“Her first of many, many more. She’s some player” – Dave Chisnall full of praise for Beau Greaves after historic ProTour nine-darter

After two days of Players Championship action in Leicester, Dave Chisnall looks back on his performances with mixed feelings. The Englishman has endured a difficult spell but is gradually finding rhythm again. A quarter-final on Tuesday showed clear progress, yet missed doubles ultimately cost him. Still, there are strong signs that his game is trending in the right direction.

“I was kicking myself midweek, when going on a nice run at the first of two Players Championship events in Leicester, I lost in the Quarter-Finals to Ross Smith on Tuesday, having had a nice run and throwing some nice darts along the way,” writes Chisnall in his latest column for Kwiff.

Chisnall defeated Madars Razma, Nick Kenny, Thibault Tricole and Ricardo Pietreczko before falling 6-3 to Smith. Throughout that run, he produced several timely checkouts. “I took out some important finishes in the run… Ross took out some huge darts, with me sat on a double a few times when racing to a 4-0 lead. Those big checkouts are killer, and I managed to take some big ones out earlier in the day, with important 116 checkout to go 5-2 up against Thibauilt (Tricole) 94 to seal the win over Pikachu.”

Despite the defeat, the performance reinforced the feeling that his scoring power is returning.

The following day brought further frustration. “Double 10 proved my enemy over both days, and that and tops are the main takeaway from the two days in Leicester. If I can sort both doubles out, I’m going to have a much better chance of getting my hands on some silverware again.”

Chisnall was beaten by Jurjen van der Velde 24 hours later, in another match in which finishing proved decisive. “The young lad Van Der Velde played really well to beat us 24 hours later in another game where my doubles let me down. The one positive was my scoring again, with loads of 180s and 7 perfect darts in one game.”

There was also praise for Beau Greaves, who hit a nine-darter during the week. “Fair play to Beau Greaves hitting the magic nine in the week – her first of many, many more. She’s some player.”

There is little time to dwell on missed chances. March brings a packed schedule, starting close to home. “I’ve an exhibition in Bolton this weekend – I always like the ones that are round the corner because it means I get to go home and get in my own bed at the end of the night!”

With the UK Open in Minehead and Euro Tour events in Belgium and Holland approaching, opportunities are coming thick and fast. “There’s Euro Tour darts in Belgium and Holland in March, and the UK Open next weekend in Minehead, so it’s a busy few weeks coming up and plenty of potential opportunities to try and earn a few quid. Fingers crossed!”

The comeback, as Chizzy himself puts it, is still very much ongoing.'