With the new ProTour season underway in Barnsley this weekend, former Players Champion and current darts pundit Paul Nicholson picks out five Q-School graduates to follow in 2023...
Graham Usher
It has been a while coming for The Gambler to finally grace the professional tour. However, when you think about his gradual progression over the last four years, it has come at exactly the right moment.
After breaking through to the final stages of the World Masters in 2019, we all thought that maybe Graham could move up a notch in the coming season, but then the Covid-19 pandemic was upon us and his momentum was lost.
However, after a period of little action, he rediscovered his form via online and round robin venue competition and became one of the best at it.
One of his performances included a 111+ average, a nine-darter and four ton-plus checkouts IN THE SAME best of seven leg match. If that doesn’t make you realise that he is for real, I do not know what does!
From there he has conquered Q-School with a running average of 91.94, and that - over the course of a PDC season - will definitely do damage in places.
If he can be consistent and find some friends to bounce off, he could be very exciting for the tour, as he is ultra fast and has blink and you miss it darts written all over him.
Dylan Slevin
In Dylan we have another cab off the rank when it comes to the strong youth game of Ireland. I have seen this kid play recently, and his form hit me like a sledgehammer to the face.
He is truly exciting and nowhere near the finished product either. He has raw scoring ability and a very clever counting game.
He reminds me of Keane Barry a little because he plays beyond his years, and has already been exposed to the right kind of competition to succeed.
On the other hand, he has maybe got himself to the tour a little earlier than he first thought, but if he can use these two seasons as a learning tool and keep his head, who knows what could lie in wait.
Like Graham Usher, he averaged very well in his two stages of Qualifying School (91.38), and could even improve on that, as playing better players will only serve his stats well.
I am sure he has spoken to his friend Ciaran Teehan about tour life, and will probably have the heads up about what to expect.
The Irish contingent is getting heavier on tour, but all of them are getting better, and this young man formerly known as The Slevinator could make big waves early having confidence in the bank.
Corey Cadby
There won’t be many people coming out of Q-School with a target on their back, in fact most of the players may be a mystery to the existing professionals who have graced the tour for some time.
What we have in Corey is someone who cannot be ignored, and will not stand idly by as people try to sweep him aside.
Players will not want him to bully them on the board and will not want to be intimidated, hence the fixtures that he is involved in will be highly watchable.
Corey's game is in good shape obviously, hitting lots of excellent averages in a Day Two destruction of the European Q-School Final Stage.
Beating players like Sebastian Bialecki, Karel Sedlacek and Lukas Wenig tell me that he will not worry about anyone when he is back, and after topping the Q-School averages (93.55), we have to think he will want to add to his title tally sooner rather than later.
The last time he came out of Qualifying School, he made a major final and won a title in the space of six weeks.
Do not be shocked if he does something spectacular or unpredictable again. The column inches may indeed belong to him again by the end of February or March. Dot dot dot!
Richard Veenstra
I look at someone like Veenstra in the same way as Jim Williams when he joined the ProTour last season. Vastly talented, experienced at many levels and so dangerous in his own way.
This man holds the average record for Lakeside. Yes, nobody in the history of the Lakeside Championship has averaged more than him in a match.
Add to that, extensive experience at International level, years of tournament play and big titles to his name like The Dutch Open.
He is coming to the PDC at exactly the right time for him, and when he walks through the door, he will have an abundant amount of allies as he is one of the most likeable guys on any darts circuit.
He is softly spoken but don't let that fool you. He is lethal if he is in the right mood, and will be a huge threat for Players Championship titles as the structure of them suits his fast-paced game and incredible attitude.
I am a big fan of Richard if you haven’t noticed, and I really do think he could achieve excellent progression with his game if he can find a consistent spell in the season.
If there is one thing he can lack at times, it is consistency, but he will not show you any weakness mentally and that has to be his biggest strength.
Jacques Labre
It's about time we had a bit of Je ne sais quoi on tour. We all thought that would come in the shape of former Lakeside finalist Thibault Tricole, but it is the reigning Europe Cup Singles Champion that makes his way to a Tour Card first.
I am so excited for French steel tip darts to have this chance to kick on. Not only will Jacques fly the flag for at least two years, but he may be assisted by Thibault as he is currently top of the Challenge Tour Order of Merit, so invites may go to him too.
Let us not forget that in Niedernhausen last year, it was Jacques that won a game in the PDC first and he's been slowly progressing ever since, and even though he hasn’t had the headlines of his countryman, he is just as talented.
An 89+ average for 15 matches at Q-School is encouraging, but we all know what kind of standard you need to survive.
I may not immediately think he is a threat for massive runs in events, but the opportunity for French darts to kick on from this is written in BOLD.
They must in my opinion get a World Cup team this year and the chance for these guys to get the European Tour into France cannot be ignored also.
Just look at what Krzysztof Ratajski did for Polish darts, just look what Krcmar does for Croatia. In these places that need talismanic players, Jacques can now go out there and make France the next place we harmonise about.
I for one would be very pleased about it, after way too many years of soft tip darts being a pool hall sport in one of the greatest countries on earth.
Enjoy the start of the season.
Asset out.