MEIKLE AIMS FOR TOP 32
12/03/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
By Aaron Nijjar
RYAN MEIKLE is hoping to break to break into the PDC top 32 Order of Merit.
‘The Barber’ had a positive 2024 reaching a Players Championship quarter-final and the fifth round of the UK Open.
Six-time Development Tour winner Meikle also secured an impressive win over Gary Anderson last year in the Players Championship Finals first round where he defied a stellar 103.88 average from the Scotsman to win 6-5.
World No.61 Meikle took on then 17-year-old Luke Littler just before Christmas in the World Championship second round.
While ‘The Nuke’ took the 3-1 win, Meikle remained hungry to increase his presence in the sport while balancing his job at Nick’s Gents Hairdressing in Saxmundham.
The 28-year-old who has been cutting hair for the past 10 years, started playing darts when he was a young child, inspired by his father.
He told the BBC: “Obviously one day I’d love to be full-time, but I love my job here as well.
“That’s not something I just want to give up that easy because I still enjoy it.”
He said he aimed to practise darts “a few hours every day” and it was “handy having a board” at work for quiet moments.
Meikle said he was aiming to make the “next step” by progressing further in ProTour Events and Majors.
He added: “I feel like I can maybe get top 32 [in the world] and you are earning big money then.”
The Suffolk thrower gave Littler a tough game in December, which Littler himself admitted was a “fight until the end”.
He revealed: “I think going into it I was really relaxed.
“I was chilled and I think I showed I play quite well… then obviously in the last set he made it impossible for me to win.
“I was happy I pushed him and gave him a good game.”
Meikle admitted that it was “incredible” that 10 minutes before their match, Littler enjoyed a portion of chips!
He said: “He was just so chilled – ‘I’m just a bit hungry’ – just on his phone eating some chips 10 minutes before we’re about to play.”
Meikle returns to action today (Wednesday) at the Players Championship Six in Leicester.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
