PDC Professional events and Pro Tour
Following the month or so off the PDC Professional events and even longer away from the Pro Tour, it was important to get back into the swing of things.
PDC Pro Tour – London Ontario, Canada
Mark^s journey and arrangements were much the same as last year so he new what to expect, although the heat in the venue was extreme this year due to some payers requesting the aircon be turned off!
2 board finals followed and it is a measure of Mark incredible progress that briefly that was seen as a disappointment. Not so, if these competitions were straightforward then the player seeded 1 would win every week, it is just as important to consistently perform, as well as to progress to the later stages when a favorable wind blows!
Congrats both to Bruce Davey & Bomber Brown who played very strongly indeed and Mark had no complaints in either game, Bomber played high class consistent darts and punished the odd error from Mark whilst Bruce resisted well in a very strong game and despite 2x 11 and 2 x 12 darts from Mark produced great darts in a run which then saw him trouble Wez Newton in the last 16!
Derby Pro Tour
After arriving back in the UK on Tuesday morning Mile High rested up and prepared for Derby. With two more weekends or 4 events to go for Grand Prix qualification, the race for Dublin was hotting up, despite a strong position in the ranking it was vital for Mark to get more £^s on the board and keep the distances between potential qualifiers and himself the same at least! A solid win over Dave Simth in round 1 ensured a tough game against fellow Dublin hopeful Hendo! John is a fine chap and a quality player. It was his day as an under par Mark fell behind early and could not find enough to get back at the big man. Still £200 was a small step toward the goal and with other players failing to make a real impact chances things were looking solid.
Sunday saw a similar outcome but a differing story. A strong win over Gary Mawson meant that a 2nd round against the dangerous and in form James Richardson. A nip and tuck game with Mark starting well but James staying strong and coming through despite Mark leveling at 5-5. By all accounts a great game to watch and a good scalp for James. Again however most of the other contenders for Dublin places were stifled by a strong field in Derby.
Net results see^s Mark^s position is unchanged in 12th with 2 events to go and he is £1800 ahead of 15th placed Steve Beaton & Colin Osbourne. The Top 14 qualify and Mark is also within £600 of 9th position.
So its onwards to Holland with confidence but also concentration and determination.
TVDL Individual Singles
After a couple of quieter weeks, by Mark^s new standards, it was good to see Mark is back to winning ways. A victory in the Trent Valley League Singles Septmber 5th was hard earned. A 4-1 win over Steve Shenton (Super League Teammate) finished a strong night from Mile High including wins over Barry Yoemans, Drew Smith and Ryan Herrington.
For the latest – mile high fan page (facebook) or mark-mile-high-hylton.com