Category: MODUS Darts

Nicholson with Hulk Hogan

It really was ‘clobberin time’ for Paul Nicholson on Thursday night, when the bad boy of darts met some of his heroes at TNA Wrestling’s Impact event at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham.

‘The Asset’ is renowned for bringing his passion for wrestling into darts. His CM Punk walk-on antics have caused something of a stir and his attitude as a sports-entertainer has helped bring another dimension to the game.

Nicholson watched on as some of his favourite wrestlers oozed the charisma and bravado that have become synonymous with him.

Top of the bill was wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, who was making his return to the UK after 18 years.

He was joined by some of the sports’ other superstars including Sting, who made his last ever UK appearance, Kurt Angle, AJ Styles and World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode.

Nicholson watched the action from ringside and was over the moon to meet some of his idols backstage.

He said: “The night was amazing. To see so many legends in one ring at one time was spine chilling. Even the wrestlers were humbled. To meet the people and the characters was the best. Meeting Hulk Hogan was a lifetime dream satisfied, and then to meet Sting and Kurt Angle too was absolutely mind blowing.”

The Asset will retake centre stage next week when he represents Australia in the World Cup of Darts in pursuit of his second major title.

Before travelling to Hamburg, Nicholson will be fighting it out in Benidorm this weekend in rounds one and two of the Players Championship.

By Chris Murphy

MODUS are delighted to represent more exciting talent in the form of the two highest ranked players in Spain, Antonio Alcinas and Carlos Rodriguez.

The pair have enjoyed successful careers in the PDC so far and have both defeated some highly ranked opponents over the last few years.

Their most notable scalp came when they joined forces to represent their country in the inaugural World Cup of Darts in 2010, where they beat an England team containing the two highest ranked players in the world. They went on to reach the semi-finals of the competition.

Spanish number one Alcinas has been playing his trade in the PDC since 2010 and has already appeared in eight major tournaments.

His most recent televised appearance came in the 2012 World Championship, where he was unlucky to lose to eventual runner up Andy Hamilton after posting the third highest average of the first round.

The 32 year old, who is nicknamed El Dartador, is also an established soft-tip darts player and he won the 2010 Soft-Tip World Championship.

He said: “I want to thank MODUS for trusting me, and helping me in my professional darts career. I will give the best I have and I hope I won’t disappoint them. Once again thank you MODUS and I hope this will be the beginning of a long and successful relationship together, starting in Benidorm.”

Rodriguez, who is nicknamed The Assassin, joined the PDC in 2007 and has appeared at six televised majors.

The Spanish number two, who is the same age as his compatriot, triumphed at the 2007 Gibraltar Open.

Rodriguez said: “I am very happy with signing for MODUS. I appreciate all the support and trust they have placed in me, enabling me to fulfil my dream as a full time professional darts player. This is a great opportunity to be among the best players in the world and the best dart managing company. I can assure you that it is an opportunity that I will not miss.”

Alcinas and Rodriguez will be in action at the Players Championship in Benidorm this weekend and will once again form the Spanish team for the 2012 World Cup, which takes place next week.

MODUS are excited at the prospect of working with both players as the PDC continues to expand across Europe.

By Chris Murphy

Mark Webster is sponsoring 2012 PDC Youth World Championship finalist James Hubbard, who will be managed by MODUS.

The 19 year old will face Michael van Gerwen in his pursuit of the prestigious title later this year.

Hubbard’s run to the final, coupled with his impressive form on the youth tour, has led to him being given a place on the professional tour for 2012.

He has already appeared at a televised major tournament. He took on Phil Taylor in the 2011 Grand Slam of Darts.

Hubbard is delighted to be under the guidance of Webster and MODUS. He said: “This means everything. For a player like Mark Webster to have such faith in me is fantastic and it’s great to be associated with him. Being sponsored and managed takes a lot of pressure off me and means I can concentrate completely on playing darts.

“To be given the opportunity to do this as a full time job is a dream come true. I had been working with my dad as a painter and decorator but was always itching to get home and practice. To be able to do it everyday and compete as a professional most weekends is an amazing opportunity and it’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

MODUS are thrilled to be working with such a talented young player and hope to help him follow in the footsteps of current Under-21 World Champion Arron Monk.

He added: “Being with MODUS will no doubt help me in my preparation for the youth final. They have the right people around to give me advice about playing in front of such a huge crowd and I hope to deliver the goods on the night. Mark has been there and done it and I’ve known Arron Monk since we were about eight years old and our careers have mirrored each other’s, so it would be nice to go up there and follow in his footsteps in that respect too.”

Hubbard will play in the Youth World Championship final on the night of the Premier League final at the O2 Arena in May.

By Chris Murphy

World number three James Wade is sponsoring exciting prospect Chris Aubrey for 2012, enabling the youngster to compete as a full time professional.

MODUS are pleased to provide management for the 20 year old, who is currently ranked seventh on the PDC Youth Tour. He has enormous potential and is one of the brightest young talents in darts.

Aubrey hopes to emulate the success of his sponsor who has won seven major titles, making him the second most successful player in the history of the PDC.

Aubrey said: “It means the world to me to be sponsored by James. For somebody of his calibre to think that highly of me is a fantastic feeling. I am over the moon about it. It means everything to be sponsored these days and I’m very happy to be managed by MODUS. It is a brilliant reward for a good year and I want to go out and play well and do everybody proud.

“Having this kind of support spurs me on even more and I think I can achieve as much as anybody else. My aim this year is to win a youth title and qualify for some more major tournaments, hopefully including the World Championship. I can’t thank James and MODUS enough because this deal will give me the freedom to fulfil my ambitions.”

By Chris Murphy

Andy Jenkins ensured that he will take his career as a professional darts player past the twenty year mark, by securing his tour card at the PDC qualifying school.

Jenkins faced the possibility of not taking part on the professional circuit this year after dropping out of the top 64, but Rocky showed his class at the Barnsley Metrodome with consistent performances over four days to retain his card.

The 40 year old finished third out of over 200 competitors in the Qualifying School Order of Merit. That high placing means he will retain his tour card for two more years.

Jenkins, who has been with MODUS for 15 years, proved his worth by progressing through an extremely strong field of players, winning 12 matches out of 16.

He will be aiming to take that form onto the tour in the coming months as he bids to climb back up the world rankings.

By Chris Murphy

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

 “People said that darts had hit a purple patch, if that’s true then it has lasted a hell of a long time. Darts is here to stay.”

That is the view of writer, MC, amateur player and legendary commentator John Gwynne, who has lived every moment of the sports’ success story since the formation of the PDC.

He has commentated for SKY since the inaugural PDC World Championship, a tournament which is now one of the nation’s best-loved sporting events. He spoke to MODUS and reflected on the journey of darts over the past 18 years.

He said: “I’ve been commentating on darts since the very first World Championship, which started in December 1993.  Dennis Priestley won the tournament, beating Phil Taylor in the final and the popularity has grown gradually since then.

“At that time it was difficult to attract big crowds, especially in the early rounds of competitions, sometimes to an almost embarrassing extent. Those days are long behind us now and people tend to forget it had been a struggle before some of the major competitions became more established because of the quality of the matches that were being played.”

Gwynne believes that confidence and strength in depth grew in the PDC as more and more players transferred from the BDO to help make the game more popular in the late nineties, but it wasn’t until the turn of the millennium before the sport started to fulfil its true potential.

He said: “The biggest move forward came when Barry Hearn got involved in 2002 and ever since then things have really taken off. I was lucky enough to make nine consecutive trips to Las Vegas to cover the Desert Classic, which were experiences I will never forget.  The introduction in 2005 of the Premier League is what I consider to be darts’ biggest success to date. Every player wants to be in that competition and every fan looks forward to it. Another big factor has been the move to the Alexandra Palace which is a fabulous venue and has helped make the PDC World Championship the biggest event in darts ever.

“There are other factors as well. The success of Phil Taylor has been a big part of it, but lots of other players have played their part too. I also think that SKY took coverage to a new level and the viewing experience is fantastic now. Us commentator’s play a role in that too, we are by no means the most important people but we are a necessity and I think we do what we do very well. I’m proud to have been a part of bringing the game to where it is today.”

Gwynne, along with Sid Waddell and Dave Lanning, has commentated on an endless amount of high quality matches over the years. However there is one match that stands out above all the others, the famous 2007 final when Raymond van Barneveld beat The Power.

He said: “Sid (Waddell) and I were commentating on the final sets and he invited me in as Barney hit the winning double. I remember calling “And van Barneveld is the champion of the world” after what had been the most magnificent match ever seen and the pinnacle of darting drama and theatre. That was the most memorable game and there have been lots of brilliant matches, but I think that was the best.”

Gwynne has covered all manor of sports from cricket to clay shooting and he believes that darts is up there with the best of them.

He added: “It’s exactly the same as covering any other sport. Commentating is more than just description. It’s about reacting to events, building up excitement, providing insight and reading the game. I enjoy what I do so I enjoy commentating on whichever sport or event I’m covering at any particular time.

“In terms of darts, there is no question that it is a sport and the darts do the talking on that one. It’s recognised as a sport and it is a fantastic sport at that. I have very little time for the case that it isn’t, of course it doesn’t require a great deal of athleticism but it has every element that a sport should have. One of the greatest things about darts is its competitiveness; there is also an enormous amount of skill involved. We see lots of people from other sports at the darts and they love it and, as I’m often heard saying on the commentary, it is sport at its very best.”

By Chris Murphy

Paul Nicholson is pleased with his progress over the last twelve months and aims to continue to improve in 2012.

The Asset had a solid year, including reaching three televised quarter-finals, and he wants to do even better this time around.

He said: “The aim is always to keep improving. I would class last year as a year of improvement for me. I won three Pro Tour events, which is more than I have before. I got further in every major tournament then the previous year, apart from the Players Championship which I had won the year before. My goal for 2011 was to do better than 2010 and I think I’ve done that so I’m really pleased.

“This year I’d like to consolidate my floor form, climb the rankings and improve once again in the majors. I’ve learned some lessons and probably could have won a couple of televised tournaments last year if I had been a little bit wiser in the head. The goal is to win two majors this year. I will have to work hard to achieve that because everybody gets better every year, but I won’t be lazy and I will get better again, that’s for sure.”

The first of those major wins could potentially come at next month’s World Cup of Darts in Hamburg, where Nicholson will represent Australia with Simon Whitlock. The pair are seeded second for the tournament.

Nicholson said: “I have a great fan base in Germany so I am really looking forward to playing there. Simon and I have a very good relationship and I think we have an excellent chance. I believe that everybody would love to see an Australia versus England final, but we will have to work very hard to get there. We are up against some very good teams but I think we have both got the attributes to go all the way.”

Nicholson became one of the most talked about people in darts last year as a result of his charismatic image and his surge into the top ten in the world rankings. The Australian is pleased with his form and his stage presence.

He said: “I think it was a really big achievement for me to get into the top ten and stay there for a few months. I knew all along that I would drop out if I couldn’t defend the prize money from winning the Players Championship by retaining it, but getting into the top ten and dropping out has given me the desire to get back there.

“In terms of my image, I think I have a good one. Darts has become an entertainment sport, so if we lose that element we would lose a lot of the fans with it. I like being one of the ‘box office’ players and there are players who are possibly better than me but don’t get the same coverage because they don’t have a good image. In order to keep it going though, I have to back it up by playing good darts. I really believe that both my ability and the entertainment factor I provide will help my career shoot forward.”

There had been speculation that Nicholson may have been included as a wild card pick for the prestigious Premier League, but the Asset missed out and he doesn’t begrudge the decision.

He added: “I think they got everything right. In my opinion Kevin Painter deserves the chance more than anybody and Andy Hamilton has timed his run to perfection. I am disappointed because I thought I might have got lucky but I know I didn’t do enough.

“I’ve moved down to the Midlands now where I’ve got my own space and my long term plan is still on course. If I continue what I’m doing here than I know I can become a better player and this year I will hopefully do more than enough to be included next time.”

By Chris Murphy