Dartsnews.com has another pre-Lakeside interview today with Welshman Nick Kenny who starts his campaign against Willem Mandigers at the BDO World Darts Championships starting this weekend.
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Kenny gave us some time to speak about how he got into darts, his game with Glen Durrant last year, , Development Tour amongst other topics in this in-depth interview. "Hi Sam – No problem at all, thank you for the opportunity. Both my parents are keen dart players. My mother was my hometowns Women’s singles champion when carrying me in 1993. My dad is a really good pub player who is very capable of giving any of the top county players a run for there money. They run the local Sunday night league and introduced me to the league at the age of 13 after 4 years of throwing in my bedroom.'' ''When I was young I remember watching clips of Steve Beaton and Ritchie Burnett on old VCR recordings and fell in love with the game. Me with a sticky dart board right up to a bristle dartboard counting my first 120 odd 180’s after hitting my first at the age of 9. I would try and throw like the TV players and based my throw on several throughout my development according to what was going well." "Yes I can not wait to return to the home of World Darts. I’m happy with my draw which could have been a lot worse after last years match against Glen. I will not be underestimating Willem who is a fantastic player and he has had the best season of his career so far in the BDO and is clearly on form. I am confident that if I play my A game then I can come on a victor.'' ''This time around I just need to polish off the key chances when they come. Opening the tournament against Glen last year was quite simply amazing. The crowd were buzzing and gave an amazing atmosphere, and although I lost I thoroughly enjoyed it all. I showed what I am capable of on stage and hope to perform again this time around." "The development tour has been a major help to my development. I have played it since I was 16 and as I gained more and more experience the results show that I grew as a player. Playing some, if not all, of the worlds top youth players who are now established professionals and held my own against them all.'' ''I really started to perform in 2014 winning 2 events and was consistent in 2015 and 2016, however my ambition to play the BDO tour and reach lakeside halted my progress this year and I only played the 2 events. Some people may disagree with my choices to Adhere to the BDO tour and county, however I am happy with my achievements over my development career and as many know am a proud welsh International." "Q school is a hot topic in many conversations with family , friends sponsors and fans. 1 day I will attempt Q school, however only when I feel I am ready. I’m a huge fan of both dart codes and have many friends both players and officials on both sides.'' ''Personally I feel that there is still experience to be gained in the BDO and although many have an opinion its down to when I am ready to make the leap. I have received good advice from many people and will not be going to Q school in January, but will be one January in the future." ''I am a very proud Welshman and welsh darts is 100% on the up. This years lakeside has 5 men and 1 women which has got to be close to the record. In the PDC the lads are doing fantastic having had 2 major finalists this year, with Gezzy in the UK open and Jonny in the Players championship. There are so many good youngsters around wales.'' ''I came through the welsh youth squad with Jamie Lewis, Dean Reynolds, Kurt Parry and Rhys Griffin who are all playing really well. The legend Martin Phillips is still going strong in the BDO and is a role model both on and off the board to the youngsters coming through. We are all really proud Welshman and as an International I certainly wear the shirt with pride every time.'' "I was really pleased with my performance in the world trophy especially my result against Jeff smith winning 6-0. That really showed I can perform against the best consistently and was pleased with my finishing throughout. I was a little disappointed loosing to Martin, but he showed his class and I wasn’t far behind. His timing was the difference. My year on the whole has been good. I believe I was more consistent in the first 6 months and my form has been up and down since about August.'' ''The Winmau World Masters was a little painful as I missed out in a last leg shootout to qualify for the TV rounds. The overall aim was to get to lakeside again, although I am a little disappointed I am not a seed. Even though with the seeds and first round qualifiers this year, I am not too sure it matters. I do feel there is a lot more to come. Once I start to play consistently I can be a threat to every BDO competition. Preferably doing the damage in the major competitions."
Photo: David Gill/DG Media
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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