BINKS BACKS ADHD TO DRIVE PDC SUCCESS
12/02/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
OWEN BINKS believes his ADHD is a superpower as he replaces the legendary George Noble as a PDC referee.
The 27-year-old is set to make his debut at the Premier League on Night Five in Nottingham.
The Colchester caller has previously officiated in the Modus Super Series and at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead last year.
Binks says the neurodiverse condition he was born with enables him to hyper-focus at the oche and perform at his best.
He told Tungsten Tales: “A kid with ADHD called me an inspiration, which was really nice.
“I also spoke to a mother in a pub whose son has ADHD, and she said how amazing it was to see someone doing well.
“In some areas of my life, ADHD is really annoying.
“But I’m not sure I’d have the spotting or refereeing job at this level without it. I really hyper-focus on it.
“It’s certainly not all good, but in this area it’s helped me massively.”
Binks admits he is feeling nervous ahead of his appearance on the big stage next month, with the stakes very real.
He added: “Yeah. Nothing’s secure. I’ve got this horrible feeling that I’m going to go in there and the first three darts are going to hit the board, and I’ll call them wrong.
“I’ve got family and friends coming to Nottingham.
“I keep thinking, imagine if I called the first three darts wrong. It’s not even a checkout. Imagine calling a six when it’s 60, or calling 100 when it’s miles off.
“I’ve even got this thing in my head like, what if I suddenly forget how to count? All sorts of weird thoughts go through your head with nerves.
“I could turn up, it could go wrong, and I never ref again.
“There’s no contract. I’ve been given the opportunity and it’s down to me now.”
Binks has no plans to ease off as he prepares to take on the role.
He continued: “Yeah. I like working. I like earning money, and I don’t really like having days off.
“Unless I’ve got something booked, I need to be busy all the time.
“With the PDC role, obviously there’s a fair number of days I’ll do each year. I do the spotting for Sky, which is great, but I still want to do MODUS as well.
“As long as I don’t annoy them too much, I’m sure they’ll still use me.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
