Jack Tweddell, a 30-year-old darts player from Swindon, is competing for a £60,000 prize at the ADC Global Championship Grand Final in Portsmouth on Sunday, just years after suffering two mini strokes that left him unable to walk properly.
Tweddell, who works as a data analyst for Amazon, missed out on a place at the PDC World Championship but has enjoyed a strong season on the Challenge Tour. He now faces Tom Sykes in the quarter-finals of the event, which is streamed live on Pluto TV.
Doctors believe Tweddell experienced two mini strokes, the most recent of which left him on crutches for months. He was out of the game for three to four years before his partner encouraged him to put up a dartboard again. “I’m only two years into playing again, so it’s not a bad effort,” he said.
Tweddell, whose brother Chris Aubrey was a former PDC Tour card holder, said his health struggles have given him a new perspective. “If I can’t play darts tomorrow, at least I can walk properly. There’s perspective and I think that’s why I started playing quite well,” he added.
The ADC Global Championship features eight players competing for a £150,000 prize fund, with £60,000 going to the winner. The action begins at 1pm, with semi-finals at 3pm and the final at 4pm.
