Charlie Manby is relishing his future in the sport after securing his two-year status on the PDC circuit by claiming a Tour Card at UK Qualifying School.
Manby – who made an impression on the darting world after reaching the last 16 of the World Darts Championship on debut in December – won an outright Tour Card on Sunday, after winning six consecutive games in Milton Keynes.
The 20-year-old entered the last day of Final Stage under pressure, having won six games across the first three days, and needed a string of results to have a chance of securing his professional status.
Nevertheless, the Huddersfield-based star delivered, as his fourth consecutive win against the iconic Steve Beaton ensured he would feature on the professional tour via the UK Qualifying School rankings, yet Manby won two more games to win an outright Tour Card.
“It feels amazing, I think all the hard work has finally paid off,” confessed Manby, who defeated Mervyn King 6-2 in the last four to claim one of two daily Tour Cards on offer.
“Going into every day at Q School, you want to win it outright anyway. Whether it’s the first day or the last day, it doesn’t matter – winning a day puts a bit of a statement out there.
“On the first day I didn’t struggle, but I was trying to deal with it all. I played well and lost – it was a bit heartbreaking, the same as the second day. It was a lot to take in, but I knew I had the ability to do it, and the last couple of days have showed that.”
Manby entered UK Qualifying School in Milton Keynes as one of the favourites to secure a Tour Card, after his impressive exploits at Alexandra Palace.
The 20-year-old defeated Cameron Menzies, Adam Sevada and Ricky Evans to reach round four in a memorable debut campaign, before falling short to eventual runner-up Gian van Veen.
Manby could easily have felt a lot of pressure to gain his two-year spot on the PDC circuit as a result of outside expectation, but the young arrowsmith is focused on his own game.
“I feel like anyone can say what they want to say, it’s just one of those things,” stated Manby, who finished fourth on the 2025 Development Tour rankings.
“If I'm putting pressure on myself, that’s when I should be worried. There have been a couple of games this week where I have put a bit too much pressure on myself. But the pressure from everyone else is fine.
“There was a bit of pressure against Steve Beaton, but I felt comfortable and the same as every other game. You still have to get over the line no matter who your opponent is. Everything just dropped in sweetly on Sunday.”
Manby featured at three Players Championship events in 2025 but will be a mainstay on the ProTour for the next two years after his success in Milton Keynes.
After tasting big stage success at Alexandra Palace and winning a Development Tour title in 2025, Manby is relishing the opportunity to play regularly against the top players in world darts.
“It should be good. I play better against better players too,” asserted Manby.
“I’ve had a decent week this week, playing against top quality players. I will try and put some more hard work in and we will see if it pays off on the ProTour.
“Everyone always said to me, the sky is the limit, you can do whatever you want to do. I think if I put the hard work in, I can do anything in this sport.
“Whether it’s the next two years or the next ten years, it doesn’t really matter. I believe I can, and other people do as well. I want to do all sorts in this sport.”