Dean Winstanley has been absent from the PDC game for quite some time.
'Over the Top' is best known in PDC circles for hitting a nine-dart finish at the 2013 World Championship. Before that he was a
BDO stalwart, reaching the final of the 2011 World Championship at the Lakeside. After a lengthy hiatus due to a shoulder injury, the Yorkshireman returned to action at Q-School in January. He was unable to regain a Tour Card, but Winstanley has featured on the Challenge Tour, as well as appearing at a number of BDO events. The comeback has put him back on the map, and has revived a love of the game that had dwindled before the long lay-off. "I've been playing again for about three months and I'm actually starting to enjoy it a little more now," the 37-year-old said in a interview. "My shoulder's getting better so anything could happen."
"Signs of Stevie Wonder"
Winstanley was highly regarded when he made the switch to the PDC. His famous Ally Pally nine-darter wasn't the only sign of his quality - he also reached the semi-finals of the 2012 Grand Slam. Six years on from that, he believes the magic is still alive.
"The game's still there and I've shown little bits of it in BDO comps.
"There were signs of brilliance and signs of Stevie Wonder but it's not over yet."
Troublemaker
Targeting a 2019 return, Winstanley has one foe he's not ready to face - the DRA.
"No more fines, no more DRA, I’m coming back with a vengeance.
"I think they [the DRA] miss me!" he joked.
"But you learn to be a bad boy and things go wrong so just be a good lad and things can go right."
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