In this edition of 'Back in the Day', we turn the spotlight on Jan Dekker, the Dutchman whose career took a fascinating path through the BDO and into the PDC. Dekker first made waves in 2010 when he qualified for the televised stage of the Winmau World Masters. In the last 16, he pushed eventual winner Martin Adams all the way before losing 3-2 in a sudden-death leg. That performance signaled he could compete with the BDO's elite.
A year later, Dekker made his BDO World Championship debut and emerged as a surprise package. He convincingly beat 15th seed Scott Mitchell 3-0, then dispatched second seed Stuart Kellett 4-1 to reach the quarter-finals. There, he faced Garry Thompson and looked destined for defeat, trailing 3-0 and later 4-2. Thompson missed nine match darts, and Dekker fought back to win 5-4, booking a semi-final spot against Dean Winstanley. Winstanley proved too strong, winning 6-2, but Dekker had firmly put himself on the map.
In 2012, seeded sixth, Dekker lost 3-2 to fellow Dutchman Christian Kist in the first round despite averaging over 96 — a bitter exit. The following year, seeded seventh, he reached the quarter-finals after surviving Jeffrey de Graaf (who missed a match dart) and again beating Garry Thompson 4-3 from behind. Leading Richie George 3-1 in the last eight, Dekker let it slip, losing 5-4. But 2014 would bring his second World Championship semi-final. Seeded sixth, he beat Benito van de Pas 3-0 and Geert De Vos 4-2, then gained revenge over Martin Adams with a 5-2 victory — his first professional win over the three-time champion. In the semi-final, Dekker led Alan Norris 4-2 and had two darts for a 5-4 lead, but Norris turned it around to win 6-5.
After a first-round exit to Adams at the 2015 BDO World Championship (1-3), Dekker switched to the PDC. His first Q-School attempt failed, but he impressed at the 2015 UK Open, beating Mike De Decker, Justin Pipe, and Ronnie Baxter before losing 9-7 to Mensur Suljović in the fifth round. Later that year, he won three Challenge Tour titles to top the Order of Merit, earning a two-year PDC Tour Card from 2016. His PDC World Championship debut in 2016 ended with a 0-3 loss to Adrian Lewis, and he also suffered a narrow 6-5 defeat to Andrew Davidson at the UK Open. However, at the European Darts Open, he beat John Henderson and Dave Chisnall before Gary Anderson whitewashed him 6-0. At the Players Championship Finals, seeded 54th, he beat Steve West 6-3 but lost 6-1 to Justin Pipe.
2017 proved his best PDC season. At the ninth Players Championship event, he reached the semi-finals of a Pro Tour event for the first time, defeating Andy Jenkins, Joe Cullen, Peter Hudson, Joe Murnan, and Dave Chisnall before Michael van Gerwen whitewashed him 6-0. Van Gerwen also beat him at the European Championship. At the Players Championship Finals, Dekker produced his best major run, defeating Michael Smith, Simon Whitlock, and Peter Jacques to reach the quarter-finals, where Van Gerwen again proved too strong. He also qualified for the World Series of Darts Finals but lost in the first round to Simon Stevenson. In 2018, he beat Jelle Klaasen at the World Championship but lost to Dimitri Van den Bergh; in 2019, he beat Lisa Ashton but lost to Mervyn King in five sets. At the 2019 UK Open, he beat Harry Ward before losing to Simon Whitlock. Dropping to 56th on the Order of Merit, he retained his Tour Card by winning the West European Qualifier for the 2020 World Championship, where he beat Ryan Joyce before losing to Jonny Clayton. The 2020 UK Open was his final PDC major, a first-round loss to William O'Connor, and he lost his Tour Card after failing to qualify for the next World Championship. A 2021 Q-School return yielded only two points and a 44th-place finish.
Though Dekker never won a major title, his career highlights include two BDO World Championship semi-finals, a victory over Martin Adams, three Challenge Tour titles, and a Players Championship Finals quarter-final. At just 36, perhaps the darting world hasn't seen the last of him.
