| Ray
Carver
Ray Carver is part of Team Unicorn's growing stable
of worldwide darts stars and the American is certainly geared
up for success over the next few years.
Obviously he isn't able to play the full PDC Tour,
so it's a credit to the talented left-hander that he
has managed to keep his place in the top 50 in the world.
"I just want to carry on improving," he said.
"It would be great to play as many tournaments as possible
but logistically, it isn't possible but I do plan three
or four trips to the UK and Europe each year to compete,"
he said.
"Also, things are growing at home and there are more
PDC events than ever before in North America, plus the US
Open, so I just need to make sure that I shine at all the
'home' events," Carver said.
He has been a regular competitor at the PDC World Championship
and at the 2008 tournament, he was unlucky to go out in the
1st Round - beaten on the opening night in a thriller
by 3 sets to 2 against Wayne Mardle.
Carver reached the last 32, from a field of over 200, at
the 2007 US Open in Connecticut and was unlucky to lose in
the final set to Mervyn King at the quarter-finals of the
Las Vegas Players Championship event.
He also qualified to the Las Vegas Desert Classic but lost
by 6 legs to 3 against Terry Jenkins, despite hitting six
180s in nine legs of darts!
The left-hander from New Hampshire has been at the top of
the ladder in the USA for many years.
Carver was the first American to join Team Unicorn -
recognition of his achievements over the last five years in
the States... he now has a US stablemate in Gary Mawson.
And the man they call 'Razor' wants to be at
the forefront of the great American darts revival, with the
PDC determined to take the sport to the next level, as Barry
Hearn aims to pour more and more money into the US darting
market.
Carver had a good run at the first US Open and then he teamed
up with Unicorn Superstar Phil Taylor in a special match,
which was broadcast 'live' on Fox Sports in the
US. The World Darts Challenge featured the Unicorn pair against
World Champion Raymond Van Barneveld and current American
No.1 John Kuczynski... and Carver rounded the night off
in style, with a spectacular 136 finish - treble 20, double
18, double top!
"It was a great experience, as was the US Open,"
he said. "I just get the feeling that the sport of darts
is close to really taking off back home."
"Getting a deal with Unicorn is so overwhelming,"
he admitted. "It is very exciting to be involved with
the best company darts has to offer. Making a living at this
sport is very near for me, I can almost taste it!"
Originally from Baltimore, Carver is a late-comer to darts.
He only picked up the bug 12 years ago, as a 20-year-old,
playing in a local bar. He was hooked from that day -
throwing two 180s in his first match!
"I was asked by the barmaid if I wanted to play on
her son's darts team and said I would give it a go.
They said don't worry because the standard wasn't
that good," Carver explained. "That day I bought
some darts - hit those 180s and won the match. The other
team thought I was a ringer!"
Carver went from strength to strength and was soon so far
ahead in the league, he was talked into playing bigger tournaments.
By 1997, he was starring on the American circuit and in the
space of just three years he was up to number five in the
US rankings. Things just kept getting better, as he was invited
to play in the World Masters and by the end of 2001 he reached
the number one spot in the American Darts Organisation.
It was in 2002 that Carver shot to prominence and earned
his spurs, mixing it with the best players in the world at
The Golden Harvest Tournament in Saskatoon, Canada. He had
a brilliant run to the quarter-finals - beating Keith
Deller, Denis Ovens and Ronnie Baxter along the way. He eventually
lost to Unicorn's Phil Taylor... but Carver had
made a name for himself.
In 2003, Carver was the highest placed American at the Las
Vegas Desert Classic and that feat earned him a debut at the
World Championships in Purfleet. He lost to Wayne Mardle at
The Circus Tavern but Sky Sports darts fans got a glimpse
of what he's capable of.
"One of my best moments came when America took the
team gold at the World Cup in France," he said. "I
beat Raymond Van Barneveld and we beat the Dutch. It was an
amazing experience!"
Carver has grown in stature with experience and TV exposure.
At the 2006 Ladbrokes.com World Championships, he produced
one of the shocks of the tournament.
He beat World No.3 Ronnie Baxter in the 1st round, holding
his nerve in a thriller. He made an incredible start -
winning the first six legs of the match to go two sets up.
'The Rocket' fought back but Carver won a tie-break
to take the match 3-2. He eventually lost to Andy Smith 4-3
in another match that went all the way to sudden death.
.He travels to around 30 tournaments a year in America and
will be looking to claim more big scalps at the Las Vegas
Desert Classic this year, as well as the US Open and the new
Players Championship events in Atlanta and Chicago and the
new North American Players tournament in Connecticut.
"Signing up with Unicorn - THE elite darts team
- has given me the momentum to go on and achieve bigger
and better things," he revealed.
Watch out for Carver is the clear message from across the
Big Pond! The Razor is ready to cut more of the big names
in darts down to size.
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