Alan Soutar begins his £2.5 million PDC World Darts Championship bid against Australian qualifier Mal Cuming at Alexandra Palace on Friday.
Courier Sport has been with him for every leg of his “Ally Pally” adventure as he aims to emulate his last 16 exploits from 2021/22.
Soots is doing an exclusive Courier Sport diary and here, in the Arbroath darts ace’s own words, is Day 2…
Alan Soutar diary – Thursday 8.45am
We are woken up by our chef/manager Paul as he prepares our home-cooked breakfast. I requested two poached eggs and two pieces of toast. Paul decided to add in a slice of black pudding for extra effect!
10am
The writer and video guy Ewan is annoying. He has his camera in our faces at every opportunity, so it’s a welcome relief when he is called onto the Twa Teams podcast!
Sadly, when he finishes he’s placing more media demands on me as he wants to film my outfit for my game with Mal Cuming.
I packed five pairs of tartan trousers and every pair has meaning.
My darts shirt is personal to me, with a saltire for Scotland and a star for Arbroath. I’ll have my Arbroath FC pin badge and my 29 Commando wing dagger on.
11.45am
We head out for a walk around the town centre and stop in for a Costa Coffee. Ewan treats us all to a Costa, but I think he has ulterior motives because in three trips to Ally Pally he still hasn’t worked out how to turn a kettle on.
12.45-6pm
It’s Ally Pally eve and it’s crucial I get in some practice ahead of my match on Friday.
We head across London to Southwark to the Spots & Stripes club for a darts match with American star Danny Baggish.
This club has fantastic facilities for darts, snooker and pool – Ronnie O’Sullivan has played here – and Danny is a great playing partner.
7pm
It’s getting real now as we settle down back at our London home to watch the first session at Ally Pally.
It was completely new to me last year but I now know what to expect from the crowd.
Peter Wright charging towards the finish line against Mickey Mansell pic.twitter.com/4fDJ3g3kfO
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 15, 2022
You also know Peter Wright will always make a grand entrance – and he does as he dresses as the Grinch!
That’s his style, but tartan will be my thing on Friday.
9pm
Preparation is key for me and a big part of that is ensuring everything is in place for the morning. A big part of that is ensuring my outfit looks as slick as it can be.
The full glare of the Sky TV cameras will be on me, so it’s time to iron my trousers and shirt.
10pm
It’s another early night. There will be media duties with the PDC, including a green screen walk-on, and a few hours’ intensive practice at Ally Pally before I face Mal at lunchtime.
Wish me luck!
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