A 27-year-old electrician from Wrexham is set to take centre stage at the World Darts Championship final tonight, with the chance to win £180,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. Curtis Griffiths was randomly selected from nearly 30,000 entrants for the 'Darts of Destiny' challenge, organised by tournament sponsor Paddy Power.
Griffiths will throw up to nine darts live on stage at Alexandra Palace before the final between Luke Littler and Gian van Veen. He needs to score at least 180 points—without the pressure of checking out on a double—to secure the prize. The crowd of 3,000 and his teammates from Gresford Colliery Sports and Social Club will be cheering him on.
“I’ve been playing darts since I was 12, but only just got into playing competitively in the last year or so,” said Griffiths. “I’m a bit nervous about the challenge but hopefully I can keep calm and get it done.”
The Darts of Destiny initiative has already raised over £123,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. In addition, Paddy Power's ongoing 'Even Bigger 180' campaign donates £1,000 for every 180 scored during the tournament, amassing more than £1 million to date. This year’s tally has set a new record, with over 1,063 maximums contributing to the fund.
A spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “Most people can only dream of hitting 180 at Ally Pally—but this year Curtis Griffiths will get the chance to actually do it and walk away £180,000 richer, all thanks to the donation he made to Prostate Cancer UK.”
Prostate Cancer UK also urges 180,000 men to use its online risk checker; over 130,000 have already done so during the tournament.
