No offence to Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, Martin ‘Wolfie’ Adams, or even Denbighshire’s own Mark Webster, but Anastasia Dobromyslova is almost certainly the most glamorous darts player you will set eyes on.
In a world dominated by, often large and bearded men, this blonde-haired Russian-beauty certainly stands out from the crowd.
The 25-year-old not only became women’s world champion last year but is now the first female to compete against men in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) competitions.
She has lived in the UK since meeting her husband, professional darts player Tony Martin, whom she married a year ago in October.
Having played darts since she was a youngster growing up in Tver, Russia, when she moved to the UK two years ago, she continued her love for the sport by throwing the arrows for Clwyd in the women’s darts league.
“I moved here two-years-ago,” she said. “I started playing darts when I was in Russia, in after-school club. I played with my friends and other kids.”
But Anastasia’s teacher soon realised that the youngster possessed a distinct talent for the sport and encouraged her to practise as much as possible.
“In the beginning I just used to play after school but then I got a dart board at home and I started practising every day,” she said.
Sadly, the teacher who had seen so much promise in Anastasia died and the youngster stopped playing for a time.
However, she rejoined the club when her old teacher’s daughter took over the coaching.
Anastasia continued to excel and began to compete, first at a youth level and then at senior level.
It has certainly been a whirlwind couple of years for Anastasia, who now lives in Ellesmere Port, but she has quickly adjusted to life in this country.
She had played in competitions in Britain before, which led to her and Tony meeting, and also made the move to the UK a little easier.
“Obviously Russia is still my home,” she said. “But I have family over here now so it’s not been difficult.”
Anastasia loves cooking, in particular the Russian favourites she grew up with, as well as fashion and, since living in Britain, has also found a love for British soaps, in particular Coronation Street.
But she was keen to retain her focus on darts and joined the Clwyd team soon after her move to this country.
Her talent was quickly recognised by her team mates and, in 2008, Anastasia was crowned women’s world champion.
Still in her early 20s, she had reached the pinnacle of women’s darts but where could she go next?
She took the decision to play in the PDC, the first woman to do so and has recently been signed up by Rileys, the UK’s largest pool and snooker operator, to be their darts ambassador.
“I had to look at the next step in my career and I suppose you could say I wanted a new challenge,” she continued.
“I’m very pleased with how I’ve been doing this year.”
And the interest around her has continued to grow – viewing figures for Anastasia’s matches are often more than double those of other televised games. Her new role with Rileys will undoubtedly cast her in the limelight even more.
The company are opening ‘Darts Zones’ at their 128 clubs nationwide and Anastasia, 25, will advise on the development of the new hi-tech facilities.
She will also play in exhibition games, working to improve darts at grassroots level and bring a new glamorous aspect to the game.
Competitively Anastasia’s next step is the world championship qualifiers in Russia next month.
She is looking forward to playing and also being able to return to her hometown to catch up with family and friends.