“It’s what I’ve been working towards for the last 4 years.”
Cam “Shazam” Crabtree secured his Tour Card last Sunday, finishing 6th in the order of merit, in the final stage of Q school.
Picking up the sport back in 2020 during lockdown, it is fair to say that Crabtree’s journey to the big stage has been quick.
Following in the footsteps of his dad, Crabtree decided to join an online dart league,.
Despite losing many games early on, he quickly understood the standard he needed to reach and it did not take long for Crabtree to take that next step, attending Q-School for the first time after just a year and a half of playing.
On going into Q-School for the first time in 2022, Cam said: “There was no expectation, I didn’t expect to win any games.”
However, with this came more experiences to learn, as Crabtree was now eligible to play on the Challenge Tour.
Crabtree saw success that year, beating the likes of former World Championship Semi-finalist Scott Williams.
As Crabtree continued to progress on the Challenge Tour, with the occasional Pro Tour appearance, he picked up his first win at CT 04 in 2023.
This gave Crabtree a taste of that winning feeling for the first time, later picking up wins on both the MODUS Super Series as well as the Challenge Tour.
Most players look at Q-School as a chance to win their Tour Card, for Crabtree his approach was different, “my aim was to get to MODUS, not to win my Tour Card.”
The MODUS Super Series circuit, based in Portsmouth, has become popular over the last 2 years, providing a platform for players to showcase their talents.
Alongside Crabtree, players such as Luke Littler, John Henderson and Fallon Sherrock have all played on the circuit.
The circuit prepares players for the big stage, it recreates the same feeling that you would get while on tour and this leads to players having to change routines.
Crabtree spoke on the importance of routine, he said: “I had a routine in Portsmouth, I’d go for a walk… walking helps me clear my head.”
Playing in front of the MODUS crowd is something unfamiliar for some young players.
Crabtree said: “You get good nerves, you want the day to hurry up so you can get into it.”
Crabtree who won on the MODUS circuit back in late 2023, spoke highly of it, he said: “If it was not for that, my game would not be as developed as it is now.”
After success on MODUS and the Challenge Tour, Crabtree did what most athletes hope to achieve, representing your country.
Throughout 2024, Crabtree received many caps for England over three events, including the Darts Six Nations and the European Cup.
Modern day sports often shine a light on the importance of mental strength, and for a darts player, being alone up on stage under the bright lights can be intimidating.
Crabtree said: “It’s a combination of mentally understanding and experiencing when improving your game… you also want to be comfortable and accustomed to your surroundings.”
Just under a month ago, heading into Christmas, Crabtree was practicing for hours a day in preparation for 2025 Q-School.
This preparation was halted when “Shazam” fell ill for 12 days over Christmas, causing him to not pick up a dart at all.
He said: “I was originally confident but that messed it up, I went into the weekend a bit unsure how I’d get on.”
However once he got to Q School, Crabtree played well in Stage One averaging 91.58 over the three days, with no sign that his preparation had been ruined.
He said: “I had one bad day but bounced back very quickly.”
Heading into stage two, Crabtree was confident and playing well and it looked as though things were different to previous years this time around.
Crabtree said: “Preparation started when I left Q-School last year, I learned how to deal with everything better.”
After averaging 89.56 and earning 7 points, Crabtree qualified 6th in the order of merit, earning his Tour Card.
“I was full of adrenaline!” said Crabtree, speaking about reaching his goal.
It can be lonely for players on tour, but for Crabtree, his dad and brother travel with him a lot which is ‘really nice’ for the player.
However, this is set to change for Crabtree as he will now be on the Pro Tour, and with his younger brother hoping to play on the JDC.
Often on the tour, players have close friends, and for Crabtree it is publicly known that he is close with fellow Tour Card holder Owen Bates.
The pair used to travel together on the Challenge Tour, Crabtree said: “I’m lucky I get on well with Owen… you can bounce of each other; it is nice to have that.”
Looking ahead to the next two years, which Crabtree will spend on Tour, he said:“I hope to qualify for the World Championships… everyone wants to play at the Ally Pally and I haven’t yet.”
With Crabtree securing his Tour Card, he hopes to remain in the top 64 come the end of 2026, which would allow him to retain his place amongst the best in the world.
Serenity Social Hub supports victims of substance abuse