Germany next up for Keelan on Development Tour

PLYMOUTH teenager Keelan Kay will be back on The PDC Unicorn Development Tour this weekend when he competes in Events 5-8 on Saturday and Sunday at Halle 39, Hildesheim, Germany.

He was awarded a PDPA scholarship after finishing 2017 in second place on the Junior Darts Corporation’s (JDC) order of merit and at just 16 years of age, Kay is the youngest to compete on the prestigious tour.

Kay made is PDC debut last month and produced some excellent performances at the Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan and will be hoping to replicate that form again in Europe.

In his first match against Londoner George Killington he won 4-0 in 20, 17, 17 and 18 to post an opening average of 27.83 before bowing out to Lewis Williams 4-3 when the Welshman checked out in 17, with Kay requiring 56.

Tour Two was also completed on the same day and like previously, the Plymouth marksman won his opening match in four straight legs.

His opponent, Dean Jones, is an experienced player who competed in the England Classic when Keelan was just eight years old, but that form counted for nothing as the “Lord of the Board” blew him away.

Keelan went 3-0 up in 21, 17 and 18 before progressing with a leg in just 12 darts when he threw 125, 100, 125 before checking out at the first time of asking from 151, to finish with a single dart average of 29.44

But he found Declan Cox too good in the next round and never really got going in a 4-1 defeat.

Tour Three began on Sunday morning and Kay (26.03) opened his account with a 4-0 victory over Scott Hope before coming up against Scott Jackson.

Keelan went 3-0 up in 15, 19 and 20 and although his opponent won the next two, the Plymouth teenager held his nerve and won the next in 18, aided by a maximum 180 for another solid average of 26.13.

That victory took Keelan into the last 64 but his opponent Callum Loose, who had wins over John Henderson, Jamie Lewis and Bradley Brooks in 2017, was too good on the day and ran out a 4-0 winner.

But Keelan was back on track in his opening Tour Four match and defeated Samuel Kapur 4-3.

He hit a 14-dart leg as the first six legs were shared before winning the decider in style when finishing a 15-darter with an outshot of 152 for a 26.73 average.

Keelan then progressed with a 4-3 victory against Germany’s Nico Schlund before losing 4-2 to Reece Colley in the last 64.

This was an exceptional debut by any stretch of the imagination for the young Plymouth marksman and the valuable experience will augur well in Germany.