BACK IN THE DAY with Alan Norris: BDO World Championship finalist, PDC ranking winner but what happened to Chuck?

In this feature, we regularly take a trip down memory lane back in the day with a particular darts player. Today, we do so with Englishman Alan Norris. 'Chuck' enjoyed considerable success in both the BDO and PDC, but has now been away from the spotlight for several years.

Alan Norris was born on February 21, 1972, in Yeovil. Due to work commitments, he lived in Sweden for a while and represented the country at international tournaments during the early stages of his career. He took his first major steps in 2007, winning the Swedish National Championship that year by defeating Daniel Larsson in the final.

He had previously reached the semi-finals of the Finnish Open. Norris also made an impression at the Winmau World Masters, although he eventually fell in the last-16 qualifying round to Jordy Terburg. He later reached the quarter-finals of the Swedish Open.

In 2008, his name became increasingly familiar to the wider public. Norris made his television debut at the Welsh Open, where he reached the quarter-finals. Along the way, he defeated players including Martin Adams and Ian Jones. His impressive run eventually came to an end against Gary Anderson, who went on to win the tournament. Norris also performed strongly on several major stages that year, reaching the quarter-finals of the Norway Open, Denmark Open and Zuiderduin Masters. He also reached the semi-finals of the Welsh Classic and Swedish Open.

The international breakthrough came in 2009. Norris qualified for his first BDO World Championship and immediately caused an upset by defeating 13th seed Steve West 3-0. However, Scott Waites proved too strong in the second round. Later that year, Norris reached the Welsh Classic final again and reached his first semi-final at a major televised tournament at the Zuiderduin Masters.

The following years confirmed that Norris was no one-hit wonder. At the 2010 World Championship, he was seeded eighth but surprisingly lost in the first round to Robert Wagner. However, he also enjoyed some major successes that season. He won the French Open by defeating Kim Huybrechts and reached the semi-finals of the European Open.

Another strong run of results followed in 2011. Norris defeated Ross Montgomery in the first round of the World Championship, although he fell short against Garry Thompson in the second round. Away from Lakeside, however, he picked up several titles. He won the England Open Early Bird, successfully defended his French Open title and also claimed the Luxembourg Open.

The year 2012 would prove to be an important turning point in his career. At the BDO World Championship, Norris first defeated Benito van de Pas and then Dean Winstanley. Against Winstanley, he had to come back from 3-1 down, eventually winning 4-3 to reach the World Championship quarter-finals for the first time.

His World Championship run ended in the quarter-finals against Christian Kist. Norris even had a historic opportunity in that match. He missed a dart at double 12 for a nine-darter, a finish that would have been only the second nine-darter in the history of the tournament.

Later that year, Norris won the Welsh Masters and Luxembourg Open again. He also reached the final of the Zuiderduin Masters. In his final group match, he produced an impressive 112 average and hit two 170 finishes. However, Stephen Bunting awaited him in the final and defeated Norris 5-0.

After a less impressive season, Norris entered the 2014 BDO World Championship as an unseeded player. His draw was immediately a tough one: defending champion Scott Waites stood in his way in the first round. Norris was not intimidated, however, and won 3-0, averaging more than 93 and converting almost half of his opportunities on the doubles.

Norris continued to impress. Glen Durrant was beaten 4-1 before he won a high-quality match against James Wilson 5-2. Jan Dekker awaited in the semi-finals.

That semi-final developed into one of the most thrilling matches of the tournament. Norris trailed 4-2 and had earlier missed opportunities to build a lead. Yet he fought his way back. Dekker had chances of his own to take control during the decisive stages, but Norris held firm and eventually won 6-5. For the first time, Norris had reached the BDO World Championship final.

His opponent was none other than Stephen Bunting, the BDO's world number one at the time. The final was initially completely level. After six sets, the score was 3-3. Norris then had opportunities to open up the match but missed important darts at double.

Bunting consequently moved 6-3 ahead. Norris refused to give up, winning the tenth set with a 140 finish. In the eleventh set, Bunting appeared to be closing in on the world title. With Bunting on 28 and just one leg away from the title, Norris produced a brilliant 113 finish to stay alive.

The comeback ultimately did not materialise. Bunting broke Norris' throw to claim the world title. Norris had to settle for £35,000, but had firmly established himself as one of the best players in the BDO.

The World Championship final defeat appeared to give Norris even more motivation. The rest of 2014 became the most successful year of his BDO career. He won the Denmark Open, Polish Open, British Classic, Swedish Open, Scottish Classic and Catalan Open in succession.

His World Championship final appearance also earned him the chance to compete in the Grand Slam of Darts for the first time. Norris came through the group stage impressively. He defeated Ronny Huybrechts and Terry Jenkins to finish top of his group. In the last 16, he faced Kim Huybrechts, who eliminated him 10-5. Nevertheless, the message was clear: Norris was ready for a new challenge.

After the 2015 BDO World Championship, where he was eliminated by Darryl Fitton in the second round after missing three match darts, Norris decided to make the switch to the PDC.

After nine years, the Englishman had had enough of the uncertainty within the BDO and saw an opportunity to continue his career in the PDC. "I've been on the BDO circuit for a long time and things aren't changing quickly enough. I'm not getting any younger either, so now is the right time to give the PDC a chance," Norris said at the time.

Norris immediately made an impression at Q-School. On the first day, he secured his PDC Tour Card by defeating Carl Abbiss 5-3. Earlier that day, he had also hit a nine-darter.

The switch quickly proved to be an excellent decision. In October 2015, Norris claimed his first PDC title at Players Championship 18. In the final, he defeated Kim Huybrechts 6-1, averaging an impressive 108.06.

The absolute highlight of his first PDC season came at the 2016 World Championship. Norris had qualified for London via the Pro Tour Order of Merit as the highest-ranked non-qualified player and began his debut against sixth seed Robert Thornton.

Norris immediately made it clear that he had not come to Alexandra Palace simply to gain experience. He defeated Thornton 3-0 and then knocked out Joe Murnan. Against Murnan, he hit no fewer than eleven 180s.

He then defeated Mark Webster 4-1 to reach the quarter-finals, where he faced Jelle Klaasen. Norris took a 3-1 lead, but Klaasen fought back to level at 3-3.

Norris then had another huge opportunity. He came close to a nine-darter and later had the chance to throw for the match. However, the match completely turned around. Klaasen won the final five legs to eliminate Norris 5-4.

Despite the painful defeat, Norris had announced himself on the big stage. He finished the tournament ranked 37th in the Order of Merit, was the best-performing graduate from the 2015 Q-School and was also named Newcomer of the Year.

Norris continued to produce excellent results in 2016. He reached the final of a UK Open Qualifier, where he lost 6-4 to Michael van Gerwen. At the UK Open itself, he reached the fourth round. He also made his debuts at the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix.

His biggest success that year came on the European Tour. At the German Darts Championship, Norris defeated Jelle Klaasen 6-5 in a thrilling final to claim his first European Tour title.

He also made his mark at the Players Championship Finals. In his first-round match against Michael Smith, he hit a nine-darter. That achievement also came with a £35,000 prize. Norris eventually reached the third round of the tournament.

Norris began 2017 with a comeback at the World Championship. Against John Michael, he fell 2-0 behind but completely turned the match around to win 3-2. Raymond van Barneveld awaited in the second round, but that match went completely differently: Norris lost the first ten legs and was beaten 4-0.

Later that year, Norris claimed his third PDC title by defeating Peter Jacques 6-1 at the first Players Championship event of the season.

He also came close to reaching the final of the UK Open. Norris defeated Michael Smith and then survived two match darts against Kim Huybrechts. In his semi-final against Gerwyn Price, the score was 9-9. Norris had three darts to win the 19th leg but failed to take his chances. Price took the leg with a 100 finish and then broke Norris' throw to win 11-9.

Norris was struck by devastating personal tragedy in 2019 when his wife passed away following a battle with cancer. At the end of that year, he also lost his PDC Tour Card. Since then, he has tried several times to regain a tour card at Q-School but has so far been unsuccessful. He has also played in the qualifier for the PDC World Darts Championship, reaching the latter stages this past week, and has often played on the MODUS Super Series and Challenge Tour.

Alan Norris' story is therefore that of a player who worked his way to the top step by step. He rose through the BDO ranks to become a World Championship finalist before making the switch to the PDC later in his career and immediately enjoying major success there. His 2016 World Championship quarter-final, European Tour title and multiple Players Championship victories underline just how successful that switch ultimately was.

Norris proved that a career does not necessarily have to follow a set path. He spent years building his reputation within the BDO before starting again in the PDC and establishing himself among the established names there too. His career therefore represents a fascinating chapter in the transition of a generation of players from the BDO to the PDC.