"I know I keep saying it but people might actually believe me now" – Dave Chisnall in a good place as form emerges once more in Leicester

After a busy spell of exhibition matches and Pro Tour action, Dave Chisnall has once again shown he remains one of the most dangerous floor players. The Englishman traveled to Carrow Road in Norwich last weekend for a series of exhibitions, before heading straight to Leicester for Players Championship 7 and 8. Especially on Tuesday, ‘Chizzy’ showed his form is clearly on the rise, capped by a quarter-final spot.

Chisnall enjoyed a relaxed weekend during the exhibitions at Norwich City. He visibly relished the interaction with the crowd and the setting outside the usual tournament pressure. "I just wanted to thank the guys at Norwich City for really looking after us for a couple of days last weekend. The fans down at Carrow Road were brilliant and the form showed there really helped to a couple of days on the floor."

He carried that positive vibe onto the floor in Leicester, where the battle immediately became far more serious.

The first day, however, did not go as hoped. Chisnall went out early after a 6-3 defeat to Benjamin Pratnemer. In a match with fine margins, the Englishman had chances but failed to take them. "It’s such fine margins in sport,” he reflected. "I’ve gone 20-57 and missed tops by a whisker. He responded by taking out the match dart with last dart in hand. That’s just the way it goes sometimes."

It typifies the sport: a few millimeters can completely change the course of a match.

A day later, a completely different Chisnall took to the oche. With convincing scoring and strong finishing, he battled superbly into the quarter-finals of Players Championship 8. One of the standout wins was a 6-1 victory over Martin Schindler.

Strikingly, Chisnall felt the highlight came in a lost leg. “I hit 180, 100 and 140, but didn’t get a dart at a double. And he takes out 129 in twelve darts. That’s darts in a nutshell.”

It shows how high the level is these days: even excellent legs offer no guarantee of success. Perhaps his best match of the day came against Mervyn King. The experienced Englishman started strongly, but Chisnall battled back well. "Merv flew out the traps and I was behind early doors but battled back well. I took out 55 to go 5-4 up and in the next leg really put the game to bed. I went 139/137/97 to really hammer a good lead and despite a late maximum by Merv I was able to see it out."

With an impressive scoring burst (139, 137 and 97), he created the decisive gap. Despite a late 180 from King, Chisnall closed it out professionally to secure his quarter-final spot. In the last eight he faced Dutch talent Wessel Nijman. In a high-quality contest, Chisnall ultimately lost 6-4, despite averaging well over 100. "I lost 6-4 with a 103 average and he played very, very well but I could have won that game. It’s always easy in hindsight but we both played good darts, and fair play to him he went onto win the competition."

Nijman would go on to win the tournament, which puts Chisnall’s performance into perspective.

Despite the defeat, optimism prevails for Chisnall. His game feels good and the results are increasingly backing that up. "The game’s good, I know I keep saying it but people might actually believe me now. There’s been a few drop outs on this week’s Euro Tour in Germany so I’ll be seeded, meaning my first game won’t be until Saturday. Hopefully I can win the first game, trouser some ranking points and see how we get on for the week."

The focus now shifts to the Euro Tour in Munich, where, due to a few withdrawals, he will come in as a seeded player. That means he won’t be in action until later in the tournament, offering extra chances to go deep.

With several more Pro Tour events and Euro Tour stops on the calendar, including a date in Sindelfingen, Chisnall faces a busy month. His goal is clear: go beyond the quarter-finals and contend for titles again. "Hopefully I can carry the form on. I’ve got to the Quarter-Finals of a Players Championship event twice now this season but I’d really like to make some inroads on the Euro Tour now. Fingers crossed April can be a good one for us."