TOTTING up darts scores after a few pints can test the finest mathematicians - but a government minister has hailed the sport as a way to improve the nation's numeracy.

Skills minister Phil Hope visited the Lakeside World Darts Championships yesterday to highlight how the game can boost players' and fans' mental arithmetic skills. And maths experts in Gwent agree.

Matthew Tinkler, 32, a maths teacher at St Joseph's High School, Newport, said: "It makes pupils quicker at adding and subtracting. It's something relevant to them and something interesting."

Louise Bush, 36, head of maths at Hartridge School, Newport, agreed. "Doubling, trebling, halving and dividing by three helps give pupils good mental agility," she said.

Doctor Shane Lee, 40, a senior lecturer at the University of Wales Newport, whose Artificial Intelligence course includes teaching maths skills, said the sport helped boost numeracy.

"It strikes me as an interesting idea and a good way for young people to practice maths skills in a way they can make sense of," he said. "It is also a way of improving hand-to-eye co-ordination.

Adding up dart scores may not be the hardest thing to do but it provides a basis for understanding maths before getting on to more complicated stuff.

"It will also help young people cope with maths issues which are likely to crop up in adulthood like applying for loans or a mortgage."

During his visit to the darts championship to thank the British Darts Organisation for its support for the government's Get On literacy and numeracy campaign, Mr Hope played against darts legend Bobby George. Champion Andy Fordham and England captain Martin Adams have thrown their weight behind the campaign which hopes to persuade darts fans to use their sport as the basis for a maths qualification.

"Nearly 15 million adults lack the numeracy skills needed to pass a maths GCSE, so it's really important the message about the free courses on offer is relayed to fans at prestigious and popular events like this," said Mr Hope.