Tom Bissell was the winner of the first day of PDC UK Q School with a flooring contractor from Dudley in the West Midlands who created all the hallmarks of the event.
Bissell said goodbye to an established name but looking for a resurgence in the form of Bradley Brooks in the final, with the much-loved Tom Sykes, John Henderson and Jarred Cole on the way to joining the elite.
From playing in the pub and ADC Vault tournaments, he starts mixing. the good company of Super League teammates such as Reece Colley, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen. As expected, he was excited and shocked by his victory.
“To be honest, I was overwhelmed all week. So to come here today and win some games would be great. It was really overwhelming, but I pulled through yesterday just to get a few points and one game at a time, really today,” Bissell told PDC.
“I had to produce all day, I was the last dart all day. I’m just excited and overwhelmed.”
Out of nowhere, not much was known about Bissell, but the support of his Super League teammates gave him the boost to move on to Q-School. “I’m a player from Dudley in the West Midlands. I’ve probably been playing for about 10 years, so I’ve played a bit in the county league and Super League. I just took a shot and of course it paid off.”
“They always supported me. I’ve always been a little humble about it. I never supported myself, but today I had to and it paid off. It’s unbelievable.”
But getting from that to Littler and company, Bissell said he was a little underwhelmed when he started Q-School, but he knew it would be ready. “Come into the room on Monday, there were some great players here all week, so I feel like I know him, I know him. But I think I’ll be ready for it.”
Given that the ProTour mainly takes place during the week, work is not an issue given that he is self-employed anyway and will be able to combine his day job with his newfound darting career.
“I am self-employed. I have my own company, so now it’s up to me what I do. I have good support, so everything will be fine.”
BISSELL INTRODUCES NEW ACTIONS!
What a story!
Tom Bissell, who has never played in the PDC before, defeats Bradley Brooks 6-5 to secure a two-year Tour Card on the first day of the final stage in Milton Keynes! pic.twitter.com/qXS8crqZRT
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 9, 2025
