"Mile High" Mark Hylton soars into Elite Group
As they believe is right Team Hylton have always looked at the positive side of events, so when it took Mark Hylton a few months to settle in to PDC darts little worry or stress was shown. As a result and with a lot of hard work "Mile High" could take that time to find himself and his true talent.
Thus on the last weekend of June 2010 he journeyed to Las Vegas on the back of a couple of decent results. Over the 3 events he scored a 1st ever last 16 place, some very notable wins, especially against The Hammer and returned more confident than ever and in great shape for the Australian adventure which is now well known.
This then has always been a bench mark for me when assessing progress etc. over the time Mark has been a professional darter. On that date Mark was in 189th place on the Order of Merit and 132nd place on the Pro Tour Order of Merit. We count this as the start of the real "Mile High" joining us and our professional anniversary. During the world championships of 2010/11 he came to the attention of Red Dragon darts who were happy to support him through his next campaign.
Superbly and after one or two false dawns, Mark picked Sunday to rise into the Top 32 of the PDC Overall Order of Merit. This is a milestone achievement and is astonishing from a player coming from Marks starting point. Mssers Pipe and Chisnal have blazed more easily noticed trails but both have had a great deal longer than Mark in top level darts. By this method a rise of 157 places in 2 years, try to think of any player who from Marks background has made it so far, so quickly and in such style. It was especially rewarding to see him play his way into the elite by defeating Steve Beaton 6-4 in a quality but tense game. Many times Steve has been a sign post for the Team and in some ways is the inspiration.
The Top 32 carries with it some reward for the Talent, Time, Effort and Money put in to achieve the position. Automatic qualification and seeding for the World Championships and entry to all European Tour Events at the last 64 stage. This in turn should help us in our efforts to gain Mark more recognition and commercial support to maintain his surge up the rankings.
Whilst never a major aim in itself it is a major milestone on the path to the higher reaches and has become more valued in the last 12 months or so and will continue to increase in importance. We at Red Dragon are proud to be associated with Mark’s flight to the top and wait with great excitement for the next landmark on the road.
The beauty of “Mile High”s unprecedented journey is it is a trail previously unblazed so who knows what next for this Rugeley leftie?