Young Guns
In 2014, the darting world will continue to see the rise of
several of the sports young guns. Some of the stars, like Michael
Smith, have already entered the top 32 in the world and will
continue to rise up the rankings, but there are a number of
unfamiliar names outside of the world’s top 50 that may catch
the eye this year. Here are my top 5 prospects of 2014 with a
brief summary about their success so far in their careers.
Ricky Evans
Rapid Ricky Evans is one of the
hottest prospects in world darts
having recently competed in the
PDC World Championships. A man
who lives up to his nickname,
Evans has a unique throwing style
that has earned a reputation as
the quickest thrower on the tour.
Currently ranked at number 56
and a former World Youth finalist,
Evans will be looking to build on
his first full year on the tour and
rise up the rankings. The Kettering
youngster defeated veteran Ronnie Baxter 3-0 at the recent PDC World
Championships and has also competed in the Grand Slam of Darts, BDO
Masters and UK Open. He also reached a Players Championship final in
his first year on the tour. A great prospect for the future and a player
who is sure to compete in more televised tournaments this year.
Sam Head
A recent BDO World Championship
qualifier, Portsmouth based Sam
Head has a huge future in the game.
A consistent performer on the PDC
Challenge Tour, Head reached the
last 16 of the 2013 PDC Under 21
World Championship, where he
was defeated by eventual winner
Michael Smith. His best major run
to date however remains at the 2012 BDO World Masters, when he
reached the last 16, defeating the likes of Tony Eccles and Geert de Vos
along the way before losing to Phil Nixon. His recent run at Lakeside
ended when he was defeated 3-0 by New Zealand’s Mike Day, but the
youngster has all the attributes to reach more major tournaments in
the future.