Bedlington-born professional darts player Chris Dobey took on members of the public at the Northern Social Club in Ashington, ahead of the Premier League Darts night in Newcastle, to launch the PDC’s Darts on Your Doorstep initiative in the area. Daniel Wales reports.
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00:00Having watched his beloved Newcastle United lift the Carabao Cup at Wembley Stadium just under two weeks ago,
00:08Bedlington-born Chris Doby was back in the North East, taking on members of the public at darts, a sport in which he is ranked the 9th best in the world.
00:19Doby was here in Ashington, just a few miles north of Newcastle at the Northern Social Club, to launch a new darts on your doorstep venue, just miles from where he grew up,
00:29before he then takes to the stage at the Utility Arena in the city centre for night 8 of the 2025 Premier League of Darts on Thursday.
00:37For Doby though, the recent special memories of Wembley and seeing his boyhood team lift their first major silverware since 1969 was still forefront in his mind.
00:47Obviously still on a high, it's such a buzz around the whole city and I don't think we'll ever come down from that. It's always going to be a memorable one and I'm delighted still.
00:59And with the whole of Newcastle still on that high from Wembley, now seems like the perfect time for the city to host the darts and have one of their own representing them on the stage against some of the best players in the world.
01:13Yeah, couldn't have picked a better time. Obviously, I think tomorrow night is going to be something special, not just because of that, not just because of the darts,
01:23just the whole build up of winning and then they're in their hometown and they've got a local lad there as well, so hopefully I get the support and yeah, it'll be a good night.
01:33Speaking of support, Doby's most recent Premier League appearance in Newcastle came in 2023 when he received the backing of War Flags. Could something similar be on the cards for this time?
01:45Yeah, it could be. I'm just looking forward to seeing what the plan is. I haven't got any clue what's going to happen. I'm just going to go there and try and get prepared and focused because I did get the job done two years back.
02:01I beat Michael Smith but then lost. I want to try and stay focused and get prepared for my game and yeah, I'll look forward to whatever the outcome is.
02:08You don't want to let the fans, your family, your friends down. You're playing, it's not just for yourself, you're doing it for them so yeah, that's always in the back of my mind but you've also got to go up there and feel relaxed.
02:20You don't want to put too much pressure on yourself so I want to try and get myself in the right frame of mind and hopefully go up there and do the job.
02:28Dovey was also keen to talk about the PDC's Dart On Your Doorstep initiative, which he described as a great idea for helping people who love the sport to access it more easily and develop the confidence to come and play against others in their community and ultimately to enjoy themselves.
02:47Yeah, of course, it's great. Obviously there's a lot of these happening. I think they're going to another 250 in total, I think, maybe more. But yeah, the PDC and the communities come together with the smart media and stuff like this.
03:02You need things like this because there's a lot of people out there who love the darts and stuff and I think this is a perfect chance for everybody to just come here just to see myself. Not just myself, there's a lot of other professionals doing it and I think it gives them the chance to show what it's about and they might get the confidence.
03:24A lot of people hiding in the house during lockdown haven't got the confidence of coming out and things like this brings them to want to play.
03:33And whilst Dovey did have one eye on the Premier League night in Newcastle and making sure he performs in front of his home crowd, he was at the Northern Social Club to enjoy himself too and allow those from his own area to not only meet him but ask any questions they might have had and perhaps most importantly, take him on at the Occy to have a chance at winning a special prize.
03:58I think this is just about having fun with the fans and whoever's down there. I think they'll like to see this side of me as well. Obviously, keep your focus and that for the big stuff on TV but just going to enjoy the night, hopefully have some fun and laughter and yeah, hopefully there's a few good players down there and push me to the limit.
04:18Chris Dovey has certainly not forgotten his roots and was visibly proud to be launching the initiative just a stone's throw from where he is based. Those in attendance will certainly be cheering him on in the Premier League when it comes to Newcastle, even those who managed to defeat him here on the night. Whilst Dovey himself might actually feel less nervous playing against the likes of Luke Littler and Michael Van Gerwen than he did against those here at the Northern Social Club.