Leicester City and England midfielder, James Maddison is a known darts fan and was in attendance on the final night before the Christmas break at the PDC World Darts Championship.
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"We have a good dart school at Leicester, a lot of the lads play. Even a couple of the staff play, we take the board to away games and stick it up the night before when we are having down time. There's a few lads and the standard is quite decent," said Maddison.
But he believes he is the best despite his teammate Luke Thomas thinking different. "I don't want to come across too big headed but I am. Luke Thomas who is with me today would probably say different. I've had a few 180's, I've got past the stage where I count how many I've got.
Of course just returning from England's disappointing end to the World Cup in Qatar, he also discussed the emotions after losing out to France.
"Had the World Cup which came to a disappointing end. There was a real feel that we were going to go all the way but wasn't to be. We lost to a really good France side and gaffer gave us a little bit of downtime as a major tournament can take a lot out of you as it can take it out of you mentally and physically."
But the talk soon returned to the darts and who he believes will seal the Sid Waddell Trophy this year.
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"I'm here supporting Joe (Cullen). Him and Gezzy (Price) came to the training ground and we had a few legs. That was good fun. I think the English boys have got a good chance, Aspinall and Humphries are playing well and Michael Smith who is one of the favourites."
"I can't see anyone other than Michael van Gerwen though."
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.