CHRIS Aubrey was pleased to put in a consistent performance on the opening weekend of the PDC Youth Tour but is still waiting for an elusive first victory.

The youngster made two quarter-finals and a semi-final in the opening three events of the season at the Moorways Centre in Derby over the weekend, and was proud of the way he performed.

“I felt good going into it, and I said all along I have been playing well this year but have not been getting the breaks,” he said.

“To be honest I think the first tournament we played was the best darts I have played all season, and I have picked up a good bit of money which will go well towards the standings.

“I want to win one this year after doing okay last year, and maybe that could have been this weekend, but I will go back to practise and come back stronger next time.”

In the first event on day one, Aubrey beat Kevin Wensick, Paul Lee Cooper, Jamie Landon, Josh Payne and Jake Jones before losing out to eventual winner Arron Monk 4-3 in the semi-final. The Swindon thrower also lost to the eventual winner in the second tournament of the day, as Michael Smith beat him 4-2.

Aubrey started day two in the manner he finished the first, as he beat Chris Quantock, Cooper, Matt Dicken and Darren Whittingham, before losing out 4-2 to Sam Hill in the quarters.

Monk won event three to complete an impressive weekend, and Aubrey believes his close friend is the man to beat on this season’s tour.

“We travelled up together before the event and had a practise too, and he was on fire all weekend and is definitely the player to beat,” he said. “I think there are five players who will win a lot of the events this season, Arron, myself, Michael Smith, Shaun Griffiths and James Hubbard, so it is important to beat these guys.

“There is a very strong field at all of the events, but I just think there could be a bit of a breakaway.”

Aubrey picked up some tips from mentor and sponsor James Wade when the pair played each other at the last Players Championship event, and put it to good use in Derby.

“It was a bit weird to play James, but it was just like any other game in the end and that taught me a lot.

“He was very professional and gave me a beating, which is his job, and I picked up from that how we need to treat every game the same. After we had finished for the day we stopped and had a good chat, which is always good.”