DARTS icon Michael Van Gerwen paid a visit to a Flintshire venue last Friday (March 10) - and the Leader had the chance to speak to the 'Green Machine'!

The three-time world champion paid a visit to the Argoed Sports and Social Club in Mynydd Isa for the Ace of Sports 2023 Darts Tournament.

A crowd of over 130 people watched on as the semi-finalists battled having made it through the 64-person stage a week earlier.

Shaun 'The Sheep' Thompson and Phil Wilcock then made it to the final, having beat Jack Cooledge and Gwyn Rowlands in their respective matches.

Thompson, who is from Buckley, then won the trophy by beating Wilcock in the final and booked a finale against Van Gerwen in the process.

And, following a series of challengers stepping up to the oche to face MVG, it was The Sheep's turn to face the 'Green Machine'.

And he pushed the current Premier League of Darts leader all the way too - even leading two legs to one at one point, before Van Gerwen staged an impressive fightback to win 3-2.

It was a night to remember for all involved with organiser, Ace of Sport's John Jones, stating that the smile on people's faces 'made every penny spent on it worthwhile.'

Van Gerwen himself was coming to this event off the back of a phenomenal run in the Premier League of darts.

The night before his appearance in Mynydd Isa, the 33-year-old celebrated a record-breaking third consecutive nightly win in the Cazoo Premier League.

He beat current world champion Michael Smith 6-4 on night six in Liverpool.

That followed on from wins over Jonny Clayton (6-2) and Peter Wright (6-1) in Dublin and Exeter.

Arriving in Flintshire for the Ace of Sports event was a rare opportunity for north Wales residents to witness the darts legend's talents in person.

The Leader's Arron Evans spoke to Van Gerwen ahead of the event.

The Leader:

PIC: Leader Digital Reporter Arron Evans with three-time darts world champion Michael Van Gerwen. Picture by Brian Prydden.

When asked about visiting the venue, MVG said: "Yeah it's good, a little while ago I played in a social club like this. Normally of course, we play in the big venues and all that so it's nice to come to a place like this again and get back a lot of old memories in a way. I'm really looking forward to tonight."

Talking about his form in the Premier League, he said: "It's always nice to be top of the table, as long as you keep winning things are good. I'm feeling good, feeling comfortable and I hope I can do some more damage in the Premier League."

Asked about what he expected from the challengers on the night, Van Gerwen added: "That doesn't really matter, it's not about what I do, it's about making sure everyone has a great night - that's the target here!"

When quizzed on where his love of darts first came from, he said: "I've played this game for so long, for over 20 years and for me it's just always been a part of my life. And for me to be in a position that I am at the moment, of course that's good and it's just normal now."

Speaking on the advice he would give to younger players looking to make it in the sport, he said: "Do whatever you like and enjoy whatever you do, that's the most important thing. Of course, you have to put the time and effort in to reach your goals but that will come automatically afterwards."

At the end of the night in Mynydd Isa, Van Gerwen announced thanked the crowd and donated one of his shirts for auction to raise money for the Argoed Sports and Social Club.