A darts team with players as young as 10 proved themselves as high flyers after topping an adults league.

Blackburn Youth Darts Academy entered five of their players into the Darwen Monday Night Adult Darts and Dominoes League as ‘Anchor’ – named after the Anchor pub in Darwen who paid for the team’s entry fee into the league and let them use the venue as their home base.

The five students in the team included JDC World Championship England player Archie Macloed, 16, Sam Anderson, 15, Mason Booth, 14, and George Booth, 11, and 10-year-old Archie Chippendale. Academy coaches, parents and family members played the Dominoes league.

The young team proved the old 'you'll never win anything with kids' saying wrong, defying their ages to see off much more experienced opponents.

Team Anchor played 22 games and won 19 during the season, placing them top of the adults league table.

Director of Blackburn Youth Darts Academy and coach, Keith Brunt, said: “It was a great team effort to win the league, and all contributed but the boys really did do so well.

“They conducted themselves with professionalism and etiquette throughout, losing just three games all season.

“I don't think it's been heard of before where basically a kids darts team have won the league.”

Joint with another player, George impressively hit mostly 180s in the league and the rest of the team are just as talented, with Archie C hitting 54 maximums over the year.

Archie M represented England B team in Gibraltar in the Youth World Championship in November and Sam also played in the World Championship after qualifying through the Academy.

He recently took part in the JDC Q School alongside Archie M, George and others from the school, with Sam finishing fifth out of 85. 

The officials on the Dominoes team included Keith, Lisa Beech, Paul Chippendale, Jack beech, Mark Beech, Matt Parkes, Ewan Main and Scott Horner. 

Keith added: “All the lads are happy and excited to win the league and are looking forward to presentation night where they will pick up their prize money. We plan to get the lads some trophies too.

“It's a fantastic achievement and we are very proud of our students and the whole team at the academy students and officials. This is just another great achievement to date.”