This year’s WDF Europe Cup Youth staged over in Ireland is in full swing and things are shaping up nicely. Which is exactly what you want from a youth tournament. It would be rather awkward if everything was shaping up terribly and half the teams had accidentally wandered off to the nearest castle looking for leprechauns.

After an opening ceremony where young dart players all discovered what a plethora of what other European national anthems sound like, we were underway.

Of course, for those sad enough to own doorbells in the 1980’s that played the lot, nothing new to us. As a child – thanks to my father’s strange choice to not simply purchase a brass knocker like everyone else. Many was the time whilst chomping through a lamb chop, we’d be disturbed by Das Lied der Deutschen echoing through the house. Looking back, I’m fairly convinced the postman thought we were hosting the Eurovision Song Contest every Tuesday afternoon.

Anyway, that has nothing to do with the darts. As I said, opening ceremonies done which probably included official team photos and a few words, then onto the action. Also probably a lot of polite clapping, nervous smiles and one poor Irish official desperately trying to pronounce 147 names from twenty-dd different countries without accidentally creating an international incident.

First up from memory – something most writers shouldn’t use as a method, but I am NOT most darts writers – was the Pairs. Two events, one for the Boys and one for the Girls.

A nice starter for ten because it gave every young chucker the opportunity to get stuck in from the start. Two Boys duos and one for the Girls. Everyone gets a go. Nice and fair just like at school with the exception being one kid doesn’t end up in goal for the entire lunchbreak. Or being permanently stuck as the one who had to fetch the football every time Darren hoofed it into Mrs Jenkins’ garden. I swear, the poor dear was a term away from popping those balls with a pair of scissors.

And after the round robin group stage and the last 32 team embroiled in the knockout phase, the four-remaining duo’s in the Boys were pretty predictable. The favourites generally remembered they were the favourites which, in darts, is never something you should automatically assume.

Semi-final one saw England’s Jack Nankervis and Mason Teese just edge past the Irish pairing of Eddie Sweeny and Evan Tuite in a thrilling last leg decider. Just like watching the lads over in the FIFA World Cup – job done – just! Not without a scare.

England fans wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Winning comfortably is simply not in our DNA. We prefer elevated blood pressure, chewed fingernails and wondering whether the television is about to receive an unsolicited remote control.

Then in the other one, red hot favourites for the title, Mitchell Lawrie and Owen Bryceland comfortably defeated youngsters from north of the Emerald Isle in Leo Jamieson and Christian Ennis. They looked about as troubled as someone doing a Daily Mirror crossword with all the answers already written in the back.

An octet of future stars without doubt. But only four will battle for the crown in Saturday’s final. Don’t we all love a good old England vs Scotland showdown! Best wishes to both. Social media should remain calm, sensible and perfectly restrained… which gives it roughly the same chance as a seagull politely ignoring someone’s chips.

Over in the Girls Pairs, from the UK and Ireland teams, only Pauling Paige and Ruby Grey managed to get to the last four. However, they were pipped at the post by Germany which featured Panagiota Kentzidou and Merve Hummel. Maybe a bit of an upset but if you’re getting the better of those two starlets from England, you know you’re doing something right. Or at the very least you’ve earned yourself a celebratory packet of Haribo on the coach back to the team hotel.

Then in the other semi-final, It was Latvia in the form of Amanda Kirilova & Marta Roga who will face the German’s on Saturday after seeing off a strong Turkish threat in Zehra Gemi & Karagöz, Ayşegül. By this point my spellchecker had simply given up, sighed heavily and wandered off for a cup of tea.

I’ll be honest, when I am writing up reports with many foreign players, it takes me longer to ensure I spelt the names right than it does for the rest of the content! Think I’ve nailed it. If I haven’t, I sincerely apologise in advance to absolutely everyone from mainland Europe. My GCSE French was hanging on by a thread before this article started. My Turkish one – well, that didn’t even start.

As far as the Youth Singles events go, only the Boys have begun their tournament with the Girls to follow suit very soon.

When play resumes, we are at the semi-final stage and only four lads remain standing. Needless to say Mitchell Lawrie is one of them with Wee Sox smashing Dutch thrower, Bradley Van Der Velden with an average a tad under the ton mark. Then making up the quartet, the excellent Mason Teese keeping English hopes – as well as his own – very much alive.

The equally impressive Northern Irish teen, Christian Ennis and lastly, Belgian, Jason Goossens. Four players left, one trophy available and absolutely no room for anyone having one of those “my doubles have disappeared” afternoons that every darts player knows all too well.

So whilst the Boys were busy in individual action, the Girls embarked upon team duties.

There are four groups and the WDF have gone the alphabet route naming them A-D. Of those, only Group D has five nations, presumably because one pulled out. I know it’s vague and not very professional, but it seems the obvious reason. Either that or somebody at WDF headquarters forgot a country and they are still wondering why everyone is packing their suitcases and they are yet to embark on their campaign.

Right, anyway. I did actually request a full schedule and format, but it didn’t come through so I’m largely relying on logic and common sense here. Which, admittedly, isn’t always a fool proof strategy in darts administration. Sometimes trying to decipher tournament formats is harder than assembling IKEA furniture after six pints.

I’m going to go on full guess mode again here and say the top two from each go forward into the quarter-finals. Or at least, by the way the event is set up, that’s what I’d do. If I’m wrong, we’ll simply pretend this paragraph never happened and collectively blame the internet.

Which, if true, all means the Republic of Ireland girls are the only ones from Great Britain and the Emerald Isle to make it through by virtue of finishing runners-up to the Turks in Group C.

Then the remaining half dozen are Slovakia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Slovenia, Germany and Hungary. Assuming I’m right and there is no hidden play-offs somewhere, that’s how it will roll. But like I said, without the format, I’m kinda pissing in the wind a little. It feels a bit like trying to commentate on a football match while only being allowed to see one corner flag.

That mean’s as the sun rises in Limerick on Saturday, it’s trophy day. Nerves will be jangling, coaches will be pretending they aren’t nervous, parents will have aged about six years overnight and someone, somewhere, will inevitably utter the immortal phrase: “Just relax and play your normal game.”

Wishing the very best to everyone involved. Full report and perhaps corrections to come Sunday! Assuming, of course, I haven’t accidentally promoted somebody to a different nationality or invented an extra knockout round somewhere along the way.