"He's taught me a lot and given me a lot of insight": Shane McGuirk enlisted help of well-known PDC name in pursuit of Lakeside glory
WDFSunday, 01 December 2024 at 08:29
Shane McGuirk's recent practices with Brendan Dolan seem to have paid off with the Irishman known as 'The Arrow' producing the best display thus far at the WDF Lakeside World Championship.
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A statement win with a 92 average and multiple 180's, he saw off Mark Barilli who hasn't had the best time of it at Lakeside over the years.
But has shown he can be a quality operator away from the stage. He couldn't lay a glove on McGuirk though who made it seven losses from seven appearances for the Scot.
"I wasn't nervous at all, I normally get nervous when I'm playing MODUS (Super Series) or something like that even the Irish Open that I won I was nervous but I wasn't nervous today and I think it showed there. Overall I was happy with that and I'm delighted," said McGuirk to WDF.
"Whenever you're making a debut anywhere, you don't know where it's going to go or how you're going to react to the crowd because it's such a short stage, the crowd is very on top of you so you don't know how you're going to react. But I think I handled it very well. I just tried to get ahead as quick as I could, I did and I was just a ball of confidence and I went from there."
"Especially in the first round being such a short format getting ahead one set up is massive. The pressure just goes straight onto your opponent, I didn't want it myself as it was my debut here but happy that I actually won that first set and to then get over the line and take out a 140 to win it was brilliant."
He also enlisted the help of a well-known PDC face in order to gain the practice and insight he needed to head towards the win.
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"They told me I had a year to prepare for this so I spent the last few weeks practicing with Brendan Dolan and he's taught me a lot and given me a lot of insight."
"Irish darts is definitely on the up, we're all playing well and we're all bringing each other on. Anyone can win anything in Ireland.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
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.
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