes twice a day.
Tom said Stanley had a couple of friends who had signed for rugby and football and the teen did not initially think his darts was “anything to shout about”. “I’ve said to him, they come to watch you play.”
Stanley’s proud grandmother Kym Maxwell said she was thrilled at the way darts has brought her grandson out of his shell. “We are hoping to have Hull people getting behind Stanley,” she said.
“We are so proud of him. It’s amazing that he’s got through to Gibraltar.
“He’s quite quiet as a rule but get him on about darts and he’s away. He’s elated about the world championships.
“He takes his matches with the men seriously; he really wants to beat them and that’s where his drive is. He really wants to prove himself.
“They have it all set up for his darts at home and it’s somewhere for him and his mates to go. Stanley has surprised us because for him to get up there, in these big tournaments, in front of all these people, is huge.
“We’ve seen his confidence grow from nought to a hundred. I’m going to Gibraltar to support him and it’s going to be brilliant.”
Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here .