CHISNALL: “I COULD BARELY FEEL MY FINGERS”

By Aaron Nijjar  

DAVE CHISNALL has called for better playing conditions on the ProTour following his early exits from the Players Championship events last week in Holland.  

‘Chizzy’ has won 18 Players Championship titles—the fifth most in history and finished the last two years at the top of the ProTour Order of Merit.

World No.7 Chisnall suffered a shock second-round exit in Event Three, where he lost to Oskar Lukasiak and averaged a mere 73.30.  

The 44-year-old cited the freezing temperatures at the venue as a factor that impacted his performance.  

He told Kwiff: “I’m back from a few days in Holland, which turned out to be a bit of a disappointing trip. I went out to Oskar Lukasiak but neither of us played well and I played awful.  

“The average of 73.30 is pretty embarrassing, and if I was on any going day, I would have beat him easy. The thing is, it was absolutely freezing there and I could barely feel my fingers at times.  

“I’ve seen complaints from a few of the other lads in the week – Daryl (Gurney), Justin (Hood) and a few others lads posting similar comments on social media.” 

The St Helens thrower also expressed concerns over the lack of refreshments available at the venue. 

He said: “I’m not one to really complain about conditions or anything, because we’re all pros and have to adapt etc.  

“However, when you see the money the tour are making at the moment, like the new 5-year deal with Sky for example, they should be at least putting venues on with basic standards and heating.  

“There were complaints about a lack of refreshments at the venue too, it’s all very basic.” 

Chisnall is already looking ahead to the UK Open, which returns this week. As a former semi-finalist at the Major, he has fond memories of competing at the prestigious tournament.  

He revealed: “I’ve had a good record in this event, especially when it used to be played at Bolton’s football ground.  

“I probably should have beaten Luke (Littler) here last year when 3-2 up at the break and then he came out and won 5-0 in about ten minutes that left me pretty stunned to be honest. You don’t need me to tell you that he’s a good player! 

“Robert Thornton beat me in the semis back in 2012 before beating Phil in the final, and despite the score of 10-5 it was actually pretty close!” 

Image by Taylor Lanning.