They say success breeds success – just ask teenager Keegan Brown!
The 19-year-old has enjoyed the best darting weekend of his life and he has been rewarded for his achievements with immediate promotion to the Contender category at Team Unicorn.
Brown beat four of the world’s top 10 in the weekend’s Players Championship tournaments at Crawley and reached his first ever semi-final in a senior event.
And he showed the top 10 quartet – all Unicorn stablemates – that he is set fair for a bright future in the sport.
Kevin Painter, James Wade, Andy Hamilton and Terry Jenkins were all victims of Brown’s incredible weekend....and you can add to that list the likes of Vincent van der Voort, Steve West, Mark Dudbridge and Dennis Smith.
And his reward is that big promotion to the Contenders at Team Unicorn, where he will join Jamie Caven, Joe Cullen, Arron Monk and Devon Petersen.
“To be honest, it just hasn’t sunk in,” he admitted. “It has been an amazing few days and when the news came of the Unicorn promotion, it was the icing on the cake.”
From a Unicorn Academy to beating the best in the world!
Unicorn Managing Director Edward Lowy was delighted with Brown’s progress.
“There are few more enjoyable tasks at Unicorn that I am privileged to undertake than to approve the promotion of a Team Unicorn player and Keegan thoroughly deserves this accolade.”
“I first met Keegan on a very sunny day at the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth in August 2007. He had been corresponding with us, aged 14, for a little while. His enthusiasm for darts was then, and is now, entirely infectious.”
Mr Lowy continued: “After we met up, Keegan joined our Generation 180 group and we watched with great pleasure as he started gaining experience, making a name for himself and winning prestigious local tournaments.”
In just a week, Brown has earned over £3,000 in prize money!
He reached the semi and quarter-finals of two events at the PDC Unicorn Youth Tour in Reading and then lived the darting dream at Crawley.
On Saturday, he reached the last 16 of the PC 5 tournament, and then on Sunday, Brown produced the best day of his darting life.
He came from 0-3 down against Wade and 2-4 down to Hamilton to win last leg deciders and then saw off Jenkins 6-3 in the quarter-finals.....Brown’s incredible run was ended by eventual winner Dave Chisnall in the semi-finals, but a cheque for £2,000 and a growing reputation certainly made his day!
“I just grew in confidence as the day went on,” he said.
And he revealed an unusual practice routine which has helped him to improve his game.
“I have been practicing against a computer and I can tell you it is very challenging! But it has certainly sharpened me up over the last couple of weeks. The computer is winning in 10, 11 and 12 darts, so I have had to play well. All good fun, but all great practice!”
On top of all that, Brown was also an impressive qualifier for next month’s German Darts Championship in Berlin.
Mr Lowy added: “We made the decision to promote Keegan on Sunday. We wish him well and I have no doubt that we have yet to see the best of this outstanding young man. Keegan shows rare skill and calm on the oche and tremendous maturity off it. Watch out world, you have been warned!”
Brown said: “I will keep my feet on the ground, but I now know that I can mix it with the very best and I want to claim some more big scalps this year!”
There isn’t much time for him to reflect, because he is flying out to Germany to compete in the next three events on the PDC Unicorn Youth Tour this weekend in Cologne.
By STUART PYKE