Inside the WDF

Episode #79: Kelvin James, Dmitriy Panov

In the first episode of 2022, Andrew is joined by Darts Australia President Kelvin James and one of the men behind 'Cold Darts', Dmitriy Panov.

Kelvin (2:02) calls in to discuss his return to the role of Darts Australia President, overcoming emergency surgery for a brain tumour and how that's made him a better person, the DA calendar for 2022, the return of the Australian Open and his message for the WDF.

Dmitriy (29:48) then joins to review the first two WDF events of the year, the Kalashnikov Cup and the Udmurtia Open. He explains how he got into the sport and why he's now covering Russian darts, and gives his predictions for how the Russian players will get on at Lakeside in April.

Episode #78: Deta Hedman

In the final show of 2021, Andrew is joined the WDF Women's World Number 1, Deta Hedman.

Deta calls in (1:28) to discuss the decision to postpone Lakeside for three months, winning six titles in 2021, finishing the year as World Number 1 once again, her assessment of her current form, needing to push that bit harder to beat her rivals, 'The Fallon effect' and what needs to be done to get more women playing darts, her recent experiences calling for Oxfordshire and her preparations for the World Seniors in February.

Andrew also gives his thoughts on the Lakeside postponement and looks ahead to the first four events of 2022. 

Enjoy!

Episode #77: Shaun McDonald, Lee Shewan

In this week's episode, Andrew is joined by two players all set to make their Lakeside debuts in January, Shaun McDonald and Lee Shewan.

Shaun (1:26) joins the show to discuss his remarkable comeback year, missing out on a Tour Card by £100, winning the Irish Classic, his biggest strength and biggest area of improvement, not having to play in the Lakeside qualifier, how much he gained from the Live League, expectations for his WDF World Championship debut and why darts is still just a hobby.

Lee (35:27) calls in to discuss sealing Lakeside qualification at the Italian Grand Masters, drawing his best friend Jordan Brooks in the first round, the tweet that made him chase a Lakeside spot, playing over 50 times for Lancashire, his nickname and his walk-on song. 

Enjoy!

Episode #76: Rhian O‘Sullivan, Justin Thompson

In Episode 76, Andrew is joined by two players who've confirmed their returns to Lakeside in the last week.

Wales' Rhian O'Sullivan (1:15) talks coming through the Lakeside qualifier, the decisive moment of her final with Robyn Byrne, coming through a couple of scares in the earlier rounds and her expectations for the Worlds in January.

Australia's Justin Thompson (9:54) then drops by for a discussion about getting a late invite for Lakeside, thinking he'd missed out after no events in Victoria this year, past World Championship experiences, how he got into the sport, representing Australia, his 13 year break from the sport and memories of Kyle Anderson.

Enjoy!

Episode #75: Jules van Dongen, Anastasia Dobromyslova, Francesco Raschini

In this week's episode, Andrew is joined by three of the players who'll be playing at Lakeside in January.

Jules van Dongen (1:22) drops by to discuss his victory at the Seacoast Open, his whirlwind debut year, advice he took from Gary Mawson, developing a B game, concerns about COVID cases, the nerves he struggled with at the Continental Cup and his expectations for Lakeside. 

Anastasia Dobromyslova (23:22) then discusses getting her first event win in nearly two years at the Irish Open, the return of exhibitions, the new opportunities for Youth players, Fallon Sherrock's exploits, the expanded Women's Series, the increased prize fund for Lakeside and what it'd mean to become a four-time World Champion.

Italy's history-maker Francesco Raschini (49:38) then completes the lineup, courtesy of translation from Jacopo Ghirardon, talking about becoming the first Italian to qualify for a World Championship, how sponsorship from the Italian federation got him going on the circuit, his nickname 'Rosko', why there's a Gorilla on the back of his darts shirt, wanting to be a trailblazer for Italian darts and why he won't be going to Q-School in 2022. 

Enjoy!

Inside the WDF Episode #74 - Rory Hansen, Jeremy Fagg.

In this week's episode, Andrew is joined by two men who sealed Lakeside qualification through the regional ranking tables: Canada's Rory Hansen and Australia's Jeremy Fagg.

Rory (1:22) calls in to discuss how he found out about qualification, the Greater Vancouver Open title win that sealed his Lakeside place, having never played darts outside of Canada before, his game growing 100% through online darts, his current equipment setup, potential nerves for his TV debut, his new nickname and his choice of walk-on song.

Jeremy (22:10) then chats about his solid form in Australia this year, Darts Queensland getting back up and running after the pandemic, the two main reasons he's likely to miss Lakeside, being inspired by Tony David, his career highlights so far and why he enjoys playing regular soft tip darts.

Enjoy!

Inside the WDF Episode #73 - Luke Littler, Kevin Devaney

In this week's show, Andrew reflects on his experiences at the Killarney Darts Festival and speaks to two great guests - Luke Littler and Kevin Devaney.

 

Luke (1:16) discusses his record-breaking Irish Open victory, why his victory was such an emotional one, excitement for making his Lakeside debut, the importance of the JDC to his growth and much more.

 

INDO General Secretary Kevin (13:02) then talks about the logistics of running the event, waiting to find out when they'd get the go-ahead, what made the INDO push to get the Irish Open on the calendar, entry levels and the standard of play during the weekend, plans to expand next year and getting the Irish ranking calendar back up to speed. 

 

Enjoy!

Inside the WDF Episode #72 - Jim McEwan, Lorraine Hyde, Mark Barilli

In this week's episode, Andrew is joined by three recent Scottish WDF ranking event winners - Jim McEwan, Lorraine Hyde and Mark Barilli.

 

First, Jim (0:52) discusses his British Classic victory in Bridlington, winning the title with a 160 finish, getting the chance to play in five of the PDC's Super Series events this year, hitting a nine-darter against Barney, success on the Challenge Tour, crossing his fingers for a Lakeside place and targeting a spot in the World Seniors.

 

Then Lorraine (24:14) calls in to talk about winning the women's British Classic about 30 minutes before Jim, the improvements to her game in the last two years, her darting family, counting for John Henderson as a teenager, going to Ireland and Italy to boost her standing in the WDF rankings and what it'd mean to make her Lakeside debut in January.

 

Finally, Hungarian Classic champion Mark (39:23) breaks down his maiden WDF title win, getting back out playing again after COVID, why he's never previously produced his best at Lakeside, wanting a return - and a win - at the Home of World Darts, how a shoulder injury affected him during his time in the PDC, the importance of the Riley's qualifiers and why he wears long sleeved shirts when playing.

 

Enjoy!

Inside the WDF Episode #71 - Cameron Menzies, Kirsty Hutchinson, Shawn Burt

Andrew is joined by three recent ranking event winners on this week's show: Cameron Menzies, Kirsty Hutchinson and Shawn Burt.

Cameron (0:34) discusses his Welsh Open victory, securing a return to Lakeside four years after his debut, mental health struggles during lockdown and practice sessions with Fallon Sherrock.

Kirsty (13:59) explains why she chose to go to Prestatyn and not Barnsley for the Women's Series, her dream Lakeside opponent, struggling with social anxiety and her plans for the rest of 2021.

Shawn (29:33) then talks about being in a tie with Rory Hansen for a spot at Lakeside, what he's heard from the WDF and the NDFC about resolving it, being nicknamed Mr Intensity, getting his Golf handicap down and struggling with jetlag on his previous visits to the UK.

Enjoy!

Inside the WDF Episode #70 - Scott Marsh, Leonard Gates

In this week's show, Andrew is joined by Scott Marsh and Leonard Gates. Scott (0:39) discusses his British Open win, that celebration, what making his Lakeside debut will mean, how soft tip kept his interest in the sport and his equipment from Quantum Darts. Virginia Beach Classic champion Leonard (22:33) then calls in from Texas to talk his recent title triumph, a potential Lakeside debut of his own, hitting his first in-person nine darter, switching between soft and steel tip, his nickname 'Soldier', his baseball background and his goal of securing a Tour Card at Q-School next year. Enjoy!