Following a blistering opening salvo, Steve Beaton stayed welded to the accelerator and thundered through day two to punch his ticket into the UK Q-School Final Stage, the chequered flag waving successfully for the Coventry legend.
The former BDO/WDF World Champion may have slightly stalled at the end of day one, but his early graft still left him beautifully poised on the leaderboard. But come this afternoon, the Bronzed Adonis found that extra gear that only muscle memory and decades of tungsten warfare can provide. Four hard-earned victories and a last-16 finish later. Beaton could finally down tools, feet up – job done.
Others will also be enjoying a nice and very much welcomed morning lie-in. Former Tour Card holders Harry Ward and Ciaran Teehan also navigated the minefield with composure, class and no little resilience, doing just enough to ensure their place at the real party which begins on Thursday. For them, Wednesday becomes a day of quiet contemplation rather than nervous shadowboxing.
By the time the dust settled in Milton Keynes, another sixteen names had carved their way into the final stage – the arena where podium places matter, points decide futures, and Tour Cards either become tangible reality or cruel mirage. They are:
Daniel Ayres (ENG)
Steve Beaton (ENG)
Damien Grimes (IRE)
Harry Ward (ENG)
Niall Culleton (IRE)
Alfie Busby (ENG)
Chas Barstow (ENG)
Ryan Furness (ENG)
Jordan-Lee Rawlings (ENG)
David Sharp (SCO)
Jack Aldridge (ENG)
Ciaran Teehan (IRE)
Harrison Leigh (ENG)
Thomas Cromwell (ENG)
Stephen Rosney (IRE)
Shaun Carroll (ENG)
For those still setting alarms and checking permutations over lukewarm coffee, hope remains very much alive. Sitting on six points are John Henderson, a World Cup winner who knows a thing or two about pressure, and the ever-dangerous and talented Jamie Kelling. Just behind them, stalking with intent on five points, are James ‘Ruthless’ Richardson, Scotland’s Danny Trueman, Keelan Kay and Irish battler Killian McCormack. They’ll sleep easier than most – but nothing is guaranteed in this coliseum. That said, one point should be enough. Nil points is even likely to do the job although you wouldn’t fancy taking that risk.
Over in Kalkar, the European Q-School ran on a longer fuse, the larger field ensuring a slightly later climax. Still, within an hour of the UK confirmations, sixteen names emerged from the continental crucible, passports stamped for Thursday.
It was a gloriously international affair. Amid the traditional Dutch presence came qualifiers from six other nations, including one from beyond Europe altogether. Canada’s David Cameron, the Nova Scotia sharpshooter, steered through treacherous waters to keep North American fires burning, joining Adam Sevada, Matt Campbell and Danny Lauby in the Final Stage.
Spain, Hungary and Croatia enjoyed double success, each with a brace making the cut. That included the towering Croatian, Boris Krcmar, already eagerly eyeing a return to the Pro Tour. And let’s face it, not many would fancy the task of being the one preventing him from reaching that goal.
Then there’s Jeffrey de Zwaan. The Black Cobra. A name that still crackles with memory. Two Players Championship titles. A World Matchplay semi-final. Nearly a decade on – and still not thirty until March. Plenty of venom left in that arm yet.
Here are the sixteen European qualifiers now advancing directly to the business end:
Jeffrey de Zwaan (NED)
Dennis van Bergen (NED)
Luitsen Elzinga (NED)
Pal Szekely (HUN)
Boris Krcmar (CRO)
Bjorn Quoiffy (GER)
Ruben Lopez (ESP)
Davy Proosten (NED)
Jeffrey Sparidaans (NED)
Zvonimir Lesic (CRO)
Cristo Reyes (ESP)
Jason Riedtke (NED)
Damian Vetjens (NED)
David Cameron (CAN)
Jeroen Caron (BEL)
Nandor Major (HUN)
One day remains of this unforgiving first stage. One final chance to flip despair into destiny. For those still standing, tomorrow is not about pacing – it’s about survival. Everyone in the arena will know there is still hope but the clock is ticking.
—–ENDS—–
Images: WINMAU
