Floyd Bevan is already a darts' winner - at 11 years old
Floyd Bevan is already a more than useful darts player and has taken on world-ranked players of the calibre of Wayne Mardle, Mervyn King and Steve Beaton in exhibition matches - which is pretty amazing because Floyd is 11 years old and a measure of his ability can be gauged from the fact that this year alone he has already hit 143 maximum scores of 180 in competition or practice at home where he works at his game daily!
That Floyd should love darts is perhaps understandable because his mother Rachel has played darts for many years after her late mother ran the Gloucester Arms pub in Dark Street and she took up the game - and has since started a team at the Stonemason’s Arms in Haverfordwest, where Floyd’s sisters Fay (18) and Chloe (21) also play.
His older brother Logan (13) also gives him every encouragement as he goes along to support in weekend competitions around Pembrokeshire, as does his father James, who readily admits that he would have a job hitting a barn door with a set of darts!
Practises every day at home
The family has a board set up in their kitchen and such is Floyd’s dedication that he practises every morning before school and again when he comes home in the afternoon - and says that he took to the game almost as soon as he tried his hand at darts and was soon doing well. Darts has also helped with his maths in school because he can automatically work out the correct combinations needed to reach a finishing double.
He was seven years old when he threw his first ‘arrows’ and this writer can confirm that Floyd is a very good player because when we played each other on the kitchen dart board he gave me first throw, was soon ahead and beat me with little chance of me causing a bit of an upset!
His family also admit that he can already beat them and Rachel often finds that she gets drawn against him in the Swan Darts competitions;
“And I lose every time,” she admits with a chuckle.
A regular competitor with Swan Darts . . .
Two years ago Floyd joined ‘Swan Darts’, which can be found on Face Book, and became the youngest member of a group which is superbly organised by former top player Rob Hughes, originally from Treforest, near Pontypridd, and who has played in World Championships, plus Phil Dowd and Andrew Webb.
They hold weekend competitions in Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Neyland, Fishguard and other places in the county for anyone who wants to compete - and the prize for the winner in each competition is a place on evenings where top players come into the county to entertain large, enthusiastic crowds as they take on these local winners.
. . . And already has all the darting kit!
Floyd has already joined the top players in having his own nickname ‘The Hammer’ on the back of his specially-designed colourful shirt, which is also worn by his family and supporters with ‘Team Floyd’ displayed proudly on the back. He also has his own special flights for his darts (again with ‘Hammer’ on them, like the ones the stars give away to the audience at the end of each game).
Floyd’s first competition took place at the Mill-Ford Arms in Haverfordwest, with over 25 competitors taking part, including Rachel, and he won his first game, against a man from Haverfordwest - and since then he has won three tournaments to earn his place at finals at The Cricketers in Pembroke Dock (twice) and Hook Sports & Social Club.
Already beaten two top pros – and earned praise from ‘Hawaii Five-O’
His first major challenge came when he took on Steve Beaton, a former World Champion, at The Cricketers and hit double four to win - and made it a fantastic double success on the night as he was chosen by Steve as his partner in a doubles against two other local players and they won!
There was more excitement at Hook when Floyd took on Mervyn King, a regular on the World Championship stage and a fiery competitor - but the darts player known to all as ‘The King’ had to smile for a photograph afterwards as Floyd hit double 15 at his first attempt!
Of course he hoped for a hat-trick of wins over top players when he earned the right to play Wayne Mardle, a World Championship semi-finalist and now regarded as one of the very top darts commentators as the Premier Darts League tours the country, and now even further afield, such is its popularity.
Floyd took him on at The Cricketers but didn’t have a chance at a double before ‘Hawaiia 501’ finished well - but afterwards tweeted how talented Floyd was for his age!
He has also been lucky to have a fourth tussle with a top player, this time one of the emerging stars in Alan ‘Chuck’ Norris, which has come about thanks to Logan’s good luck and generosity as his brother won a special raffle with a prize of £100 and gave some of the cash to his parents and the chance to take on ‘Chuck’ sometime in September to his younger brother!
And finally . . .
So what of the future for Floyd in the world of darts? He would love to be a professional darts player when he’s older but will carry on looking to improve as he plays at home and in competitions. He isn’t able to play for The Stonemason or any other pub because he is so young (although some have admitted they would love to have him in their team now!)
Ask about his favourite player and it comes as no surprise when he immediately lists Welsh world champion Gerwyn Price at No 1 and his ambition is to follow in his footsteps, Of course that would be a long way off at the moment but it is great to have a dream and if natural ability linked to hard work is anything to go by than we are sure to hear more about Floyd Bevan in the world of darts at local level in the next decade - and who knows what follows after that!
We certainly wish Floyd Bevan every success because he is a modest and charming young fellow, supported by a lovely family who just want to see him reach his full potential in life!
