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Simon Whitlock made an appearance at Leyland Paints headquarters earlier today to celebrate the company’s recently agreed sponsorship deal with him and Mark Webster.

The deal with Leyland was announced before the World Championship and Whitlock travelled to West Yorkshire to meet their employees, and spent the day playing darts against the workforce.

The Wizard, who is currently ranked fifth in the world, was only too happy to be involved in the event.

He said: “Sponsorship is so important for us dart players and to be sponsored by a company as big as Leyland is an honour. I’ve enjoyed the day. I met some really nice people and came up against some very good darts players.”

There was an air of excitement at the Birstall venue as Whitlock took to the oche, giving his opponents the chance to win some of his darts, signed memorabilia and other Leyland goodies.

Sharon Hendry, Leyland Marketing Manager was pleased with the success of the day and expressed the company’s pride at sponsoring The Wizard.

She said: “It means everything to have two World Class players associated with Leyland. Both Simon and Mark are fantastic players and the exposure that they give us is brilliant. We’ve already had a taste of that in the recent World Championship, where Simon did exceptionally well to go so far with his injury. It was fabulous for us in terms of the coverage we have already received so early on the sponsorship.

“Today has been a great opportunity for us to formally launch the partnership to the local community and our employees. The response has been tremendous, everyone was really excited to get the opportunity to play against, and have their photo taken with Simon. We are all very grateful and everyone that has met him today commented on how nice he is.”

By Chris Murphy

John Henderson loves every minute of life on the PDC circuit after an excellent first year. ‘Highlander’ won a tour card at last year’s Qualifying School and hasn’t looked back since.

The Scotsman qualified for five televised major tournaments in his first twelve months, including a run to the quarter finals of the World Grand Prix. Henderson is delighted with his progress.

He said: “My aim for the first year was to make it to the UK Open and the World Championships. To do that as well as making another three major tournaments has been brilliant. I think it has been an absolutely tremendous start for me.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s a longer format from what I used to play in the BDO and that really suits my game. Obviously, there are financial benefits that come with that but I love playing the game and it really is a dream come true for me. It’s been a fantastic first year and coming over to the PDC is the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Henderson believes that winning the tour card this time last year was both the hardest and most rewarding moment of his career. Another batch of hopefuls will be battling it out at the Barnsley Metrodome over the next four days.

Henderson said: “There were some very good players that didn’t even get a tour card at last year’s Qualifying School. It is one of the hardest tournaments I have ever had to play in. There is so much riding on that one weekend. If you don’t get your tour card you don’t know where your future lies in darts.

“It was an amazing experience but it was also very hard. I don’t envy those players that are taking part over the next few days. There are some big names but they are not going to find it easy. You need to be able to cope under a lot of pressure and be at the top of your game. It took a lot out of me last year but I enjoyed it when I got my card.”

‘Highlander’ has battled back from a bizarre injury when his arm was paralysed in his sleep and is now looking to build on a strong start to his PDC career.

He said: “It was the morning of the Grand Slam qualifier in Crawley. I woke up and I couldn’t move my arm at all. I was paralysed from the right shoulder right to the tips of my fingers. The doctor said that I had tweaked a nerve by sleeping on it for a long period. It took a while to heal but its fine now and I’m trying to get it out of my head and looking forward to another good year.

“If I could just match what I achieved last year, then that would be another very successful return but the aim is always to go one better. Hopefully I’ll make at least five majors again and maybe go a little bit further in each one. It would also be great to break into the top 32 and I think that it is within my grasp.”

By Chris Murphy

MODUS are delighted to confirm that former BDO World Champions Andy Fordham and Les Wallace have entered the PDC Pro-Tour Qualifying School.

The announcement comes after an unnamed backer gave them the financial support to enable them to ply their trade against the current crop of professional players.

The event, which is held at Barnsley Metrodome and begins tomorrow, gives players the chance to win a tour card to compete on the PDC’s £5 million circuit.

Fordham is one of the best known darts players of all time, having won the Lakeside title in 2004. The Viking was also crowned World Master in 1999 and is one of many big name players making a comeback in the PDC.

Wallace, who is nicknamed McDanger, was crowned as World Champion in 1997 and won the World Masters the following year. The Scotsman will also compete for one of the 36 guaranteed places on the Pro-Tour available through the Qualifying School.

The semi-finalists from each of the four days will gain an automatic tour card for two years. The remaining players will be entered into the Qualifying School order of merit and cards will be awarded to those who have collected the most points. A minimum of 20 players will qualify through the Qualifying School order of merit table.

Fordham and Wallace’s participation further highlights the strength in depth of the PDC and both players would be welcome additions to the professional tour.

By Chris Murphy