Jack Dinning

Photo: Taylor Lanning By Ryan Segal We have officially reached the point of summer where darts fans and players alike make their pilgrimage to the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, as the World Matchplay rolls into town. The Top 16 in the Main Order of Merit and the Top 16 from the Pro Tour Order of Merit all travel to the Fylde coast in hopes of walking away with their name etched into eternal glory at the 33rd iteration of the event. There are four representatives from Team Unicorn in the field - and here’s what you need to know, written in order of their respective first round ties. Finding new ways to describe Gary Anderson is reaching the point where other languages may need to be involved, as English only has so many superlatives in its midst. A two time, back-to-back champion of the world, The Flying Scotsman is more decorated than a Christmas Tree, having been a stalwart of the highest echelons of darts for nigh on two decades. He’s also one of our two titans in this year’s event to

Photo: Kieran Cleeves By Ryan Segal Adam Leek says he believes that Australia can walk away as World Cup champions ahead of his debut at the tournament.  The 27 year old from Adelaide, who won his maiden two year stint on the tour in January, teams up with Damon Heta in Frankfurt as they look to bring home a second crown for Oz. Although he's known he'd be pulling on the yellow and green jersey since getting his card - the feeling still hasn't sunk in:  "It's just such a surreal feeling, I don't think it's really hit me yet either. I think, when i get to the venue on Thursday and I'm like 'Wow, this is really happening' - that's when it will kick in. At the moment it just hasn't hit me. It's going to be unreal." Adam's been in frequent contact with Heta, who's been an ever present at the tournament since 2020, winning it with Simon Whitlock in 2022. He says the pair are in good spirits after their time practicing together:  "We've played a few games against the Scolia together.

Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images By Ryan Segal We kicked off March by announcing the signing of James Hurrell, with the Gloucestershire thrower committing his future to The Big Name In Darts. It was then time for the month's first birthday, as Aden Kirk hit the D17, celebrating his 34th turn around the sun.  We then launched the newest member of the Eclipse Ultra 2.0 family – the new Carpet Mat. Emblazoned with the iconic black and orange colourway synonymous with the Eclipse Ultra 2.0 range, the mat provides a lightweight and stylish way to protect your floor, with a tournament distance steel tip throwing line to ensure maximum consistency in every visit. The party hats were then straight back on, as Mensur Suljovic hit the T18, celebrating his 54th birthday. Our eyes then turned to North Somerset, as the UK Open took over Butlins for the weekend. We had two new names in our ranks for the event, as Adam Leek and Darius Labanauskas proudly displayed our logo on their chests for the

By Ryan Segal Tom Bissell has said that his outstanding start to the season was “needed” as he heads into year two on the tour. Bizzness has started 2026 on fire, reaching a maiden Semi-Final on the Pro Tour, and recording a win on the Main Stage at the UK Open. The 38 year old now finds himself 75th in the Order of Merit, safely nestled in the qualification spots for the World Championship and Players Championship Finals. He credits his off season activity for his positive start, saying: “It's been amazing to start the season like I have. It's what I really needed for confidence. Obviously the break over December and January was on me, having not qualified for the World Championship. It could have become a bit stagnant, but I've been entering knockouts locally, and just trying to keep busy and keep my arm going.  Just a dream start really to this year - getting to the semi-final was amazing.” The Semi-Final was just the start of the success for Tom, who, as mentioned, grabbed a win

By Ryan Segal Owen Bates has said the 'chaos' of the UK Open is what makes it magic, as he prepares for his third appearance in the tournament. The 23 year old, who has one of the shortest commutes of anyone to the event, is set to make his first major appearance of 2026 this coming weekend. He comes into the year on a new tour card, having earned another two years on the Pro Tour via his exploits on the Development Tour – something he says is a blessing in disguise: “I was definitely glad to start on a fresh card this year. I try not to think about the rankings very much, but knowing that I have a guaranteed 2 years on the tour again is almost a relief. There’s no doubt that my first year on the tour was poor, and that left me a lot to do in my second year if I wanted to get into the Top 64 and keep my card. I feel like that was definitely an added pressure to me last year.” He'll also be sporting artillery from a Unicorn teammate, having started the year using the Noir Phase 6 darts of

By Ryan Segal February marked the beginning of the Players Championship season, as the race to Minehead in November got underway. James Wade was out of the blocks faster than anyone in Halle 39, romping home to the maiden title of the season. After a three year wait for his previous PC win, it was only a matter of months between that accolade and this, as he fended off Nathan Aspinall in the final to add £15,000 to his ranking. Players Championship 2 didn't quite see that success replicated, with Charlie Manby, Gary Anderson, Adam Paxton, Owen Bates, and James himself all reaching the L16. We then looked to the first European Tour Qualifiers of the season, with Thomas Lovely making it through to ET1, and Jeffrey De Zwaan making it through to ET2, defeating Mensur Suljovic in an all Unicorn affair to seal his spot. Whilst some people may see Valentine's day as an occasion for love and romance – we see it as a day for darts, with Gary Anderson and Ian White flying out to Denmark for the Galactic

By Ryan Segal All at Team Unicorn are ecstatic to announce the signing of James Hurrell. 'Hillbilly' has become a staple of the professional scene since gaining his tour card, reaching five Players Championship Quarter-Finals since qualifying through the Q-School Order of Merit in 2024. In the last six months alone, he's reached the L16 at both the Players Championship Finals and World Championship, and made his debut in the main stage of the World Masters. We're thrilled to welcome him to the team – a sentiment shared by James himself: “I'm absolutely delighted – joining Team Unicorn is a huge moment for me. Unicorn is such an iconic brand in darts, with a history that speaks for itself. To now be part of a team that has included legends of the game is something I’m incredibly proud of. It feels like the next big step in my career, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve together.” Speaking on his recent achievements, and rise into the Top 64, he said: “Over the last few years,

By Ryan Segal Adam Paxton has said 2025 wasn’t a ‘great year’ – but the building blocks are in place for a successful 2026. Pacman showed glimpses of what he can do in his debut season on the tour, but couldn’t find his magic touch consistently during the season. He summed up his 2025 by saying: “Not a great year. It could have been a lot better, in terms of performances and results. I was pleased to get on the European Tour, and qualify for Munich, but generally it wasn’t the best.” He explained how an early season mishap threatened to hurt his prospects – and the journey he undertook afterwards: “After the UK Open, I lost my darts, and I then had to try and find a new set up that worked. And then, towards the end of the year, I tried a few different set-ups, a few different techniques – and started to find my game again. I reached the L16 on back to back days at Players Championships towards the end of the year, so I was happy with that.” Ahead of this season getting underway, he says

Photo - Taylor Lanning By Ryan Segal January started with the ultimate test for any aspiring Pro Tour Player - Q-School.  We had a plethora of players who went straight into Stage 2, and they were joined a handful of qualifiers from Stage 1, to form a strong Unicorn collective in the battle for a Tour Card - both in the UK and EU stagings. In the UK, Tom Sykes and Charlie Manby joined the top table for the first time, whilst in the EU, Jeffrey de Zwaan secured his return to the tour after a year away.  We're delighted for you all, and we can't wait to see what you achieve over the next two years.  Whilst Q-School was occurring in Milton Keynes, we welcomed Gary Anderson and Premier Darts to our HQ in Nottingham, along with some very lucky competition winners.  They got a tour of where we call home, and the chance to meet and greet, as well as play, The Flying Scotsman.  Unsurprisingly, no-one could beat him - including yours truly.  We then put on our party hats to celebrate

Photo - Taylor Lanning By Ryan Segal December started with our last new product drop of 2025, as The Darts Referee’s new signature darts and case were released. A black PVD coated barrel, with two different type of ring grip – it’s truly a dart For Every Player. We then asked for YOUR questions, as our duke of design, Chris Woodhams, decided he wanted to share some insight with you all. More on that to come as January progresses. All at Team Unicorn then wished Owen Bates a happy birthday, as our young starlet turned 23. We then turned our eyes to the bright lights at the top of Harringay’s most iconic hill, as the World Darts Championship swiftly approached. Ian White was the first to take to the stage, and despite being pinned back to 2-2 from 2-0, Diamond prevailed, whitewashing Mervyn King in the deciding set to progress. Ross Smith departed in his opener, being defeated in a pulsating affair by one of the surprise packages of the tournament, Andreas Harrysson. We then announced, with