Getting tour card 'turned my life around' - Lipscombe

Adam Lipscombe won his PDC tour card in January

Portsmouth darts player Adam Lipscombe says that his first taste of action on the PDC tour has turned his life around.

The 32-year-old won his tour card for the first time in January and faced two-time world champion Gary Anderson in the final of the Players Championship in Germany on Monday.

"I can't get my head around it all to be honest, it's turned my life around," Lipscombe smiled as he spoke to BBC Sport.

Just a couple of months into his journey on the PDC tour, Lipscombe has already taken part in eight events.

But getting there in the first place seemed like a near impossible task with over 800 players competing for 29 tour cards.

Lipscombe won his at Q School - an annual event where players throw for the chance to win a two-year tour card.

But before winning it, things did not go to plan for him as he lost one of his earlier games and left the event.

"I just said to my dad let's go, I'd had enough," he said.

"I was thinking I'll go again next year, but I got to my home, parked up and my phone started ringing with someone saying I had to come back because there had been a pull out.

"I then went back and ended up getting a card, it has just absolutely turned my life upside down and since then it has been mad."

On Monday Adam Lipscombe made it to the final of the Players Championship

On Monday in Germany, Lipscombe beat Michael Flynn 6-3 in the first round, then Andy Baetens by the same score in the last 64.

In the next round he defeated world number seven Damon Heta before a convincing 6-1 win over the Czech Republic's Karel Sedlacek to send him into the quarter-finals.

After that he beat William O'Connor before booking himself into the final with a 7-4 victory over world number 26 - Dirk van Duijvenbode.

"It was just one of those days, I felt really good," Lipscombe added.

"After the semi-final win I came off afterwards and couldn't believe it, they told me I was facing Gary in the final in 10 minutes time, it was quite overwhelming.

"It's my first year doing it and I never thought I'd even be in a final to be honest, Gary had really nice words to say after our game too and I really appreciated that.

"He didn't have to do that so it meant a lot, It's quite nice hearing it from Gary who's a really established player, I'm just a newbie really."

In the final Anderson beat him 8-3 to claim his 30th Players Championship title.