The iconic Owen The Master Bates darts packaging with banned across

Meet Owen Bates the Dartist formerly known as The Master

Player nicknames and darts go hand in hand but few have ever quite caught the attention as much as that of Owen Bates. Time therefore to meet Owen Bates the Dart player formerly known as “The Master”.

Owen “The Master” Bates (but not anymore)

Having qualified for a PDC tour card and winning a place at the PDC Darts World Championship, the PDC requested that Owen change his darts nickname away from “the Master”. As such we thought it was high time to catch up with the man behind the moniker.

Thanks for taking the time to speak to us Owen.

When did Owen Bates start playing darts

Which Darts:

When did you start playing darts and have you been playing competitively from the beginning?

Owen Bates:

I started playing darts at the age of 9. My Dad always played darts locally and had a dart board hanging up in the garage. So I started going out in the garage and throwing with him, within 6 months I was Playing for Devon County youth to a decent standard.

Practicing with Ryan Searle

Which Darts:

We hear you sometimes practice with Ryan Searle, is this something you have done for a long time or is it a fairly recent thing?

Owen Bates:

I have been practicing with Ryan for about 18 months on and off. I have always been mates with Ryan as he used to play a lot of the local darts competitions in my area before he got his tour card.  We started throwing together in his darts man cave pretty much every week.

Which Darts:

Having a practice partner like Ryan must be a huge benefit, has Ryan offered you advice or guidance or did he just appreciate having someone local to throw those heavy darts of his against?

Owen Bates:

Ryan is one of the most naturally gifted players in the world without a doubt. Practicing with/against him week in week out has had a huge benefit on my game as a whole. When he is on it, he is a joke of a player hitting everything with incredible ease.

Signing with Loxley Darts

Which Darts:

In 2022 you seemed to be plucked from relative obscurity (Outside of Devon not many people had really heard of you at the time) by Loxley darts, and signed a manufacturing deal with them. How did that come about?

Owen Bates:

To be honest, the main reason I was signed by Loxley was down to Ryan’s recommendation. It gave me the to confidence and drive to put the hours in and keep improving. Loxley took a gamble on me and I appreciate all the help and support they’ve given me.

Owen The Master Bates darts by Loxley darts. Limited edition owen bates darts
The now limited edition Owen Bates darts by Loxley Darts.

Why Owen “The Master” Bates

Which Darts:

And now to the question you will no doubt have been expecting. How did the nickname ” The Master” come about?

Owen Bates:

Having the surname Bates, I always got the whole ‘Master’ thing at school from my mates.  Initially when asked if I had a nickname I put it forward to Loxley as a bit of a joke. After some thought, we moved forward with it with the whole idea being that life should not be taken too seriously and to try and put a smile on people’s face. I’ve had so many people tell me how it’s made them laugh and that they love it, it is something I do not regret doing.

Which Darts:

Fair play to you, not many would have owned the nickname like you have. It even went viral on social and mainstream media when your nickname was announced, how was it to be thrown into the limelight that way?

Owen Bates:

I definitely did not expect it to blow up like it did. With social media outlets like The Daily Star, Lad Bible and even The Sun reacting to it, I definitely drew a lot of attention to myself and Loxley darts. I feel like it went down relatively well and helped me get my name out there.

First year at Q-School and invites to Pro Tour

Which Darts:

This season you went to Q-school for the first time,  did you go there hoping to win a tourcard?

Owen Bates:

When I went to Q-School this year I knew I was playing well and would be in with a shot at getting a tour card. I actually played very well at QSchool, I didn’t quite manage to get my card but it was definitely a great experience and a massive confidence boost knowing that I can keep up with the big boys and best players such as Keegan Brown in the PDC environment. Looking back at it, I am glad I didn’t get a tour card there as it opened me up to other opportunities like the CT and Modus super series.

Which Darts:

Playing qschool gave you access to the Challenge tour as well as the development tour. Your results in the first weekend of the challenge tour gave you access to the Pro Tour and matches against the likes of UK Open winner Andrew Gilding, and James Wade. Tell us about your feelings to suddenly be playing against major winners and legends of the game?

Owen Bates:

The first time I walked into the pro tour room I definitely felt a bit starstruck, however, the more I got invited, the more I started to win and Beat big names such as Gilding, Wade and Van den Bergh. It is an amazing feeling to being playing against the players I have watched on TV growing up. Playing on the pro tour this year as a CT top up has definitely helped my game improve and prepared me for next year.

Owen Bates results and averages 2023 PDC Pro tour
Owen Bates 2023 PDC Pro Tour Statistics by the brilliant Colin of FebsData on X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which Darts:

Can you remember which seeded player you first beat and what that felt like?

Owen Bates:

So the first seeded player I beat was Andrew Gilding just a week or two after he won the UK open. This was actually my first win on the pro tour and I couldn’t believe it. It was a great feeling and made me even hungrier to keep picking up the wins and pinching money from the pros.

(*Which darts: As you can see from the data provided by FEBsData Owen play UK Open Champion Andrew Gilding 3 times during 2023 and has a winning record against the major champion)

Modus Super Series invites

Which Darts:

Your results on the challenge tour, development tour and pro tour also got you an invite to the Modus Super Series where you were playing in front of cameras for the first time. You even went on to win your week at the first attempt. How much do you feel that exposure has helped you for the rest of the year?

Owen Bates:

When I first played the Modus Super Series I expected to feel extra pressure having never played in-front of the cameras before. However, I didn’t feel any added pressure at all, in fact I think it made me play better. I loved it. I went on to win the week and gain a place at champions week. I loved every second of playing at Modus. It definitely added to my confidence and gave me the belief that i can perform under the upmost pressure.

Reward for a season of progress

Which Darts:

A stellar season was topped off with what can only be described as an incredible last weekend on the challenge tour. Reaching two finals in the final 2 events of the year ensured you finished second on the Challenge tour order of merit, and guaranteed you a spot at the PDC World Championships and a 2 year PDC tourcard. Describe those 2 final events.

Owen Bates:

The last 2 Challenge Tour events were definitely a rollercoaster of emotion. I went into the weekend sitting in 4th place on the Order Of Merit and I went into the last 2 events needing 2 massive runs. In the penultimate tour I made the final, losing 5-4 to Andy Boulton in a fantastic game. After losing I felt disappointed but I knew that I had put myself right back in the mix for the last tournament of the season to still stand a chance.

In the last tournament I was taking it a game at a time, I knew that my main competitor, John Henderson, had lost in the Last 64 meaning that I needed to make the final to gain a tour card and a place at the Worlds. I kept taking it game by game and found myself 4-1 down twice on the way to the final. In the semi final I battled back from 4-1 down to make it 4-4.

I finally got that bit of luck that I had been missing and my opponent missed 3 match darts. I then had 1 dart at double 20 off of an 80 finish. This was definitely the biggest dart of my life and somehow it went it. To be honest with you it still hasn’t sunk in! Ally pally here I come!

Which Darts:

Do you think having played in front of cameras at Modus and the pressure of those final two Challenge tour events will help you at Ally Pally?

Owen Bates:

I think they will to a certain extent. However playing at Ally Pally is every dart players dream and definitely a step up from Modus and anything else I have done in darts so far. I cannot wait to see how I react to playing on the biggest stage of all.

PDC Tour card and being Owen Bates professional dart player

Which Darts:

Having a PDC tourcard means you will be playing the PDC tour full time. The PDC recently announced that all of the Pro Tour events will shift from the traditional weekends to mid-week meaning you will have a minimum of 30 days play. How will this affect your work situation?

Owen Bates:

I like the idea of playing the pro tours midweek. Recently I have left my former job of being an accountant to fully focus on darts this year and next year. This was definitely good decision. If I need to pick up a part time job next year I can do this but I’m hoping that I can get the results to mean that my financial situation remains good and I can practice every day.

Having to change nickname from Owen “The Master” Bates

Which Darts:

Final question. As we have previously reported, and as seen in mainstream media in the UK and all over Europe, you have been asked to change your nickname from Owen “The Master” Bates to something else. Did you expect to have to change the name, and did you expect it to become the sensation it has become in the media?

Owen Bates:

I fully expected that I would need to change the nickname if I made it to the Worlds. It was the PDCs decision and I fully respect it and understand why they have reached the decision that they have.

I didn’t expect it to blow up on social media again like the first time but it did. It’s great to have everyone talking about me before the Worlds. Hopefully they will all be talking about me after the worlds based on my performance and the results on the Oche.

Thanks very much for your time Owen and good luck in your darting adventures, we will be sure to keep a close eye on your progress moving forward!

Statistics by FEBsData

The statistics provided by Colin at FEBsData show the progress made by Owen Bates. Practicing with Ryan Searle and being exposed to the various systems operated by the professional darts corporation have really shown their value. Below are some more statistics showing Owen’s progress but if you like stats on darts be sure to visit Colin on Twitter/X as he provides in depth stats on all things darts.

Practice darts value
Practice and hard work show in stats with Owen Bates showing the 4th highest improvement year over year across all PDC affiliated tours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is Owen Bates darts average
Owen Bates darts average by year

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