GEORDIE SCORE

CHRIS DOBEY ’S FORTUNES AT THE OCHE ARE MIRRORING THOSE OF HIS BELOVED NEWCASTLE UNITED, HE TELLS HENRY BEESLEY

‘IROCKED UP ONE NIGHT IN A PEAKED CAP , shorts and flipflops and my mate just turned to me and said, ‘What are you, some kind of Hollywood superstar?’” While Chris Dobey may not have been a movie star at the time, the name stuck. And now his story is beginning to live up to the billing. It’s been a whirlwind year for the Geordie darts star, coming from nowhere to rocket to the top of the sport.

You’d have been more likely to find Chris – a lifelong Newcastle United fan – playing Sunday league football than throwing arrows when he was growing up. However, one evening he found himself making up the numbers at the oche in his local boozer. “I was in the pub with a mate of mine who fancied himself as a bit of darts player,” he says. “One of the lads was missing from the group who normally played, so I decided to fill in for them. Straight away, I really took to it.”

After spending some time cutting his teeth on the social circuit, he began to realise this could become more than just a hobby. “I’d won virtually every big tournament in the North East in 2015, so I had ambitions of going to Q-school. There I had a chance to win a two-year exemption on the PDC circuit.

After I got through that, I picked up my tour card at the first time of asking. That’s something I am particularly proud of.”

Having only taken up darts in 2010, Chris had made it to the PDC Tour within just five years – an astonishing feat. He then made a splash when reaching the quarter-finals at the

UK Open in 2016 – his first major TV tournament – before continuing to progress through the professional ranks.

Earning your seat at the table is the easy bit; the real challenge is staying there. Throughout his career, he has earned a reputation for finding himself on the wrong end of a tough draw, often bumping into players who have produced their very best darts on the day. “It’s incredibly hard when you’re playing well but feel as though you’re not really getting anything for it,” he says. “Fortunately, I’m not really someone that gets too down on myself. I’m always able to take the positives. I know that it’s going to take a good game to beat me these days, which gives me a lot of confidence.”

Nathan [Aspinall], Joe Cullen, Jonny Clayton and Michael Smith are some of my best pals on the tour.”

“When practising, I’ll always listen to a bit of music. Between matches, for me it’s a case of trying to chill out. I take myself away from the intense pressure cooker on stage so that when the time comes to play, I’m ready and focused on the battle ahead.” The past couple of seasons have seen Chris take his game to the next level. He signed off 2022 by reaching the quarter-finals of the World Championships at Alexandra Palace. This year kicked off with the PDC Masters in Milton Keynes, and changed everything for Chris. Despite most bookmakers pricing him up as the rank outsider of the field at 100/1, he felt like that wasn’t a fair reflection of his chances. “The Masters seemed like a good opportunity to put a nice little run together. Going into it, my game felt great. I’d just registered, by far, my best ever performance at the Worlds and was playing some consistently good stuff.”

As for life on the road, he acknowledges the vast number of sacrifices that need to be made, notably having to spend time away from his family for long periods of time. “Of course, it’s hard to be away from my little lad, but I’m doing what I love to earn a good living. I’m confident he’ll understand in the long run. All the lads are great as well. We always have a good laugh away from darts too, so it’s nice and relaxed.

In trademark fashion, he was handed a tough draw in round one, against Joe Cullen. He needed something special to get the upper hand, and at the perfect time he delivered a moment of magic that he’d so often been on the receiving end of in recent years. “I broke him at 4-4 by pinning a 125 finish on the bullseye. That was one of those game-changing moments where I thought to myself: could this be my time?”

Chris then edged out Luke Humphries to earn a quarter- final spot against Dirk van Duijvenbode. An accomplished performance set up a spine-tingling semi-final clash with Michael Smith, the world number one and reigning world champion. “It’s always tough playing against a good friend like Michael, but I felt I handled that side of things really well. I managed to get my head in front and stayed there to progress, despite some slightly shaking doubling at the end!”

AFTER BOOKING HIS PLACE in his maiden major final, how were the nerves? “It all seemed to happen so quickly. I only had about an hour between the semis and the final which really helped me. I didn’t have too much time to sit around thinking about the final.”

Former world champion Rob Cross was waiting.

“The final couldn’t really have gone any smoother. It went exactly to the script. I wouldn’t say it really surprised me as I’ve always felt I can beat anybody, but I was a little shocked at how I was consistently outscoring Rob. I got a little edgy trying to finish the job that day – I was missing by a fair way in the closing stages. Ultimately it was just a relief to finally get over the line and get my hands on a big title.”

While it’s not ‘win and you’re in’ regarding a place in the Premier League, it was widely regarded that the Masters champ would fill one of the remaining spots. “You always want to play with the best players in the world and the Premier League is the place to do that. I was at home the day after the final when my agent called me and said, ‘Do they fly direct from Newcastle to Belfast?’ I replied saying that I’d had a look and they did. He just said to me, ‘Well, you can get one of those booked now, Chris – you’re in the Premier League!’ That was obviously a huge moment for me.”

In a thrilling Premier League campaign, the night on his home turf was Chris’s high point. “Hosting in Newcastle was obviously unreal. I managed to beat Michael [Smith] in front of all my family and friends. That was a really special experience and I guess it was all made possible thanks to that magical weekend at the Masters. I’ve learned so much from the experience. I know I can mix it with the best players in the world. This year it was all new and I wanted to really enjoy it. I’ll be much better prepared the next time it comes around.”

What’s next for Chris? “There’s still a lot of 2023 left and I definitely want to get another couple of titles under my belt – hopefully another major! That should set me up nicely heading into the World Championships.”

Away from the oche, Chris’ priorities are a little closer to home. “Whenever I’m not playing darts, I’ll be home or away following Newcastle. It’s been an unbelievable season for the lads and watching them in the Champions League next year will be incredible. I just hope it doesn’t clash with the darts. Hopefully, I’ll be able to combine an away day with a European darts event. That would be ideal.”

Chris Dobey to win the 2024 PDC World Championship and Newcastle to be the 2023/24 European champions? There’s a double we can get behind. n

Chris Dobey is a Major champion sponsored by Fitzdares.

Every morning I’m up at half past four. Depending on the rides I’ve got, I might put a few extra layers on to shed some pounds. I always weigh myself before bed, so I have a good idea of where I’m at. After I’ve ridden out – usually now for my owner, Sheikh Fahad – I’ll head off to Ascot. Traffic is a factor at the Royal Meeting, so I’ll always set off a bit early, especially if I want some time to study the form, read the paper and walk the course.

Your diet on the day entirely depends on how much weight you’re carrying. Sometimes at Ascot there’s a lot of light weights in the handicaps so you can’t take on anything. Normally, I’ll get up and have some water, fruit and Greek yoghurt before heading to the gym. After a workout, I’ll probably have some scrambled eggs or beans on toast with a pint of milk before heading to the track. A lot of the time, I’ll just nibble away throughout the day.

On a day-to-day basis, I’ve got a ‘form guide’, a guy called Charlie Richards who works at Andrew Balding’s yard, as well as my agent Chris Dixon, who works at Racing TV and knows the form inside out. Obviously, there’s also my father, who helps a bit, too. He’s not quite my coach but he does text me little bits of information every now and then – just a bit of this and that to help me each day. At Royal Ascot, however, you kind of know all the horses and how they’re going to be ridden anyway.

Then you’ve also got to consider what the owners and trainers have to say too. Most owners tend not to give too many instructions, but sometimes they do. It’s a case of balancing all the opinions out and then riding with your best instincts. For me, while it’s a massive event, the actual riding at Royal Ascot feels like just another day at the office. Having said that, the atmosphere in the weighing room is a little different. There’s a real buzz around the place.

Royal Ascot Diary

by Cieren Fallon

When we were discussing what to do with Oxted in 2021’s King’s Stand Stakes, we decided that plan A would be to settle in behind Battaash, up with the pace. However, as soon as the gates opened, we moved swiftly to plan B. They all flew off at a ferocious speed and we were left behind in the early stages.

My instant thoughts were to take my time, get into a nice rhythm and get him relaxed. Before I knew it, we were getting up to the threefurlong pole. At that point, you’ve got to make a move. I looked up in front of me to see who would take me into the race the furthest. The whole field then started to shift left, and gaps would be scarce. I switched right.

My ride picked up straight away. At that point I knew the field were going to start to come back to me – they’d gone off at such a quick pace and wouldn’t be able to sustain it. I was also very confident that Oxted would do his best work in the final half-furlong. When he hit the line, he was flying. What a moment. It was by far the greatest day I’ve had on a racecourse. The idea of riding my first Royal Ascot winner in a Group One at this early stage in my career is truly unbelievable.

It’s been a real privilege to be a retained rider for Qatar Racing for the past few years, to be honest. When they first approached me in 2020, I was so surprised. It was a dream come true for me, and working with Oisin has also been a true pleasure. It’s not just Oisin, though. I love everyone in the weighing room. I can’t wait to get back there again this year. I’ve got some great rides booked and, fingers crossed, I can get another winner! n

Trainer Charlie

Fellowes fondly remembers a series of valiant but ultimately futile attempts to win the Melbourne Cup with Prince of Arran