BOLTON will be home to regular “world class” darts from this weekend.

The Lancashire team’s home venue has been switched from Morecambe to Bolton from this season.

The 18-strong mixed team will play their home county league games at the Halliwell Central Reform Club.

It represents an honour in the world of darts for a town to stage county league matches.

Bolton is the perfect home for the Lancashire team as a third of the players live or play locally and the area is a hotbed of the sport.

The town has also achieved a high profile in the country with the UK Open Darts Championship being staged at Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok Stadium in recent years watched by capacity crowds and live nationwide television audiences.

Lancashire are the team to beat after winning the national league for the last two years and they kick off the season against Hampshire over the weekend, the B team playing on Saturday and the A team on Sunday.

The action starts around noon on both days at the club on Kenton Close, off Tennison Street, Halliwell.

Lancashire team manager Frank Smith, a Boltonian who represented Lancashire for 20 years, was a key figure in bringing the county games to the Halliwell club.

He believes Bolton is an appropriate home for the county team and that spectators will be treated to darts of exceptional quality.

“It is a good thing that we have got it here because Bolton is a great darts town,” said Smith.

“With Lancashire being the current champions for the last two years, it is a great honour to bring the team to my home town.

“Spectators are welcome to watch the matches and they will see real top quality darts, world class in fact.”