A new game designed to help children improve their maths skills really hit the bullseye with children at a Norfolk school when it was introduced by a darts star and former pupil.

James Hubbard, 19, who used to attend Ashleigh Infant and Nursery School at Wymondham, returned there yesterday to launch a new course called Smart Darts 4 Kids.

The innovative game has been developed by Steve Mottershead, 37, agent of darts player Phil 'The Power' Taylor, and features a dartboard with different numbers, an empty bullseye and a set of darts which stick to the board.

Children can then throw the darts at the numbers and say the answer to the sum depending on where the darts land, while the bullseye circle can be used by the teachers to write on their own equations.

Former darts announcer Mr Mottershead said he came up with the idea for the course through his work as an announcer, which he said had improved his own maths skills.

Mr Hubbard, a PDC world youth champion who used to compete for England, was impressed with the course and said darts used to help him learn maths because he found maths quite a boring subject at school, preferring PE.

He said: 'I think it is perfect for helping children to count, which is fantastic.'

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