In our latest episode of the Josh’s Dartistry Podcast, Josh Gorton is joined by regular co-hosts Jon Dean and Neil Conner to round-up another hectic few weeks of darting action.

The boys look back on Peter Wright’s latest triumph at the Ladbrokes Masters, before rounding-up the opening two weeks of Premier League action, which has seen Michael van Gerwen return to winning ways to occupy top spot in the table.

Josh was in attendance at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena on Night Two and he brings us exclusive interviews with a host of stars, including Rob Cross, Michael Smith, Gary Anderson, Glen Durrant, Fallon Sherrock and Michael van Gerwen.

Masters Round-Up (7:00-11:30) –  Wright made it back-to-back televised titles with victory at the Masters, surviving three match darts against Michael Smith in the final. The team reflect on a dramatic weekend in Milton Keynes and what it means for the rest of the season.

Premier League Round-Up (11:30-30:15) We reflect on a dramatic opening to this year’s Premier League, which featured Fallon Sherrock’s impressive debut as a ‘challenger’ in Nottingham, with Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross, Gary Anderson and Glen Durrant also enjoying positive starts.

Rob Cross (30:16-33:16) – ‘Voltage’ endured a poor run of form heading into this year’s roadshow but he’s claimed three points from a possible four and having lost over two stone since December, the former world champion is in buoyant mood about his prospects for 2020.

Michael Smith (33:18-35:16) – Smith relinquished a 6-2 cushion against Price in Nottingham, despite boasting a 116 average after eight legs. Nevertheless, ‘Bully Boy’ was opting to take the positives as he prepares for a hostile reception in Cardiff, where home favourite Jonny Clayton awaits.

Gary Anderson (35:18-36:46) – ‘The Flying Scotsman’ returned to the Premier League fold following his injury lay-off in 2019 and the two-time champion admits he’s got the hunger back. He shared the spoils with world champion Peter Wright at the Motorpoint Arena last Thursday.

Glen Durrant (36:48-38:09) – We spoke to the three-time BDO world champion following his dramatic 6-6 draw with Fallon Sherrock. ‘Duzza’ was full of praise for the capacity crowd in Nottingham, but conceded his disappointment at failing to register a second straight league victory.

Fallon Sherrock (38:10-39:17) – We caught up with ‘The Queen of the Palace’ after her captivating tussle against Durrant. The 25-year-old relished the atmosphere and hopes that her performance – coupled with her recent UK Open qualification, proves she’s no one-hit wonder.

Michael van Gerwen (39:18-41:50) – The doubters who questioned Van Gerwen’s form heading into this year’s competition have been silenced and having made it two wins from two courtesy of a 7-1 drubbing against Daryl Gurney, the world number one was in jovial mood.

What are the odds? (43-45- 48:56) – Our resident stats man Neil provides us with the latest odds ahead of the third night of Premier League action in Cardiff this Thursday. We also assess how the opening two weeks of competition have affected the overall tournament betting.

PDC Pro Tour Update (52:10-56:25) – It’s been an electrifying start to the Pro Tour season, with seven nine-dart finishes hit in the opening four Players Championship events.

In our third episode of ‘The Bounce Out’, co-hosts Josh Gorton, Jon Dean and Neil Conner round-up all the latest darting action, including an extensive look at the BDO World Championship, plus the big stories from PDC Qualifying School.

This year’s BDO World Championship took place at the new venue inside the O2 complex – The Indigo, with 57-year-old Wayne Warren defeating his fellow Welshman Jim Williams to become the oldest ever world darts champion.

Mikuru Suzuki retained her women’s world title with a 3-0 success over four-time world champion Lisa Ashton, whilst 17-year-old Keane Barry reigned supreme in the BDO World Youth Championship, defeating 14-year-old Leighton Bennett – last year’s champion.

Nevertheless, the BDO’s flagship competition was undermined by uncertainty surrounding the prize money, with Wayne Warren receiving just £23,000 for his triumph – the lowest sum of prize money for the winner since 1989.

The boys discuss all the major talking points from the tournament and speculate what’s next for the BDO, with a host of their most established stars securing Tour Cards at the respective PDC Qualifying Schools in Wigan and Hildesheim.

Two-time world champion and former Grand Slam winner Scott Waites was joined by ex BDO No 1 Wesley Harms, Nick Kenny, Martijn Kleermaker and 2012 PDC World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton in securing spots on the PDC circuit, although Lisa Ashton generated most of the headlines.

‘The Lancashire Rose’ became the first woman to clinch a PDC Tour Card via Qualifying School, winning 13 games across the four days. Josh caught up with the four-time world champion to discuss her ground-breaking success.

Lisa Ashton – The 49-year-old reveals her pride at creating yet more history for women’s darts and hopes that her success, coupled with Fallon Sherrock’s World Championship exploits – will inspire a new generation of female talent.

Ashton also supports calls for the PDC to introduce a separate women’s tour, before outlining her ambitions for her two-year stint in the PDC, which begins at the Barnsley Metrodome on February 8th.

The panel then reflect on the nine ‘Challengers’ that were selected to compete in this year’s Premier League. The fixtures were confirmed last Monday and the boys each pick out the ties involving the ‘challengers’ that they’re most looking forward to.

Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

In our twentieth episode of the Josh’s Dartistry Podcast, Josh Gorton is joined by regular co-hosts Jon Dean and Neil Conner to round-up another hectic month of darting action.

The team return to round-up the recent PDC World Championship, before reacting to the confirmed line-up for the 2020 Premier League plus the controversy surrounding the ongoing BDO World Championship.

Josh brings us reaction from Peter Wright’s post-match press conference following his magnificent World Championship triumph and we also feature an exclusive interview with three-time world champion John Part, who reveals his plans for Qualifying School in January.

PDC World Championship (7:00-28:45) –  The boys reflect on Peter Wright’s Alexandra Palace exploits, as ‘Snakebite’ became the oldest first-time winner of the Sid Waddell Trophy, defeating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final – his first win over the Dutchman in a major televised final.

The team also discuss Fallon Sherrock’s ground-breaking success, the performances of Nathan Aspinall, Luke Humphries, Chris Dobey, Jeffrey de Zwaan and Dimitri Van den Bergh, as well as Raymond van Barneveld’s retirement from the sport.

Peter Wright Reaction (28:46-31:05) The Scot became the ninth different winner of the PDC World Championship and he discusses his pride at ending his MvG hoodoo and being more battle-ready than ‘The Green Machine’ on New Year’s Day.

John Part Exclusive Interview (31:05-37:45) The three-time world champion discusses Fallon Sherrock’s achievements at Ally Pally, Sherrock’s potential impact on the women’s game, the current state of North American darts and his aspiration to return to the Pro Tour circuit in 2020.

Premier League Darts picks (37:50-52:30) –  PDC Chairman Barry Hearn revealed the nine-player Premier League line-up following the World Championship final and the team give their assessment of the field and react to the return of the re-branded ‘Challengers’ format.

What are the odds? (53-30- 58:20) – Our resident stats man Neil provides us with the latest odds for this year’s BDO World Championship and the 2020 Premier League, which features two debutants in the shape of Nathan Aspinall and Glen Durrant.

BDO World Championship update (58:25-1:03-25) – The BDO World Championship got underway at the Indigo at The O2 on Saturday, but so far the headlines have been dominated by the significant reduction in prize money and poor ticket sales, which the boys discuss in more depth.

Challenge Josh (1:03:30-1:21:10)– Neil tests Josh’s knowledge of newly crowned world champion Peter Wright in another entertaining instalment of ‘Challenge Josh’.

In The News (1:21:15-1:26:45) – Josh provides an update on Fallon Sherrock’s World Series inclusion, the significant reduction in prize money for the BDO World Championship, plus some darting transfer news involving Michael van Gerwen.

Q&A section (1:27:35-1:39:20) – As usual, the panel answer a series of questions sent in by the JDP listeners. The trio give their opinions on the ‘Challengers’ format, the BDO’s future at the Grand Slam, players to watch in 2020 and the threat posed by Wright and Van Gerwen over the coming year.

Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

In our second episode of ‘The Bounce Out’, co-hosts Josh Gorton and Jon Dean round-up an incredible start to this year’s World Championship, which has featured a multitude of big-name exits and arguably the biggest darting story of the decade.

Our third co-host Neil Conner is still absent celebrating Liverpool’s impending title triumph but will no doubt return for our next episode, so it’s left to Josh and Jon to dissect an incredible seven days of action at Alexandra Palace thus far.

The 2018 world champion Rob Cross, last year’s finalist Michael Smith and five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld are among the players to have crashed out at the first hurdle, whilst Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price survived scares to progress.

However, the biggest story of the tournament thus far centres around Fallon Sherrock’s historic triumph against Ted Evetts – the 25-year-old produced an inspired display to become the first female to win a match at the PDC World Championship.

The boys discuss all the major talking points so far and highlight some of the lesser known names who have impressed. We feature several bitesize interviews with some of the winner’s from this year’s event, whilst we also get the lowdown from Sky Sports expert Wayne Mardle.

Krzysztof Ratajski – Hear from the former World Masters champion after he becomes the first Polish player to win a match at the PDC World Championship after battling past Zoran Lerchbacher in his opener.

Damon Heta – The Brisbane Darts Masters winner reacts to his straight sets win over Jose De Sousa, which sets up a second round showdown against three-time BDO world champion Glen Durrant.

Fallon Sherrock – Josh grabs a few words with darts’ newest superstar following her landmark win over Ted Evetts, in arguably the biggest darting story since that famous final between Raymond van Barneveld and Phil Taylor at the Circus Tavern in 2007.

Stephen Bunting – ‘The Bullet’ is buoyant after ending his Ally Pally hoodoo with victory over Jose Justicia and despite the prospect of Michael van Gerwen awaiting in the last 16, the former Lakeside world champion insists he can go all the way.

Wayne Mardle – The Sky Sports expert discusses Sherrock’s historic achievement, the shocks we’ve seen so far, whilst ‘Hawaii 501’ also speaks passionately about the future of the women’s game in light of the uncertainty surrounding the BDO.

Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

In our first episode of ‘The Bounce Out’, co-hosts Josh Gorton and Jon Dean round-up the latest action at the Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals, before looking ahead to the World Championship -which begins in less than two weeks time.

‘The Bounce Out’ will supplement the main Josh’s Dartistry podcast with regular tournament updates and breaking new stories, although the team will continue to produce the regular more lengthy podcast featuring your favourite segments such as ‘Challenge Josh’ and our Q&A section.

In this episode, Josh and Jon reflect on the sad passing of BDO founder Olly Croft last weekend, whilst bringing you the main headlines from the World Championship draw which took place live on Sky Sports News last Monday.

This episode also features an exclusive interview with former Lakeside world champion Stephen Bunting – who heads to Alexandra Palace in positive spirits following a strong campaign, having considered quitting the game just 18 months ago.

GSOD and PC Finals Round-Up: (6:20-23:05) The team reflect on Gerwyn Price retaining his Grand Slam crown and Michael van Gerwen scooping a fifth Players Championship Finals title. Josh also picks out other notable performances from the respective tournaments.

World Championship Preview: (23:10-32:50) Jon brings us the odds for the World Championship after the draw was made last week. Josh previews some of the eye-catching ties and identifies some seeds that could struggle in the early stages.

Stephen Bunting Interview: (33:00-44:05) ‘The Bullet’ gives his assessment of his 2019 season so far and candidly reveals that seeking help from a sports psychologist helped turned his career around, as he targets a return to the Premier League in the near future.

Any Other Business: (44:10-49:40) Jon and Josh discuss Gerwyn Price’s omission from the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year award, before revealing a new prediction competition that will be held during this year’s World Championship.

Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Andy Hamilton has urged the British Darts Organisation to resolve their glaring administrative issues and improve their communication with players and fans alike following the controversy that marred the recent World Masters at the Circus Tavern.

Chaos and confusion reigned at one of darts’ most prestigious events, won by a host of legends since it’s inception in 1974, with Eric Bristow MBE, Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen among those to etch their name on the roll of honour.

Farcical scenes saw BDO chairman Des Jacklin take to the stage and explain that the advertised format was wrong and a number of international players in the venue who had qualified for the event, were not registered to play, which meant they were forced to conduct a re-draw.

Nevertheless, further chaos ensued when it was discovered that fake names were placed in the draw, allegedly so they could be replaced with genuine players if too many turned up, whilst information on prize money was also withheld from the players.

It also emerged that players were forced to sign a contract stating they will not compete in December’s PDC World Championship should they qualify for either the World Masters or BDO World Championship and failure to comply would make them ‘ineligible to receive prize money from the World Masters’ and could result in court action.

Former PDC World Championship finalist Hamilton, currently ranked 12th in the BDO system – was one of several high-profile early casualties as he slipped to a straight sets defeat to Keith Geraghty in the last 64.

In an exclusive interview on the Josh’s Dartistry Podcast, Hamilton revealed that he ultimately lost interest in the event due to the shambolic lack of organisation and transparency.

“The BDO have got problems – I don’t know what they are,” Hamilton told Josh’s Dartistry. “There’s a lack of communication from everyone around the players, the fans – I think the board themselves don’t even know what is going on sometimes. Something needs to be done where it can move on.

“I think it has affected me this year and my motivation sometimes and one circumstance was obviously the World Masters where I just got really down about what was going on there and I lost interest in the Masters itself.

“I was meant to play my game at 2pm and all the top 16 players went down there – I don’t want to say what went on there but the whole situation of having a re-draw; I didn’t even know about the false names until afterwards and I think there were a lot more things which I won’t go into.

“It’s just wrong how it has all been done. It’s just wrong for a player getting motivated for a competition which has probably just been downgraded with what happened. It’s a shame really because we always want to play darts.

“We want to know what we’re doing, we want to know the format, we want to know the prize money, we want to know the draw. Some things are coming to the forefront but not quickly enough for the players, so as a result players are getting demotivated and just sometimes don’t want to be there,” he added.

Hamilton made his BDO World Championship bow at Lakeside in January, losing in the preliminary round to Canada’s David Cameron. However, the Stoke-on-Trent star will be seeded for the 2020 BDO World Championship at London’s Indigo at the O2,

In our nineteenth episode of the Josh’s Dartistry Podcast, Josh Gorton is joined by regular co-hosts Jon Dean and Neil Conner to round-up another hectic month of darting action.

The team return to round-up the recent World Grand Prix, Champions League of Darts and European Championship, whilst also reflecting on the controversy at the BDO World Masters.

Josh also brings us an exclusive interview with former PDC World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton. The former Premier League semi-finalist has featured on the BDO circuit since 2018 and he gives a candid insight into the current issues plaguing the BDO.

PDC Round-Up (8:30-34:15) –  The boys reflect on the three major PDC events that have taken place during the last month. Michael van Gerwen claimed a fifth World Grand Prix crown before winning a maiden Champions League title, whilst Rob Cross starred at the European Championship.

BDO World Masters Round-Up (35:20-42:15) The team look back at the recent World Masters at the Circus Tavern, which saw John O’Shea and Lisa Ashton lift the respective titles. Nevertheless, the headlines were dominated by the startling lack of organisation which overshadowed the darts itself.

Andy Hamilton Exclusive Interview (43:10-50:20) –  Josh brings us an exclusive interview with former Premier League star Andy Hamilton, who sheds some light on the World Masters situation, whilst discussing life in the BDO and getting his career back on track.

What are the odds? (52-25- 1:00:05) – Our resident stats man Neil provides us with the latest odds for this month’s Players Championship Finals, while we also assess the bookmakers prices ahead of the 2020 BDO World Championship, after the draw was made just last week.

Challenge Josh (1:00:10-1:26:40)– Neil tests Josh’s knowledge of the World Series of Darts in another topical edition of ‘Challenge Josh’.

In The News (1:26:45-1:33:55) – Josh provides an update on the latest PDC World Championship qualifiers and pays tribute to record-breaker Peter Wright. The BDO’s picks for the Grand Slam of Darts are also discussed, whilst we reference a bizarre story involving Corey Cadby.

Q&A section (1:34:15-1:47:55) – As usual, the panel answer a series of questions sent in by the JDP listeners. The trio give their opinions on the Grand Slam of Darts, next year’s Premier League, Gerwyn Price, the growth of Irish darts and Raymond van Barneveld’s legacy.

Photo Credit: Evert Zomer

NB: Challenge Josh Music, Mastermind, used with the kind permission of Secession Studios. https://www.youtube.com/user/theseces

In our eighteenth episode of the Josh’s Dartistry Podcast, Josh Gorton is joined by regular co-hosts Jon Dean and Neil Conner to round-up the latest darting news.

After a brief hiatus, the team return to discuss the latest action on the Pro Tour and World Series circuit and Josh brings us an exclusive interview with five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld, who is targeting a fairy-tale farewell at Alexandra Palace ahead of his retirement.

World Series & Pro Tour Round-Up (7:35-27:45) –  The boys reflect on last month’s World Series action which saw an incredible triumph for Damon Heta and a return to form for Michael van Gerwen. We also analyse a number of ground-breaking wins on the Pro Tour and how this affects the field for the World Grand Prix.

What are the odds? (29:00-33:55) – Our resident stats man Neil provides us with the latest odds for the upcoming World Grand Prix in Dublin, while we also assess the bookmakers prices ahead of the Champions League of Darts, which takes place in Leicester for the very first time on October 19-20.

Raymond van Barneveld Exclusive Interview (34:45-46:50) –  Josh brings us an exclusive interview with five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld, who discusses his emotions ahead of his impending retirement, his hopes for the rest of 2019, life after retirement, the best moment of his career and the legacy he leaves behind.

Challenge Josh (54:50-1:10:35)– Neil tests Josh’s knowledge of the World Grand Prix in another topical edition of ‘Challenge Josh’.

In The News (1:10:45-1:20:45) – Josh provides an update on the latest PDC World Championship qualifiers and results from recent BDO events, while the team discuss Phil Taylor’s hint at a possible comeback and exciting news for Michael van Gerwen.

Q&A section (1:21:00-1:31:50) – As usual, the panel answer any questions sent in by the JDP listeners to conclude the latest episode. The trio give their opinions on the BDO’s Grand Slam picks, Mark Webster’s future and whether there are still enough characters in the game.

NB: Challenge Josh Music, Mastermind, used with the kind permission of Secession Studios. https://www.youtube.com/user/theseces

In our seventeenth episode of the Josh’s Dartistry Podcast, Josh Gorton is joined by regular co-hosts Jon Dean and Neil Conner to round-up the latest darting news.

After a brief hiatus, we return to discuss the fall-out from the Betfred World Matchplay, which saw Rob Cross claim his second PDC major. The team also discuss a series of controversies surrounding the BDO with special guest ‘Oche Balboa’ and Josh catches up with Sky Sports expert Wayne Mardle.

World Matchplay Discussion (8:55-16:15) –  The team reflect on all the action from the Winter Gardens, including Rob Cross’ success, Michael Smith’s bid for a maiden major title and Michael van Gerwen’s slump in form.

Pro Tour Round-Up (16:15-19:25) – We round-up the latest action on the Pro Tour, as Krzysztof Ratajski and Brendan Dolan triumphed on a dramatic weekend of Players Championship in Hildesheim, with a host of top players opting not to participate ahead of their World Series commitments.

BDO Discussion with Oche Balboa – (20:25-38:30) – It’s been a hectic few weeks in the BDO, with MC Richard Ashdown and referees Nick Rolls, Antony Dundas, Marco Meijer and Charlie Corstorphine all resigning from their posts.

The BDO have also announced new venues for the World Trophy and World Masters, before revealing late last week that the BDO World Championship would be leaving Lakeside after 33 years. We get Oche’s thoughts on the respective matters and what it means for the BDO going forward.

What are the odds? (39:35-46:35) – Our resident stats man Neil provides us with the latest odds for the upcoming World Series of Darts event in Brisbane, while we look at the odds for the BDO World Trophy and assess how the Matchplay has affected the odds for the PDC World Championship.

Wayne Mardle Interview (47:20-58:50) – Josh catches up with Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle, who reflects on this year’s World Matchplay and looks ahead to the rest of the darting season.

Challenge Josh (1:00:30-1:22:10)– Neil tests Josh’s knowledge of darting ‘slang’ in another entertaining episode of Challenge Josh.

In The News (1:22:20-1:30:00) – Josh provides confirmation of the 2019 Champions League of Darts line-up, reflects on Gerwyn Price’s successful appeal against the DRA and also reveals exciting news regarding Paul Lim and the 2020 PDC World Championship.

Q&A section (1:30:05-1:44:45) – As usual, the panel answer any questions sent in by the JDP listeners to conclude the latest episode. The trio give their opinions on the future of the BDO, Michael Smith’s pursuit of a first major title and the strength in depth within the top echelons of the sport.

NB: Challenge Josh Music, Mastermind, used with the kind permission of Secession Studios. https://www.youtube.com/user/theseces

Photo Credit: Chris Dean/PDC

The World Matchplay gets underway on Saturday night at the Winter Gardens and ahead of the tournament, Josh Gorton caught up with PDC major winner and pundit Paul Nicholson to preview the highlight of the darting summer.

‘The Asset’ made five appearances in Blackpool but for the first time in over a decade, he’s not competing on the PDC Tour after opting not to enter Qualifying School last January.

However, Nicholson is heading to Q-School in 2020 in a bid to regain his Tour Card and he discussed his brief hiatus and future plans in a JDP exclusive….