If there is one person who has flown the flag for the university scene more than any other in the last year, it is Adam Warner. The former Sheffield graduate has enjoyed a sharp rise to PDC stardom, just over a year after emerging on the Amateur Darts Circuit. It was a journey which took form at university, with the seeds having been sewn in youth. “My first experience was when my Dad put a board up on the shed when I was about 8 or 9,” Adam explained as he spoke to UDUK via Zoom. “Obviously this was quite weather dependent, and I remember being snowed off once. But I always had a board up at home.” “I didn’t really intend to take it anywhere at uni but I had a friend from my course who invited me to the pub in the first or second week.” “He said he had joined the darts society and so that is how I started there. I still play with quite a lot of those lads now.” Adam’s represents quite a familiar story so far, where a childhood recreation becomes a keener university passion. And whilst the PDC may not have been in the plans at that point, Warner soon became one of the better players on the uni circuit. “It was the first time I had played competitive matches, even though it was a shorter format,” Adam detailed. “I learned that I was good at playing under pressure and winning tournaments even playing with quite poor darts.” “I started playing some intra-uni tournaments – NUDL singles, Big Weekender – and always got to the latter stages even if I never won one.” Studying for a journalism degree, Adam had originally intended to go into that field. But after a change of heart in his final year, he resolved instead to become a teacher. That career would be brief as a Covid-affected tenure led to him becoming dispirited with education. “The hours are very long and it just takes over your life,” he said. “I quit teaching and was quite down to be honest. I took up the darts as it gave me something to do.\" Having left the profession in 2021, the start of the following year would see Adam pick up the darts once again. His routine became quite simple: practice through the week, work a couple of minimum wage jobs and then play competitions on the weekend. A title win at the Staffordshire Open, as well as an unexpected qualification for the UK Open, would add to his hopes of success. Crucially, the ADC setup would allow him to follow his progress. “The calendar structure was really good and the league table helped me to monitor my development,” he explained. “Some of the more singular events can lack context but the ADC structure didn’t.” The ADC experience would lead to a Modus qualification at the back end of the year, a whirlwind win which allowed Warner to make the next step. “I didn’t envisage myself becoming a Tour Card holder, not just this early but perhaps ever,” an honest Adam stated. “I was beating pretty established players but really just seeing how it went. The Modus win really changed everything as it funded my Q-School campaign.” After making it through the first stage, Warner remained grounded. “There were at least 80 or 90 players there who could have got a tour card,” he suggested to me. But the possibility of entering the PDC soon became a reality. After an early exit on day 1, a better showing on the second day of competition boosted his hopes. After not quite sealing the deal on day 3, a dilemma over whether or not to play on the final day of competition presented itself. The decision for Adam was however quite clear. “If I had had one more point, I might not have had to go on the last day. But DartsOrakel had estimated I had an 85% chance of going through and so I knew I would not have forgiven myself if I didn’t go and did not win the card.” Luckily for Adam, despite an opening-match defeat on the final day of play which only harmed his chances, the card was to be his. It didn’t prevent a slightly anxious wait, which was ended with a moment which brought Adam’s whole uni darts experience full circle. “It got a bit nervous as some results started to go against me, but then all of the people I needed to get knocked out got knocked out. Fittingly, the dart that sealed it was a double 1 from Dan Read which proved a nice homage to uni darts!\" Now with a two-year pass to the PDC, it was time to acclimatise to new surroundings. And barring some opening day teething problems, this part of the experience mostly went well. “The first Pro Tour event was a little bit overawing, seeing all those top players hanging around.” “I also got thrashed by Jonny Clayton 6-nil in 10 minutes and I was definitely thinking, ‘What have I let myself in for?’. But since then it has felt quite comfortable.” “The start went much better than I imagined. At first, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t the worst Tour card holder ever. I was able to qualify for a Euro Tour which was a target of mine.” The European Tour event referenced saw Warner face off against world champion Michael Smith in Germany over Easter and fall to a narrow defeat. It was an experience which Adam suggests he was steeled for by a return to the university scene. “I played in the Sheffield Varsity which helped me a lot when it came to that. To be honest, the crowd were a lot better behaved at the Euro Tour than a hundred drunk uni students!” The UDUK Summer Showdown at the back end of June, which Warner won, was also a useful primer and a reminder of just how far Adam has come. “It was nice to see some of the old faces given there hasn’t been any UDUK events on that scale since lockdown. And it was also great to see a lot of newer unis like Birmingham represented there.” “I think generally it was also a higher standard than before with lots of closer games. The runner-up (Hallam’s James Buckby) was very unlucky against me.” For Adam, it is about taking things tournament by tournament and try to qualify for as many events as possible. He of course wants to retain his Tour Card, but he cites the now world number 5 Nathan Aspinall as an example than even losing that does not mean the end of a career. As for Adam’s advice to new uni starters perhaps looking to take up the arrows as he did a few years ago? “It is really for everyone. It is great for those looking to progress as in some of the UDUK events there were fields of 300 or 400 players. But if you are also just looking to make new friends it is great for socialising and meeting plenty of new people.” From the Varsity stage to the PDC stage, a sign that really anything is possible.

Thomas Bartley - 24/09/2023

Interview: Adam Warner on uni darts and joining the PDC