Darts: Hopes for a pinch of success on circuit

Oct 18 2007 by David Williams, Merthyr Express

DOWLAIS’S Dale Pinch is following in the footsteps of his Super League teammate Barrie Bates by joining the PDC darts circuit.

Pinch, aged 43, will travel to Scotland this weekend to play in the Players Championships and the Scottish UK regional finals.

In November he will travel to Wolverhampton for the World Championship qualifiers in the hope of securing a place at the Alexandra Palace in December for the Ladbrokes.com World Championships.

The past 12 months on the Welsh darts circuit have been very good for Pinch, with him winning the Gwynedd, Clwyd, Breconshire, Llandovery and Swansea opens. Having played 17 times for Wales, including the 2005 World Cup in Australia, Pinch is hoping his international experience will help him in the switchover to the professional circuit.

After coming so close to qualifying for the Las Vegas Desert Classic in June, Pinch knows he can compete at this level, having beaten three players in the top 50 of the world rankings in Vegas before finally going down to Kevin Painter in the last qualifying match, and just missing out on a dream match against Raymond van Barneveld live on Sky Sports.

“Joining the circuit was the way forward,” said Pinch.

“The prize money is tremendous and the standard of darts is much better.

“I’ll still play locally when I can but there’s a lot of travelling involved.”

Pinch has claimed the scalps of multiple world champion Phil Taylor and double world champion John Part in the past, and has also beaten Mervyn King and John Walton.

Pinch is looking for shirt sponsors for the 2008 season, and with television advertising prices at a premium this is an ideal opportunity to get your company advertised on Sky Sports. For enquiries on shirt sponsorship call 07983 623594.