Jarred Cole has been throwing arrows since the age of three and the ‘King of the Castle’ is enjoying competing across a wide range of tournaments.
Born into a darts-playing family, it should come as no surprise that Jarred spent much of his formative years within close vicinity of a dartboard. From being gifted a magnetic darts set for Christmas as a three-year-old, Jarred has gone on to win darts trophies at an elite level – including the prestigious Finder Darts Master Youth and WDF Europe Cup Youth Singles titles.
Still only 24 years old, there is still plenty more to come. The goal is to earn a PDC tour card, but in the meantime, Jarred has plenty of avenues to explore, such as the modern landscape of darts.
“There are a lot of opportunities which weren’t there before,” Jarred told Fen Regis Trophies. “It is probably why you have seen such an increase in progress in players around the world.
“You could argue that the people on the tour are not necessarily the best…obviously, the top, top players are in the PDC, but if you look at around the 96-128 mark you get some interesting matchups when they play the top players from the other tours.”
Following in his Father’s Footsteps
Darts has been a constant in Jarred’s life, watching his parents play from a young age. His father, John, played at county level and was a beloved personality within the darting community until his passing when Jarred was seven years old.
He plays in his father’s memory and is a chip off the old block, winning trophies from an early age. Jarred’s early potential got him noticed, seeing him follow in his dad’s footsteps into playing for his county.
“I was playing county youth at nine years old,” he said. ” Then I got my first senior county call up at 13…I was a young bloomer, I guess!”
The darting landscape has changed dramatically, largely thanks to the success and influence of the PDC. Now, particularly for up-and-coming players, there are opportunities aplenty to play and, more importantly, earn money.
Jarred took full advantage of the options available to him, playing in the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) and WDF/BDO youth events, as well as on the Development and Challenge Tours in the PDC.
“If I take myself back 10-15 years ago,” he said. “I was given the opportunity to play darts at youth level, playing county from a very young age.
“The JDC took me in with open arms and helped me blossom…I was allowed to spread my wings and become the player I wanted to be.”
Jarred added on the JDC: “It was the catalyst for me in terms of my darts career as it allowed me to play against arguably the best youth players in the world.”
MODUS Super Series
Born from the successful Online Darts Live League that launched during the Covid era, the MODUS Super Series has become a hugely popular event for players and fans alike. Broadcast six days a week on YouTube, the event is open to all non-PDC tour card holders and the series champion pockets £25,000 in prize money.
The event takes place at MODUS Studio in Portsmouth and not only has Jarred competed in the series, but he now also works as a spotter for the competition’s broadcast.
“My job is to watch the darts and make sure what comes out on stream is actually what happens,” Jarred explained. “If you’re watching somebody play and they’re switching around the board, you’re the one that has to tell the director where to be…it can be a stressful role!”
Jarred has also proven himself to be just as comfortable in front of the camera as he is behind, throwing a nine-darter earlier in 2024 to defeat Michael Burgoine 4-0 in a group game.
“I have watched it a few too many times at this point!” Jarred joked. “As an individual moment, it is my proudest one – it is very special to me.”
Jarred’s short-term goal is to earn his way onto the main PDC tour, winning a tour card either through Q School or via the Challenge Tour order of merit. Whatever tour the ‘King of the Castle’ is competing on, he won’t relent in his pursuit of trophies.
By Aaron Gratton
