Bright path ahead for darter Kevin Lane

Darter Kevin Lane has landed himself a dream opportunity at the big time after claiming the Winmau Darts Centre Thursday Night Champions League title.

The competition offers the winner a 12-month sponsorship deal with Winmau as they look to get their feet on the ladder on the road to a career in the sport.

The brains behind the event is Dharam Jagpal, who works at the host venue Wolverhampton's Indoor Community Sports in Dunstall.

He's passionate about promoting the tournament – which has just entered its second season.

He said: "We wanted to set up a joint competition with Winmau and whoever wins gets a 12-month sponsorship.

"Kevin played very well across the season. He went close with Kevin Harris and won by six points in the end.

"The pair chalked up 80-odd 180s between them. The competition was hot."

The event attracted 21 players and it took until the final week for Lane to come out on top against Harris, who had been leading the standings.

Lane scored two 7-0 wins against Rob Montana and Matt Barnfather as he edged into top spot. Jagpal praised the opportunity with the darting giants the competition hands to the winner.

He said: "A hell of a lot of players struggle with sponsorship. We put the competition on to give them the opportunity.

"Winmau loved it. At the end of the day, it's a chance to bring through talent. We try to find a gem.

"There are a number of former PDC and BDO players competing, it's a very good standard. But we're hoping to go even bigger and better.

"I'm in contact with more ex-BDO players who want to join. It's a bit like a lesser version of X Factor or Britain's Got Talent. We're trying to find a star."