Inside the BDO

In a special WDF Europe Cup preview, Andrew is joined by Martin Heneghan, Patrik Kovacs and David Concannon. Martin (11:27) calls in to discuss defending his Europe Cup Singles title, Ireland's hopes of silverware this week, his brother's recent growth as a player and the benefits he got from online darts. Patrik (36:18), with the assistance of Eniko Harsanyi, joins the show to talk about his career, playing at the PDC World Cup aged 20, learning from Rob Cross, using the WDF tour to develop as a player, chasing a World Championship place and why he's called 'The Planer'. David (1:21:30) then talks to Andrew about his WDF Europe Cup win in 2014, his subsequent travels to Australia and how that scene compared to Ireland, getting back into the Irish team this year and becoming "Mr Super Sunday" on the INDO circuit. Enjoy!

Andrew is joined by British Open champion Reece Colley for the latest episode of the podcast. Reece (10:29) calls in to discuss his maiden WDF title win in Bridlington, coming through a good scene in the Black Country, honing his game on the Development Tour, honouring a promise to his late Grandfather by qualifying for the World Championships, winning the British Open with his brother's 'Argos darts' and taking advice from Jamie Hughes.  Enjoy!

In this week's episode, Andrew reviews the British Open action, gives his thoughts on the World Masters update and is joined by Peter Machin and Shane McGuirk. Peter (8:44) calls in to discuss winning two titles on the WDF tour this year, 'rediscovering his identity' after the pandemic, why playing at the Australian Darts Open was extra special, chasing a World Championship debut and helping his son Ethan grow into the game.  Shane (37:26) then joins the show to talk about his recent win at the FCD Anniversary Open, an important World Masters run in 2018, winning his first Development Tour title in 2019 and where his nickname 'The Arrow' came from. Enjoy!

The show is back after a couple of weeks away and in this episode, Andrew is joined by Lorraine Winstanley. Lorraine (6:22) calls in to discuss winning the Swedish Open for the fifth time, her return to Lakeside back in April, winning a Women's Series event and playing in the first Women's World Matchplay, her role as Target's Head of Youth Development, wanting more clarity on the WDF majors and whether she's got a future career in archery. Enjoy!

In this week's episode, Andrew is joined by Denmark and England Open finalist Darren Johnson. DJ (11:30) calls in to discuss his darting career, travelling with Dennis Priestley, his time in the PDC, getting injured when he found a run of form in 2017, enjoying a successful year on the WDF and Seniors Tours, not feeling he's played his best darts yet, his experience at the Live League and whether he was serious about a change of walk-on song. Andrew also recaps the action from the Swedish Open and Masters, looks ahead to this weekend's action in Australia and moans about the lack of information from the WDF on the World Masters and World Championships. 

In this episode, Andrew is joined by the Antwerp Open champion Jamie Lewis and Swedish international Anna Forsmark. Jamie (5:08) calls in to discuss being inspired by Andy Fordham in the early years, winning two big WDF Youth titles in 2009, the highlights of his eight-year PDC career, linking up with MB Sports Management, returning to the WDF tour this year and getting his confidence back up. Anna (28:29) then joins the show to discuss winning three WDF titles this year, representing Sweden over the last 12 years, why finding love inspired her to do more of the tour, wanting to qualify for the WDF World Championships and why she's got Dory on her darts shirt.  There's also a review of the recent action in New Zealand, a preview of the Swedish Open weekend and listener questions. Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew is joined by the recent New Zealand Open champion Victoria Monaghan. Victoria (10:33) calls into the show to discuss winning the New Zealand Open and qualifying for the 2023 WDF World Championships, her background in darts, grappling with gender identity issues, starting her transition two years ago, facing backlash from the NZ dart community, being a trailblazer and much more. There's also a review of the action at the Australian Darts Open, a discussion about providing updates from events, a recap of the action in Belgium and Andrew answers listener questions. Enjoy!

Andrew is back for Episode 100 of the podcast, featuring Neil Duff, Nicole Regnaud and Shaun McDonald. Neil (1:08) calls in ahead of flying out to the Australian Open to discuss his year since winning the World title, feeling like he's been resting on his laurels since Lakeside, the difficulties of adjusting to giving up work, his expectations for the Australian Open and why he's not doing Q-School in 2023. Nicole (32:36) then makes her first appearance on the show to discuss winning the New Zealand National Singles, coming from a darting family, doing a criminology degree, looking forward to playing against some of the World's best at the Australian Open, chasing a Worlds debut and fainting in front on Adrian Lewis.  Finally, Shaun (1:02:06) calls in to talk his Lakeside debut, a bumpy run at Q-School, why the WDF needs to scrap best of five games, announcing he'd signed with Mission and to grill Andrew with some questions of his own. There's also a preview of the Australian Darts Open and Andrew answers a bunch of listener questions. Enjoy!  

In this episode, Andrew is joined by the Isle of Man Open champion Dave Prins and 'The Python' Brandon Weening.  Dave (1:00) calls in to discuss having trials with Leeds United as a teenager, being a relatively late-starter in darts, making his Lakeside debut in 2010, facing match-fixing allegations in 2012, returning to TV this year at the World Seniors Championship and WDF World Championship, already booking his spot at next year's WDF Worlds and his one last goal in the sport. Brandon (38:33) then joins the show to discuss his development as a player over the last 9-10 months, emerging from his father's shadow, eyeing up World Series and Ally Pally debuts, looking forward to his delayed World Youth Championship appearance and wanting to make a serious impact in August's Australian Darts Open. Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew is joined by two players who've enjoyed good starts to the year - Alexander Merkx and Wendy Harper. First, Alexander (1:12) calls in to discuss his title wins in Lithuania and Switzerland, not initially planning to play the WDF tour seriously this year, travelling with his best friend, being inspired by Raymond van Barneveld, playing as well as he ever has right now and aiming for a World Championship place. Then, Wendy (28:00) joins the show to talk about being a little rusty when darts resumed in New Zealand last month, being kept on her toes by Nicole Regnaud, qualifying for the Australian Darts Open, hoping to play her 'hero' Lisa Ashton and why she turned down her spot at Lakeside earlier this year. Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew rounds up all the latest WDF action from Australia, New Zealand and Romania and catches up with Haupai Puha. Haupai (1:03) joins the show to discuss the 10-month shut down in New Zealand, giving a better account of himself at Q School in January, reaching a Challenge Tour final, making his Lakeside debut in April, winning the first WDF events in New Zealand this year, qualifying for the Australian Open, a potential DPNZ clash, his new barrels and much, much more. Enjoy!

Andrew is back with a bumper show, featuring two great guests and a review of all the recent global WDF action. First off, recent Swiss Open finalist Martyn Turner (1:18) joins the show to discuss his impressive form this year, his time as a PDC Tour Card holder, why he and Darren Johnson are on the 'Last of the Summer Wine Tour', overcoming anxiety and low self-belief and nicknaming himself 'The Crap Peter Wright'. Lorraine Hyde (43:11) then calls in to discuss her Lakeside debut earlier this year, her daughter's reaction to seeing her mum on TV, wanting to get back to the Worlds as a seed next year and how she was feeling ahead of the Six Nations this past weekend. Andrew also gives his thoughts on the Six Nations, including the phantom leg between England and Ireland, the Dutch Open seeming lower numbers than usual and the first few qualifiers for the Australian Open. Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew is joined by two men looking ahead to big weekends - David Cameron and Halli Egilsson.  David (1:37) calls in to discuss his upcoming World Seniors Masters and MSG appearances, why he feels he's got a big run in him, how he got into darts originally, taking a while to feel like he belonged on the Lakeside stage, getting an Uber to the WSDM qualifier while he was over for the WDF Worlds, and targeting an Ally Pally debut this year. Friend of the show Halli (35:18) then joins to talk about the upcoming Nordic Cup, Iceland's prospects and the players to watch, how he first started playing at work and on a NATO base, the ups and downs of the Icelandic scene, winning the Grindavik Open recently, being disappointed with his performances in WDF events this year, his pride at seeing an Icelander play on the PDC stage, and being up for playing pairs with Andrew at a WDF event. Andrew also reviews the British Internationals and previews the Nordic Cup. Enjoy!

In this special British Internationals preview episode of the podcast, Andrew is joined by Welsh captain Nick Kenny.  Nick (1:23) joins to discuss his second year as a PDC Tour Card holder, not being in a good place at times last year, returning to the WDF circuit, his new management team, being reappointed captain of Wales, his experience of the UKDA Magic Weekend, the players to watch in the Welsh team, and his goals for 2022.  Andrew then runs through the teams for the British Internationals before giving his predictions. He also gives his tips for this weekend's action in Lithuania and Australia. Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew is joined by two quite different guests, the recent Denmark Masters champion James Richardson and Shownights promoter Wayne Dobinson. James (1:05) discusses his win in Denmark, why he was so emotional after beating Jelle Klaasen, coming close in WDF competitions last year, that match-winning 9-darter against his son Josh in the Online Live League, his Lakeside debut last month and his recent health kick. Wayne (29:36) calls in to talk about organising the Andy Fordham Memorial Open in October of this year. He explains how the event will work, where the idea came from and some of the benefits in store for those involved. He also touches on how he first got into darts, working exhibitions with the late Fordham, and his experience of working alongside Des Jacklin on the 2020 BDO World Championships. Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew is joined by two recent ranking event winners: Deta Hedman and Ingibjorg Magnusdottir.  WDF World No.1 Hedman (1:38) calls in to discuss her ongoing shoulder problem, her recent Scottish Open win, Lakeside not going as she had wanted, her thoughts on Beau Greaves' success, why she's picked the WDF events over the Women's Series ones so far this year, and a busy May that includes captaining England in the British Internationals and playing in the World Seniors Masters. Icelandic No.1 Magnusdottir (29:18) joins the show for the first time to discuss her Iceland Open success, getting into darts after a health diagnosis in her early 20s, running a dart club with her partner Vitor Charrua, coaching the next generation with the JDC after a meeting with Michael van Gerwen, wanting to play in the Women's Series and aiming to become Nordic Cup Master later this month.  Enjoy!

In this week's episode, Andrew is joined by the two recent Victorian Easter Classic champions Amanda Loch and Sam Ballinger. Amanda (1:25) calls in on her way home to Queensland to discuss 20-hour drivers to play darts, winning her second career ranking title, rediscovering her love of darts and her partner Laurie after 20-plus years away from the sport, her previous experience of playing overseas and her goal of being Australia's top female player. Sam (24:45) talks about his maiden event win, losing to Brandon Weening in the group stage before beating him in the Victorian Easter Classic final, being inspired by Steve Duke Snr, wanting to play in the Australian Open, and why people call him 'The Bear'. Enjoy!

Episode 90 is a Lakeside Finals Day special of the podcast, featuring all four 2022 WDF World Champions as well as presenter Lynsey Hipgrave and the three-time finalist Tony O'Shea. Lineup Neil Duff (2:08) reflects on his win over Thibault Tricole, being full of confidence all week, coaching from Stephen McKibben, his plans for the prize money and having a year as No.1.  Beau Greaves (15:22) talks her record-breaking win, crying for lost family members in the back room after the final, nearly pulling out of the initial date and her post-tournament karaoke plans. Lynsey Hipgrave (21:14) discusses her first experience of presenting a darts tournament, how she got into the media, the challenges of live TV and her highlights of the week. Tony O'Shea (34:00) chats about the progress of his autobiography, doing commentary during the week, darts going back to Lakeside, enjoying the World Seniors events and planning to chase WDF points in 2022.  Bradly Roes (45:36) revels in becoming a two-time World Champion, his plans to save up for a car with his prize money and struggling with cramp before the final. Eleanor Cairns (50:52) speaks about her historic win in the first-ever Girls' final, getting advice from Luke Littler and receiving great support from the Target team and Lorraine Winstanley. Enjoy!

An emotional Thibault Tricole joins Andrew after coming through a seven-set thriller against Andy Baetens. The pair discuss sticking with Andy's fast start, not being happy with his performance, bettering his goal of making the quarter-finals, having a positive impact on darts in France, and riding his luck through the tournament so far.

Neil joins Andrew for a chat after his dramatic comeback against Jim McEwan in the semi-finals of the WDF World Championships. The pair discuss Neil's fighting spirit, working with Stephen McKibben on hypnotherapy, getting a pep talk at 3-1 from his manager Gareth Chambers, being underrated by the bookies and looking ahead to producing even more in the semi-finals.

An emotional Wayne Warren chats with Andrew after starting his title defence with a come-from-behind win over Lee Shewan. He talks the emotion of being announced as the World Champion by MC Richard Ashdown, his slow start, noticing Lee's demeanor was dipping and jumping on it with big celebrations, and starting a new chapter in his career this week.

Tori Kewish chats with Andrew after her hugely impressive whitewash win over Deta Hedman. They discuss her performance, being able to zone out on stage, her lack of match practice before this tournament, and her next game with either Lorraine or Vicky Pruim.

A very relieved Thibault Tricole joined Andrew for a quick chat after his tense victory over Shawn Burt. The pair discuss Thibault's nerves, carrying the weight of expectations of a whole nation, needing to sharpen up his doubles and his target for this year's tournament. 

Neil Duff stopped by to chat with Andrew after his Lakeside debut win over Australia's Justin Thompson. The pair discuss Neil's win, not enjoying playing against slower players, his thoughts on Tour Card holders still being in the tournament, playing Nick Fullwell in the last 16, the more serious side of Neil we're now seeing, and whether he'll still be playing in the tournament come Sunday. 

Richard Veenstra joined Andrew for a chat after his win on Monday evening against Laszlo Kadar. They discusses Richard's performance, needing to work on his doubles ahead of the last 16, being ready to go when the tournament was set for January, going under the radar with pundits and predictors and aiming to better his 2016 semi-final run.

Luke Littler made history on Monday afternoon as he became the youngest player to win a game in a Darts World Championships. He joined Andrew to discuss his performance, battling nerves after a slow start, recent practice sessions with Nathan Aspinall and whether he thinks he can go all the way this week.

Brian Raman stopped by for a quick chat with Andrew after his epic win over Johnny Haines on Monday night to discuss staying cool in that game, knowing that being a PDC Tour Card holder has made him a bigger scalp in this tournament, his last 16 meeting with Jarred Cole, his plans for a rest over the next couple of days. 

Jim McEwan joined Andrew for a brief chat after his victory over Aaron Turner on Monday afternoon to discuss his performance, his last 16 meeting with Mike Warburton, the significance of his walk-on scarf and his potential title chances. 

In the first of several episodes from the WDF World Championships, Andrew catches up with four of the first round winners: Shawn Burt, Rory Hansen, Justin Thompson, and Rhian O'Sullivan. There's discussion about differing experiences with jetlag, causing big upsets and the potential for each of them to go all the way.  Enjoy!

Lakeside is almost upon us! Andrew is joined by a man who'll be making his debut at the Home of World Darts in this year's tournament, John Scott, to exhaustively preview the first-ever WDF World Championship. The pair break down every tie in the men's competition and explain why it's so hard to pick a winner, discuss the two contrasting halves of the women's tournament draw, why Leighton Bennett is the favourite for the Boys' crown and the emotion behind a potential Eleanor Cairns win in the Girls' event.  Enjoy!

Ahead of his return to Lakeside as the World Champion, Wayne Warren caught up with Andrew.  The pair discuss a frustrating two years since winning the title, looking to put all his issues with the Jacklins behind him, struggling with the PDC environment, a six-month long battle with a shoulder injury that cost him at the World Seniors, and the return of close friend Nick Kenny to the WDF circuit. Wayne also answers the big question: Can he do it all again on April 10th? Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew chats with 2017 WDF World Cup winner Vicky Pruim. The pair discuss Vicky's excitement ahead of her third Lakeside appearance, being nagged by her brother to start playing, realising a lot of success early on, winning the 2001 Dutch Open, taking a 10-year break after her Lakeside debut, playing internationally for Belgium and Sweden, winning the World Cup, her current form and expectations for the World Championships.  Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew catches up with another player rapidly approaching their Lakeside debut, Jo Clements.  The pair discuss Jo's late call-up to the tournament and the circumstances surrounding it, not expecting a spot after also being a reserve in 2020, getting into playing darts because of some sexism, excitement for her opening game with Suzanne Smith, coming up through the ranks in Lancashire, early encouragement from Lisa Ashton, winning the Slovak Open days after being hospitalised, paying tribute to a mentor with her Lakeside walk-on and her next big goal in darts. Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew catches up with a man who'll be making his Lakeside debut in just a couple of weeks, Mark Graham.  The pair discuss Mark being inspired by Welsh legend Martin Phillips, buying his first set of darts at 15, committing to the tour in recent years after bringing up his children, overcoming dartitis, good results in Slovakia and a mixed weekend in the Isle of Man, the importance of family, his first-round clash with Dave Prins and going into Lakeside with no pressure. 

After a brief illness-induced hiatus, the podcast is back! In this episode, Andrew catches up with a man who'll be making his WDF World Championship debut in just under three weeks, Johnny Haines. The pair discuss Johnny coming through December's qualifier, dealing with the three month delay to the tournament, getting in regular match practice before the tournament starts, a late change of opponent, using the same set of darts for almost 40 years, previous Ally Pally experience, his love of punk music and why he thinks he can go all the way in April.  Enjoy!

In this episode, Andrew is joined by the 2022 Reykjavik International Games champions, John Scott and Margaret Sutton.  John (6:31) calls in to discuss winning his first WDF title in almost three years, having to beat three of Iceland's best to claim the RIG title, the importance of being seeded, missing out on Lakeside by one win, his reserve status for the 2022 World Championship and his plans for the rest of the year. Maggie (35:30) then talks about winning a WDF event for the first time since 2007, what prompted her to go to Iceland in the first place, the quality of Iceland's venues, reaching 300 appearances for Middlesex, switching to darts from netball over 30 years ago, changes to the women's game during her career and much more. Enjoy!

In this week's episode, Andrew is joined by the new ADO national champion Kevin Luke and one of the men behind the Big 5 Sports Management Group, Paul Brown. Kevin (7:20) discusses his recent ADO National victory, qualifying for the World Championships, returning to Lakeside for the first time since two World Youth Masters visits in the 1990s, losing the Seacoast Open final to Jules van Dongen, getting some more prep in before April and translatable experience from reaching a Soft Tip World Championship final. Paul (29:23) then calls in to talk about how his team got on at Q-School, Alan Soutar's debut year in the PDC, learning from Deta Hedman, Shaun McDonald's analytical mind, the keys to John O'Shea and Josh Rock enjoying success in the PDC, Wayne Warren's level of prep for the World Seniors, Lakeside in April, and what goes into the process of player recruitment.

In this episode, Andrew is joined by the newly-crowned Las Vegas Open champion, Jim Widmayer. Jim discusses his Vegas victory, his battle with cancer over the last couple of years, playing Keith Deller in the inaugural World Matchplay, the standard of the US scene now compared to 30 years ago, catching COVID around Christmas and missing his planned Q-School debut, and chasing WDF points in 2022 for a 2023 Lakeside return.

In this bonus interview, Andrew chats with the new PDC Tour Card holder Josh Rock. The pair discuss Josh's joy at winning the card, going into Q-School as an underdog, telling John O'Shea he was going to win the card outright on Saturday morning, growing up playing darts in Northern Ireland, mentoring from Neil Duff, his breakout weekend in Killarney, joining the Big 5 team and his goals for his first year in the PDC

In this bonus episode, Andrew chats exclusively with new PDC Tour Card holder John O'Shea. The pair discuss John's journey through Q-School, when he realised he'd done enough to get through, overcoming disappointments on the WDF tour last year and his renewed sense of confidence, perfecting his equipment setup at the end of 2021, the support from Big 5 and Alan Soutar, his special bond with his daughter, not setting himself any goals for his return to the PDC and how he'll deal with there being two players nicknamed 'Joker' on the tour. 

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.

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!