"I've been poor the last six months" - Nathan Rafferty shows signs of improvement to boost hopes of keeping Tour Card and securing Grand Slam progression

Nathan Rafferty kept his Grand Slam of Darts hopes alive on Sunday afternoon, bouncing back from defeat against Gerwyn Price in his opening match with a very impressive 5-2 triumph over Gian van Veen.

"I was very steady there, the two treble visits were very good," Rafferty reflected post-match to Online Darts. Averaging over 103 with 50% on his checkouts, it's fair to say the Northern Irishman was more than steady. "Even yesterday, the two treble visits were good so I knew the scoring was there but I'm happy with the win. Gian has been playing well all year and he's one of the players to watch out for so I'm happy to show against a player like him that I'm still about."

Having reached the last 16 back in 2021 at the Grand Slam, Rafferty's not enjoyed the best of years in 2023. As such, just keeping a hold of his Tour Card could prove tricky for the 23-year-old former winner of the PDC Challenge Tour.

"I've been poor the last six months definitely. Inconsistent with everything but last maybe two or three months I've kind of shown what I can do," he says positively. "This is a bonus tournament really, I didn't really know was in it until two weeks ago so I'm happy to be here."

"I love the group stage because there's exposure on the TV and that just seems to be one of them things that drives me on," Rafferty concludes. "It's a guaranteed three nights no matter what so that's what I look forward to."