With a beard seemingly almost as expansive as his hometown of Nuneaton itself, Chris Wickenden bears the appearance of a man who embarked upon a maritime expedition several decades ago, became hopelessly disorientated somewhere near the Cape of Good Hope and eventually stumbled back into civilisation having completely forgotten that razors were ever invented.
Yet appearances can be wonderfully deceptive. Beneath the impressive facial shrubbery lurks a player every bit as lethal on the oche as he is delightfully unkempt away from it.
Affectionately known as Pugs – and yes, discovering the origins of that moniker is firmly on my to-do list – the 38-year-old has enjoyed considerably more success on the PDC Challenge Tour than Gillette have had in persuading him to acquaint himself with one of their products.
So, let’s get cracking. Before anything else, however, we need to address the meaning behind the moniker. Why Pugs, and not some grandiose nickname inspired by a Norse god or an ancient Greek philosopher? After all, they are the world’s foremost beard aficionados.
“Pugs comes from when I was younger at school. I was about 10 and had a shaved head with a blonde fringe. One of the older lads said I looked like Pugsley off The Addams Family, and it’s stuck ever since.”
Fair enough. To be honest, I’d never have guessed that.
Currently sitting sixth on that particular Order of Merit – more than high enough to earn a call-up for the Pro Tours – Chris recently claimed his maiden title, defeating Dave Evans on Challenge Tour duty in Hildesheim. Frankly, that final was the darting equivalent of a Viking sex convention. If you happen to appreciate exceptionally tall men or those with magnificent beards throwing tungsten, there was enough on display to leave even the most devoted connoisseurs positively delirious.
Ever since 2013, Wickenden has been pursuing that most coveted of darting commodities – a PDC Tour Card. Admittedly, there was a decade-long hiatus in between, where he either decided screw this or simply concluded that a life spent at sea was more appealing. Given his appearance, neither possibility can be entirely dismissed.
Dying to know what had really happened during that decade-long absence – assuming he hadn’t devoted it to discovering a new variety of potato – I put the question to him:
“I stopped playing due to dartitis. At the time, I was playing some good stuff and picking up a few local titles when, bang, the dreaded D-word hit. I carried on trying to play through it for a while, which was very frustrating. Then, during one local league game, I got accused of cheating because I was stepping over the oche, and all hell broke loose. After that, I decided to put the arrows down and took up golf, fishing and whatever else I could sink my teeth into.”
Wouldn’t want to be Mrs Wickenden if Chris was sinking his teeth into fish every day. Golf – fine, but not exactly ideal for avoiding the dentist.
“To be honest, darting-wise I wasn’t great back then – just a half-decent pub player trying to break into the county team. Eight years later, some of my old teammates got a side together and asked me to play again, so I picked the darts back up. I played all season and the dartitis was still there. I lost all my games but enjoyed the craic with the lads and turned up every week.”
It was at that point Chris seemed to be just rattling away, so I decided to nip over to Ibiza for a few days. When I returned, he’d only just finished answering the question and, thankfully, he didn’t even notice I’d gone.
“Come the end of that season, it was the individual singles competition and I drew a teammate, Mick Hall, a lovely old chap who’d been around the local darts scene forever. Again, my dartitis was bad, but somehow I managed to win the game.”
With Chris’s current trajectory continuing, the PDC Challenge Tour’s seventh-placed man at the time of going to press may not even have to navigate the notoriously treacherous waters of Q-School. The top two players on that Order of Merit bypass the annual gladiatorial ordeal altogether and sail directly onto the PDC circuit. Right now, that destination appears increasingly visible on the horizon.
It is fair to say that life among the professional ranks has not always been plain sailing – and that will do for the nautical metaphors – for the Warwickshire thrower. Prior to the Wigan double-header in mid-June, Chris had featured in six Players Championship events and, despite managing only a solitary victory, that success came from just two appearances.
Overall, it has provided a valuable education. But what does Wickenden make of his first taste of life on the Pro Tour and mixing it with the elite?
“The step up has been great. I’ve known what I’m capable of for a while and have always felt I underachieved. I just never really put my game together when it mattered most in the bigger events, or I’d play fantastic and still get beaten.
“I’m pretty sure I went through ten Challenge Tour events in a row averaging 90 and losing in the first round a couple of years back. But it feels good to be playing at the top level and giving it a go to see how my game measures up against the best in the world. I don’t feel I’ve fully settled into it just yet, but I’m loving every minute of it.”
That’s good. He seems happy anyway. He even had time to text me prior to the event to say that if he wasn’t throwing, he’d be eating. I correctly guessed he wouldn’t be having salad. Oh … and Chris asked me to add in that he beat Gian van Veen 6-2 the other week and boosted his confidence enormously. So it should mate – that kid is pretty damn good!
For many aspiring darts players, particularly those possessing as much talent as they do facial hair – and this magnificent specimen certainly falls into that category – the ultimate objective is that golden ticket of darts: a PDC Tour Card. Is that the case for Chris? It seems so.
“Of course, that’s the ultimate goal – to be there full-time. It would be great to make darts my living, and that’s the dream and what I’ll work towards. At the minute, I’m in that unique situation that not many people are in. Being ranked higher up on the Challenge Tour gives me the ProTour invites while still allowing me to play in all the amateur events.”
That it does indeed. But it’s not cheap and, if you start qualifying for Euro Tours, the expenses can become hefty. Is that a factor for Chris, or does he have it covered?
“I’m currently with Bardon Premier Management, run by Chris Pick. I’ve got a few shirt sponsors, but a few more would come in handy. I’m yet to have an equipment manufacturer on board, which would be a nice thing to get under my belt when the time is right.”
Well, this Warwickshire ace is on the up, so that time could be soon. And there could be television revenue of a different sort on the table. If Only Fools and Horses ever decides to roll out another Christmas Special – and please God, let that be a firm no – Wickenden is a ready-made Uncle Albert character with a dubious Warwickshire accent just waiting for the nod.
Oh, and he probably has a few sea shanties and maritime tales tucked away too.
