🎯🤩 Everyone was talking about Leighton Bennett winning a PDC Tour Card but does the teenager make it in to Paul Nicholson's 'top 10' of Q School graduates to watch in 2024? 👀 @TheAsset180 picks five from the UK and another five from Europe... sportinglife.com/darts/news/whi…
Paul Nicholson selects his five Tour Card winners to watchout for from UK Q-School
PDCTuesday, 23 January 2024 at 14:00
Recently, the latest edition of Q-School was completed, where several players were again in the hunt for a PDC Tour Card for the next two years.
'The Asset' Paul Nicholson, himself a former Tour Card holder, turned analyst has given his personal top five UK Q-School players who managed to capture a Tour Card. Nicholson begins with Steve Lennon, who lost his Tour Card after the World Darts Championship, but then immediately regained it.
"I know it's easy to say Steve Lennon given he'd only just dropped off the tour but his achievement can't be ignored," Nicholson says of the Irishman. "Losing a Tour Card can frighten some players to death and I think Lennon was one of those. What we saw from him at Q School was urgency, and that's something that we haven't seen from him in the last few years whilst slowly sliding down the rankings. This whole experience might just be the reality check he needed to get his game into gear for the next two years and he may well become a bigger threat than he ever has before."
As the second new Tour Card holder, Nicholson names Dom Taylor. "I'm a big fan of Dom Taylor - I think he's got a bit of swagger, he's got superb technique and he's got levels as well," he explains. "I saw him at the Modus Super Series about six or seven weeks ago and I was so impressed with him, so to see him on tour is no shock to me. In fact, the last words I said to him the last time I saw him was 'right, I'll see you on tour next year.'"
"Dom has produced a lot of good performances in the last six months and he also managed to reach the semi-finals of a Players Championship event last year despite not having a Tour Card. He'll obviously have lots of chances to repeat this kind of run this season and I expect big things from him."
At three, Nicholson put James Hurrell. "He's always been an excellent dart player and now that he's come through Q School - albeit through the Order of Merit - as one of the more experienced players, he'll be looking to do the same kind of things that Jim Williams is doing now."
"Hurrell is of the same sort of standard. - a top international player in the WDF. He's captained his country and he’s someone who thrives under pressure, so I can't see any reason why he won't blossom over the next six months," Nicholson predicts. "If he can get himself into some European tour events and get some big scalps, he's the kind of person who could spring a surprise and maybe win a title in his first year because he's got excellent consistency."
At four we find Danny Lauby Jr. "He's fast, he's furious and he's very good. But for some reason, he hasn't had a card until now and people were asking why. Maybe it's just taken him a little bit longer to get used to living the UK and figuring out the standard here on a more consistent and regular basis."
"Maybe this is the time where Danny can kick on and be that flag bearing player for the United States alongside Jules van Dongen, who also picked up a Tour Card at European Qualifying School. The United States has got license to get very excited."
Finally, Nicholson opts for George Killington. "A lot of people may be looking at Leighton Bennett as a 'one to watch' but the last player in my list is George Killington," he says. "Like Steve Lennon, George lost his card but he was playing some really good stuff towards the end of last season and found a new level which can form the platform to a fresh start on the PDC tour. He is more experienced and ready than he's ever been and I believe this year he'll make people sit up and think 'hang on a minute, he's better than we thought!'"
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