Thursdays are always a tricky one. The levels here are only getting better.
However, I love playing in it as I can measure myself against the very best. Some of these players will themselves be going to Q School in 2025, and a couple have played on the Tour before. After the big four or five names, then next seven or eight are high standard players. Being a hotbed of youth darts, this tournament brings out the best young players too. Some JDC players that are on the up, and already looking promising for success in the game.
Luckily tonight only had 16 players. This meant that everyone went through to the knockout stages. The round robin was just about jostling for positions.
My first game was lacklustre. I don;t think I warmed up properly and only got going when it was too late. To be fair my opponent hit a 98 first 9 average, and had it not been for some trouble on the doubles, his actual average would have been decent too.
My second game was against one of the junior players. I felt confident I could win and I did 2-0. However we both played way below par. Neither of us got focussed.
The third game was a totally different story. I played one of the top youth players in the area. I actually beat him last week, but he was very much below par. This time he was back to his normal form. He beat me 2-0, but I had chances at doubles in both legs. I got my 60 average, which is my benchmark these'm days, so any time I'm around that mark, I'm happy. Hopefully over the coming weeks, these 60 averages will be more and more common.
In the last 16, I lost to the eventual finalist. Again, another youth player, who has just started his journey on the PDC Development Tour after a couple of successful years on the JDC Tour.
All in all an ok night, but I need to focus. Maybe I was just tired.
Tournament Stats: Avg 44.16: First 9: 46.67 100+ 2: 140+ 0: 180+ 0
