Keelan hoping for success in the World Youth play-offs

KEELAN Kay will be back in darts action this weekend at the Barnsley Metrodome, competing in six events over three days, and success will lead to a tilt at the World Youth Championship qualifiers on Monday.

PDC Development Tours five and six will take place on Friday with four more being staged over the following two days, and all six events will carry prizemoney of £10,000.

On Monday, the top 96 players in the PDC Development Order of Merit plus a series of international qualifiers will vie for a place in the PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship final which remains planned for Sunday, November 29, to take place between the semi-finals and final of the Players Championship finals at Minehead.

The top two players in the Order of Merit will receive a two-year PDC Tour Card for 2021/22 with players third to eighth, receiving entry into 2021 Q School.

The Lord of the Board has been keeping his eye in during lockdown and in April, made his debut in the Modus Icons of Darts League.

Nerves and poor finishing cost him a 5-1 defeat in his opening match but he turned that poor form around to win his remaining three matches with aplomb.

Keelan also caught the eye in July when he claimed a group win for the first time, going through the field undefeated.

He fought his way back from deficits of 3-1 and 4-2 to edge out Adam Huckvale 5-4 before whitewashing Scott Marsh 5-0, aided by three maximums.

He then saw off Brazilian Diogo Portela 5-3 before defeating his former England Youth International team-mate Jarred Cole 5-2 with his day’s best average of 95.17.

He rounded off an excellent performance when beating Dave Parletti 5-3 for five victories from five starts.

He won with an average greater than 90.00 on three occasions finishing the day with an average of 89.18 and will be hoping to maintain that form in Barnsley.