ON THE OCHE:
BRIGHTEST TALENTS
Jan Dekker
Currently ranked no.5 in the BDO, it’s hard to believe that ‘Double Dekker’ is still just 23-years-old. How many players of a similar age in any era do you know who had already been a two-time Lakeside semi-finalist?
Winner of the BDO International Open and Luxembourg Open, plus with three Grand Slam of Darts appearances on his CV, it’s surely only a matter of time before the Business and Economics student makes that last leap into a world final, whether it be the World Masters or the holy grail at Potters Palace.
To get there he needs to start consistently scoring a mid-90’s three-dart average which perhaps could be instigated by a future switch to the PDC.
Michael Smith
Crowned ‘PDC Young Player of the Year’ at the start of the year, it would be amiss of us not to give ‘Bully Boy’ a further mention, who following his triumph over Taylor is fast becoming a rival contender for the title of St Helen’s favourite son after Dave Chisnall and Johnny Vegas.
It’s easy to forget that 2013 also saw him beat Ricky Evans 6-1 on finals night in the Premier League in front of a capacity crowd at the O2 demonstrating his ability to handle the pressure of a vociferous environment and keep a steady arm.
As the above testifies, there have been definite signs of advancement in his game over the past couple of years, but a 5-1 defeat to the Count at the GSOD and missing 7 match darts to lose 9-8 to Snakebite at the UK Open showed that he’s not the finished article yet,
Though with his ice-cool temperament he may well soon fulfil such expectations.