Castleford & Wakefield darts duo secure PDC Tour Card after shining at Q-School
Two West Yorkshire players have joined the professional darts circuit after winning a coveted tour card.
Tom Sykes, of Castleford and Charlie Manby, who lives between Huddersfield and Wakefield, both came through fierce competition at the Professional Darts Corporation’s (PDC) UK Qualifying School in Milton Keynes. A tour card provides automatic entry to the PDC's Players Championship events. Cards last for two seasons and only 128 are available each year.
The top 64 players on the PDC’s Order of Merit qualify automatically for the ProTour. Manby fell one win short on his debut at the recent World Championship, reaching the fourth round before being beaten by eventual runner-up Gian van Veen.
The 20-year-old bricklayer put that disappointment behind him at Q School, but left it late as he secured his card on the fourth and final day of competition. Manby, known as ‘Champagne Charlie’ reached the day’s last two - the target to win a tour card - following victories over icons Steve Beaton and Mervyn King, as well as Matthew Dennant and Daniel Ayres, when he averaged 102.8 with every three darts thrown.
Sykes, 33, got the job done with a day in hand. The rugby league fan - whose nickname is the Castleford Tiger - saw off Harrison Leigh and Harry Ward before defeating Andrew Cass 6-3 to reach the last 16. Sykes then produced averages of 99.73 and 100.20 to steamroll Tommy Morris 6-2 and Llew Bevan 6-0, before defeating Stephen Burton 6-4 to ensure his status as a fresh Tour Card holder.
Bradford’s Joe Cullen, ranked 35 in the world, retained his tour card via the Order of Merit. Beau Greaves, from Doncaster, qualified for the first time through her performances on the 2025 Development Tour.