| Mick McGowan
Ireland's No.1 darts star and after a barren 12 months,
Mick McGowan is determined to make sure Irish darting eyes
will be smiling again very soon.
A dip in form during 2007 saw McGowan "fall out of love"
with the sport for a while but his passion for darts has been
re-ignited and it's all systems go once again.
"It just got too much with all the tournaments and
all the travelling," he said. "I just needed a
break and hopefully 2008 will see me back to my very best.
I know I can be right up there challenging again and I need
to be in those big TV tournaments and then it's a case
of showing what I can do."
Despite a poor run, it is credit to the Irishman that he
has deservedly kept his place in the world's top 32... but
he is still kicking himself about the 2008 World Championship.
McGowan looked in good nick but ran up against Kirk Shepherd
in the 2nd Round. The Irishman missed four darts for the match
and lost by 5 legs to 3 in a final set tie-break... but
the signs are there for a return to form.
He has already proved his darting pedigree by breaking into
the world's top 28 in a little over two years, after
taking the plunge to give it a real go on the PDC circuit.
The deal with Unicorn gives takes him to the next level and
he now has the desire and the impetus to make it work.
But it could all have been so different... McGowan has
bravely battled back from a serious car accident. He admits
he was lucky to escape with his life. He takes up the story:
"It was in 1995 and a truck lost control and came straight
for me. It ended up on top of my car. I was very lucky to
survive but I did suffer a bad back injury and was out of
darts for two years. When I started throwing again, I wasn't
sure how it would work out but one day I hit a 9-darter and
it convinced me to try again and I haven't looked back."
Now, a place in the world's top ten is the ultimate
goal. He explained: "A couple of years ago, I kept setting
myself targets... first, I wanted to get in the top 100,
then the top 50 and the top 32. I am ahead of the game in
some respects, so I keep setting myself goals and it is a
great motivation. The next three targets are top 20, top 16
and top 10!"
Unicorn snapped McGowan up after his debut at the 2007 World
Championship. He had qualified for the tournament and after
beating Matt Clark, the Irishman gave Phil Taylor a real run
for his money. McGowan took the first set and although he
lost 4-1, it was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests.
He hit 10 180s and averaged 102. Taylor had to average 109
to beat him!
It all started at the age of 12. The McGowan family were
all darts players. One day, somebody dropped out of his brother's
local league side... Mick stepped in and won a match
and incredibly, he was soon playing county darts for Meath.
By the age of 15, he was Irish Youth Champion and helped Ireland
to the quarter-finals of the World Youth Championship.
When he was just 17, McGowan was crowned full Irish Champion
and was No.1 on the Emerald Isle. He was the youngest ever
captain of the Irish side - aged 18 - at the Europa
Cup and he proudly represented his country in two World Cup's.
After the car accident, he made the decision to start playing
a few PDC tournaments and took the plunge to go full-time
on the circuit at the start of 2006. It turned out to be one
of the best decisions of his life.
After reaching the semi-finals of both the West Tyrone Open
and Antwerp Open, it all took off after he qualified for the
Las Vegas Desert Classic. McGowan toppled Adrian Lewis to
qualify, beat American Ray Carver in the 1st Round, before
losing to Wes Newton but it was the start of a golden run.
In September 2006, McGowan won his first PDC title -
beating Kevin Painter to claim the Ireland Open Classic. In
November, he was the beaten finalist in two Players Championship
events in Scotland and Holland - losing to Adrian Lewis
and Colin Lloyd respectively and along came another tournament
win at the Vauxhall Classic.
Away from the oche, Mick is a Transport Manager for Tony
Dixon International, working for his sister and brother-in-law.
"I owe them both a huge debt," he said. "They
give me all the time I need to play darts and I couldn't
have achieved half what I have without their understanding."
He added: " I get up at 6.30am and practice for a couple
of hours before I go to work and then do some more at home
in the evenings, so the support of my wife Debbie and daughter
Denise is very much appreciated!"
He is also a flag bearer for Irish darts and is encouraged
by the progress that is being made. "I just hope any
success I have, will encourage youngsters to start playing.
It is great to see the number of young people playing darts
in Ireland has increased hugely over the last couple of years,
with the likes of Jason Barry and Brendan Dolan now playing
the PDC Pro Tour.
Hopefully 2008 will see Mick McGowan doing what Mick McGowan
does best... winning darts tournaments!
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