"I’m grabbing every opportunity I can—to get exposure and experience" - Cameron Carolissen outlines future ambitions in darts, while reminiscing on prior World Championship escapades

Cameron Carolissen recently participated in the MODUS Super Series for the very first time, topping the group with a string of impressive performances, but losing in the semi-finals against Dutchman Danny van Trijp 4-2.

While in Portsmouth, he appeared on Tungsten Talk, as he chatted about how he started playing the sport, the influence of Devon Peterson had on African darts, Tour Card ambitions, and his previous World Championship showings.

"I was six years old. My dad played darts, and so did other family members," he said. "It was kind of a 'monkey see, monkey do' type thing with my cousins and friends. They put a dartboard at our height, and we just went at it. By the age of 12, people started to see potential in me. At our family club back home, they needed a player to fill in, and I was given the shot. From that point, the rest is history. I was 12 then—17 years later, here I am."

After his early beginnings, Carolissen found an opening in his darts career in the form of the African Darts Group (ADG), created by professional darter Devon Peterson. This is where he made a name for himself, rising up the African darts roster.

"Honestly, back home a lot of guys love the amateur circuit, but it’s very much a pick-and-choose system. That’s something we’ve got to iron out. For me, I realised I wanted more. I broke away from the amateur circuit because I felt the system defeated me as a player. Then Devon Petersen came along with the African Darts Group, creating opportunities and platforms for players like me and others back home. The rest is history. The ADG is heading in the right direction."

When asked how important Peterson was for the sport in Africa, he said: "Massive. Not just for me, but for the organisation and all the other players. Devon has so much experience—he’s played at the highest level, he’s done punditry, admin, everything. Back in 2020 during COVID, his form was unreal. He’s been through it all, so why wouldn’t you learn from him? What I love is he’s giving back. I chose to ride that wave with the ADG because I know he’s done it and he’s willing to help others. I want to grab that opportunity with both hands."

The South African has high ambitions in the sport, as he targets making it his full career. He is on the right path, qualifying for the World Championships last year and making a good impression of himself in his opening round defeat against the talented Wessel Nijman.

"One hundred percent, I’d love to," Carolissen said. "Right now, I’m grabbing every opportunity I can—every qualifier, every tournament—to get exposure and experience, and to get my name out there. I’m planning to give Q School a shot in 2026. If I win a Tour Card, that’s a job well done. If not, I’ll look at the Challenge Tour. I see it as part of my development journey. I’ve already had a World Championship, a World Cup, and now the Super Series. I just want to keep riding this wave of opportunities and see where it takes me."

The first stage of going Pro is getting your Tour Card. Carolissen will have to do that through Q-School. Once he does, then he and his family will have to adapt to the possibility living abroad. However, he is not thinking about that until he achieves one.

"There have been talks with a few people who might assist. For the first six months, I’ll have to see what works best," he said. "I’ve got a family back home, so ideally I’d fly back and forth—maybe two to three weeks in the UK, then home for a bit, then back again. It’ll be tiring, but if financially I can base myself in the UK, that’s an option too. I also need to consider my family—it’s a big transition for them as well. But first, let’s get through Q School and see where it goes."

Last year was not Carolissen's maiden World Championship venture, as he made his debut in the 2021 edition. He was bypassed into the second round, but was unable to get past the 25th seed, Danny Noppert.

"That one always haunts me because I never really got to play the first round. I got through because Martijn Kleermaker tested positive for COVID, and another replacement wasn’t available. So I went straight into round two. I tried to make the best of it. Devin told me to forget the circumstances and focus on the game. I gave it everything against Danny Noppert. I had chances, but he edged me out. Still, it was a great experience."

He would not return until the end of 2024, when he qualified through the now viral qualifier against the popular Peter Wachuri, as he stated that it felt like 'pure relief' to sink that last double in to confirm his spot. "To be honest, it was just vibes!" he said. "The vuvuzelas didn’t get to me—it’s part of African darts, our signature. Kudos to Peter, he made a massive impact, not just in Kenya but globally. That final in Kenya was the start of his great journey.

"In the last leg, Peter left 154. If he’d taken it out on double 17, I think I’d have been done. When he missed, I couldn’t believe it—it felt like my heart stopped. I was just praying to the darting gods. When I hit the winning double, it was pure relief."

In a cruel twist, he faced the one person he was hoping to avoid in the first round, but despite this he went out with positive energy, and almost completed a two-set comeback, but was just pipped at the post against Nijman.

"Honestly, he was the one player I didn’t want to face first," Carilossen said. "He was in form, one of the favourites. When I saw the draw, I just went silent. But after watching his games, I thought, 'He can play, I can play.' I went out there with a smile, thinking, 'The world doesn’t know what’s coming.' I gave it my all, and it turned into one of the most memorable matches of my career."