South Africa’s top darts star Devon Petersen has signed for Team Unicorn.
The highly rated 24-year-old has agreed a three-year-deal with the world’s leading darts manufacturer as he looks to take his career to the next level.
It’s been a rollercoaster six months for the young man from Cape Town, who has taken the life-changing decision to leave South Africa for West Yorkshire, as he bids to establish himself in the world of PDC darts!
“I can’t express how much this means to me,” he admitted. “Unicorn is the brand of champions and ultimately, that is where I want to be.”
Petersen made a name for himself at this year’s World Championship…..he qualified for the Alexandra Palace by winning the South African Open, then his career really took off!
He beat Guyana’s Norman Madhoo by four legs to two in the preliminary round, including check-outs of 136 and 146, and then gave Team Unicorn’s Jamie Caven a real run for his money in the 1st Round.
Petersen won the first set, before Caven rallied to win by three sets to one.
But the young South African had put down a marker…..enough for Unicorn to recognise the raw talent.
He then won a Tour Card for the next two years through the PDC Qualifying School earlier this year and that success was enough to convince to take the biggest gamble of his life.
“It was a tough decision to leave South Africa, but I always knew that I had to be playing against the best week in, week out in the PDC,” Petersen said.
He now lives in Brighouse in West Yorkshire and has become a good friend with Team Unicorn stablemate Joe Cullen.
“It is still a big strange, because it is all very new and takes some getting used to, but I have made some really good friends in Yorkshire and they are all a great help,” he added.
Petersen’s first aim is to qualify for the UK Open Finals at Bolton in June, but a lot of PDC officials have already been impressed with his attitude and ambition.
“I know it is going to be hard, but with every match I play on the Pro Tour, I gain valuable experience and I haven’t come over to the UK to fail,”
• Meanwhile, Joe Cullen has agreed a new contract with Unicorn. The 21-year-old from Bradford has already made a big impression in his first full year on the PDC Pro Tour, recording a memorable win over Phil Taylor and making his debut at the World Championship. It is another sign of Unicorn’s commitment to the young darting talent of the future, as the company continues to promote the sport through its Academies and the brand new PDC Unicorn Youth Tour, which has already proved to be a massive hit.
Unicorn Managing Director Edward Lowy said: “We are delighted to welcome someone of Devon’s obvious talent and potential to Team Unicorn….and we hope that we can play a part in developing his career over the years to come.”
Mr Lowy added: “The signing of Devon Petersen and the extension of Joe Cullen’s contract underlines the commitment of everyone at Unicorn to the emerging talent that is coming through in the world of darts, and we have already seen that in abundance in the PDC Unicorn Youth Tour, with three different winners in the first three events!”
By STUART PYKE
Image Gallery
Devon Petersen and Joe Cullen sign their contracts