EXCLUSIVE Charlie Manby has opened up on the transition to playing full-time after he wowed fans with his performances at the World Darts Championship
Charlie Manby was the talk of the darting world over the festive period – any fans that hadn’t heard of Champagne before the showpiece at the Ally Pally, certainly had after the tournament.
In a memorable run, Manby beat the likes of Cameron Menzies and Ricky Evans before finally coming unstuck against an inspired Gian van Veen – who would only be beaten by Luke Littler in the final.
In the months since, Manby has picked up his Tour Card and more recently put pen-to-paper on a deal with Target. And all of that has allowed him to focus on darts full-time.
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Heading into the worlds in December, Manby was still working as a bricklayer in Wakefield. However, speaking to Daily Star Sport he admitted his success at the oche has allowed him to make the jump to full-time.
“It’s changed a lot. Getting my Tour Card was massive – I stopped working, so that’s a big difference. It’s a completely different lifestyle now,” he said.
“You’re not getting up and grafting for eight hours a day. You’ve got more time, but you’re also travelling a lot, always on the move. That’s probably the biggest change.
“I’ve got a lot more time to practise during the day, so it’s definitely helped push my game on. There was a big confidence boost after the Worlds as well.
“I’m playing with all the top players now, so hopefully I can just keep improving and putting the hours in.”
As well as having more time in the day, not having the physical exhaustion of the job also helps: “It’s hard. When you’ve been working all day, especially in the heat, you don’t always feel like going home and practising – you’re so tired.
“It takes a lot out of you. But you’ve got to put the effort in, and you get out what you put in. It’s definitely paying off for me at the minute.”
Manby earned his Tour Card at Q-School, which he joked was harder than the stage at the Ally Pally: “Q School is so tough. The standard is unbelievable – players you’ve never heard of can suddenly put in big averages.
“It’s mentally draining over four days because you’re up and down all the time. You can lose when you think you’re almost there. I was just glad to get it in the end on the final day…
“I actually felt quite comfortable on stage at the Worlds, which surprised me. It’s a different kind of pressure, but Q School is just mentally brutal!”
To find out more details about Charlie Manby and his upcoming Target Darts product release in September, please visit: https://www.target-darts.co.uk/blog/welcome-to-team-target-charlie-manby