Nobody really enjoys being labelled a ‘veteran’ — a nod to the creeping sands of time, if nothing else.
The cap fits, however, for Dungannon darts ace Mickey Mansell, and he’s happy enough to wear it.
The 51-year-old is into his fourth decade toeing the oche, but shows no signs of slowing down. So much so, Mansell will make a ninth career appearance at the PDC World Championship this December.
The Big Stage
From tackling world champions to an emotional battle with his fellow Northern Irishman, Brendan Dolan, Mansell is no stranger to the big stage at London’s Alexandra Palace.
While World Darts odds of 500/1 are representative of his chances at the 2024/25 edition of the tournament, the Irishman will head to England’s capital with no fear, having found form in recent months.
The darts betting odds for the World Championship are more bullish about the chances of 5/2 favourite Luke Humphries, the reigning champion and world number one.
The Irishman has been playing well lately, which manifested itself at the Grand Slam qualifier in Leicester. Mansell averaged a sky-scraping 110 to see off Matt Campbell in the first round, before he took out the likes of Gerwyn Price and Raymond van Barneveld to book his place in Wolverhampton.
They say that in sport, timing is everything — and Mansell will be hoping he’s the next to prove the old adage true in December.
Luck of the Draw
For having run into two former world champions, before tackling his best friend on the oche in 2023, Mansell while well have improved upon his best effort of a run to the second round at the World Championship.
In 2013, he was handed the draw that nobody wanted: 16-time champion, Phil Taylor. The Power went on a rampage that year, proving too good for Michael van Gerwen in the final to land another world title.
It was a case of déjà vu all over again at the 2023 edition. This time ran into another former world champion, Peter Wright, in the second round. Snakebite proved too good on the day for the Dungannon thrower.
The 2024 edition of the World Championship posed Mansell with a different kind of challenge: his best friend on tour in Dolan.
The pair served up a barnstormer, both averaging 95 as the game went to a deciding sudden death leg. In the end, it was Dolan who got over the line – before admitting, ‘I love the guy to bits’ in explanation of why the contest was so hard fought.
Maybe Mansell will finally get a kinder draw at the 2024/25 edition?
Sign Up To Our Newsletter
