BACK IN THE DAY WITH: Jan Dekker, two-time semifinalist at the BDO World Championship who impressed in PDC before vanishing

In this section, we regularly look back in the day at the career of a particular darts player. Today, we're doing so with Jan Dekker. The Dutchman took an interesting path during his darts career. He made a name for himself on the BDO circuit, became a regular on the big stages and subsequently made the switch to the PDC. Dekker also managed to impress several times there, although he ultimately failed to establish himself as an absolute world-class player. His career featured highs, disappointments and some notable victories over big names.

Dekker's first major breakthrough came in 2010. The Dutchman qualified for the televised stage of the Winmau World Masters. In the last 16, he immediately faced a formidable opponent in Martin Adams. Dekker pushed the eventual tournament winner all the way, but ultimately lost 3-2. Adams decided the match in a sudden-death leg.

Although Dekker therefore missed out on a place in the quarter-finals, his performance was an important indication that he could compete with the better players within the BDO.

A year later came his first appearance at the BDO World Championship. Dekker may not initially have been the biggest name in the field, but he emerged as one of the tournament's surprises. In the first round, he convincingly defeated 15th seed Scott Mitchell 3-0. He then faced second seed Stuart Kellett. Dekker also managed to dictate that match, winning 4-1 to book his place in the quarter-finals.

There, he faced Garry Thompson. Dekker appeared to be heading for elimination for a long time. He trailed 3-0 and later saw the Englishman take a 4-2 lead. However, the Dutchman continued to fight. Thompson had no fewer than nine match darts to decide the contest, but failed to convert any of them. Dekker took full advantage and fought back to win the match 5-4. Suddenly, he had reached the semi-finals of the World Championship.

In the semi-final, Dekker faced Dean Winstanley. His impressive run came to an end there. Winstanley was too strong, winning 6-2, but Dekker had firmly put himself on the map by then. Reaching the semi-finals of the BDO World Championship was an achievement that demonstrated that the Dutchman had enough quality to compete at the highest level.

Dekker remained an important player within the BDO in the years that followed. In 2012, he was seeded sixth for the World Championship. In the first round, he faced fellow Dutchman Christian Kist, who would ultimately go on to win the tournament. Dekker lost 3-2 despite averaging more than 96 points. It was a particularly bitter elimination because, statistically, Dekker had produced a performance that would normally have been enough to progress to the next round.

A year later, he once again got the chance to prove himself. Seeded seventh, Dekker reached the quarter-finals. In the first round, he escaped against Jeffrey de Graaf after his opponent missed a match dart. In the second round, he once again faced Garry Thompson. Just as two years earlier, Dekker came out on top. This time he won 4-3 after once again coming from behind. In the quarter-finals, Dekker appeared to be heading for the semi-finals when he led Richie George 3-1. George fought back, however, and eventually won 5-4.

The 2014 BDO World Championship would become one of the absolute highlights of Dekker's career. The Dutchman was seeded sixth and faced a compatriot in the first round for the third consecutive year. This time, his opponent was Benito van de Pas. Dekker dominated his fellow Dutchman and won convincingly 3-0. He then defeated Geert De Vos 4-2.

In the quarter-finals, Dekker once again faced one of the BDO's biggest names: three-time world champion Martin Adams. Four years earlier, Adams had eliminated him at the Winmau World Masters, but this time Dekker got his revenge. With a strong performance, he defeated Adams 5-2. It was his first professional victory over the legendary Englishman and earned him another place in the final four.

There, he faced Alan Norris. Dekker made an excellent start and built a 4-2 lead. He was even close to taking a 5-4 advantage, but missed two darts to move into that lead. Norris took advantage and completely turned the match around. Dekker eventually lost 6-5. It was another painful elimination, but at the same time he proved that his 2011 semi-final appearance had not been a fluke.

The 2015 BDO World Championship was considerably less successful. Dekker was eliminated in the first round by Martin Adams, losing 3-1. Following that defeat, the Dutchman made an important decision. He announced that he would make the switch to the PDC.

His first attempt to secure a PDC Tour Card was not immediately successful. During the four days of the relevant qualifying event, Dekker reached the last 32 twice, but that was not enough to secure a Tour Card. Nevertheless, he was given plenty of opportunities to prove himself on the PDC circuit. He was able to compete in the UK Open and European Tour qualifiers, while also playing on the Challenge Tour.

At the 2015 UK Open, Dekker immediately showed that he was capable of competing at that level. He began the tournament in the second round and defeated Mike De Decker, Justin Pipe and Ronnie Baxter in succession. That saw him reach the fifth round, where he was eliminated by Mensur Suljović, who proved too strong in a 9-7 victory.

Later that year, Dekker qualified for his first European Tour event, the German Darts Masters. His debut ended in the first round against another fellow Dutchman, Benito van de Pas. Dekker lost 6-2. His biggest success, however, came on the Challenge Tour. He won no fewer than three tournaments and consequently finished top of the Order of Merit. That earned him a two-year PDC Tour Card from 2016 onwards.

His PDC World Championship debut followed in 2016. Dekker was immediately handed a difficult opponent in two-time world champion Adrian Lewis. The Englishman proved too strong, winning 3-0. Dekker was also eliminated early at the UK Open, this time suffering a narrow 6-5 defeat to Andrew Davidson.

Dekker subsequently showed a much better side of his game at the European Darts Open. He defeated John Henderson and Dave Chisnall to reach the third round. There, however, he encountered a huge obstacle in the form of Gary Anderson. The Scot did not allow Dekker to win a single leg and secured a convincing 6-0 victory.

At the end of the year, Dekker made his debut at the Players Championship Finals. He was seeded 54th on the Order of Merit and recorded a convincing 6-3 victory over Steve West in the first round. In the second round, he once again came up against Justin Pipe. This time, Pipe was clearly too strong, winning 6-1.

A year later came perhaps the best PDC season of Dekker's career. At the ninth Players Championship event of 2017, he made history by reaching the semi-finals of a PDC Pro Tour event for the first time. His route there was impressive. He defeated Andy Jenkins, Joe Cullen, Peter Hudson, Joe Murnan and Dave Chisnall. In the semi-final, however, he faced Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman proved a class above and won 6-0.

Van Gerwen would become a recurring name in Dekker's career. The two Dutchmen also met at the 2017 European Championship, with Van Gerwen once again coming out on top.

Later that year, Dekker got another opportunity to make his mark on the big stage. At the Players Championship Finals, he perhaps produced his best major tournament performance in the PDC. He defeated Michael Smith, Simon Whitlock and Peter Jacques to reach the quarter-finals. That saw him reach the last eight of one of the PDC's most important tournaments. Waiting for him there was Van Gerwen once again. Just as earlier that year, the then world number one proved too strong.

Dekker also qualified for the World Series of Darts Finals that year. However, he failed to progress beyond the first round, where Simon Stevenson eliminated him.

In 2018, Dekker returned to the World Championship. He defeated fellow Dutchman Jelle Klaasen in the first round, but subsequently lost to Dimitri Van den Bergh. At the Players Championship Finals, Ricky Evans proved too strong in the first round. A year later, Dekker once again appeared on the World Championship stage. He defeated Lisa Ashton, but was eliminated in the second round after five sets by Mervyn King.

Dekker also competed at the 2019 UK Open. After defeating Harry Ward, he was eliminated by Simon Whitlock. His season otherwise produced few major highlights. He did reach the quarter-finals of a Players Championship event twice, but dropped to 56th place on the PDC Order of Merit at the end of the year.

That put his Tour Card at risk. Dekker ultimately managed to retain his status only by winning the West European Qualifier for the 2020 World Championship. At that World Championship, he reached the second round for the third consecutive time. After defeating Ryan Joyce, however, he was beaten by Jonny Clayton.

The 2020 UK Open would prove to be his final major appearance on the PDC circuit. As a result of the ranking structure at the time, Dekker received a direct place in the third round, but immediately lost to William O'Connor. Because he subsequently failed to qualify for the next World Championship, he dropped out of the top 64 of the PDC Order of Merit. As a result, he lost his Tour Card after four years.

In 2021, Dekker attempted to secure a new Tour Card through European Q-School. He was given direct access to the Final Stage, but collected only two points. He ultimately finished 44th in the standings, meaning a return to the PDC Pro Tour did not materialise.

Although Jan Dekker never became world champion and ultimately failed to establish himself as a regular player among the absolute world elite, he can look back on a notable career. His semi-final appearances at the 2011 and 2014 BDO World Championships, his victory over Martin Adams, his three Challenge Tour titles and his quarter-final appearance at the 2017 Players Championship Finals rank among the biggest highlights.

His time with the BDO in particular showed that Dekker had what it took to compete at the very highest level. He also spent many years at the PDC competing among the best players in the world. His career therefore demonstrates not only how difficult it is to break through into the absolute elite, but also how much quality is required to remain active on the professional circuit for many years.

Dekker is also still only 36, so perhaps he will return to the world of darts one day.