BINKS NEARLY FAINTED DURING POLAND MASTERS DEBUT

OWEN BINKS admits he nearly FAINTED in the final of the Poland Masters on his debut. 

The 27-year-old made his first appearance as a PDC referee on the Euro Tour last weekend. 

But the Colchester caller endured a disrupted journey and was forced to miss an entire session at the event. 

Binks revealed he was forced to take a taxi from Glasgow to Edinburgh to make a flight to Krakow, only to then spend more than three hours stuck in passport control. 

Matters were made worse when his luggage failed to arrive on time, only turning up shortly before the final on Sunday night. 

Thankfully, Binks settled quickly once work began at the arena, despite admitting to early “imposter syndrome” before relaxing after the first few legs. 

He told Modus: “I was very nervous. Beforehand, I was thinking, am I really up to this?

“A bit of imposter syndrome. But once I got through the first couple of legs, I felt much better. 

“And I’m replacing George Noble – the GOAT. A legend of the game. Many would say the best referee ever. 

“So you do think: Who am I to be up there? 

“You’ve got Russ Bray, Paul Hinks, Hugh Kirk – it’s an elite group. And I’m just this guy from Colchester.” 

Binks explained what his biggest fear was on stage at the EXPO Krakow. 

He added: “Two things, first: What if I make a mistake on my debut? Second: How am I going to sound?” 

“You still think: what if the first three darts go in and I call the wrong score? Career over.” 

Binks received some weekend-defining news in the evening session when his boss informed him that he would be officiating the final between Luke Littler and Gian van Veen. 

In a rematch of the World Championship final, this encounter was made even more spectacular by the addition of a nine-darter. 

He continued: “At one point, there was a nine-darter. I’ve refereed a nine-darter in the final of my first-ever Euro Tour. 

“When you watch it back, you can see my chest thumping. 

“I shouted ‘Game shot!’ as loud as I could. And honestly, I nearly fainted.” 

Binks, who has ADHD, reflected on the intense sense of hyper-focus he experienced in that moment, recalling: “My brain was locked in. I felt like you could give me any number and I’d call it instantly. 

“If I never referee again for some reason, I’ll still take that moment to the grave with me.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.