Dobey preparing for a tough year on the PDC circuit: 'It's key that I get off to a good start'

Chris Dobey made the most of his unexpected Masters call up by beating Dimitri van den Bergh 6-2 in the first round on Friday night. Dobey was solid all the way through as he averaged 97.36 to the Belgian's 89.07.

“I thought it was a joke really, I had messages in the group chat with Glen Durrant, Ryan Joyce and Adam Hunt and they said congratulations on getting to the Masters and I said you have got to be joking and I didn't see it until it was published later on. I was overwhelmed and I'm glad to be here'', he told Online Darts.

Dobey clearly didn’t expect to get into the tournament as he couldn't break into the top 16 after enduring a disappointing 2020. “I went on a bad spell particularly at the back end of the year which I haven’t witnessed during my time in the PDC but last year wasn’t the best. This year is going to be another tough year because I'm defending a lot of money and it's key that I get off to a good start.”

A good tournament at the Masters could end up with an invite for the Premier League Darts, as the last spot will be confirmed after this event. “You have got to keep performing and take it game by game, I'm not going to start thinking about that now but I will think about it closer to the time.”

Dobey was also asked about his new earbuds that he has been wearing after stating that the virtual crowd put him off at the start of the behind closed door events. “It put me off at the start and I kind of lost concentration. I wore them in the World Championship and I found it takes my mind off it and helps me focus a lot more.”