From setback to Super Series — Wales' next darting star on his journey towards the PDC

Kurt Parry is a name that is being heard more and more often in the world of darts. His story is one of perseverance, talent and a touch of luck, but above all it is driven by a deep love for the game. In a recent Tungsten Talk interview with Paul Nicholson on Pluto TV, Parry spoke candidly about his path to success and the challenges he has faced along the way. Below, I’ve woven the interview quotes into a feature that charts his rise — from a teenage knee injury to victory on the local circuit and a growing place on the MODUS scene.

It all started with an injury. As a teenager, Parry was obsessed with football, but a knee injury put an end to those sporting dreams. For nine months to a year he was in a brace and on crutches, barely able to run. During that enforced break he discovered a dartboard belonging to his grandfather. “My grandfather played — he had a board in the house and I just took it up from there,” Parry told Paul Nicholson. “I loved it immediately.”

He admits the injury accelerated his introduction to the sport. “I don’t think I would’ve got involved as early otherwise. At 15 you’d rather be outside with your mates,” he said, explaining why darts became his outlet. The game offered not only a pastime but a fresh stage on which to feed a competitive instinct that had begun on the football pitch.

Parry’s competitive fire emerged quickly. Within months he was playing regularly — first with friends, then in youth tournaments — and that momentum led to selection for Glamorgan Youth, a key milestone.

“When I first started I didn’t know a great deal about darts, just what I’d seen on TV,” he recalled. “But when I went to those tournaments and met people who were genuinely good, I realised how big the sport really was, even locally. There are good players everywhere and you start broadening where you go.”

The exposure pushed him to raise his game. Those early tournaments, he says, were an eye-opener: the talent he’d only seen on television existed in the county halls and clubs too.

Parry’s rise coincided with the PDC’s youth structures growing into a proper pathway. He remembers feeling uncertain at first — “am I capable?” — but that quickly changed. “The first time I went, I said to myself: give me more. I loved it,” he told Nicholson.

Qualifying for the World Youth Championships in Cardiff remains one of those moments that stuck with him. “I qualified for the World Youth Championships in Riley’s in Cardiff,” he said. “I won my first game and my next game was Van Gerwen. As we were playing, Van der Voort and Barney were all behind watching the game. It was a bit surreal.”

That sense of entering the big room — with established names watching — can be overwhelming for young players. It’s not just a competitive test; it’s a rite of passage into a different atmosphere. Parry remembers it as strange but formative: a reminder that the sport is far bigger than the youth scene.

One highlight from those years is a nine-darter he hit in a World Youth event — a moment of disbelief, followed by a sobering realisation that the job wasn’t yet done. “I was 5–1 down, I brought it back to 5–4 and then hit a nine-darter,” he laughed. “I didn’t even realise I’d done it at first. My grandad had his head in his hands. Then I thought, I’ve got to win another leg to try and win the game.”

Despite the magic of the nine-darter, Parry admits the match remained a battle: “For about six darts I was awful, but I managed to scrape the win.” That combination of spectacular moments and gritty finishes defines much of his early story.

Parry moved through the Development Tour, Challenge Tour and onto the Pro Tour. The experience gave him a sense of playing at the sharp end — and revealed the physical and mental toll of constant high-level competition.

“You’re getting drawn against players who are serial winners,” he said. “If you don’t play well, you don’t win a leg. You can play really well and still only come away with three legs — sometimes only one leg. My first year doing the Development Tour, Challenge Tour and Pro Tour drained me; I was exhausted by the end of the year.”

He doesn’t regret the experience, but reflects on the importance of focus. “Maybe I should’ve skipped one of the tours to save my energy. If you’re trying to develop, you need a clear goal. Otherwise you hop from one event to another without real focus.” It’s a point repeated by many players and coaches: quantity of events doesn’t always equal quality of progress.

After stepping back — in part for personal reasons and amid the pandemic — Parry’s return to play was marked by victory. He won the Champion of Champions tournament on near-home soil, a triumph he admits felt partly down to fortune.

“It was a brilliant tournament. There were a couple of matches where opponents missed a lot of doubles, but I thought: just keep going. If you get that opportunity, take it. I felt lucky that day and just ran with it,” he said.

For Parry, the win was a timely confirmation: shows of form on the local circuit can translate into results, and success there can bolster belief.

An invitation to the MODUS Super Series followed — another step that forces the juggling act between work, family and darts. “In South Wales there are local tournaments almost every day. It’s a huge opportunity to play, but it takes planning. I’m starting to find that balance better now,” he told Nicholson.

Parry emphasised the value of strong local scenes. They allow players to compete regularly, keep sharp in match conditions and do so without constant travel — a crucial factor for players balancing domestic life with aspirations on the bigger stage.

Asked if the best of Kurt Parry is yet to come, his answer was candid and measured. “I think so. I show it sometimes, but I’m not consistent enough. I feel like I can do mad things and hit big averages — I’ve got it in my game, it just doesn’t always come out. That’s something I’ve got to work on.”

At 32, Parry still has time to refine that consistency. With a pedigree that includes youth tournaments, PDC experience and renewed success on the local circuit, he has the ingredients to push further. His story is a reminder that pathways matter: talent, patience and opportunity aligned can take players to new heights.