Haupai Puha recently won the 2021 Shot New Zealand Open which is a WDF Silver ranked tournament as he begins to get back on form.
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Puha like multiple players went over to the UK ahead of the World Championship last year and based themselves over there only for the subsequent lockdown to happen.
He spoke about the World Championship experience mixed with lockdown and how it was a 'big eye opener'.
"It was a big eye opener, I went over to the UK very confident. I wasn't much of a practicer before I left New Zealand so normally with working 50-60 hours a week, most of my practice was game time and when I went to the UK, I found myself with a lot of time.
"There wasn't much to do so I set the board for 6 hours everyday. Then I found myself not practicing so well and that kind of affected me mentally when you start to throw bad. I got up on stage hoping it would go in and it didn't. Right now I think it made me a stronger player, I've been working on small things like a new barrel, new shape of barrels. It probably did me more good than harm."
Q-School nightmare
He also revealed the perils of attempting to go home with a wrong Covid test meaning he had to attend Q-School.
"My original flight home was after the William Hill (World Darts Championship) and I was so disappointed how I performed, I decided to change my flight so I could go to Q-School. I think I changed it the day before Q-School got moved.
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"I paid ex amount of dollars and then I took the wrong Covid test which didn't allow me to fly back to Australasia hence the reason I went to Q-School. It was a bit of a shambles."
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
OUT NOW | Episode 61!
Guests 🗣️:
@HaupaiPuha
Desi Mercer
😲 The other side of Haupai's time in the UK
⛳️ A return to the golf course
🏆 Desi's title double
🎸 Resonating with Ryan Searle
Listen now 👇
open.spotify.com/episode/7dNGTK…