My day started at 6.00am saturday morning me and my wife carolyn or should i say my taxi driver got up got all our stuff ready and headed of to crawley at 7.00am, 
,we arrived at the venue around 9.00am not a bad journey.Straight on the dartboard for 30 mins practice to get used to the surroundings things going really well
,the draw was made around 11.30 i was 4th game on board 3 so started to prepare for this one against staffordshires Mark 'The Throw Man' Frost 
.I won the bull and took the first leg in style 12 darts,with mark taking the next leg at 1--1 i reeled of the next 4 legs in fantastic form knowing 1 more leg would secure a fine win only to see mark take the 7th leg and then he hit back with more and before i knew it it was 5--5 this stage i just couldnt believe ive been pegged back mark took advantage with him on 80 it was my throw i hit a 145 to leave 36 but wasnt to be as mark hit treble 20 double 10 this was very hard for me to take in as being so close but got to learn from this and dont relax thinking it will be over quick as players in this pro tour are at a high quality i will take positives from this.Me and carolyn left around an hour later to get something to eat and to relax and chill for a bit as we come back to watch the youth.I got chatting to the marker who done my game he said you were throwing unbelieveable legs and to go 5-1 and let it slip away can only put it down to being to relaxed i just wish i knew,we left the venue around 7.00pm to get back to our hotel for a good rest ready for tomorow.Sunday morning we go down for breakfast at 7.30 am then back to the room collect our stuff check out and arrive to the venue around 9.00am same routine as always 30 mins practice then a rest then further 30mins and so on.
.The draw was made and i was 2nd game on board 6 against Essex's Micheal Barnard i can only remember him around 20 yrs ago when i was playing youth darts he was winning most things then.I won the bull and took the 1st leg in 16 darts the 2nd in 15 darts 3rd in 15 darts the 4th in 17 darts the next leg was good i kicked of with 100,180,180,9,double 16 a 11 darter, and the 6th leg i went out in 22 darts a 6--0 victory and very pleased with my self after saturdays game ,my next opponent was Mervyn King i won the bull and kicked of with a 180,100,100 but lost that leg and lost the next 2 at this stage i was 3--0 down in the 4th i managed to win it in 12 darts but lost the next 4-1 down i took the 6 th leg in 16 darts but merv showed his class and ran out a 6-2 winner it was hard to go from playing a slow player in micheal to a rythmn player like merv but one of those things i have to adjust to.Isee mervyn on the way to the toilet and what a gentleman he shook my hand again and praised how i played that ment alot.We stayed around to watch mervs next game against against kevin painter only to see he lost 6-2,by then time was getting on and we made the long journey back to Rushden in Northants ,and prepare for barnsley.
Thanks
James Richardson
