Keelan will represent England in JDC World Cup bid

KEELAN Kay had a disappointing finish to the 2018 JDC Modus Tour campaign when he was edged out 3-2 in his first match of Tour Eight, but it mattered not, as he had accumulated enough order of merit points in the previous tournaments to finish the year in third place.

That achievement has given him a place in the four-man England team that will contest the inaugural World Cup, which takes place on Friday at the Action Indoor Sports Arena, Bristol.

Keelan’s team mates will be Brad Phillips who won three titles on the Modus Tour this year, 14-year-old Kyle Manton winner of event five at Rileys Chorlton and Tavis Dudeney who won tour event three in Derby.

The format for the World Cup will consist of a team round robin of three trebles, with players contesting the best of three legs of 701, and all players must compete at least once before it is followed by two doubles and four singles all played over the best of five legs of 501.

The following day, the Plymouth marksman will be in the line-up to challenge for the Scott Farms International European Open title, an event for under 18s which will be contested as a straight knockout and boasts a prizefund of £3,000.

On Sunday, December 16, the WDS Legal Associates Junior World Darts Championship finals will be contested by the top youth players on the planet.

All competitors, including Kay, have had to qualify for this prestigious event either through the Modus UK Tour, JDC Academy’s Order of Merit or International qualifiers.

The last two players will contest the final for the title of Junior World Champion on December 18, on stage at the Alexandra Palace, during the PDC World Championship.

The winners of the European Open and World Championship will also be granted entry to the PDC’s World Youth Championships last 64 in 2019.

The Lord of the Board’s success in 2018 has also been rewarded by him claiming one of only three PDPA scholarships which will allow him to compete on the 2019 PDC Development Tour for the second successive year.

The tour will consist of 20 events, four of which will be played out over five weekends which begins March 9/10 at the Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan.