Jamie Hughes sets out Ally Pally plans after promising start to 2019

Despite being unable to earn a PDC Tour Card in 2018, Hughes bounced back. Some strong performances on the Challenge Tour, coupled with a run to the last 32 of the UK Open and qualification for the European Darts Open, showed the world glimpses of his talent. Yozza made headlines with a stunning 125.30 average in one European Tour Qualifier win over Robbie Green last year. Since earning a Tour Card in style at 2019 Q-School (Hughes notched up three of the top four match averages across Q-School as a whole, despite winning on day one), the Black Country star matched his Minehead run before bowing out to Gerwyn Price. He will also appear at the German Darts Championship at the end of March. "Great performances, mediocre results," is how Hughes summed up his season so far in a interview. "I'm playing 100 averages most times I play, but I've not had a run yet. "My running average, I think I'm fifth in the whole PDC. But the furthest I've got is the last 32. "That's what I want to be working on - getting the results."

Hughes was unlucky not to get further than the last 32 in Minehead. His chances of victory were torpedoed by an incredible turnaround by Price, who struck two 167 finishes en route to a 10-7 win. The former BDO major winner believes that one key moment contributed to ending his chances of a maiden PDC title.
"I think there was a crucial moment just before the break, where Gezzy took the 167 out," he said.
"If I could've gone into the break 7-3 up, it would've been a big ask for him.
"I still think I would've had too big of a cushion if I could've got that tenth leg."

Looking forward, Hughes has his eyes firmly set on the PDC World Championship. The two-time Lakeside semi-finalist is also looking forward to as many European outings as possible. "I'd like to be at Ally Pally, that's the aim," he said. "That's another aim, qualifying for as many of them [European Tour events] as I can, because it's great stage experience. "It's great experience, because most of the crowds are against you, because it's in Europe. "Whereas of course here, we're used to the crowds being on our side over here. It's useful experience for the lads."