IN this week's column I speak to three darts players from Bolton who have that will be looking to secure qualification for a PDC tour card as qualifying school kicks off next week. So what is qualifying school and how does it work?

Qualifying School gives any player aged 16 and over the chance to win a PDC Tour Card to compete full-time on the ProTour, and sees play held across four days.

Each individual day sees four players win an automatic Tour Card as they secure their spot on the circuit, with other players receiving ranking points based on their finishing positions.

In addition to the 16 automatic PDC Tour Card winners, further Tour Cards are awarded based on finishing positions in the final Q School Order of Merit.

So that’s an idea of what qualifying school is, who are our hopefuls?

First up we have Scott Taylor. Taylor's name has featured a couple of times and as most agree he is the best darter coming through our ranks at the moment – impressing at both county and super league level. The 24-year-old has had a successful career in darts so far and has been playing the games since the age of 13. He qualified for the UK Open in 2012 and back in November reached the quarter finals of the PDC Youth World Championships. Taylor goes into the event in great form too having recently hit a 107 average at Super League level and has won his last two games for Lancashire County A team.

He has spent a lot of time with practise partner Joe Murnan and the Bolton star is confident Taylor can secure a tour card at the first time of asking. Murnan failed 12 months ago to secure a tour card but sensationally went on to have an excellent year winning a players championship and qualifying for four major competitions where he reached the second round of the PDC World Championships.

Up next is James Hajdar, who like Taylor is an event debutant, and is looking to gain a tour card to further his darting career. The 24-year-old has been playing darts for seven to eight years and started by chucking darts at a dartboard he kept on the stairs when he was in college. Eventually the board went onto the wall in the kitchen where Hajdar filled the wall with hole after hole.

Hajdar is a great practiser and is playing well in league and local competitions but is yet to make the impact I expected him to make this year at super league level. After a year out of the game, Hajdar came back a couple of years ago and is playing some of his best darts but much like Taylor there is a lot more to come from him.

Finally is Stuart Stubbs, a veteran of the event having entered the last two.

He is a super league player for Leigh Holton in the Premier Division and I was lucky enough to ask him a few questions.

Stuart, what do you think you and our debutants need to do to qualify this year?

“The determination to play at their best in every leg and not give up even if they are behind, plus the stamina to play 6 plus high pressure games in a day.”

What kind of standard do you expect to see next week?

“Very high 90+ averages from the start. The increase in standard from my 1st time to last year was massive and I expect the same this year.”

Finally I asked Stubbs what was his best experience of qualifying school?

“It’s got to be hitting a double 5 to win through to the last 64 after a superb game against Michael Barnard”

Stubbs will be looking to make it third time lucky and will progress if he finds the consistency he needs. Consistency is the key and one good day and a favourable draw could do anything for our local hopefuls.

Next week I will be visiting the York as the New Yorkers face The Greyhound in the men’s section three. Next week’s column however will be focusing on the Bolton darts players who made it on the big stage as I will be flying to Dublin next weekend.

Any local businesses looking to sponsor the trio for this event and further events throughout the year can do so. You can contact me via phone on 07846 572482 or email on michaelflatleyroberts@outlook.com.