Nicholson out to show he is still a big Asset to his sport
ADOPTED GEORDIE PAUL IS READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD’S FINEST ON OCHE
IT has been four years since Paul Nicholson last graced the Alexandra Palace stage.
For years, the Geordie-Australian was a permanent fixture in televised darts competition.
Brash, erratic, but also immensely talented. You would not change the channel if ‘The Asset’ was on stage.
Nicholson is remembered for some of the most iconic moments in televised darts.
His ‘wave’ to Phil Taylor after beating the 16-time world champion at the UK Open is still spoken about to this day, while the 2012 World Cup final between Nicholson’s Australia and Taylor and Adrian Lewis’ England was arguably the greatest in the history of the competition.
However, a loss of form - coupled with a number of wrist injuries - saw Nicholson slide further and further down the rankings and for the last few years he has had to watch from the sidelines as the sport and the TV competitions continued to grow in stature, global reach and finance.
Nicholson even fell off the tour completely at the end of 2016 but instantly regained his tour card at 2017 Q-School.
Since then, he has quietly set about rebuilding his career and tomorrow afternoon ‘The Asset’ will make his long-awaited return to the World Championship stage.
Given the likes of Andy Hamilton and Wes Newton - both of whom are major finalists - have completely fallen off the professional circuit in recent years, Nicholson deserves a lot of credit for the way he has revitalised his career.
He said: “In the last few years I have become used to not being part of the championship, so to be finetuning my game in mid-December again is fun in anticipation for the inevitable nerves leading up to Friday’s game.
“I am very proud of myself because it has not been easy.
“I smashed Q-school when I got through it last year and since then it has been a constant grind involving lots of ups and downs.
“In the midst of that I have had to implement technique changes due to another wrist injury and I have improved, not regressed.
“This is the way it will go for me and the challenges I will just keep hurdling.”
2011 was Nicholson’s marquee year in the PDC.
He made waves by reaching the quarter-finals of the 2009 World Championships on debut but it was two years later where he would show he was the real deal. Wins over Gary Anderson and Phil Taylor at the UK Open showed he had the quality to win a major TV tournament and he fulfilled that destiny at the end of the year by winning the Players Championship finals. Nicholson added: “Nothing I have done lately comes close to my other achievements.
“It almost feels those things happened to me in a previous life. “However, as I have grown up and done more with the media side of the game I have become a more intelligent player.
“The media work allowed me to gain some confidence when I was at my lowest and since working for TalkSport 2, the PDC’s online channel and the BBC I have learned what it takes to run a big event and bring it to the public.
“My career lies with that when I choose to stop playing and it gives me a great insight into players backstage when they are mid tournament.
“I enjoy it immensely and have some fantastic colleagues. “I now enjoy passing on my knowledge to other young players but there is a small part of me which wants to explode again and make waves again.”
There have been glimpses in 2018 that Nicholson is ready to make waves in the game again.
Earlier this year he reached the semi-finals of the Gibraltar Darts Trophy and in October’s European Championships in Dortmund he was involved in an extremely highquality affair with world No 1 Michael van Gerwen.
He may have ended the match on the wrong end of a 6-2 scoreline but the consensus after that match was Nicholson was very close to rediscovering his best form.
He said: “I have not had any competitive games since Dortmund but that whole experience with Michael made me believe I can handle the pressure still.
“I thoroughly enjoyed that game and the run to the semis in Gibraltar.
“Anything which comes my way these days is a bonus because I have had a pretty solid career up to now.
“My biggest thing now is I want to enjoy being The Asset again and show the folks at home your character can shine under the lights when you want something enough.
“I am never going to grace a stage and be boring. I am always going to unveil ‘The Asset’ come game day.
“It is my way of detaching from being Paul Nicholson away from the stage. Doing that allows me to play my best and enjoy the moment, so expect fireworks and not a watching the paint dry type of game.”
Nicholson faces Kevin Burness in the first round on Friday.
As I have grown up and done more with the media side of the game I have become a more intelligent player