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. The last game we played - We won, and we were pretty happy with how we played. It was a good note to sign off on - Hopefully we can bring that kind of game to the World Cup. And I think we will."

The Leek is upbeat about the duo's chances in their first outing as a pair:

"I'm confident - If we both play our 'A' game, why can't we win it? You've got to believe, otherwise why are you there?"

The Aussies find themselves in Group G - dubbed by many the tournament's 'Group of Death', alongside the USA and Canada.

But Adam is confident in what he and Heta are bringing to the World Cup table - and says he isn't paying attention to that label.

"Not really - because I think if you want to do well in a tournament, or win it, you need to be able to beat everyone there. If we get out that group, I think we'll feel pretty confident going into the knockouts. And I believe we will. I speak to Jim Long on the Pro Tour a bit, so it'll be cool to play against him."

Of course, whilst there's no ranking money on offer over the weekend - a good run could be fruitful further down the line, with Grand Slam spots on offer for reaching the final - a notion that has crossed his mind.

"It's something I've thought about, but nothing beyond that. It would be amazing to secure a spot at the Grand Slam - but my focus is on representing Australia and seeing what happens."

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 first time.

Our top performer of the weekend was James Wade, with The Machine doing Machine things to reach the final.

It was a valiant fight from our Aldershot thrower, but he had to settle for second place in the end.

It was then the turn of our Head of Youth Players and Academies, Jamie Caven, to have a birthday you can find on the dartboard, as Jabba hit the the bullseye.

He wasn't partying for too long however, donning his Unicorn polo to welcome a plethora of young talent to the team.

Ben Gamble, Alfie Moore, Bradley Hanson, Declan Thompson, Ethan Gillott, Lucy Shepherd and Seth Patterson all put pen to paper to continue their fledgling careers with us.

We were then drawn to Göttingen, as the second European Tour event got underway. Darius got his first win on the Euro Tour as a Unicorn player, defeating former UK Open Champion Andrew Gilding.

Ross Smith reached the final day, and although there was no fairytale run for Mensur Suljovic, we did get to see him bust a move or two during the walk on of opponent Dirk van Duijvenbode.

We blinked and we were back on the ET, with Cameron Menzies amongst the early winners. That win set up a tie against Ross in R2, with Smudger progressing in a game where both took out ton plus finishes. 

It was then time for yet another birthday, as Jeffrey De Zwaan hit both the T10 and D15, celebrating his 30th birthday.

We then enjoyed a successful Challenge Tour weekend, with Ted Evetts picking up the CT8 title, defeating fellow Team Unicorn star Aden Kirk in the final.

That was the first of two finals during the weekend for The Captain, both of which went against him in last leg deciders.

That sees him sit 4th in the CT Order of Merit, with Super Ted knocking on the door of the top ten.

It was then back to the top table for the Pro Tour, and a bit of history.

With his first round win at PC7 over Lukas Wenig, James Wade became the first player ever to win 1000 games at Players Championship events – a remarkable achievement by a remarkable man.

Gary Anderson was the highest achiever in the event, reaching the Semi-Final at the event.

We then announced that PC8 would be Charlie Manby's last as a member of Team Unicorn, before he departed for pastures new. 

He ended his time with us with a run to the Quarter-Final – a time that saw us support him to record breaking Development Tour averages, groundbreaking Ally Pally runs, and his gaining a tour card at the top of the year.

We enjoyed success in the European Tour Qualifiers, with Jeffrey De Zwaan sealing a spot at ET5, and the dynamic duo of Ian White and James Hurrell earning ET6 berths.

Those qualifiers came on the day we launched our revolutionary left handed number ring – as our #justiceforlefthanders campaign gained traction.

We hope that anyone who added it to their baskets enjoyed it...

There was action on international fronts towards the end of the month – Firstly, we're delighted to share the success of Irina Armstrong. She represented Germany in the Four Nations (competing against the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) – and Ice Baby was crowned the singles champion after whitewashing Priscilla Steenbergen in the final.

And in the final piece of news of a busy month, Benjamin Reus was selected to represent his native Denmark at the Nordic Cup in May.

And that was March for Team Unicorn – Full of highs and achievements from our talented team. 

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 in front of the ITV4 cameras in Minehead – pinning the Bull to seal it.

On his Somerset experience, he mused:

“My first game was against Jimmy van Schie. He obviously played and won the WDF Worlds, so he was pretty fresh off the arm. I thought 'I'm going to have to get stuck into him, and put a bit of pressure on him.'

I didn't play the best I could - but I played decent and won. Then going back onto the multi board area, it was about keeping the momentum going. I played Niels (Zonneveld), and he's playing quite well at the moment. It was a massive confidence booster - The Euro Tour experience helped a lot. I didn't really take much notice of the crowd, and felt really comfortable up there to be honest.”

Zonneveld HAD to play well to beat our Black Country thrower, with Tom putting up his highest TV average in the clash, of 96.46.

Perhaps a big factor in his bright start is a change in artillery – with his signature Wraith laden Rosso darts laid down for a very different style of dart.

Outlining his route to his current set up – Irina Armstrong darts – he shared:

“I like the double grip on the Gary Anderson Phase 4, which I used a while back. I used the Evolution Series Phase 4 to get to the Pro Tour Semi-Final, and wanted to keep trying out similar styles of dart. Jack (Dinning) had sent me through the Irina darts a little while ago - I got them out and thought 'You know what - These are going to the board really nicely.'

They just felt really comfortable and flew really straight. I've tried so many darts over the years, that I sort of know when a set needs to be put to the test.  They're going really well - They're quite simple, and the taper at the front suits my throw. Maybe I can get a sneaky Phase 2 (chuckle).”

Whatever the main catalyst behind the recent form, Tom says that the good start takes a bit of the pressure off going forward – and has seen him raise the bar for what he wants to achieve:

“I think getting the money on the ranking early has is a massive boost. Your confidence is boosted like looking at the rankings for the Players Championship Final and the World Championship race. I do have a look - I'm not one of those who says I don't. I look and try and like work out what I think I need to do. I've probably made it a bit easier on myself with the start I've had. But I think target-wise - I think my targets last year were like 'If I can win a game, that'd be great' and go from there. But this year I think it's more 'Get to Board Finals, and then really push on and show what you can do.'

I think getting to the Semi-Final put my name on the map a bit, and people might not want to play me so much. I'll just keep going and hopefully keep my card. I'm fairly confident now that I can just keep picking up wins on the Pro Tour and just be steady, really.”

The overarching key to success in his eyes, however, is to just to enjoy every moment:

“When I played Ross (Smith) the other week, he was 5-3 up and I thought 'Just go for it, man.' 'Just relax a little bit.' I got it back to 5-5, and he threw a great last leg to win. Just to get there and compete with blokes like that is amazing.  But I think what you say, in terms of not looking over my shoulder, it does help, doesn't it? I can imagine some people are getting squeaky bum time later in the year. The Tour doesn't wait for you, you know what I mean? So you've got to try and dig in and think, 'If I have a tough week this week, I'll be alright'.”

You can shop the Tom Bissell range via our website. He'll be back in action at Players Championship 7 on the 30th of March.  

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 Gary Anderson.

On the switch to the front weighted darts, he said:

“I’ve been trying to find a barrel for the past few years that suits me best.

After I played at the Worlds this year, there was a 6 week break which allowed me to do some experimenting.

Due to this barrel being front weighted, when the first dart goes in the T20 it stands up in an inviting way and gives me a bigger target to aim at.”

As mentioned, this is Owen's third appearance at the 'FA Cup of darts' – and it's a time of year he always looks forward to:“I love playing at the UK open.

Maybe because it’s the closest venue to where I live in Devon.

Also, the chaos of it all is brilliant for players as well as fans.”

He'll face Yorick Hofkens in his opener – but is refusing to look any further than that at this point:

Although I can look at my potential future opponents in the draw, it’s important to take it one game at a time and not get caught up in thinking about games in the future.”

His Devon domicile also gives him reason to look forward to being on the outside boards – with every game featuring his name on the schedule away from the glitz and glamour of the Main Stage and Reds:

“In my previous 2 years at the UK open, I have featured on the outside boards.

I don’t think this changes my approach too much to be honest.

Playing on the outside boards is very much like a Players Championship event - the only difference is that there is a crowd.

To be honest, because I live relatively close, I seem to always have a lot of support on the outside boards so playing there may be an advantage for me whereas to other players it isn’t.

Owen kicks off his campaign against Yorick Hofkens on Board 6 on Friday.

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 Darts Showdown, showcasing Unicorn on the Hillerød.

The floor events were coming thick and fast, with Wigan then playing host to PC3 and PC4.

It was more floor success for The Machine, as he reached the Semi-Final at PC3, alongside Tom Bissell, with Bizzness recording his best run in the PDC in what we all hope is a tone-setter for the season.

That run also moved James onto 999 wins in Players Championship events – a statistic that still holds true at the time of writing, due to his opening round loss at PC4, and withdrawal from the next two events.

We've got the fanfare ready to go, mind.

The standout member of Team Unicorn at PC4 was Callan Rydz, with The Riot following in the footsteps of The Machine and Bizzness to reach the Semi-Final.

Between the end of PC4 and the ET3 Qualifier, we showcased our stunning Prodigy darts.

The Prodigy range are 95% tungsten, with a striking blue navy coating – Designed for those starting their darting journey, the grip is such that players of any experience can thrive using them.

Check them out via our website.

Back to Robin Park, we had a trio of players come within a whisker of ET3 qualification – and a quartet in the final round of Qualifying for ET4 – with Thomas Lovely being the success story of the day, adding ET4 qualification to his ET1 qualification the previous week.

We then took time to recognise the early season achievements of Tom Sykes.

Having been knocking on the Pro Tour door like the intruder in Men at Work's 'Who Can It Be Now?', The Castleford Tiger was one of just seven players to have won all of his L128 games in the first four events.

No-one disputes his worthiness, but it certainly doesn't hurt to prove it.

Before the opening jaunt to the continent, we then took the time to once again share another special dart from our range – The Iris.

The Iris is like no other dart – Reflecting our belief that every player is unique, the DNA coating means no two sets look the same, whilst all having stunning and intricate sharkfin machining, and a milled vertical cut.

You can get yours direct from us.

The gates were then called – as we flew out to Poland for the inaugural Poland Darts Masters.

The ET ribbon was cut for the season by Cameron Menzies – and he didn't half do it in style, smashing in 9 x 180s in 10 legs as he beat former European Champion Ritchie Edhouse 6-4.

Thomas Lovely didn't quite find the same fire in his defeat to Wessel Nijman – but the Cammy bus kept on rolling, as he demolished Unicorn Teammate Wade 6-0, with a 99 average and a 50% success rate on the outer ring.

That was as far as he would progress, but a superb start to the ET season for our Cammy nonetheless.

Whilst the glitz and glamour of the ET was taking place, the first batch of 5 Development Tour events was taking place back on the shores of Blighty.

Our highest achiever of the weekend was Charlie Manby, who reached a Final, Semi-Final, and Quarter-Final.

Owen Bates and Henry Coates both reached a Quarter-Final apiece.

Back to Players Championship action, and we had our second event win in the first five events – as Ross Smith produced his typical PC magic to win.

An 8-2 win in the final with a 104 average capped off a superb day for Smudger, with that average being one of three to cross the three figure mark en route to his eighth ranking title.

We then officially announced the arrival of David Sharp to the team, in the wake of the 36 year old gaining his maiden tour card.

He celebrated the feat with a run to the Quarter-Final, alongside Smudger, who was just a few wins short of going back to back.

We then ended the month by announcing another new signing, as 'Hillbilly' James Hurrell joined us after leaving Mission.

March is another busy month for Team Unicorn – and we can't wait to see what awaits.

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, I feel like I’ve really grown – not just in my performances, but in my mindset. I’ve worked hard to become more consistent on both the floor and the stage, and I think that’s shown in the results and the climb up the rankings. Being labelled a “rising star” is flattering, the goal now is to keep pushing forward, break into the Top 32, and compete deep in events. I want to be challenging the very best week in, week out.”

Many of you will have seen that James hit his first perfect leg on the Pro Tour at Players Championship 2 – A feat that we can now reveal was achieved with his Unicorn prototype darts.

On the special moment, and what we can expect from the new Hillbilly dart:

“The 9-darter with the new Unicorn prototypes – yeah, that felt pretty special! It’s always a good sign when you hit perfection with new darts in a match, under pressure. The new James Hurrell dart has been designed to suit exactly how I throw. It’s an exciting time, and I’m hungry for what’s next.”

You can see James as a Unicorn player for the first time at the UK Open this coming week.

Chantelle Handy caps off an undefeated November with the Molten Coach of the Month honours. 

After a dominant November, Andrea Daley takes the Molten Player of the Month honours for Newcastle Eagles.

Georgia Gayle becomes the second Sheffield Hatters star of the season to win Molten Player of the Month honours!

BACK-TO-BACK! Chantelle Handy retains the Molten Coach of the Month honours after an unbeaten December that saw her side book their place in next month’s Betty Codona Trophy Final!

For the first time this season, Sheffield Hatters’ Head Coach Vanessa Ellis secures the Molten Coach of the Month honours for January!

An incredible January for Nina Krisper is capped off with Molten Player of the Month honours for the Hatters star!

Atiba Lyons makes it a clean sweep for Sheffield Sharks as he scoops the Molten Kevin Cadle Coach of the Month honours for November. 

After a spectacular November, Rodney Chatman III takes the Molten Player of the Month honours! 

After five wins and a loss in December, The Molten Kevin Cadle Super League Basketball Coach of the Month for December 2025 goes to Newcastle Eagles’ Marc Steutel.

The Molten/Super League Basketball Player of the Month for December 2025 is Leicester Riders’ RaeQuan Battle.

Lloyd Gardner secures the Molten Kevin Cadle Coach of the Month honours for January after a superb month for the Surrey 89ers!

Pat Robinson takes home the Molten Player of the Month honours for January after a stellar month for Cheshire Phoenix.

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 he’s not thinking about keeping his tour card – just trying to show the real Pacman.

“Because I didn’t have the best first year, I’m not really thinking about it.

Whereas, if I was closer, I’d be putting a lot more pressure on myself.

But hopefully, I can relax and enjoy it and see where that leads.

Hopefully a lot more European Tours, and a lot more deep runs on the floor.

I know what to expect now, and I think that’s half the battle.”

You can shop Adam's signature range here!

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 Ross Smith's birthday, as our Smudger turned 37. 

Eyes then turned from Kent to the Middle East, as Motomu Sakai took part in the Bahrain Darts Masters and Saudi Darts Masters. 

Darts' most lovable character showed what he was about on the World Series Stage, putting in two solid displays - and another legendary walk on in Riyadh. 

We then announced our record-breaking partnership with University Darts UK, renewing our long-term alliance on an even grander scale - something very worth keeping your eyes on. 

It was then birthday time once more, as Greg Ritchie turned 31 years old. 

We then had our product drop of 2026, launching: 

A new Eclipse Ultra 2.0 Surround - The perfect accompaniment to the best board on the market. 

And three new player sets of players darts - with Ross Smith, Cameron Menzies, and Callan Rydz all receiving brass darts in the style of their match darts - A perfect way for players beginning their journeys to emulate their heroes. 

Just a few weeks on from Q-School, the gaze of the darting world returned to Milton Keynes, as qualifiers for the World Masters beckoned talent from all corners of the darting stratosphere. 

The Top 8 qualified, and despite Owen Bates and Henry Coates making it to the L32, no members of Team Unicorn were able to join the three already in the tournament. 

Those three being the aforementioned Smith, Gary Anderson, and James Wade. 

Our terrific trio all got off to winning starts, with Gary and James both winning 3-2, against Niels Zonneveld and Madars Razma respectively. 

Ross Smith made it 3/3 in the L32, defying a spirited TV debut from Jimmy van Schie to win 3-1. 

In the L16, Gary and James locked horns - and despite Gary racing into a 2-0 lead, The Machine came back to win 4-3 - a first win over The Flying Scotsman in eight PDC meetings. 

Ross joined Gary in heading home after R2, adding another file to the 'ton plus average in defeat to Littler' folder. 

James departed in his Quarter-Final, losing to Gian van Veen in a game that flowed beautifully, despite the result. 

Going into February, we've got action at all levels of the PDC to look forward to - make sure you're following Unicorn for all the updates as they happen.