Simon Whitlock brushed up on his preparation for the upcoming World Matchplay with a trip to a leading paint manufacturer on Monday.
‘The Wizard’ was the star attraction at a darts day staged by his sponsors Leyland Paints at their headquarters in Birstall, West Yorkshire.
Fresh from his victory in the Shetland Darts Masters at the weekend, Whitlock played more than 100 members of staff from Leyland Paints in a special nine dart challenge.
The unique format saw Australian Whitlock have six darts to try and better his opponent’s score with nine.
Whitlock proved his class by hitting 10 maximum 180s during the day, but 20 staff did manage to topple one of the world’s leading talents.
“It was a great day and very enjoyable to have the chance to play so many members of staff from Leyland Paints,” said Whitlock.
“The standard was good and it was fantastic to spend the day with Leyland Paints, who continue to be superb sponsors.
“It was excellent practice for me ahead of the World Matchplay in Blackpool this weekend.”
To mark the continued sponsorship, Whitlock presented signed shirts to Leyland Paints, who have been backing the world number five and former World Champion Mark Webster for nearly two years.
“It was a terrific day and the staff thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet, chat to and take on Simon,” said Vicky Jones, stockist brand marketing manager for Leyland Paints.
“Everyone associated with Leyland Paints is very proud to sponsor both Simon and Mark and we wish them both well in all their tournaments for the rest of the year.”