Irish amateur darts player Michael Flynn made headlines this week after a shock win over Michael van Gerwen – and revealed he was inspired by a text message from his wife.
Flynn, who plays on the PDC Challenge Tour, was a late call-up for the third Players Championship event of the season, in three-time world champion Van Gerwen’s native Netherlands.
He only found out he would be playing on Sunday morning and, after a mad dash from his home in the west of Ireland, he went on to knock out the world No 3 the following day in Rosmalen.
“I laughed when I saw I was playing Van Gerwen,” Flynn, whose day job is working in social care in County Limerick, told Sky Sports News.
“I text my wife and she said, ‘good, you need to play against these fellas if you are planning on becoming a professional, so just go out and beat him’ – and I did.
‘I showed amateurs can mix it with the big boys’
“It was a big moment and a bit of a shock – a shock to most people, I think. A shock to him.
“To beat him in his back garden especially was a huge achievement. I was delighted with it, it worked out well for me.
“It probably is a big enough moment for darts that people who are amateurs can see we can mix it with the big boys and beat them on any given day.”
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On night two of Premier League Darts in Glasgow, a heckler whistled in play which saw Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries hit back and the referee order silence
Flynn says he was brought back to reality after his notable win by a friend who reminded him it was his turn to sort the Lotto syndicate.
The 32-year-old also went into detail about his rush to get to the event and how much practice he is able to get in around his day job – and constructing a house.
‘Pack the bags and hit the road as quick as you could’
Flynn said: “I was having breakfast with my daughter at about 11, half 11 on Sunday and my phone rang.
“It was my manager and he said, ‘what are the chances of you getting over to Netherlands?’
“We spent 20 minutes talking, looking up flights, seeing if it was possible. We got a late flight out of Dublin so it was ‘pack the bags and hit the road as quick as you could’.
“I was gearing up to work Monday morning. I thought I was going to be packing my lunch that night, next minute I am in the Netherlands looking to get to bed as quickly as possible.”
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Van Gerwen beat Luke Littler 6-5 in a thriller on the opening night of Premier League Darts in Belfast
Flynn added: “I practise late at night. I try to get an hour in if I can and leading up to a tournament I try to get two hours in.
“I am currently trying to build a house so there is a makeshift board in the utility room of my parents’ house. It’s not an ideal set-up but it’s working out fine for me.”
Watch Night Three of Premier League Darts, from Dublin, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+ from 7pm,Thursday. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW for darts and more.
Daniel Dubois vs Joseph Parker and the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol rematch will be live on Saturday February 22 on Sky Sports Box Office. Book now to watch the fight!
