Keegan Brown: Players Championship winner 'buzzing' for return to Alexandra Palace

Keegan Brown, who juggles his darts career with a part-time NHS job, won the PDC Players Championship 23 in August

Keegan Brown says he is "buzzing" to return to the PDC World Darts Championship after failing to qualify last year.

The 30-year-old won a Players Championship event in August and believes he is back on track.

"The difference has been practising," Brown told BBC South Today.

"The last couple of years where I've been working at St Mary's Hospital my darts has come second and it's been really noticeable at competitions."

Brown, from the Isle of Wight, will make his seventh appearance on darts' biggest stage when he steps up to the oche at Alexandra Palace next week.

He will take on Germany's Florian Hempel in round one on Friday, 16 December.

His best result at the competition was in 2018 where he progressed to the last 16.

"Every single darts player on the PDC Tour, all they want, is to qualify for Ally Pally and I'm over the moon to qualify for it this year," the world number 64 said.

"I felt absolutely awful when I missed out in 2021 so I made myself watch every single game to make myself realise how much I missed it."

'Results have gone my way'

Following the disappointment Brown decided he needed to find more time to train if he were to rediscover his form.

He started throwing more regularly in his spare room at home which he has transformed into a darts room with a board and his trophies to remind him of past successes.

"Being a part of the NHS the last couple of years has been tough especially the first six or eight months of the pandemic," he added.

"I think between March and August I only picked up my darts about seven times and playing was definitely on the backburner.

"But going to work keeps me grounded and I enjoy my job. It gives me balance. I go to work to work and now I come home to practice darts.

"I made sure I practiced enough this year and so far the results have gone my way."

'Darts is a marathon'

Keegan Brown says he has made sure to make enough time to practice throwing in his spare room

Brown's hard graft paid off when he won the ProTour's Players Championship 23 in Barnsley over the summer to claim his first pro title in seven years.

It was a big moment for the part-time NHS blood lab worker who firmly re-established himself in the sport.

"I think we've had at least two or three prime ministers between my last two wins," he said.

"Seven years is a long time without a trophy but hopefully another comes soon. It shows that the game of darts is a marathon and not a sprint.

"Practice is going well heading into Ally Pally so it's literally in my hands.

"The atmosphere there is always second to none with 5,500 people chanting and cheering you on it's almost as good as a Christmas present - I'm buzzing for it."