Gurney targets Lakeside return

Gurney wants to play enough tournaments in the next few months to ensure his place in Frimley Green, but he knows that could be a tough ask.

“Lakeside is always the target,” he admitted.

“This last two years I have been watching the boys on the TV and I know all those players personally and I know that I’m better than probably 80 per cent of them and on one of my very good days I could beat anyone of them, so because of that it was a wee bit hard watching.

“I think you have to play in 12 ranking tournaments and there aren’t that many tournaments left this year,” conceded Gurney.

“However if I don’t get enough points then I’m going to have to put all my eggs into the one basket at Hull, but that’s hard because it’s a sudden death competition.”

In recent weeks Gurney defeated Gary Robson to claim the British Masters title and also secured the number one status in Northern Ireland.

“Martin Adams beat me in the quarter-finals of the British Classic on the Saturday, I missed a couple of darts and it seems that the Grizzly man has beaten me again, but I got my own back the next day when (Martin) Adams was beaten in the semi-final by Gary Robson, then I played Darryl Fritton the next day, before beating Gary in the final.

“I played well in the competition and I think all in all I beat six of the players who will play at Lakeside and I had a wee bit of lady luck in that competition.

“It has taken me a lot of time to get my head right that I could beat these guys, I had the game but just had to do it in competitions and this last month or so I have been throwing very well and thankfully after a bit of luck I managed to win one of the big tournaments.”

In the next few months the 25-year-old will be competing in more competitions as he continues in his attempts to reach the BDO World Championships.

“I have the British Open in a few weeks time, which will have ranking points and then I’m away to another tournament, which also has ranking points and I think those are the last two tournaments of the year before the the turn around.

“Then in September to have to go down South and compete in the Celtic Cup, before going to Hull for the World Championship and World Masters qualifiers. Because I came first in the Northern Ireland rankings it means I have qualified for the Europe Cup in Turkey and that takes place in November.

“The Europe Cup is a four man team event playing for your country, then you have a pairs competition, before finishing off with a singles tournament.”

Gurney also believes that it has taken him a while to bounce back from breaking his hand after a freak accident.

“I broke my hand around a year ago and it has taken me that long to get back throwing the way I wanted to.

“You always think that you are doing something wrong or standing differently or throwing the dart differently but it’s hard to tell yourself it’s all in our head, but thankfully I seem to be over that now.”

With Gurney travelling throughout the world competing in various tournaments he admits his boss Keith Johnstone has been very kind to him.

“My boss to be fair doesn’t mind me going to play in these competitions, because I work it that I don’t take any summer holidays and use them to take the time off.

“In fairness I have been working with Keith for ten years and if he doesn’t know what I’m like now, he’ll never know what I’m like,” joked the plumber.