Who is Tom Bissell? The Dudley floorlayer making his mark in professional darts

Tom Bissell was a self-employed floorlayer from Dudley when he arrived at his first PDC Qualifying School in January 2025. By the end of the opening day of the final stage, he had earned a place on the professional circuit.

Less than two years later, he has added a deciding-leg victory over Joe Cullen to his growing list of results.

Bissell’s 6–5 win at the Swiss Darts Trophy on Friday secured a second-round meeting with Martin Schindler in Basel. For viewers encountering him for the first time, it also offered a reason to look beyond the more familiar name he had beaten.

His route into professional darts began with years of local competition, encouragement from teammates and a decision to find out how far his game could take him.

Who is Tom Bissell?

Bissell is an English darts player from Dudley in the West Midlands who secured his first PDC Tour Card in 2025.

Speaking after that breakthrough, he described a background in county darts and Super League, alongside running his own flooring business.

He had been playing for about a decade, but Q-School represented a significant step into unfamiliar company. He had never played in a PDC-affiliated event before that week.

His Super League teammates had encouraged him to enter. In his post-victory interview with the PDC, reported by Dartsnews, he explained how important backing himself had become.

“Just took my shot and it’s obviously paid off.”

That distinction matters when assessing his progress. Bissell was new to the PDC system, but he had already spent years competing and developing his game.

How did he win his PDC Tour Card?

Bissell won the first available card at the UK Q-School final stage in Milton Keynes on 9 January 2025.

His route included victories over Jarred Cole, John Henderson and Thomas Lovely, before he beat James Howard Hughes in the quarter-finals and Tom Sykes in the semi-finals.

There were difficult moments along the way. Lovely missed a match dart against him, leaving Bissell to take advantage of the opportunity.

The final brought another close contest against former world youth champion Bradley Brooks. Bissell won 6–5 to secure a two-year Tour Card.

Darts World’s account of the breakthrough records a demanding sequence of matches against players with considerably more experience of the professional system.

Winning the card gave him access to the ProTour. It also changed the challenge: he would now have to reproduce those performances throughout a season.

What changed during 2026?

There were signs early in his second season that Bissell was becoming more comfortable.

By March, he had reached his first ProTour semi-final and won on the main stage at the UK Open.

In an interview published by Unicorn, he explained that local knockout competitions had helped keep him active during the winter after he missed out on the World Championship.

He also described growing confidence on stage and experimentation with different darts, eventually using a set associated with Irina Armstrong.

His ambitions were changing too. Simply winning a match had been an early target; progressing further through events was becoming a more realistic expectation.

“The Tour doesn’t wait for you, you know what I mean?” he said.

That March interview captured a player learning how to manage the demands of the circuit, while recognising that a good week needed to be followed by more results.

Why does the Joe Cullen win matter?

Friday’s result gives that development a fresh reference point.

Bissell beat Cullen in the opening round of the Swiss Darts Trophy, earning another match against an established opponent in Schindler.

Our report on Bissell’s victory over Cullen explains the consequences for Cullen’s European Championship hopes.

For Bissell, the immediate benefit is simpler: he remains in the tournament and has another opportunity to progress.

He had already earned his place in Basel through the Tour Card holder qualifying route, as listed by the PDPA. Reaching the main draw and then winning a match are separate steps, both of which he has now completed.

One result cannot establish where his career will lead. It does, however, add to the evidence that his Q-School breakthrough can be followed by meaningful performances on the professional circuit.

Who does Tom Bissell play next?

Bissell faces Martin Schindler in the Swiss Darts Trophy second round on Saturday 10 October.

The match is scheduled for the afternoon session, according to the tournament’s latest results and order of play.

It is another opportunity for a player whose introduction to professional darts came through a narrow Q-School final.

In January 2025, beating Brooks opened the door. Beating Cullen in Basel has earned him another day on stage.

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