Keelan hoping for Tour Card as birthday present

KEELAN Kay, who began honing his skills at the tender age of 14 in the Plymouth darts leagues, will take another big step in his darting career when he competes at Q School at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes in January.

The PDC Qualifying Schools for 2021 will see the introduction of a new format to ensure both the UK and European events can be staged under Covid-safe conditions.

Up to 10 days of action will see players competing in first and final stages to win two-year PDC Tour Cards to compete on the professional circuit.

In a new development for 2021, players who lose their Tour Card following the 2020 season will be exempt to the final stage, which will be limited to sufficient players to produce a full round of a maximum 128 players per venue.

The final stages, which will be played over four days, will also include participants who finished in the top 16 of the 2020 PDC Challenge Tour Order of Merit and players who were in the top 16 of the 2020 PDC Development Tour Order of Merit and that will include Keelan.

The marksman, who now resides in Cornwall, won a scholarship in 2019 to compete on the PDC Development Tour and he did himself and his sponsors proud when he finished the order of merit in a very respectable 12th place.

The final stages will commence on January 18, which is also Keelan’s 19th birthday, what a present to take back over the Tamar if he could win a PDC Tour Card at the first attempt.