Nathan Aspinall prepared for his Cazoo Premier League homecoming in Manchester by starring in the PDC's latest Bullseye Maths school session on Wednesday.
Stockport's Aspinall will be one of the star attractions when the Premier League makes its annual visit to Manchester's AO Arena on Thursday as he continues his challenge in the PDC's roadshow tournament.
Ahead of his first appearance in Manchester, Aspinall gave his support to the Bullseye Maths scheme, which was introduced in 2022 to boost numeracy in a fun and inclusive way.
The latest in-school Bullseye Maths session was held at Bamford Academy in Rochdale, where Aspinall joined 20 Year 5 & 6 pupils for a combination of practical and theory exercises.
"I really enjoyed it and it's been good to be part of Bullseye Maths," said Aspinall, a former UK Open champion.
"They were a great set of pupils and it was lovely to see how they got involved with the different parts of the session and hopefully it will encourage them with their numeracy."
Joe Shepherd, Maths Leader from Bamford Academy, said: "The session was a wonderful introduction into the great mathematical functions in everyday darts.
"For the children to make these connections with a world class darts player on hand to encourage and give advice was simply amazing.
"Nathan made our day and the children have a hero to cheer for in the Premier League on Thursday night and in the future."
The session was run by Gary Horsley from Nottingham College's Room 180 Academy, who said: "Nathan was absolutely brilliant with the pupils and it was another fun session.
"Following the sessions held with Chris Dobey and Adam Warner in recent weeks, this was another boost for Bullseye Maths to see the interaction by all the Bamford Academy pupils."
Bullseye Maths was introduced in 2022 as a fun and inclusive way to promote numeracy, after studies found that numeracy levels amongst children had been affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the scheme supported by numeracy charity Maths One Toast.
Further Bullseye Maths sessions will be held throughout 2023, and further information can be seen in the online portal at pdc.tv/maths.
The PDC's online Bullseye Maths portal includes an interactive game, provided by GoDartsPro, and downloadable worksheets to allow all people interested in numeracy to take part in darts-based exercises.