Darts World Magazine Issue #573

Michael van Gerwen • Peter Wright • Shaun Murphy • Tommy Gilmour • Bobby George DARTS WORLD MAGAZINE

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EXCLUSIVE: PRICE ON HIS INCREDIBLE JOURNEY TO GLORY Jacqui Oatley • Polly James • Nigel Pearson • Matthew Porter • Laura Turner

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Phil Lanning - Editor

Darts World Magazine Issue 573 Bi Monthly - £4.99.

Available from dartsworld.com & curtis-sport.com Editor: Phil Lanning Chief News Writer: Paul Woodage Photographers: Lawrence Lustig and Taylor Lanning.

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F ever a final summed up the charm of this sport, it was the Ladbrokes Masters.

Two working class blokes slugging it out at the very highest level.

Jonny Clayton and Mervyn King walked off the Marshall Arena stage £60k and £25k better off.

Yet the next day they were back to work as a plasterer and Amazon delivery driver.

No flukes, no luck, Clayton and King outplayed the lot over the weekend, the Welshman rattling off three 104-plus averages and a record 91 per cent checkout rate against James Wade in the quarters.

That’s what darts is all about. That is its schtick, its DNA. This is a sport that has dined out for decades on its accessibility and attainability.

Yes there’s been the relentless domination of Eric Bristow, Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.

But it’s still just a human being versus a human being with three pointy objects standing 7 feet 9.25inches from a dartboard.

That’s why the Roy of the Rovers tales of Keith Deller, Kirk Shepherd and Rob Cross can, and have, happened.

That’s why over the past few months there’s been a succession of new major winners and a guy playing rugby seven years ago is now World No.1.

And ain’t the element of surprise just bloody wonderful.

The sport thrives on the bloke or girl next door image. No wonder Fallon Sherrock’s exploits were splashed all over the world from North London to New York and New South Wales.

She was just a girl from Bucks suddenly enjoying hitting the bullseyes and Bucks Fizz and delivered more newspaper splashes than Posh and Becks.

That’s also why Fleet Street hacks and rags lapped up the Gary Anderson and Mensur Suljovic spat; the words gamesmanship, tablegate and numpty suddenly filling powerful and punchy paragraphs in every paper.

Peter Wright’s The Grinch costume may have been the only fancy dress at the Ally Pally this year but his unorthodox opening defence as World Champion had ‘em shocked and sneering on BBC News the following morning.

That’s showbiz folks, get ‘em talking.

Darts has had everyone entertained during the pandemic. And good grief we’d all rather have a bit of a laugh at Wright and an Anderson rant than watching interviews with Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Lewis Hamilton looking like they’d rather be having root canal treatment by Harold Shipman.

Indeed, darts must never forget its roots.

From the pub and Indoor League, working class arrers still kicks ass.

We love it.

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“I DON’T CARE HOW MANY I WIN. I AM WORLD No.1 AND WORLD CHAMPION. I NEVER DREAMT OF THAT UNTIL THIS YEAR.”

WORDS: PHIL LANNING PHOTOGRAPHY: TAYLOR LANNING

decided to make that change. And I was earning more money in darts than I was in rugby. It was probably an easy decision to make.”

PRICE ON HIS JOURNEY FROM VILLAIN TO VICTORY Waddell Trophy on January 3.

Only in Marvel movies does this sort of turnaround of fortunes for characters become some sort of vague reality.

He must have fleetingly remembered the tough times, the social media trolling, the pure bile thrown at him. It was all worth it.

When Gerwyn Price lifted his first major trophy at the Grand Slam, his reign began in a rain of resentment. There were more boos than confetti fluttering around his ears.

For over a year every walk-on, every important dart thrown was greeted with hatred, a cacophony of fear and loathing.

Getting to the top in any sport is tough enough, let alone being the enemy of the people who pay to watch you.

Yet this Welshman has proved to be made of very stern stuff. Yes his Iceman shirt is taught and stretched over every rippling muscle, ab and bicep.

But it’s the incredible strength mentally that has been the key ingredient and carried him all the way to carrying off The Sid

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There was a moment on stage before he was announced

by John McDonald as World Champion when Price looked to the sky.

However, it might never have happened if he had listened to his wife, who didn’t want him to quit rugby for the oche.

Price, 35, revealed to Darts World: “She didn’t want me to do it because she didn’t like the change. Obviously my rugby was the main income, I was earning decent money in rugby.

“I said: ‘I am doing alright in darts, I want to give up and finish the rugby.’ Now I say to her: ‘Well, a few years ago you didn’t want me to finish, shall I go back to rugby?’ Oh, no. You can play darts, it’s fine.

“Rugby was the main income for me, she was working as a legal assistant in Cardiff with a solicitor’s firm. It was a difficult choice to take but I was doing alright at the time when I

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He added: “I don’t know, it is going to be crazy, until that moment happens I cannot really explain it. There have been difficult moments along the way and I am happy I have picked this trophy up.

I am sure over the next couple of months this will sink in, and I will find tears.”

There has been a fascinating evolution of Price as a player and perhaps even as a person since that feisty Slam in late 2018.

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He has reacted to the crowds, lost because of the boos yet managed to turn that into a powerful inspiration of focus on stage.

I don’t mind boos.

I don’t mind the pantomime villain side of it. I’ve earned a little bit of respect now.

I’ve shown I’m not up there to make out what they think I am.

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OT even Hollywood would dare write a script where villains become heroes.

Price admitted that there will be a precious moment when the family realises what has been achieved.

Price admits that experience has turned him into a champion, adding: “One million per cent. I know for a fact for the last 24 months, the fans have moulded me into the player I am.

“Two years ago when I played Nathan Aspinall, I was two sets up, the fans got on my back. That was the making of Nathan when he got to that semi-final.

“If the fans were here in this tournament, I don’t know whether I’d be lifting this trophy up.

“Sometimes it can be tough when the fans are on your back. I’m just glad that the darts shone in this tournament and I’m picking this trophy up.

“I’ll be surprised if I do get cheered but I hope they do. I do actually play some decent darts.

I think the final was a good game compared to a couple of years ago in the Grand Slam final.

Hopefully the fans can back off a little bit and give me a bit of respect.

“I don’t mind boos. I don’t mind the pantomime villain side of it. I’ve earned a little bit of respect now. I’ve shown I’m not up there to make out what they think I am.

“I’ve always been the same from the beginning, even before playing Gary Anderson. It all stemmed from that 2018 Grand Slam final when

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people started booing me.

“I was the same player before then and since then. It’s been difficult sometimes with the crowds, but I enjoy it now and again.”

Price insists that being World Champion won’t change his approach to the sport. It was apparent that his World Championship final demeanour was far more business-like than previously.

But the loud celebrations will continue and perhaps even his fitness levels could change the look of the sport going forward to new players coming in.

He said: “I don’t know, possibly. It depends how other people look at it really. Playing set format can help if you’re in shape rather than not.

“Every game is different, the environment as well, not having crowds and not having that buzz and energy off them.

“Pro Tours are different from TV events, you don’t have that energy, you can’t celebrate and get yourself going. But sometimes that’s where I play my best darts. That’s about balance where I celebrate off stage as well as on stage.

“

“I’m still learning, I’m still trying to find that right balance to keep myself under control.”

If I’d been the player I was four or five years ago in a couple of the games in the World Championship I would never have won. I’ve just learnt from my mistakes.

I never give up.

Just seven years later, The Iceman then knocks MVG off his spot at the top of the Order of Merit.

He said: “Exactly, the standard there is now, the likes of Phil (Taylor), who had held the reins for years, then Michael.

Since I turned up anyway, Michael was the best player in the world. Now I am!

“It was a difficult trophy to win. Like I said a million times, I never thought that I would ever pick this trophy up. I thought I could possibly get into the top 32, earn a decent living, give the rugby up. I am top of the tree now and I am holding the biggest and best trophy possible.

“I went to Q School with no expectations and went through on the second day.

is going to turn.

“I didn’t know you had to pay to enter each tournament or I wouldn’t have gone to Q School. I didn’t know it was £100 entry fee every time you played.”

“It was all experience, You can’t just expect to go anywhere and jump in the deep end. It’s not possible the standard is so high now in the PDC.

Price also revealed that it was a conversation with Mervyn King - one of his opponents en route to the title - who helped guide him in the early days at the PDC.

“I can remember speaking to Merv King years and years ago. He used to say ‘what do you expect from today’ and I’d say ‘I want to win 10 grand’. I’m not here to lose.

He added: “Each year I’ve been winning a lot more. Learning how to deal with certain players, especially the bigger players.

“But he always said you are new to the game, you need to take it step by step.

Just think about getting to the last 16, last eight and go from that.

“I didn’t beat Michael for a long time, I think it was 20 in a row and soon as I had done once, I maybe lost another two or three, but then I beat him the next two. Now I’m more and more confident against those sort of players and the tide

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“As soon as I sort of got that mentality I went from strength-to-strength, not trying to win everything all in one go.

“It’s the same in all walks of life. If you want to be a carpenter or electrician you

can’t just go out and do it, you’ve got to do your apprenticeship and learn things along the way. That’s all I’ve done over the past seven years.

“If I’d been the player I was four or five years ago in a couple of the games in the World Championship I would never have won. I’ve just learnt from my mistakes.

“

Remarkably, Price won his PDC Tour Card just a couple of weeks after Michael van Gerwen first went to World No.1 back in early 2014.

Richie Burnett, Mark Webster and Wayne Warren.

He added: “It’s probably tougher to be World No.1 than to win this trophy, as tough as this is to win.

“This is good, but to be World No.1, you need to do it for two years and I think I deserve it.

“I never give up. As long as you’ve still got a dart in your hand and they haven’t finished the game off, you’ve always got a chance.

“In my career, I thought you’d mention rugby players alongside me, but it’s the darts players now!

“Especially against Stephen Bunting, I think I was 3-1 down. But I’ve been in that situation before and it all comes back to the experience.”

“I don’t care how many I win. I am World No.1 and World Champion. I never dreamt of that until this year. I can’t wait for John McDonald to call me out for my next game.”

Price became only the fifth Welsh world champion but first in the PDC. Leighton Rees became the first-ever BDO world champ in 1978 followed by wins for

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The pantomime villain who went on to defy the script and become a hero.

Oh yes he did it.

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MENSUR SAYS ANDO HAS “PROBLEM IN HIS HEAD”

Milton Keynes.

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He beat Jose De Sousa, Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and Peter Wright en route to the final, with three 104-plus averages and all last leg deciders. In the quarter-final clash with Wade he even produced a record 91 per cent checkout rate for a best of 19 match.

ENSUR Suljovic blasted that Gary Anderson has a “problem in his head” after the gamesmanship bustup at the World Championship.

The Austrian finally defended himself after the row at the Alexandra Palace over which table the players used and slowing the game down during their third round clash.

After the victory, Clayton was stunned by the biggest success in his career. Looking at the trophy he said: “I can see it but it still hasn’t sunk in. It wasn’t the best of matches, we both played better than that today.

It became the biggest talking point of the tournament with Anderson eventually lashing out at pundits Wayne Mardle and Rod Harrington because of their views of the incident.

However, Suljovic had stayed silent until after his opening Ladbrokes Masters win over Ian White last night.

He hit back at Anderson, saying: “For me it’s not World Champion. I like him brilliant player, World Champion. But it’s not correct. I never see the table, left side, this side. Is this problem with this game? No, never. It’s problem in the head.”

“To get over the line is amazing. I’m so glad it didn’t go to a deciding leg. He went to sleep for a couple of legs, I went in front and did enough.

On slowing the game down, he insists: “I swear on my children I never. Gary Anderson is a big player, I have big problem in myself. I think ‘Mensur come on you win’.

“But I like him 100 per cent. This guy says I play slow. I never do it to Gary Anderson, never.”

Ando manager calls for yellow and red cards - Page 13

WADE ADMITS MIXING IT WILL BE A DECENT YEAR

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AMES WADE once again looked much more his old quality self at the Masters until he ran into an inspired eventual winner Jonny Clayton.

He admitted he did want to get the final Premier League pick and vowed not to moan, like he believes others will.

“I try as much as I can and put myself in the best place possible most of the time. I do let myself down. It is what it is and I look forward to what the future of PDC darts holds for me.

“Being away from my wife and son would be very hard in the Premier League if I got picked, it’s the hardest decision in the world.

“Financially it’s a decision I have to make. I want to be in it more than the next man. In my opinion they’ve picked four of maybe five players that will moan consistently through the whole of the Premier League. If they want to give me the opportunity I won’t moan.

“I’d love to be involved in it because I’m playing with the best dart players in the world. Are all the best dart players in the world there? Questionable.”

PDC ANNOUNCE NEW SUPER SERIES EVENTS

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HE 2021 Players Championship season will begin in February with the first of three four-day PDC Super Series taking place.

The 2021 season will initially see three blocks of four days held, with Super Series 1 taking place from February 25-28 in the Premier Suite at the Bolton Whites Hotel, adjoining the University of Bolton Stadium, as top-class darts returns to the former home of the UK Open.

Super Series 2 is planned to be held from March 16-19 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, with Super Series 3 to be staged from April 24-27 at the H+ Hotel in Niedernhausen, Germany.

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“It was a shock to get the Premier League. I usually swear so I was glad not to say anything. A lot of hard thinking about my full-time job now.”

PLASTER MASTER!

King took the lead after the first session with a sensational 128 and bullseye finish to lead 3-2 in a hardfought opener.

But Clayton, averaging 105, hit back immediately to level up the match at 5-5 at the second interval to set up a mouthwatering finale.

Clayton’s finest oche hour will be life-changing

Wade said: “Just me competing and mixing it with some of the best dart players is a good year for me in my opinion.

“I know if I’m in any big tournament I will mix it and I will upset the apple cart.

CROSS ADMITS “SHOCK” AT KING’S SOUR TASTE JIBES

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WORDS: PHIL LANNING PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRIS DEAN/PDC

T was the battle of the plasterer versus the Amazon delivery driver.

And in the space of just 19 legs and under an hour, Jonny Clayton, had gone from walls to the world’s elite and a Premier League star.

the next few weeks.

The Welshman, 46, banked £60,000 when he defied preevents odds of 150-1 to beat King in the final and land his first individual PDC major title.

In a delicious twist of plot, as the final began, the PDC informed ITV presenter Jacqui Oatley that the winner would get the final place in the PL.

The World Cup winner was then poised to also discuss with his family the prospect of giving up his long-standing role as a plasterer with Carmarthenshire County Council to focus full-time on darts.

Clayton duly took a Ladbrokes Masters win over Mervyn King to be greeted with the news that he’d also got a glorious added bonus of 16 weeks at the top table of the sport.

Qualifying for the lucrative Premier League, which has been moved back to April, would potentially mean 16 weeks on the road but a minimum £35,000 prize money.

Suddenly the biggest dilemma in the Welshman’s life was whether to leave his job and, if so, how quickly to accommodate life in the darting elite.

The Ferret has to give his employers two months’ notice and he said: “Darts had always been my hobby. Now it’s a different step in my career.

Hours after that win Clayton admitted he would have to thrash out his future with council bosses – and would have to decide within

“I have got a lot to talk about, especially with work, and financially.

“When you get these chances in

life, you have to take them. You cannot let these things go. I’m thinking of taking it with both hands.

“I have full support from all my family. I’ll have a big chat with them and let’s see what comes of it.

“I’ll think long and hard about it. I’ve a lot of decisions to make and I won’t rush any of them.

“There is big money to win in this sport. The opportunities are there. The Council have supported me and it would mean big talks with them as well. I won’t jump to any conclusions yet.”

Clayton kept the Welsh stronghold on darts with a quite astonishing run of form over the weekend in

However, that’s when the relentless Welshman turned up the heat. He made it five legs on the bounce to take an 9-5 lead and a firm grip on the match and the first signs of the weekend that King was beginning to crack.

He managed to pull two legs back but Clayton took out 81 in two darts but the Welshman soon wrapped it up.

King was excellent all weekend and beat Gerwyn Price in his semi-final, said: “I can't explain what happened because I haven't got a clue.

“One minute I felt right and the next I didn't. It was very on and off. I started to fall asleep in the semis against Gerwyn and got away with it.

“I was just hoping that maybe I could force a last leg but all credit to Jonny he played some cracking darts, fair play to him. Hopefully I'll be back again fairly soon."

Jonny Be Very Good - Page 31

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OB CROSS admitted he was “shocked” and “disappointed” by Mervyn King’s suggestion that he overstepped the oche line during their second round clash.

The 2018 World Champion lost 10-5 to King but was left angry by an exchange of words on stage towards the end of the match.

Cross had to move far wide of the oche to try and navigate his last dart into the double 16 bed which he successfully managed.

However King began to question if Voltage had overstepped the mark to gain an unfair advantage. He then said: “I am one of these that if I see something that is wrong then I have got to say something. I did and unfortunately it was against one of my best mates. It does just leave a sour taste in your mouth when something like that happens.”

Referee George Noble did not speak to Cross at any stage but had words with King after the match had finished.

Cross said: “I really was shocked about what happened.

I’ve never ever been accused of being a cheat in my life.

Because that’s what it sounded like?

“As far as I was concerned I stood on the line. The referee didn’t say anything and he was watching me.

“Obviously what was said on stage annoyed me. It certainly had an effect on me. I’m not saying it would have changed the result. Mervyn was 9-4 in front and on the way to winning deservedly.

“But I don’t understand why he would say my foot was over the line. He knows I’m not the sort to try anything. He knows I’m not the sort to do anything like that.

“I’m pretty sure that I was further away from the board from where I threw from than the oche line anyway.

“But it’s very disappointing that someone who claims to be a mate would basically suggest that I would intentionally cheat. Never have, never will.

“I gave Mervyn a lot of time before we played, practising and socialising and then that is said.

“I really don’t think it is acceptable that a player can suggest something like cheating when the referee didn’t even feel the need to speak to me. Let alone the angle Merv was looking at from behind me.”

It’s the third time in a matter of months that a player has put off Cross during a match after an incident with RowbyJohn Rodriguez in the World Cup and Michael Smith in the Grand Slam.

He added: “These aren’t excuses. It’s just something that’s not happened to me before and it’s now happened three times over the past few months.

“It’s a bit annoying to say the least but I’ll move on and deal with it. I didn’t play like I can against Mervyn, but time to move on and I will focus on getting my game back.”

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Ali, Mandela and Liston...to Anderson LEGENDARY BOSS GILMOUR ON A GLITTERING CAREER

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HERE’S not many people who start a new career at the age of 55 and deliver two World Championships and six more major titles.

half a dozen world champions and been involved in over 70 world championship fights.

He added that there’s this guy who is looking for a manager and we’ll put you two together and see if it works out.

But there’s not many sporting legends like Tommy Gilmour MBE.

“Gary Anderson was coming up to the Highland Centre to meet the PDC in early 2008 and that’s where it all started.

A career which started in boxing when he was knee-high to a bottle of Irn-Bru and has rubbed shoulders with the greats of life Muhammed Ali, Nelson Mandela and Sonny Liston.

Gilmour, 68, is a feisty competitor but an even fiercer fighter for right over wrong.

Based in Glasgow, he retired from being a boxing promoter in 2007 after 50 years in the sport.

But just as Gilmour was hanging up his gloves and ready to swap the ring for retirement, he took a call from old pal Barry Hearn. Six years later and he would be uniquely reflecting on winning World Championships in two different sports.

He revealed: “I was discussing with Barry that I was going to retire from boxing after 40 years. I said people don’t get that for a life sentence and that I’m off.

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“I wanted more time for me.

He said ‘you’ll drive yourself mad, you’ll need to keep going, it’s just too early’.

“He said ‘why don’t you get involved in the darts?’ I said ‘what do I know about darts?’

“He added that I’d managed

THE GREATEST… Gilmour with boxing legend Ali and with Anderson after World title triumph

“I didn’t know who Gary Anderson was. If he’d walked up to me in the street, I would have had no idea. But it all changed that night.

“It all came from an idea from my old pal Barry stopping me from becoming an alcoholic after taking early retirement!

“I can’t think of anyone else that’s been fortunate enough to manage world champions in two different sports or disciplines.

“That’s why I wanted to retire, there was very little left for me to do in boxing. There was only managing or promoting a heavyweight champion. It’s quite unique. But when you have a chance to have a go at something else, you want the challenge.

“A number of years before that I had been approached to be a manager of footballers. I gave it a bit of thought and I didn’t want to do it. I’ve never really been involved in a team sport, I’d always been able to make the decisions and have an element of control or influence.”

In typical boxing style, you don’t want to get on the wrong side of Gilmour. Quick as a flash he can turn from being your favourite uncle into

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PUNCHING…Gilmour with Jim Watt and Anderson. Below with former ring girl Michelle Mone, now Baroness Mone of Mayfair

GILMOUR CALLS FOR REF YELLOW AND RED CARDS

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the Incredible Hulk. You won’t like him when he’s angry.

others, ‘he’s a pain in the a***’. But I’m a rottweiler when I go off, absolutely.

But that fierce nature is born out of the school of hard knocks, a proper old-style operator who doesn’t take any s***.

“If people fall out with me because I stand by my beliefs. Then they’re not really the friends that I thought they were.

He is a hard-as-nails Glaswegian chiselled from the same stone as the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Billy McNeill and Walter Smith.

“I’d go to battle for my fighter or player. I probably upset a lot of people but that’s how I got on. I’ve always been my own person. I made mistakes but I’ve had a laugh.”

That no-nonsense streak came from being a shop steward just like Sir Alex, what Gilmour reflects upon as “a good grounding”.

If the saying is ‘been there, worn the t-shirt’, in sporting terms the Gilmour family has built the whole bloody wardrobe.

He continued: “If something’s not right, I’ve got to turn round and say it.

His grandad Jim boxed for Great Britain in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.

His father Tommy Sr. managed his first fighter at the tender age of 14 in 1924, which was four years before the formation of the British Boxing Board of Control itself.

“In a previous life I was a shop steward, and a very young one in my 20s. I was in charge of these men two or three times older than me.

“But if they asked me to go and do something union-wise, and I didn’t agree with it, I just told them no.

“It wouldn’t be the first time I sided with the other side of the table because I didn’t feel it was the right thing.

“I will always stick up for anyone when it comes down to right and wrong.

“In boxing you always had to live by your own rules. At any time the s*** may hit the fan, if you’ve been honest and truthful up front, you’ll always win.

“Sir Alex Ferguson took part in the famous Apprentice’s Strike which was just a bit before me. The one who was famous was Jimmy Airlie in the shipyards. He became one of the bosses in the union.

“Jimmy wanted me to do a deal with the management one time.

I told the workers it wasn’t the right deal for them. It was a good grounding.

Gilmour continued the third generation of glory. He promoted Pat Clinton win a world title 1992, the first Scotsman for 46 years to deliver a world title fight. In 2007 he was awarded an MBE for services to boxing and the community in Scotland.

He added: “I have been very fortunate to meet wonderful people. The successes that my dad had. Promoting-wise and the way that they presented themselves. I knew how to manage because of my dad. He was a top guy at that.

“The top promoter was Jack Solomons. I see Jack in Barry Hearn. That’s the nearest that I can say, the best thing that I could say to Barry.

“Jack promoted all over the world when people only had radio.

He was flamboyant and he looked the part. He walked round the ringside and spoke to people. There was a certain thing about him.

“My thoughts are that if I’m doing right, I can only get admiration from the people on the other side.

“Jack used to sit me on his knee when I was just a wee boy.

A lot of these people I was fortunate enough to meet, like Muhammed Ali, the Willie Pep and the James J Braddock.

“When it comes to that with darts, Barry just laughs. He tells the

“When I met them it was great to meet them because they were

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WORDS: PHIL LANNING in the paper but I didn’t think it was that special because it was my dad’s job.

“In my own life to meet Nelson Mandela. To have read the Long Walk of Freedom and then to meet the man and him be at a show I was involved in, was wow.

“Angelo and Chris Dundee who looked after Ali at the time, they would just come up to our house for a cup of tea. And he was the guy promoting the heavyweight champion of the world!

“But on reflection, when I was around these people, something must have registered with me as a young boy. The way they conducted themselves.

“I cannot think of a relationship in boxing that has lasted as long as me and Barry Hearn.

“The only thing I remember Ali saying to me is ‘hurry up’. The thing I can remember about him was that he was quite sullen. Sonny Liston was another that I met.

“Over the years the amount of friendships from people who came to the boxing like Pat Crerand, Billy McNeill, John Grieg, Mick Jackson.

All these people still remember.”

paid to his many excursions to glamorous locations, the question is how many more sporting chapters can Gilmour continue to write?

He concluded: “Stephanie is dealing so much more with the business and the new players coming through.

“I still do the deals with the sponsors and she writes up the contracts and keeps in touch with all the boys.

“I love our association with all the boys. That came from being with Gary initially. Gary has become more of a pal because he’s getting nearer my age. He’ll go mad that I said that!

“The very first boxer I ever managed was Hughie Smith who’s sister Anna wrote for The Daily Record.

“Hughie is now 71 and phones me every couple of months and we’re still pals after 50 years. I think that Gary falls into that category.

“Gary is now in a good place.

We’ve got him into a life that he is comfortable living in. If something’s not right, you must speak up or forever hold your peace.

Gilmour lives in sleepy and leafy Newton Mearns in the southside of Glasgow with wife Veronica, a force of nature herself, and daughter Stephanie.

“I’ve done so much and met so many people. But now I’ve also been to Pro Tours in Wigan and Barnsley. The Metrodome is a long way from the Super Bowl in Sun City!

There aren’t many golden sunsets in that part of the world to ride into and, with Covid-19 currently putting

“At the end of the day, we’re all Jock Tamson’s bairns. We’re all just God’s children.”

“

The only thing I remember Ali saying to me is ‘hurry up’.

The thing I can remember about him was that he was quite sullen. Sonny Liston was another that I met.

“

“

I’d go to battle for my fighter or player. I probably upset a lot of people but that’s how I got on. I’ve always been my own person. I made mistakes but I’ve had a laugh.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: TAYLOR LANNING

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ARY ANDERSON’S manager Tommy Gilmour has called for yellow and red cards to be brought into darts to stop gamesmanship.

The two-time World Champion became embroiled in heated verbals with ex-players Rod Harrington and Wayne Mardle at the Ally Pally after problems in his clash with Mensur Suljovic.

But Gilmour, owner of Dunvegan management firm, has leapt to the defence of Anderson who received a fair bit of stick during the tournament.

He wants darts referees to act more like football officials and watch for incidents on the oche more closely.

Gilmour said: “Stand up and be counted. They’ve not got the b**** in the middle of a match to blow the whistle like in football and say to a player ‘don’t do that’ or ‘smarten yourself up’.

I think a yellow or red card, a public warning.

“If somebody is not playing by the rules, front them up. Treat them like a bully.

“It’s a shame. Gary speaks very highly of Mensur, what a nice fella he is. I was not in the least bit critical of Gary.

I was going to make a complaint. It was 23 or 26 seconds for throwing darts.

“But there are other people in there who have

the jolly jolly faces that are doing things but they are not getting pulled up for it.

“There’s a few in there where you would think butter wouldn’t melt.

But Gary says they are absolutely murder. But front them up, let the public know.

“If there’s any cheating at all, in any shape or form, clicking your heels, stamping your feet, loudly talking. They all do it.”

Anderson, despite suffering from a string of injuries and not finding his top game, still reached the World final, Matchplay final and Premier League semifinals.

It proved there is more than a bit of life left in the old dog.

Gilmour is also not worried about the growing feeling that Ando had turned into a perceived constant moaner, whether or not he was right to moan.

He added: “Since Gary has joined the PDC, social media has risen by a million per cent. Now it’s instantaneous, you can’t say anything and it’s out.

“Gary was a whinger and I was a moaner. That’s why we got on. We just want to see things done properly.

“You win on your ability and your skills. If that makes him a whinger then I’m proud to be associated with a whinger.”

13

Matt PORTER

Jacqui OATLEY

LEGENDS…Robertson with commentating icon John Gwynne

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OU cannot underestimate the power of sport during undoubtedly a difficult time during the Covid-19 pandemic.

W

ATCHING our 2021 season burst into action at the weekend was genuinely impressive.

There are certain elements of life we will have learnt to not to take for granted again after three extensive lockdowns.

In the past, the Masters has been accused of having something of a ‘pre-season’ feel to it with the players having had at least a month off after the World Championship and many focusing on the upcoming Premier League or ProTour seasons.

One of them is certainly the joy of watching sport at the highest level.

But not this year. A tournament average of 97.87 must be a record (come on you social media stattos, correct me if I’m wrong) and I know that Jonny Clayton hitting a 91 per cent checkout success rate in a best of 19 match was the best I’ve ever seen, if not best of all time.

Jonny showed incredible character to not only knock out Michael van Gerwen but come through last leg deciders in every round until the final when he wore down another player enjoying a real Indian Summer in his career, Mervyn King – probably playing the most consistent darts he has done for a decade and looking unflappable for the most part in doing so.

Much has been made of how Jonny still (at time of writing) works as a plasterer, and Mervyn took up part-time work as a delivery driver during the lockdown to keep himself occupied. It’s easy to pass negative comments about this, but for me it shows both men to be hard-working and dedicated in the extreme: giving yourself to one profession is hard enough, let alone two!

Jonny squeezed out Mervyn for the final Premier League place and it did make me laugh to read the opinions of some people that doubted whether what we said about neither of them knowing it was on the line was true or not.

The fact is, it was decided in a PDC Board WhatsApp conversation after the second semifinal, and I deliberately only conveyed it to ITV to announce during the ad break leading up to the walk-ons. The practice room TVs never have volume on (as if any of the players would want to listen to any of our lovely pundits) and our Tournament Director Graham Fairhurst was under strict instruction to ensure nobody went anywhere near them before the match or during the breaks.

So when John McDonald announced the news to Jonny afterwards, it was the first time he knew he had been selected to join that elite band of players. Yes, he may have thought he was in with a shot, but so did about half a dozen others!

This year’s event will have a number of newcomers with Jose de Sousa and Dimitri van den Bergh also making the cut for the first time, but all eyes will be on the Welsh following their World Cup win and Gerwyn Price’s sensational, and richly deserved World Championship win.

You may have noticed I’ve chosen not to write about our recent escapades in the world of Covid: quarantines, testing, bubbles, protocols and ‘behind closed doors’ have been pretty much all I’ve done for the last 10 months now. So for once, it was nice to let the darts do the talking and concentrate on our dau o bencampwyr Cymru!

Thanks for your support – let’s hope it’s not long until we can welcome you back in to our events.

Matthew Porter is Chief Executive of the Professional Darts Corporation.

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MADE HIS Farewell to an unsung hero of the sport

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NGLAND cricket, Manchester United and darts…Marcus Robertson has seen the full spectrum of sport at the highest level.

But the arrows remains his biggest love.

Robertson left his role as a nonexecutive director of the Professional Darts Corporation at the end of 2020, ending a 40-year involvement in the sport.

A former PR and sponsorship executive, Robertson first worked in darts in 1979 and went on to handle media during the formation and early years of the World Darts Council (later PDC).

He subsequently joined the PDC’s board of directors, played a role in Barry Hearn’s arrival as chairman in 2001 and has helped to shape the sport’s modern future during his time in the sport.

However, it all started on a night in Sheffield in 1979 and an instant friendship with legendary commentator Dave Lanning.

He admitted: “My first involvement in darts came at the end of 1979 when I was sent off to see the Marlboro Team of Champions, comprised of five top players at the time, playing an exhibition in Sheffield.

“The sponsor was our client and I knew nothing about darts. I was vaguely dreading it, yet within five

minutes of watching darts I was in love with it.

“I was introduced to Dave Lanning, who was the MC, and I was in awe of this towering figure who came off the stage. But it was an instant close friendship which carried on throughout my life. He gave Marlboro so much coverage in The Sun and was so kind to give me that opportunity.

That night and friendship with Dave changed my life.

“Barry often says that you have to make the most of your luck in situations, and from the moment that I came to that darts match in Sheffield I wanted to make this sport loved by everyone. That’s the one thing I feel I’ve helped to achieve.

“It’s been the greatest privilege of my working life to do this, and loved every minute of it.

“I’ve always loved the straightforwardness of the players and people who work in the game. I’ve worked in a lot of sports, and as much as I loved that I never felt the same emotional closeness to the sport or the people as I do in darts.

“I’ve worked with the England cricket team and Manchester United down the years, but darts is easily the best.”

After that night in Sheffield, Robertson believes that taking Barry Hearn out for lunch in Knightsbridge was the other most pivotal moment in his career.

He added: “Barry has been an

MARCUS WORDS: PHIL LANNING

enormous addition to the game, with such great vision.

Probably the best thing we ever did was to invite Barry out for lunch in Knightsbridge to see if he was interested in getting involved in the sport.

“Before we sat down he asked what we wanted, and we said that we believed he could help get the business to move along a bit faster; he said that he knew we were in a fight, he liked a fight and he was in - and that was before we had lunch or told him how much it was going to cost, and the rest is history.

“We’re broadcasting now in 130 countries and there will be players out there somewhere in the world, who we don’t even know about yet, who can have a huge impact.

“In the same way that I loved darts when I walked into that arena in Sheffield, anyone can switch on the TV and within five minutes they can understand the game, pick a favourite and suddenly they’re hooked.

“That will happen around the world more and more, and I think we’re maybe halfway on the journey to where the whole world is playing darts and watching it - but we’ll get there!”

“We would not be where we are now without Barry, but the last ten years has also needed a second person and Matt Porter has been an exceptional chief executive.

“With Barry and Matt, alongside the existing board of directors and the hard-working staff within the PDC, the sport is in good hands.”

PDC chairman Barry Hearn said: “Marcus Robertson has made an immeasurable contribution to darts during his career, and whilst his work may have been unseen by many of the general public it was certainly valued and appreciated by his colleagues.

“His experience and knowledge of the sport has made him an important member of our board of directors, and his love for the sport is clear for all to see.

“Marcus leaves the PDC board with the best wishes of everyone involved in the organisation.

“From a personal standpoint, I will always be eternally grateful to Marcus for him being instrumental in my joining the PDC, and for the fun we’ve had on the journey that followed.”

Naturally, I’ve felt extremely privileged to work within football and darts over the past year and huge kudos must go to both sports for the incredible effort that has gone in behind the scenes to be able to continue.

The players also continue to serve up great entertainment.

The Ladbrokes Masters delivered yet again for ITV Sport with shocks, records broken, controversy and a thoroughly deserving and hugely popular winner in Jonny Clayton. We were all so happy for him.

There’s little doubt one of the big talking points right now is Michael van Gerwen. A giant of the sport who is going through a big blip by his ‘phenomenal’ standards.

It seems like only yesterday that he had that sensational 77-game unbeaten run on ITV, ended by Jeffrey De Zwaan three years ago in March.

Without MVG being his allconquering self, the events feel much more open. That was proved at the Masters. While Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright were the favourites to make a heavyweight final, the two battlers instead came through in style with Clayton facing Mervyn King.

Part of the biggest charm of sport is the shock, the unexpected happening and the whoosh of emotion that comes with it.

The PDC cleverly added that extra bit of theatre and drama by giving me the opportunity to reveal live on air prior to the final that the winner would also be awarded the last Premier League spot. The decision had been made during an impromptu PDC meeting and was relayed to me

LEGACY

LEGACY

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via my producer seconds before the end of the ad break just before the players were due to be called on, meaning they had absolutely no idea. Jonny’s face was a picture when he was told

by John McDonald on the stage!

It was great news for us that ITV Sport will continue to cover top quality darts until at least the end of 2022 and I was delighted to be asked to stay on to front the coverage. We’ve received some lovely feedback and it’s very much appreciated by the team.

I absolutely love this job and value every moment.

The deal will see ITV remain as the host broadcaster for The Masters, UK Open, European Championship, Players Championship Finals and World Series of Darts Finals.

In addition, ITV Sport will also broadcast the PDC’s worldwide World Series of Darts events - with the 2021 schedule planned to include events in Australia, New Zealand and America, where New York’s famous Madison Square Garden will host the US Darts Masters.

Next up is the Masters from MSG in New York on June 4/5. It’s enthralling to see local heroes take on the big guns. Last year we were denied the opportunity to see Fallon Sherrock take to the stage and try and emulate her headline-grabbing Alexandra Palace exploits.

Personally, the role of women in sport remains a huge passion of mine. It will be important in 2021 for the top women players to have a platform to perform in darts. While Lisa Ashton remains on the PDC Tour, the likes of Sherrock, Deta Hedman and so many top female players need a chance to shine.

I am delighted that the role of women in darts has escalated across all platforms. To see Laura Turner, Emma Paton, Mikki Austin and Laura Woods all involved in TV coverage is brilliant.

Here’s to another great year of darts. The fans will soon be back and we cannot wait for that to happen but, in the meantime, thank goodness TV darts is happening at all!

Jacqui Oatley is a presenter of ITV4 darts coverage and Sky Sports News.

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CHAIRMAN HEARN IS AWARDED OBE

Mean ’n’ green WRIGHT GOES FROM GRINCH TO MVG VERBALS EXCLUSIVE WORDS: PHIL LANNING PHOTOGRAPHY: TAYLOR LANNING

“

I don’t care what Michael says. It’s got my back up and that’s why I’m looking forward to taking care of him in every semi-final that he gets to.

“

S

LUMPED on a chair like the green ghost of Christmas past is a Grinch costume, looking deflated and disconsolate.

It’s sitting in the background as Peter Wright is chatting to me on the eve of the Ladbrokes Masters in the new normal press call Covid-19 style - via Zoom on a laptop at his Suffolk farm.

The forlorn Grinch fancy dress outfit pretty much sums up his World Championship defence. The most outrageous look ever worn on that hallowed stage got him splashed over every national sports newspaper page and TV bulletin on December 13.

But while that character wanted to destroy Christmas, ultimately Wright’s festivities were ruined by a German Gabriel Clemens.

It’s now a month since that rather unceremonious low key Ally Pally exit for Snakebite, especially after the explosion of publicity and colour that greeted his opening appearance.

Wright certainly appears to have taken

16

player by winning the Worlds so fair enough.”

moment I can beat anyone in the world.”

Wright is particularly dismissive of any feelings of hurt on losing the World Championship or missing out on the World No.1 opportunity.

Wright fears that 2021 will be another year on the oche in a crowdless situation due to Covid-19. He also admits that he has sympathy for his buddy Price not having the fans to roar him into arenas when he’s called out as World Champion.

He actually seems horizontally laid-back and comfortable with what he’s achieved in the sport and after years of Phil Taylor and MVG ruling the roost, he believes no one will dominate.

He added: “I didn’t feel I had a tag as World Champion. I just felt I’d achieved my dream and get onto the next tournament.

That’s how I approached it. You walk a bit taller and you feel better. I didn’t feel I had any pressure on me at all.

the setback in his stride. He rarely shows an angry side, softly-spoken in that Bernard Matthews Suffolk burr.

The only thing that seems to have irked him is Michael Van Gerwen saying he talks “crap”.

Typical of Wright, it’s all conducted with a cheeky grin, tongue firmly in cheek. He is a clickbaiter’s dream with soundbites.

He hits back: “The actual words were that I talk crap, that’s what he said. Who was right, who was wrong? I said that Michael would not win the Worlds and I said that Gezzy was the main man if I didn’t win it.

So who was talking crap? Not me.

“I don’t care what Michael says. It’s got my back up and that’s why I’m looking forward to taking care of him in every semi-final that he gets to.

“Going into the Worlds I felt like if I don’t win it again, then so be it. I’ve won it, lots of people haven’t. I’ll always be a World Champion.

“It hasn’t bothered me. On the day I was a bit narked that the darts didn’t quite go right. I got punished.

“You’ve just got to get on with the next

competition and that’s this year starting at the Masters.

“I think it’s good for darts at the moment with the three of us at the top vying for No.1. It makes a change from one guy being a million pound in front like Michael normally is.

“It’s good that me and Gezzy have worked that hard to put ourselves up into that position.

“It’s the first time for a long time darts has had that. It was Phil Taylor and then Michael’s done the exact same thing.

“Obviously it was very hard, I wanted to perform a lot better. Gabriel hit the right shots at the right time. He wouldn’t go away and you expect players to do that.

“I suppose I didn’t prepare properly deep down, which I should have done. I got over it and Red Dragon retained it and that’s good.

“I said that Gezzy was the danger running up to it the months before and he went and proved me right.

“He was the best player throughout the whole year. I was OK for a couple of tournaments. He proved he was the best

“My target this year is to beat Michael in the semis of all the tournaments. He’s No.2 now so instead of me against Gezzy it’s going to be me and Michael facing up to get into the finals.

He continued: “He’s got the pressure of being World Champion and World No.1. But he’s strong minded from his sporting background. He’s taken that from rugby into darts.

“He’s going to have players playing out their skin against him. That’s something he’s got to deal with. Even I might come up with some crazy shots against him.

“It’s a great feeling and nice to hear John McDonald announcing you as World Champion. But it’s not the same with no one there.

“I wasn’t bothered about being No.1 in the world. I’m 50-yearsold so if I don’t get to No.1 then I don’t. I’m happy where I am.

“I feel sorry for Gerwyn. Last year at the Masters we had fans there and at Aberdeen in the Premier League we also had a crowd. That was special.

“There’ll be definitely sharing out of titles now. That was proved by Jose De Sousa and Dimitri Van den Bergh’s wins last year.

“He’s probably not going to get that until later on this year and he’ll go ‘wow this feels really good’.

“Pundits said they only won because of no crowds. You don’t know that. They’ve worked hard and got the results and they’ve always been good players.

“Gezzy, myself, Michael, Nathan Aspinall thrive with the crowds to make ourselves play better.

But it’s our fault that we can’t make ourselves up for it in those situations. Gezzy has managed to do that by winning, he’s found that little bit of magic that works for him.

“It’s up to me and Michael to get that same sort of thing going.

I’m ready for this year. I want to win the Matchplay, I’m due that one. The way I feel at the

“Last year I was getting really fed up the whole Covid situation, down and depressed.

But I’ve got used to it now.

“I’m so relaxed. But last year I was uptight and stressed about it. Now it’s easy. Do as you’re told try and be safe and try and do the right things.

“They are trying to get the vaccines out quick enough which is really good, we’ll wait our turn and see where we go from there.

“What we could do at darts is let all the over-80s in to watch after they have been vaccinated.

We can let them in! We can have crowds, OAPs only!”

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DC Chairman Barry Hearn admits he’s “incredibly proud” to be awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list, recognising his services to sport across over 40 years.

Top sports promoter Hearn, 72, has played a key role in the PDC’s development since taking over as chairman in 2001, with top-level darts enjoying a global boom since.

During his time in the sport, Hearn has helped to boost prize money to record levels and introduce a worldwide circuit which is headlined by the William Hill World Darts Championship.

Hearn said: “I’m incredibly proud to have been awarded an OBE. It has been a great joy to be involved in such a wide range of sports for over 40 years, and to be recognised for that work is an honour.

“I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the greatest players ever to play in their sport from Steve Davis to Phil Taylor to Chris Eubank, and I’ve got so many wonderful memories.

“Alongside those elite players though, I’ve always tried to create pathways and opportunities for people to reach the very top of their chosen sport and change their life in the process.

“This award is also a recognition for the hard-working, creative and dedicated staff I work with at Matchroom Sport and in our chosen sports, who share my vision and help to bring our events to reality.

“A passion for sport has been a mantra for us all at Matchroom, and I’m so fortunate to have enjoyed such a wonderful time across the last four decades.”

Hearn has also overseen the introduction of the PDC ProTour and Qualifying School/Tour Card system, enabling any darts player to achieve the dream of rising to the top of the sport, and the creation of the second-tier Challenge and Development Tours.

Global television coverage of PDC events includes live broadcasts in over 130 countries and audience figures to rival other mainstream sports, while the creation of the World Series of Darts circuit in 2013 has helped to support the work of affiliated organisations across the world in producing new stars.

A world record 20,210 fans watched the 2018 German Darts Masters in Gelsenkirchen, while the annual Premier League visits the biggest arenas in the UK and Ireland as well as venturing to the Netherlands and Germany, encapsulating darts’ status as one of the world’s most popular sports.

Originally a chartered accountant, Hearn had initially begun working in sport as the manager of Steve Davis in the late 1970s, before forming Matchroom Sport in 1982.

The management company worked with four World Snooker Champions during the 1990s and the company’s evolution also saw them move into promoting top class boxing events at venues such as White Hart Lane, Old Trafford and Wembley Stadium.

The Matchroom Sport portfolio of events also includes golf’s PGA EuroProTour and high-profile events in pool, tenpin bowling, fishing, netball, basketball and gymnastics.

A former owner of Leyton Orient football club who remains club president, Hearn also played a role in the rise in popularity of televised poker events.

Hearn also created the Matchroom Sport Charitable Foundation in 2016, which supports various charities, foundations and hospices across the UK. Barry Hearn’s son Eddie is now the Group Managing Director of Matchroom Sport, as well as a director of the PDC, while daughter Katie is Director of Programming overseeing the company’s television production arm.

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Laura TURNER

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o the World Championships have come and gone and despite the lack of crowds, it didn’t disappoint. Behind the scenes, full credit has to be given to the teams at Sky Sports and the PDC who moved mountains to ensure the event could take place both safely and in a way that could still showcase our global darting talent.

Records were broken both on and off the oche; Gerwyn Price becoming the first player to claim the coveted Sid Waddell trophy having earned his tour-card via Q School, a win which included a record-breaking 136.64 average in set 6 and the PDC recently announced exceptional viewing figures, surpassing previous years.

I still have to pinch myself every time I get the opportunity to attend these events, working alongside exceptional commentators, presenters and broadcasting talent, all of whom are always on hand for one of my many questions!

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Nigel PEARSON

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LOOD, sweat and tiers.

EVER a dull moment.

It was the Worlds that had a bit of everything...apart from fans.

Darts simply delivers top class entertainment.

The most unique Championships in the history of the tournament began with Peter Wright turning up as The Grinch in front of a small crowd.

I think it would be fair to say that perhaps everyone was a little nervous about a World Championship that ended up being without fans.

That was it for the fans as London went into Tier 4 and lockdown as the pandemic reared its ugly head again.

But then it was pure drama all the way to pack Sky Sports’ Darts Gold full of new shows.

It wasn’t the same, obviously.

But considering all the different problems, it was still an outstanding tournament.

Who will forget the excellent coverage led by Laura Woods, the tears of Portela, Bunting joy, Cullen’s epic battle with MVG and Chizzy’s sensational win over the Dutchman, culminating with an Iceman’s time cometh.

We missed the fans, the wall-to-wall noise, fancy dress and constant singing. However we just had to accept the situation and safety came first during this dreadful pandemic.

Here’s our Ally Pally gallery chosen by Darts World photographer Taylor Lanning…

But when the darts really dazzled, it was all about pure class, absorbing sport.

I’m also proud to be part of a strong and growing female presence within the professional darts scene. On the oche, the likes of Fallon Sherrock, Lisa Ashton, Mikuru Suzuki and Deta Hedman have been making headlines, while off the oche, I’ve had the pleasure of working besides the likes of Laura Woods, Emma Paton and Mikki Austin. Add ITV4’s brilliant Jacqui Oatley and the ever-increasing and constant presence of so many inspiring female figures is and will continue to attract new audiences and increase participation in the women’s game.

The Michael van Gerwen matches against Joe Cullen and Dave Chisnall will be replayed for years and years to come. Seeing games like those made me forget about what life is all about right now, life was back to normal for an hour or two.

There were an incredibly tense 16 last leg deciders which, of course, for the first time didn’t go to tie-breaks or sudden death. Not forgetting 877 maximum 180s hit.

That’s just simply outstanding. The new champ Gezzy dodged a bullet along the way!

I was very proud to be part of a brilliant Sky Sports team. We are still missing Rod Studd as he recovers from illness while Dave Clark will always be in our hearts as the ultimate anchorman.

That said, the current landscape for the majority not playing at this top, professional level is left wanting. Disappointingly, the demise of the BDO and the restrictions imposed throughout the globe has left a gaping void in the sport, with the women’s game especially affected. Emerging UK-based organisations, specifically the UKDA and MADdarts look set to provide a promising future for darts in the UK, with the WDF looking after amateur darts on the international stage.

Plus, the potential is there for the PDC to push the Women’s game on even more if they are able to expand on last years’ Women’s Series.

But the entire new-look team I felt did a great job with wall-to-wall coverage for a whopping 16 days during Christmas and New Year. I was also thrilled to play a small part with TalkSPORT and TalkSPORT 2 in the latter stages with their radio coverage. Yes, darts on the radio works!

If we have learnt something very valuable over the past year, it’s that sports bosses and associations must never lose sight of what supporters bring to a sporting occasion. I know the PDC have never lost sight of that, just look at the hoops they jumped through to get fans in for the first night of the worlds.

As it stands, like so many sports, so many of us are in limbo. I still live in the hope that the time this pandemic has allowed organisations to plan, will see us all hit the ground running when the world opens up once more.

My personal concern is grassroots sport and small sports that rely totally on ticket sales to survive. I fear for lower league football and the likes of speedway and cricket, as you know are my other passions.

Sport plays a fundamental part in our well-being. Just like the hospitality industry. We all work to pay the bills but we love to look forward to watching our sporting passion at the stadium or on the box and go down the pub for a pint.

I’m excited at the potential, but the results remain to be seen. I have taken on the role as Titan’s Regional Director and Women’s Operational Manager to help drive the game from grassroots level. In a short space of time, MADdarts have established a blueprint which will offer opportunities for local league players to progress and play at regional and national level.

Without those elements of our lives, it ain’t much fun!

Of course we will come through this pandemic. But the main concern now is that damage and scarring it leaves behind in the two industries that mean so much to me and all of us.

My aim is to try and create more opportunities for female players at grassroots level and increase the membership. There are plans in place already to help bolster the women’s game which I want to further develop and an uptake in female participation will create leverage for more female-centric tournaments. You can find more information about MAD darts at www.MADdarts. tv or contact me direct via Facebook or Twitter.

I believe it is also crucial that kids are encouraged to get back outside and play football, cricket and rugby. For the past year they’ve been stuck at home with their eyes glued to iPads and Playstations. We don’t want a next generation of unhealthy kids.

Back on the oche, I’d like to offer my congratulations to Jonny Clayton on his brilliant Ladbrokes Masters success.

What a tournament it proved to be, some fabulous games and personally I’m delighted to see the resurgence of Mervyn King and Adrian Lewis. The strength in-depth of the top 32 right now is great for the game.

I still remain positive about the future. Once any kind of normality can be established, there are some great people ready to step in and look after the game, but until that happens there still an underlying fear as to where the game will be this time next year.

There’s so much to look forward to thanks to the PDC and their incredible hard work to keep the sport booming.

Next up is the Premier League, I can’t wait.

Laura Turner is No.9 in the BDO Ladies World rankings. She is also a TV pundit for Sky Sports.

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Nigel Pearson is a Sky Sports presenter and TalkSport and BT Sport commentator.

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Oh Michael Van hurting

“

As sporting destructions go, that was the feeling watching Dave Chisnall’s explosive display brutally bring down Michael Van Gerwen set-by-set in the World Championship quarter-final.

It says a lot for MVG that despite not winning his fourth world title, he still featured in the two most memorable matches of the tournament.

But now the question is whether the Dutchman will emerge from the rubble spitting bricks to rebuild his shattered awe, or simply disappear in the dust.

To his enormous credit, his reaction to such a devastating result has been impeccable. A sportsman who takes with defeat with as much aplomb as victory.

It was, arguably, the most shocking result ever on that Alexandra Palace stage.

Van Gerwen, 31, admitted: “It wasn’t the most pleasant feeling for me at all. I’ve been on top of the table for seven and a half years or something, things like that happen.

“High trees take a lot of wind” was a Dutch phrase Van Gerwen used to respond to pressure on his reign as World No.1.

“Of course this is maybe going to help me and get me the hunger again because people forget that I’ve already been on the tour quite long.

Well he certainly didn’t reckon on Chizzy turning up on New Year’s Day with a chainsaw.

“I think I started improving my form over the last few months. I thought I played an alright World Championship but Dave

“

WORDS: PHIL LANNING PHOTOGRAPHY: TAYLOR LANNING

HERE is a weird fascination with watching a controlled demolition of tower blocks. As each batch of dynamite booms floor by floor, then the strangely artistic uniformed vertical collapse followed by a mushroom cloud of dust and rubble.

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“I feel good, I feel relaxed, when you set yourself targets and when things get back to normal again I can do some damage again.

It’s not nice not being No.1 anymore but if I had to pick out someone who deserves it, I think it was Gerwyn Price at the moment.

But I’ll be back, don’t worry.

CAN MVG EMERGE FROM CHIZZY CRUSHING?

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“I hope the corona situation can get out of the way quick enough for me. We all want to get back to normal as quick as possible.

First everyone needs to try and get a vaccine. I’m a little bit more positive now.

“At the beginning my game wasn’t 100 per cent there yet but over the past two or three months I’m starting to play really good darts.

“In the Grand Prix I had a tournament average of 95 or 96 and double-in, double-out, that’s insane.

“I feel I can do and of course Gerwyn and everyone are playing really good darts but I still believe when I play my top game I’ll get my spot back.”

“That tournament in the past people haven’t even had an average over 90. You can see how much change. That’s gone, you always have to look to the future.

The signs of Van Gerwen’s crown slipping have been evident for some time. The stats geeks of the sport will tell you that his average has dipped alarmingly.

“You set yourself targets and goals again and make sure you’re sharp.

But you don’t become a dominant force for over seven years without being very special.

It appears the question is very much about MVG’s own hunger now, whether he wants it enough.

Perhaps the most revealing comments over the past few months on Van Gerwen came from his best mate Vincent Van Der Voort.

Big VVDV admitted that his Dutch bud had become lazy and now he needed to work harder to keep his place at the top.

What will be fascinating is how Van Gerwen reacts to this switch in challenge, mentally and on the stage.

He added: “Whoever I played last

AMIT’S A BIT SPECIAL STAR

year the Grand Slam upwards they all played a phenomenal game against me.

“Of course I’ve not been sitting still. I’ve been to Winmau. I had some time off and we are busy producing some new darts for me.

“I can throw with any dart. But you need to feel comfortable with it.

There are so many good memories with my old darts!

“But I can feel now they are worn out a bit. You need to make the right choice for yourself and move over to another dart.

“Last year at this time I did the same but with the corona I didn’t practice as much at the beginning of the year. It didn’t really help out in my favour. I take the blame for that. I just need to make sure it doesn’t happen to me this year.”

It’s a huge year ahead for Michael Van Gerwen.

The re-build will begin or an era has ended in that plume of dust.

GLOBAL WORDS: PHIL LANNING PHOTOGRAPHY: TAYLOR LANNING

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MIT GILITWALA could be ready to make history as the first Indian PDC star thanks to a career funded by sari dresses.

The charming thrower made his Alexandra Palace debut in the opening first round match of the tournament against Steve West.

Gilitwala lost that clash but believes success for him could propel darts like never before on his continent - after starting his oche dream in the classroom.

The 25-year-old revealed: “When I was at school in Gujarat darts was taught as part of the curriculum activity. It’s just as a sport but it is also being considered as part of maths.

“I was selected to represent my district and I lost my first time in the semi-final. But in 2014 I was the youngest national darts champion.

Chisnall played a game of his life he never played on television.

“But that also counts for other players like Joe Cullen, my first and second game as well, they all played really well.

“Coming then to the UK was a big step. I would like to say a big thanks to my father and family who supplement me in this step of my life.

“Things like that happen in any kind of sport. Sometimes you have to accept it but don’t keep accepting it. You need to work hard and if you do that you are going to reach your targets. That’s what you need to keep aiming for. I always will do.

“I now stay in Preston in my own place. I chose to come to the UK just for darts. I can play regularly and build my game every week.

“It’s not nice not being No.1 anymore but if I had to pick out someone who deserves it, I think it was Gerwyn Price at the moment. But I’ll be back, don’t worry.

“The World Cup is the biggest tournament I’ve played in so far. That was an amazing experience, it was the first time in my life I had played on that massive stage in front of a huge crowd.

“Of course you always need to have challenges it doesn’t change anything for me at the moment.

“That gave me more confidence and more exposure. That was a very big moment in my career and playing

“I need to make sure I get that No.1 spot back. I will do I know that for sure. But you need to make sure you’ve got the right focus and right mindset.

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against Belgium was very tough.

“My dad has always been my great supporter. He has sacrificed so much to give me this position.

“My brother and my mother will also be watching in India when I’m playing in the World Championship.

“My family have two manufacturing businesses making fabric for sari clothing. That has helped me start my career in the UK. “It was another big moment for me to play in the World Championship.

It was an opportunity of a lifetime for me.”

Gilitwala, nicknamed The Cobra, is adamant that darts will eventually see an Indian World Champion thanks to a growing development of players from school.

He added: “An Indian World Champion? That time will obviously come.

More and more Indian players are coming into darts.

“So many young students at school are playing the game.

“Indian darts at the moment is developing.

We have a few players who have competed on the big stages, including Nitin Kumar who was my partner in the World Cup. We also have a lot of young talent at under 18, playing really well.

“It is still growing in India but me playing in the World Championship first round and then possibly against the World Champion would be an eye-opener for everybody in India.

That will make many more wanting to compete in international tournaments.”

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BUNTS BACK FROM BRINK TO GLORY “I was scared, I didn’t know what was happening. I slumped down to the floor and broke down into floods of tears.”

“

It was perhaps the most important phone call I ever made. It not only saved my darting career but perhaps my life too.

HE darts stage can be a very lonely place. The oche can swallow you up, send your mind to dark places and make you believe you are worthless.

In 2017, former Lakeside World Champion Stephen Bunting was close to quitting the game for good. But it was far more serious than that, it was no longer just about performances but about his life, his health and his family.

When you lose your belief you lose your direction. For a man who had once stood on top of the mountain, he suddenly felt himself tumbling down to earth.

Bunting revealed: “I had been struggling extremely badly with my nerves. I was turning up at PDC tournaments feeling I was being laughed at and didn’t belong.

My performances were terrible and my form just wasn’t there, it didn’t feel like

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I could win a single game and that was really getting me down.

“As the weeks passed, my confidence was becoming shattered, my belief was lost and I was starting to become very ill. I would then go home to my family feeling depressed and be moody around them.

“Even when I went to local league games I was losing - everything was just wrong.

I read lots of nasty comments on social media, people suggesting I wasn’t good enough, shouldn’t be playing the game and was costing them money on bets.

The irony is that those bad results were costing me money, this was my livelihood and if I wasn’t doing well, I didn’t earn. I needed to win darts matches to support my family, to keep providing for them.

The cycle just continued and the pressure kept mounting. I was close to the edge.

“It all came to a head one night when I was playing local league match in Huyton,

“

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WORDS: PAUL WOODAGE PHOTOGRAPHY: TAYLOR LANNING

Liverpool. During the game my hands started getting very cold and I began to become really nervous - it was a very worrying feeling. I was scared, I didn’t know what was happening. Immediately I went outside, slumped down to the floor and broke down into floods of tears. I remember calling my manager at the time, Jon Archer, crying down the phone pleading for his help.

“I had been with Jon for years, he was with me at the Lakeside in 2014 when I won the World Championship and been by my side all the way through my journey to the PDC. He was more of a friend than a manager but someone I knew cared, a man I trusted and could turn to when needed help.

“Jon and I had briefly discussed a sports psychologist in the past, I was sceptical but knew something had to be done urgently. As it turned out, that was perhaps the most important phone call

I

RUSS BRAY

HOPE all are safe and well.

Happy New Year to everyone.

I am sure 2021 will not be as bad as 2020 and we can look forward to getting back to some normality very soon.

Mid-December was the start of the World Championships at the Ally Pally, but for us officials, players and staging crew we were there a day or two earlier for our Covid test at the hotel.

I ever made. It not only saved my darting career but perhaps my life too.

my new darts, was throwing plenty of nine-darters and feeling great.

“I began having regular sessions in my home with a guy called Mark. It wasn’t an instant fix but as the weeks and months passed I could feel my confidence returning. We used to lock ourselves away so I could unburden myself and he would help lift away that anxiety. I recall on one occasion he looked at my darts shirt and pointed to the star reminding me what it symbolised.

“By the time the World Championships came around in December, I was extremely confident of doing well. Fair play to Target, I was absolutely loving the new darts they had made for me and my performances had dramatically improved.

“Thankfully I am in a much better place now. Mark taught me how to retrain my brain and look for the positives in situations. I’ve been playing the game for over 20 years now and experienced all the highs and lows. I am fortunate to be surrounded by my wonderful family and so many close friends who believe in me. My partner Keila and son Toby are my rock, they have always been there for me through thick and thin. Without their love and support I’m not sure I ever could have returned from the place I was at.”

It’s hard to even talk about 2020 without mentioning the Covid-19 pandemic. It has affected millions of people across the world in ways that are unimaginable. In October, the dreaded virus came knocking on Stephen’s door.

He revealed: “I had already failed to qualify for the World Matchplay in July, a tournament I reached the quarter-finals of the year before.

Then to receive the news that I had tested positive for Covid-19 and would be forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix was deflating. A few years ago this would have completely devastated me but my mind was now trained to look for the positives from any situation.

He added: “This blow had stopped my momentum as I was really starting to play well on the pro tour circuit. Target had given me a brand new set of darts that I was absolutely thrilled with.

“When the news came that I had to pull out of the Grand Prix, I didn’t let it affect me. Instead I used that time to hit the board and put in the hours. It’s fair to say that I can be very lazy and perhaps guilty of not putting enough practice time in but on this occasion I was like a kid with a new toy. I had

“Thankfully I scraped through against Andy Boulton and was due to play James Wade just after Christmas. I didn’t start well against Wade but even at two sets down I always believed in myself and battled back to win 4-2. I showed real guts and determination up there that day, something a lot of people probably didn’t think I had.

“In the quarter-final against Krzysztof Ratajski I was once again the underdog. I found myself 3-0 up in a race to five then for some reason eased up and let him back in. It was probably a case of seeing the winning line too early but I dug deep and got over the line.

“I was now one match away from a PDC World Championship final which was life changing. I put all of that to the back of my mind and focused on the job in hand - beating Gerwyn Price.

“He is a fantastic player, officially now the best player in the world. But the last time we met on the big stage I beat him in the 2019 World Matchplay so I knew I had what it took to win and was confident I would.

“We reached a break and I was 4-3 up, as we went backstage I noticed him slumped in a chair. Instantly I started to believe I had him beat but as soon as the game restarted I began snatching and pulling my darts all over the place.

“Gezzy started fighting back and in the end won the next three sets to take the match. Fair play to him, he deserved it but I wish I’d have put my foot on the gas when the chance was there. Of course I was gutted at the result but at the same time was very proud at what I’d achieved. If I could push Gerwyn Price all the way in a World Championship semi final then I have to take enormous positives from that.”

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After the test it was straight to your room, then isolated until you had your result. We were now in a total bubble at the hotel. I travelled each day to the venue with John McDonald, George Noble and Mark Walker.

Once at the Ally Pally we were signed in and temperature taken, then off to our portacabin for the officials via the Red Zone, which was marked throughout the venue via barriers and curtains.

I have been asked about our role as the Referee on stage. Obviously we are there to call the score and to let everyone, including the audience, know where we are in the match. But that is not all we are there for.

The referee is in charge of the stage, checking scores from the markers (although with our PDC officials that is not a problem, as they don’t make any mistakes) and players if asked, to the demeanour of the players, crowd and any other incidents that may occur.

If for some reason a player needs to be spoken to, the referee will address the situation accordingly.

There is a second referee watching the match from a TV behind the stage, where he can see the oche and where he can then contact the stage referee via the official stood by him should there be an incident on the stage.

Incidents are very few and far between and are usually nipped in the bud very quickly.

Another point is gamesmanship. What people question me on the most is slow play and celebrations to gain an advantage.

The main point here is ‘to gain advantage’. All sports will have gamesmanship in it, the hard thing to establish is it to deliberately put a player off their game. There are naturally slow players, as there are naturally fast players. When they meet that is where the argument begins, is the slow player putting off the fast player?

We have to be careful here as there is no time limit set to throw your three darts, so you can take as long as it takes you to be ready.

No rules broken, all within the laws of the game. This to the fast player can be very frustrating, but again these lads are all professionals and should be able to cope either way round. If your mindset is there, you will prevail.

Celebrations are a different thing again, although that can fall into the category of gamesmanship.

Walking away from the board before retrieving their darts to celebrate with the crowd or family or management team, delaying his opponent to his throw.

We have seen it before, but you will find now this is a rarity. The players will celebrate walking to retrieve their darts but all within the acceptable lines of gamesmanship. I honestly believe they celebrate what they have hit, as opposed to trying to put their opponent off.

If I think they have been out of order, then they will be spoken too. All makes for an exciting sport and at times none more exciting as ours.

Take care and stay safe.

Russ Bray, PDC referee.

In association with Unicorn and William Hill.

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LEGEND WHO HAS DONE THE LOT

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WORDS: PAUL WOODAGE

HE nine-darter, a 147 break in snooker and a hole in one in golf. It’s fair to say each are incredibly difficult to achieve but surely you’d be hard pressed to find a person who has done all three?

Enter Shaun Murphy. A darts loving snooker World Champion who can clearly swing a golf club. No wonder he is known as The Magician.

It’s always been a big debate as to which is the most difficult, so who better to ask than someone who has managed to do the lot. Murph replies: “Hmm.....I would say a hole in one is the easiest out of the three because you can achieve it with a large chunk of luck.

“You could line up a thousand balls and one might drop down the hole. The other two are miles ahead in terms of difficulty.

“But what I would say is, if you took a complete novice and coached them in darts and snooker they would probably hit the nine-darter first. That said, they both take an extremely high amount of skill and I think it’s unfair to compare as two entirely different sports.

“My hole in one was back around 2007 at the Royal Worlington Golf Club near Newmarket. I was on the seventh tee and it was quite misty, in fact visibility was that poor I didn’t even see the ball go in but I do remember teeing off with an eight iron!

“I had just turned ten years old when I hit my first century in snooker. I remember hearing Ronnie (O’Sullivan) had done it just before his 10th birthday so that was my target but I

24

narrowly missed out. It was about a year later when I made my first 147. Unfortunately there isn’t any footage but it was at my snooker club, Raunds Q-Sports in Northamptonshire. I could barely see over the table!

“The nine-darter was a bit of a weird one, it was in 2013 shortly after I had moved back to the family home in Manchester.

I used to drink in a pub called the Carters Arms in Sale and was drafted into the local pool and darts leagues. I recall being on ‘A Question Of Sport’ a few months earlier with Phil Taylor, we got chatting and I got to know him pretty well after that.

“He kindly gave me a set of his darts so one night in the pub I started throwing with them and an hour later hit the nine. No one recorded that either but plenty witnessed it.”

Murphy now resides in Dublin with his wife and two young children. He won the World Snooker Championship in 2005 and boasts an impressive nine major ranking titles to his name but has always had a passion for the arrows.

He added: “My love for darts started with my brother in law, Martin Cooper. He played county level and whenever he popped over with my sister and the kids we would have a few games. I had a very close called Jason Lovell who was a superb darts player. We both practised at Raunds and had dreams of one day winning our respective World Championships.

Unfortunately for Jason, he was only ever able to show his amazing ability on the practice board.

“Over Christmas I always watch the World Championships on the telly. We normally have our Masters event at the Ally

“

Magic Murph

“

I recall being on A Question Of Sport a few months earlier with Phil Taylor, we got chatting and I got to know him pretty well after that.

Pally straight after but this year it was moved to Milton Keynes. Of course both sports share the same chairman, Barry Hearn, so we have that in common.

“Barry once told me a story of two groups of lads at an event, one lot dressed as superheroes and the other as marines. They were all in great spirits at the start of the evening but as the beer flowed and the night went on, things started to boil over. In the end all hell broke loose and it was quite a sight to see the likes of Batman, Captain America and the Hulk fighting a bunch of US marines!”

Darts and snooker share many similarities that aren’t always obvious.

Despite being completely contrasting to watch, they both require enormous levels of concentration and strength of mind.

Murphy continued: “Both sports are incredibly difficult mentally, once you are out there playing you are on completely on your own.

“Snooker can be very challenging as you don’t know how long you could be sat in your chair waiting for your next shot. In comparison, darts players know they don’t have to wait long between throws but that doesn’t make it any less mentally challenging.

“It’s incredibly hard to retain that level

of concentration, that’s what separates the elite from the rest. Of course another difference is you have fans at the darts in fancy dress singing away but to be honest if we had the same in snooker it wouldn’t really put us off.

It’s just a myth that we want complete silence.

“When you stand on the oche you can completely focus on the dartboard.

However, when we’re at the table there is always someone in our eye line so it’s the movement that puts us off, not the noise. Maybe if they put the oche in the middle of Ally Pally and the fans in a circle around it the players would struggle. It’s fairly impossible to set up a venue in snooker where the fans wouldn’t be in our eye line unless perhaps the table was at a lower level to the audience.

“I found it fascinating watching the recent darts World Championships because it was interesting to see which players needed the buzz and adrenaline of the crowd to perform to their best. Even when the fans are relatively quiet you’re fully aware that you have thousands of eyes on you.

“I’ve a good few friends in the world of darts. I’m particularly pally with Wayne Mardle and we are in regular contact.

MC John McDonald is another one I am good mates with and have been along to a good number of darts shows to promote upcoming snooker events. I also recall being on the Weakest Link once with Bobby George. He is a big character and lovely bloke.

“We often have a dartboard up in the backstage area at the snooker tournaments. A lot of the lads are keen players; Martin Gould is very good and Mark Selby and Mark Williams are decent. I’d have to say though that one of our top referees, Jan Verhaas, who is good mates with Barney is by far the best. I never throw a dart before a match as I just can’t control the cue, the action is completely different and extends the arm the opposite way.”

So how have the restrictions affected Murphy and his family?

He revealed: “At first lockdown was difficult for us. I’m married with two young children under four and we were all squashed into a two bedroom apartment in Dublin waiting for our house to be finished. We had only moved back to Ireland in July 2018 as my wife, who is Irish, wanted to return home. Of course I had no idea what was around the corner, with hindsight I might have bought a snooker table for the new house but no one saw this coming.

“Despite the sports centres being closed, I am still allowed to practice in my local club but I’m always very careful and take every necessary precaution to limit the risk of picking up the virus. Let’s hope things can return to normal soon and the fans can get back to watching live snooker and darts.”

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DON’T LUKE BACK IN ANGER A PROFILE ON STAR HUMP BY HENRY CHEAL

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uke Humphries’ darting story is still far from over but it’s certainly been a rollercoaster journey over the last five years.

He first picked up a set of darts at the age of 12 and was brought up in a darts orientated family, as both his Mum and Dad played the game. His Dad played County Darts for Newbury and was one of the best in the area.

From the get-go, he played competitive darts and within one year of playing he won his first singles title in Newbury at the age of just 13, which was a rarity at the time. At 16, he joined county darts and had a good record and was playing at a pretty solid standard.

Following this, he had an 18-month stint where he took a break from darts and even fell out of love with the game, as the intensity was too much for him at the time. He then finished school, got a job as a roofer.

He started playing again at 19 in his Super League and County team, alongside the Development Tour. In the 12th Development Tour event in 2016 he reached the final for the first time.

Despite losing the final in a last leg decider, Humphries gained some much needed confidence in himself from this run which then resulted in him winning five Dev Tour titles the following year.

These five tournament wins resulted in him making his debut appearance at the 2018 World Championship and winning his tour card for the 2018 and 2019 season.

The 2018 season proved to be a solid start, as he qualified for several European Tour events and reached the semi-final of a Players Championship event. Humphries also sealed top spot on the Development Tour Order of Merit which resulted in him making his second consecutive appearance at the Worlds.

That very run at Ally Pally was life-changing for the Berkshire man as he reached the quarter-finals, earning himself a lucrative £50,000.

Humphries defeated the likes of Adam Hunt, Stephen Bunting, Dimitri Van den Bergh and then reigning World Champion Rob Cross. Humphries’ talent shone through by reaching the quarter-finals in only his second World Championship attempt.

He then appeared as one of the nine contenders in the Premier League, replacing the then injured Gary Anderson and came close to winning the match against Gerwyn Price in Exeter.

A few months following his life-changing run at the Ally Pally, Humphries confessed about his battles with his anxiety and how he had experienced these troubles during his game against Cross at the World Championship. He spoke to someone about it and came so close to quitting the game and despite the end of his career looking likely, he chose to keep on going and he never looked back.

At the end of 2019, he then went on to achieve one of his biggest dreams, which was winning the World Youth Championship. He sealed the deal by whitewashing Adam Gawlas 6-0 in Minehead to become the eighth different winner of the competition.

Heading into the World Championship he reached another quarter-final. This time round he defeated Devon Petersen, Jermaine Wattimena, Nico Kurz and Kim Huybrechts before losing to the eventual champion Peter Wright.

Another £50,000 earnt, another contender spot earned too, as the PDC kept the contenders format heading into 2020. Humphries went on to become the first and only contender winner from the two years that contenders were implemented.

While his 2020 was up and down, he did make a debut appearance in the Grand Slam. Humphries then lost to Paul Lim in the opening round of the 2021 Worlds. But he’s still on the way up.

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F there was a darts tournament on Mars, Simon Whitlock would probably be the first person to enter.

Despite the fact the PDC have done a great job in recent times to keep the wheel turning, they are still a little far off from organising an intergalactic event. But when they do, this particular Aussie will be there as he just loves to compete and play darts.

When the world was forced to hit the pause button last year and sport was brought to a shuddering halt, Whitlock took full advantage.

He revealed: “Lockdown really helped me improve my whole game. I usually take part in plenty of online darts competitions but since the restrictions came in I’ve entered loads and discovered so much about myself.

WORDS: PAUL WOODAGE PHOTOGRAPHY: TAYLOR LANNING managed to win the last three legs of the match to beat him.

When I lost to Jose (De Sousa) in the semi I did as well as I could, was up after two breaks but he was relentless and kept pounding in the big checkouts.

“Coming into the World Championships in December I felt very good. Darius Labanauskas is a very dangerous player so I was relieved to beat him.

“But then my game against Krzysztof Ratajski was scheduled as the first match on after the break which wasn’t ideal. I had to go up to London really early on Boxing Day and by the time I got on stage I just felt as flat as a tack. The break certainly didn’t work for me but I still had chances in a couple of sets, didn’t take them and he deserved to win.”

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N MY first Darts World column back in September I stated that as far as Michael van Gerwen was concerned, there was blood in the water.

And the sharks were circling.

If you keep in touch with social media it’s been hard to escape the criticism Whitlock has received for his home made darts.

It turns out I wasn’t far off the mark.

MVG was definitely wounded by losing the Worlds to Peter Wright and then missing out in the Matchplay and Premier League. He lost that awe about him, the walk-on fear.

He hit back: “Yes I am fully aware of the stick I get for them. The only reason I decided to make my own was because I find the boards are poor quality so designed a dart that would stick in them. One day I just came up with the idea of using allen keys because they are virtually indestructible and I like the feeling the shape gives when holding them between my fingers.

Maybe, just maybe, without that haunting Seven Nations Army theme booming into a packed crowd arena, he was less frightening to face.

Whatever has caused it, Gerwyn Price was the hungriest shark of the lot.

“I ordered about 300 of them online, got some bolt cutters

“When I’m normally in a match I’m constantly watching what the other person is doing but with online darts you can’t. So instead I just pretended I was playing a computer and focused solely on my own game. It really took the pressure off and made a huge difference.”

It had been two years since Whitlock had reached the final of a major television event so a deep run was long overdue. He had narrowly missed out on qualification for the Grand Prix last October but made the cut when the unfortunate news was announced that Adrian Lewis had to withdraw due to a positive Covid-19 test.

He added: “I remember getting the message from my manager telling me to grab my stuff and head to Coventry. I was literally packed and out of the house within 15 minutes. My preparation was good as I’d been playing really well online and felt sharp.

“When I arrived at the hotel it was almost like I’d been given a free hit. There was no huge pressure but I always went into any tournament with the belief I could win it. I beat Chris Dobey in the first round and to be fair to him he probably expected to receive a bye.

“Against Michael (van Gerwen) in the quarters I felt very confident. I’d beaten him in the World Matchplay a few months earlier and knew he wasn’t at his best.

But for some reason in my semi-final with Dirk (van Duijvenbode), I just couldn’t get going. He got off to a much better start and I never recovered.

“I literally went straight from the World Cup in Austria to the qualifying event for the Grand Slam in Coventry. I think I played something like 15 days in a row which was gruelling. But I was desperate to compete in the Slam so I was delighted to get in.

“I won all three group matches then beat Adam Hunt which set up yet another meeting with Michael. He was looking back to his best but I knew if I could just stay in touch and keep him under pressure I could take my chance when it came. That was exactly what I did and

26

DEVON PETERSEN

“

This is why sport is so fascinating. This is why I love studying the psychology involved in becoming a top sportsperson.

“

GLEE WIZ

The remarkable return to glory for wily Whitlock

My dream is to buy a small farm or ranch where I can have lots of animals and grow my own fruit and veggies.

and super glue, did a bit of DIY, put them on the bench grinder and made a nice sharp point. From start to finish a set only takes me about 20 minutes to make.

“My throw is very heavy so the darts go in quite deep and do more damage, especially to the softer boards. But I have photos from other games which I’m not involved in and the boards are in a far worse state, yet I seem to be the one getting criticised the most.”

Q-School, it’s just too hard on my ageing body!

“At the moment, I live with my son Mason who is at college and we have Gordon Mathers staying with us. He is a mate from Brisbane and is heading to Q-School so I offered him a place to crash. We practice a lot together and play around 3-4 hours a day at home.

Whitlock turns 52 in March but he is not thinking of retiring just yet and believes there are a good few years left in him still.

“Hopefully the results will keep coming and I do well in the tournaments this year. In the PDC, I’ve twice dropped down the rankings and it takes a lot of desire and determination to get back up there.

He said: “Right now I feel absolutely fine. It can be tough at times and it’s a very busy schedule but I try to stay fit. I work out a few times with the gym equipment I have at home and go on long walks with Blue, my French bulldog. But if I ever lost my tour card I don’t think I would go to

“When I do decide to call it a day on the oche, I think I will move somewhere hot like Spain or Thailand. My dream is to buy a small farm or ranch where I can have lots of animals and grow my own fruit and veggies. Yeah, that is the life for me once I hang up the darts case.”

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There are now so many question marks hanging over Michael. Every pundit is having a dig at him. But he has been an incredible player over a sustained seven-year domination of the sport. Is he going to slip away quietly.

No chance.

Michael will be hurting but most probably every single day he is gaining more fire and hunger to come back and shut everyone up. He is still playing extremely well and I would think another hot streak will return.

Phil Taylor was the greatest of all-time and always will be. His greatest asset was the ability to reinvent himself, come back stronger and constantly stick two fingers up at his critics who were always desperate to write him off.

Now it’s MVG’s turn to do the same.

Watching that story unfold is what makes sport so great.

My passion is reading books and listening to podcasts of sports men and women. I pick up little tricks and ideas.

Giving your mindset an edge over an opponent in darts is worth two or three legs a match at least.

These are elements I am working on every single day of the week.

A great deal of people keep saying to me that 2020 was a great breakthrough year for me.

Nonsense.

It wasn’t a leap merely a small step of progress to where I want to get to.

Don’t get me wrong, I was delighted to win a European tournament. But for the level I am reaching for, that is just the start of the journey.

Talk is very cheap in sport. It’s all about performance and the right conditioning before, during and after competition. I am consumed by the enjoyment of challenges put in front of me every day.

Of course while not in events, it has allowed some great progress in delivering the entire package off the oche.

It’s awesome that I have got a new two-year partnership with Volcano Sports. I see this as something of a landmark deal in darts, I cannot think of many darts players who have secured this kind of partnership with a clothing manufacturer. I am also super happy that it is a South African company.

Onwards and upwards.

Devon.

27

It’s a remarkable rollercoaster of a journey that saw the current World No.6 completely turn his fortunes around in the space of only six months. In September 2018, Nathan headed to a Players Championship event in Barnsley with a mere £20 in his wallet.

Just half a year later, he had reached a World Championship semi-final, claimed his maiden PDC television major and even debuted in the Premier League.

Hard to believe that the lad from Stockport only picked up a dart for the first time relatively late in life. Despite being surrounded by family members actively involved in the game, it wasn’t the natural call of the oche that lured Nathan into the sport, more the disappointment of another.

He revealed: “I was quite a late developer, only started playing darts when I was 16.

Then at 18 years old I started taking it seriously and began playing in local pubs.

“Up until that it was all about soccer and golf, I knew relatively nothing about darts and never watched it on TV. So whenever I get asked an early memory of darts it’s quite recent. My Dad took me to the BDO Lakeside final in 2012 to watch his friend Tony O’Shea play. But the game I remember got me first excited was the 2013 semi-final of the Grand Slam between Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis.

“My Dad and Grandad had always played darts but I didn’t really follow in their footsteps at first. I was big into my soccer and looking to become a professional footballer. I spent six years at the Manchester United goalkeeping academy but when I was released, decided never to wear a pair of gloves again.

“I am quite a sporty person so I needed a hobby. My Grandad gave me a set of darts that Leighton Rees had gifted to him at an exhibition and I began using them on the board at home. If you ever notice the style of my darts you will see they are quite bulbous at the front, just like Leighton’s, so that explains why.”

Family stability has always played a significant part in Nathan’s life. Together with his partner and Kirsty they have two young daughters.

FROM GOALIE TO OCHE GLORY

S

URELY it’s now time for the social media giants to finally get a grip of online abuse.

Nearly every day of the week now we see vile comments, racism and sexism on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Yet somehow it still goes on without any proper punishment.

We’ve seen it most recently with Marcus Rashford receiving online racism, he’s called it out once again.

But so many times high profile celebs have outed the abuse and nothing is done about it.

What shocked me recently was that I was on the receiving end of really nasty comments and I didn’t even provoke it.

I simply said on Twitter that I felt sorry for Rob Cross. I got a DM calling me every name under the sun, none of which printable in this magazine that’s for sure.

As well as the players, I’ve also noticed that women in sport get a lot of sexist comments because we dare to have an opinion or even a love for sport. For some reason some men believe that we don’t have any place in sport.

THE ASTOUNDING RISE OF THE ASP

Of course that is absolutely nonsense and hugely discriminating. Karen Carney received so much abuse online from Leeds fans following her punditry on BT Sport.

WORDS: PAUL WOODAGE PHOTOGRAPHY: TAYLOR LANNING

Taylor as well as team mate, Dave Evans. They were playing on the PDC development tour so that was the year I decided to give it a go.

“My nickname growing up had always been ‘Aspy’, so I got a design of a big green snake on the back of my black shirt and went along to the tour. When I walked in I felt everyone was staring at me, I was nervous and it was a very intimidating and daunting experience.

People had their own little groups and on this occasion I was on my own. I actually managed to win my first game 4-0 and took out a 170 checkout but then lost the next one without getting a leg and didn’t win another game all weekend.”

He added: “We met about 11 years ago. I was 18 and Kirsty was two years younger. My dad was a DJ and it was her nephew’s third birthday so I went along to help out. It was love at first sight and three months later she was pregnant with our first child. Brooke is now nine and we also have Milly who is three. We are one very happy little family.

In 2015, Nathan gained his tour card at Q School allowing him to compete on the main circuit for two years. Later that year he won his maiden title on a development tour event and did enough to secure qualification for the PDC World Youth Championships in October. The Asp came through a field of 64 players to claim a place in the final of the event which took place at the Players Championship Finals tournament a month later.

“At the time I met Kirsty in 2012, I was playing darts for Lancashire Youths as well as Stockport. I had no idea how good I was compared to kids my own age but knew I was close to the level of my captain, Scott

He said: “I recall my first televised appearance was the PDC Youth Final against Max Hopp. I was still relatively new to the tour and when I looked at the calibre of players that had reached

28

Polly JAMES

this final it was hard to believe I was in it. I woke up that morning in my little chalet in Butlins, Minehead and was throwing up everywhere with nerves. Max was a huge favourite as he had played in the World Cup of Darts for Germany as well as World Championships. It was a good game, I had a match dart to win but didn’t take it and he beat me 6-5.

“I was doing ok on the tour, making a few quid with bits of prize money and sponsorship. In 2018, I decided to quit my job as an accountant and really go for it. Towards the back end of the year I was really struggling financially and I was potless.

“In September, ahead of a pro tour weekend event in Barnsley I literally had £20 to my name. But I managed to get the win and that earned me £10,000 which was huge and an enormous weight off my shoulders. That amount of money allowed me to keep playing, I doubt I could have continued to otherwise. Then a few months later I managed to go all the way to the semi finals of the Worlds and received £100,000 which was massive.”

Shortly after that Worlds success, joy turned into immense jubilation as Aspinall picked up his first television PDC title, the UK Open. From the verge of quitting the game just a few months earlier, he now found himself joining a

“

In darts the role and support of women has been a massive bonus over the past couple of years especially.

It was hard to believe I was in it. I woke up that morning in my little chalet in Butlins, Minehead and was throwing up everywhere with nerves.

very elite list of players to have won a TV major.

As the tournament began in March, Aspinall opened up with a win against Spain’s Toni Alcinas before defeating the man he and his father had watched win a World Championship at the Lakeside, Christian Kist. They were followed by victories over Madars Razma, Steve Lennon and Ross Smith taking him all the way to his second television major semi-final where he would face Gerwyn Price.

He added: “I played well against Gezzy and that took a lot out of me.

He had just won the Grand Slam a few weeks earlier so it was a big victory for me. It was a really intense match and as I was still thinking of money at that time, I knew that win

“

T

HE life of Nathan Aspinall is reminiscent of a darting fairytale. In a real sporting Cinderella story, the 2019 UK Open Champion had come from the brink of quitting the game to becoming one of the best players on the planet.

guaranteed me £40,000. When I got to the back, I just broke down in tears.

“I felt good going into the final against Rob (Cross) and when I saw the winning line and needed 170 my only thought was to get it over and done there and then, I didn’t want the match to go on and have jitters.

“When that bullseye went in, I can only describe it as an amazing feeling. I instinctively looked over to where my family were and saw my Grandad jumping up and down; that was special. He had never won much in all his years in the game, but it felt like he was living his dream through me up on that stage.”

And there’s no doubt this Aspinall fairytale still has more chapters…

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The brilliant results for the likes of Fallon Sherrock, Lisa Ashton, Mikuru Suzuki and Deta Hedman have shown that there’s no reason why women can’t compete with and beat men.

But we’ve also seen a fantastic influx of women on TV. The outstanding Jacqui Oatley presenting the ITV coverage, Laura Woods, Emma Paton, Mikki Austin and Laura Turner on Sky Sports.

What is so dreadful is that I know all of those presenters have received sexist remarks on social media.

It needs to stop. But it’s up to social media firms to make it compulsory to have ID when anyone creates an account. Just like a car registration, so if you commit an offence, you can be identified and dealt with.

It’s so blindingly obvious and such a simple solution.

It makes you wonder why it hasn’t been enforced yet. Or do they want people to be abused?

Obviously…I couldn’t write this column without ending on a high and shout WALES, WALES, WALES! It has been an unbelievable few months for my country on the oche. Gerwyn (Price) and Jonny (Clayton) winning the World Cup was lush. Then Gezzy winning the World Championship was even lusher (I don’t even know whether that’s a real word).

Then of course Jonny winning the Masters. Wow. We really are on top of the darting world right now when you also include Wayne Warren winning the BDO Worlds a year ago as well.

I don’t honestly think it can get any better than this for Wales. For now I’ll enjoy being orau yn y byd… that’s best in the world!

You can hear Polly James on Radio X, FM, online, digital radio and on the Radio X app.

Polly is also a social media host for Unibet Premier League.

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“

“

D A R T S T H AT D E L I V E R

JONNY BE VERY GOOD

To achieve this and give Wales their first ever title was a day that will live with me forever.

WORDS: PAUL WOODAGE PHOTOGRAPHY: TAYLOR LANNING

W

CLAYTON’S GOLDEN YEAR

ELSH plasterer wins the World Cup.

Probably a headline you’d have to read twice but if your name is Jonny Clayton then it immediately makes perfect sense.

Affectionately known as ‘The Ferret’, a nickname given to him by his rugby team-mates due to his small stature, Jonny is one of the sport’s genuine good guys.

was just a hobby, I had no intention of travelling hundreds of miles for tournaments.

“But as much as my heart was in rugby unfortunately my body wasn’t keeping up. I was getting older, my wife Ellen was expecting our first child and I was still getting bruised and battered every single week. I’d already sustained some pretty serious injuries too. I had my collarbone snapped twice and recently managed to break my knee cap yet again. I was sports mad so decided darts was probably the safer option.

A family man who plays darts for the sheer love of the game yet each morning still gets up at the crack of dawn and heads off for a hard day’s graft.

BACK-TO-BACK

“I however was rugby mad and in my late teens joined a local team. On a Thursday night we would all head down to the pub and throw some darts, it was all great banter in those days.

“Turns out I was pretty handy at darts and before long I was playing in a local pub team. Shortly after joining it was suggested I should try out for Superleague and it was from there I ended up getting selected for Pembrokeshire County.

2021 PRODUCT RANGE

“It wasn’t until I was 34 years old I began playing on the BDO circuit. At first it

But 2020 was by far his most successful on the oche. In a year when most people won’t look back with much fondness it provided some very special memories for the Welshman.

He added: “We don’t have any PDC events in Wales apart from that one night of the Premier League so to get the opportunity to play in my nation’s capital was a huge honour.

“It was in February just before the first lockdown. I was bursting with pride and remember thinking how well I had done to get here. My wife Ellen and two children, daughter Ffion and son Llyr came along to support me.

There were so many faces in the crowd I recognised, people I knew from the darts circuit over the years.

But darts has always been firmly embedded into the history of the Clayton family so it was no surprise to see a set of arrows end up in his hand.

He admits: “My entire family absolutely loved their darts. As far back as I can remember they all played, including my grandmother who was once presented with a trophy from the late great Leighton Rees.

try to make his mark in the PDC. He reached the quarter-finals of both the Grand Slam and once again did well in the UK Open getting to the last eight.

“Jamie Lewis was also playing in my county team and I became good friends with his parents Mark and Helen too.

They all saw the potential in me and suggested I gave the PDC Q-School a try. I was 40-year-old plasterer, married with two young kids but had nothing to lose so headed along without any expectations yet managed to win a tour card on the final day of qualifying.”

It was a couple of years later when Clayton really made his mark in the PDC. After a few television events without very much success he made it all the way to the final of the 2017 UK Open.

The following year, Jonny used that major final appearance to push on and

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“Then the music kicked in and of course it was Delilah! I half suspected Sky might have played that one but didn’t actually know until I heard it. I chuckled to myself as the crowd began singing their hearts out. They were going absolutely bonkers and if that doesn’t lift you then nothing will.

“Winning the World Cup of Darts was an amazing and surreal experience.

It was the second time myself and Gerwyn Price had competed together in the event. We arrived in Austria full of confidence and felt we were the team to beat.

“To lift that World Cup with my mate was the proudest moment of my darting career. We aren’t a very big country but are incredibly proud so to achieve this and give Wales their first ever title was a day that will live with me forever.”

31

PETERSEN HAILS VOLCANO DEAL

THE ICE AGE COACHING CORNER: FEENEY PUTS CHAMP UNDER MICROSCOPE

D

EVON PETERSEN believes that a new partnership with South African sportswear firm Volcano Sports will help him erupt even more into the big time.

The current German Darts Champ unveiled the new two-year sponsorship and is adamant it further enhances his rise to the top of the sport.

Petersen, 34, enjoyed his best-ever year on the circuit in 2020 and is desperate to get playing again when the season gets underway.

He said: “I see this as something of a landmark deal in darts, I cannot think of many darts players who have secured this kind of partnership with a clothing manufacturer, it is unique.

T

HE new World Champion Iceman Gerwyn Price gets the analysis overhaul from the world's undisputed accuracy coach and SightRight founder Stephen Feeney.

“This is the perfect boost before I start playing competitively again in 2021. Obviously it’s frustrating that we can’t get out more and practice or get into an Players Championships because of Covid-19 so far.

“But I’ll be ready to go when it does start again. I’m just delighted that my set-up is perfect behind the scenes and Volcano further helps that.

“I love Devon’s passion, as soon as he walks on the stage, he is exciting and inspires others, and that is something I want Volcano Sports to be associated with. We are thrilled to welcome Devon to the Volcano Sports family as two iconic South African brands connect.”

32

The PDPA have already launched their campaign to help with abuse. We also asked Dr Chris Stiff, a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology at Keele University his viewpoint:

During play, Gezzy does not need any head twist to make way for the dart again the dart is never moving away from his Sighting Line.

S

INCE lockdown, the world of darts has found a new home online. Here games can be viewed by fans and enjoyed from the safety of one’s home.

At no point during Gezzy’s backswing does his throwing hand and dart arc off the line of aim he sets up to. With no deviation in his throw on the backswing coupled with exceptional hand-eye coordination it’s no surprise Gezzy smashes in treble twenties and tops for fun.

However, with this positive step, there is also a negative downside.

As with many online environments, professional darts players have been subjected to awful online abuse.

Why has this happened, and what can be done about it?

Cyberbullying is generally defined as “the use of technology to deliberately and repeatedly threaten, insult, harass, or tease another person”.

9/10 Release moment of truth

NOTE: It is very important to note that whilst this is an analysis exercise to help dart players understand the crucial nature of perfect sighting and alignment, every player has their own individual Sighting Line.

Without a full assessment to establish a player’s perfect sighting line and technical alignment, no player should just simply make technical changes to copy the player referenced above.

Set-up line and analysis Gezzy, a right-handed player stands to the right of centre in his set up, with perfectly aligned High Planar Sighting to his target. Even without detailed testing, Gezzy’s ‘Sighting Line’ (for instance where both eyes see a straight line of aim accurately) looks almost perfect.

A similar phenomenon is “trolling” – “intentionally disruptive behaviour that occurs in the context of the Internet amongst users that have no existing relationships in real life”.

With both, a common method of abuse is the posting unpleasant messages, either directly to a victim, or posting them via social media for others to see.

Sadly, these incidents have been rife during lockdown.

The impact of this kind of behaviour can be devastating to the victims. Research shows that online abuse can frequently lead to anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, and physical illness.

At its most severe, it can lead to suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts.

Although the term “bullying” may have connotations with school and younger people, incidents of online abuse are just as damaging when received by adults.

The Iceman Scores a whopping 90 per cent against the three key accuracy disciplines, and Stephen added: “What Gerwyn has achieved in the game in such a short space of time is simply breathtaking and highlights what raw talent can achieve coupled with amazing accuracy principles making him a deserved and very hard to beat World Champion and World No.1.”

“He has expertise across a number of sports, and it is very exciting that he is now bringing that to darts and wants to take me on the journey with him.”

“Breaking into the top 32 in the world has made Devon a household name with the darts fraternity around the world, he can offer us exposure to millions.

Young Callan Rydz even suffered abuse for winning an award at the end of January while our own columnist Polly James also received vile messages.

The Expert’s recommendations and comments

“I want to thank both Pinpoint Sport and Volcano Sports for getting this deal over the line. I have now had the opportunity to meet JP Schoeman, Volcano Sports’ Managing Director, and I am inspired by what he has achieved so far and what his vision is for the future.

“I am passionate about the sport and its development in South Africa. We have a lot of untapped potential here. Were it not for the pandemic we would have five or six players attending Q-School.”

THERE seems no end to the scourge of social media trolling and bullying.

9/10

“I’d like to break into the top 16 and win a major, they are my targets, and I don’t think they are unrealistic. I know I have to improve to achieve that, but I have more belief than ever before.

He added: “Volcano Sports has built its name in South Africa on providing customers with service excellence. We have a great trackrecord in several sports, and I see darts as a growing global market that I absolutely want Volcano Sports to be a big part of.

On his backswing, the image above shows how Gezzy pulls the dart back perfectly straight in between both eyes.

Look at the position of his throwing hand and dart at the end of his backswing.

With no adjustment in the ‘arc’ on his backswing, Gezzy delivers his darts with a purposeful direct motion, bang on his sighting line with a relaxed, powerful release. His ‘right of centre’ set up to the board makes for a slightly ‘uneven weighted’ throw to both sides of the board, (giving Gezzy some long and short weighted throws) that can affect even higher consistency. Gezzy’s darts ‘angle of attack’ are a fraction to the right of perfectly straight but beautifully flighted landing flight up, minimising blockages for higher scoring and doubles.

“It is extra special that I have secured this arrangement with a South African company that has created so many much-needed jobs within the local economy. As everyone knows, I am very passionate about my heritage.

Volcano are equally excited about the partnership and MD Schoeman reckons that Petersen can give the firm “exposure to millions”.

THE SINISTER SIDE OF CYBER

Backswing and release

CHAMP…Feeney with snooker star Mark Williams

Females, sexual minorities, and ethnic minorities are all at higher risk of being victims of online abuse.

Why do people cyberbully, or troll others? One of the key aspects is the anonymity given by the Internet.

Researchers have suggested that being anonymous allows Internet bullies to act with impunity, safe in the knowledge there will not be repercussions, particularly those which may involve physical violence.

Of course, not all anonymous individuals act this way, and studies have shown that certain types of personality may also be important.

People who are low in empathy, use social media a lot, are narcissistic, sadistic, or lonely are all likely to cyberbully or troll.

Research also suggests that people who are more aggressive in real life may also be abusive online, and that some people simply don’t realise the effect online abuse can have.

There are some solutions to this pressing issue. As anonymity is a key factor, if it can be removed (i.e. if individuals post using their real names) online abuse is swiftly reduced.

Also, as some bullies post abuse just for the thrill of it, abuse should ideally be ignored to prevent an “enjoyment” for the bully.

His stance, right foot and hip position allows his right shoulder and throwing arm to align perfectly to his target. Gezzy draws his dart back on a central sighting line matching his ‘High’ and ‘Low’ Planar vision.

Other Internet users can also be encouraged to stick up for those being abused - this emphasises to the bully that abuse is not appropriate, and will not be tolerated in that community.

Banning abusive users can also show a community the consequences of abuse and what is and isn’t allowed, and also increases the feeling of community and support amongst fans.

The Iceman’s head angle at address is perfectly level with both eyes square to the line of aim.

This means there is no need to “actively” move his eyes in his eye sockets to ‘look’ along the line of aim to the target, he sees the flight of the dart perfectly all the way to the dartboard, which enables him to trust his set up and execution.

With no end to lockdown in sight, cyberbullying/ trolling issues are no doubt going to bleed further into our lives as more and more interactions take place online instead of face-to-face.

But hopefully, through quick action by positive role models in a community, it can be reduced so that true fans can enjoy a sport without worrying about people spoiling it.

9/10

PERFORMANCE

PERFORMANCE

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2 0 2 1

C O L L E C T I O N

MICH A EL VA N GER WEN

90%

TUNGSTEN CONTENT

VECTA SHAFTS

M

ark Webster’s weapons of choice have undergone a radical reformation over the past few years.

VANTAGE

ONYX

COATING

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS

AXIS-GRIP CONTROL

type of thrower a way to get the most out of them. You can even use the two sections as a guide of where not to hold them! The simple barrel design still does its no-fuss job but the new grip zones seem to add an assured confidence that was not there previously.

The 2008 World Champion began his career using a Product: Steel Tip Darts very simple tungsten barrel with a snub Brand: Winmau nose and a few Materials: 90% Tungsten grooves on the lower sections. His latest Dimensions: 48.3mm x weapons are about as 7mm far away as you can get. Winmau have Weight: 25g leveraged much of RRP: £55.95 their technical knowhow into this elegant but unfussy dart.

Set-Up & Durability: We have always found the diamond range to be exceptionally durable and, for some players, the more worn in they are the better they’re liked.

With the supplied set up Mark’s dart suits most conventional

TUNGSTEN CONTENT

PRISM

TECHNOLOGY

PRECISION ENGINEERED

PVD GRIP

This latest edition has just been released, for the 2021 collection, by Marks’ longtime manufacture.

MARK W EBS T ER

SPEC IAL EDITION

Two sections of ‘black diamond’ grip have been added to the dart on either side of the lightly grooved centre section.

This addition has transformed the dart.

Open the Box: The three, 90%, tungsten barrels come tucked into a branded point protector and a colour coordinated set - up of Vectra stems (3) and Prism Alpha flights.

Black steel points are supplied and fitted.

TUNGSTEN CONTENT

Winmau started 2020 with a very big bang. MVGs first major brand deal, with a complete range (and launch event) ready to go by January 2nd, was quite a statement.

The capture of Joe Cullen, and return to form of Merv King, again boosted the brand toward the close of the year. The 2021 range saw Winmau concentrate on a heady cocktail of heavy-hitting names, classic barrels, and new innovation. Their non-player specific ‘Pro-Line’ range was also expanded.

General:

90%

t safe to say that 2020 did not play out as expected for the darts industry. Despite a myriad of challenges it’s fair to say that our business coped better than most and in some cases excelled.

Almost overnight the image of a somewhat staid and comfortable brand was reversed and a new market leader appeared. Not happy with dominating the board market Winmau was determined to play a similar-sized role across the whole industry.

J O E CULLEN

90%

I

THE BOARDROOM - LAUNCH SEASON (PT I)

VECTA SHAFTS

ONYX

COATING

DIAMOND FUSION TECHNOLOGY

Testing feedback: The difference, from previous Webster signature models, is remarkable. The revamp gives the appearance of real muscle while retaining their precision instrument performance. The ‘black diamond’ grip sections give almost every

throwers. Rear holders added more tapered stems and a smaller sized std flight to get a less direct flight path.

Snapshot: The Mark Webster (2021) signature dart is a premium dart with a no-nonsense look and feel. There are no unnecessary cosmetics and, as a result, the dart is as reliable as it is impressive. They can be used to great effect by a wide cross-section of throwers although we expect that they will prove exceptionally popular with methodical players who like to power score and not mess about.

At around £55 they are good value and slightly less than some premier models.

Marks: 9/10 The marks ranged from 8.5 to 9.5 for functionality, looks, performance, and value. 9/10 seems a fair result for this excellent addition to the 2021 player market.

PERFORMANCE www.dartsworld.com

Unicorn have had 12 months that reflect the very nature of all things darts.

Initially, the old man of darts looked to be struggling in a new age. Their biggest names seemed off target, with their young guns yet to fire and more recent product lines not exciting the public.

The World Matchplay turned that completely on its head! Dimitri Van den Bergh burst through, and will surely lead the brand in the future. Gary Anderson proved the old adage about form and class and suddenly Unicorn were back in the spotlight. James Wade’s run at the Grand Slam seemed to simply add the exclamation mark.

Their 2021 launch concentrated on new editions (CODE) from all the brand’s big names and signified that the strong, player-focused approach with an emphasis on new variations (as with their NOIR range) was here to stay.

Trinidad’s year revolved around the remarkable efforts of Devon Petersen and Jose de Sousa. Both men stepped up a level and began to claim titles.

Trinidad’s clever use of sub-brands for accessories has enabled them to maximise their commercial prospects the Condor range of flight and stem systems has been equally boosted by Team Trinidad’s success. 2021 could be a big year for the Japanese brand.

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D A R T S T H AT D E L I V E R

2021 PRODUCT RANGE

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS

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ON-player darts are often the hidden gems of major manufacturer launches.

level grip which every who is light in the hold will get plenty out of them.

The simple, slim, barrel design still does its no-fuss job but the higher tungsten content changes the angle of flight for some throw styles.

Attention is focused on the latest Set-Up & Peter Wright Durability: Product: Steel Tip Darts (or other star players) dart or HIgh tungsten Brand: Red Dragon the most recent content darts Materials: 95% Tungsten are always highly generation of a legendary durable and with Dimensions: 50.8mm x design. The such a distinct 6.25mm 2021 Red grip it is unlikely Dragon launch that you will Weight: 22g proved no wear these out.

RRP: £42.90 exception. The The coating also Welsh brand seems resilient in has invested comparison with a great deal of their innovative some. player-generated know-how (and The supplied setups suit direct some style) into darts that are throwers very well indeed. Some technically excellent, but that players may prefer a less stiff flight otherwise may have been ignored. and stem combo. The grip being The Razor Edge ZX-95 is one such tilted away from the point means model: they are not as taxing on flights as General: we imagined.

The ZX-95 edition has been released to top the popular Razor Edge range.

The 95 refers to the tungsten level which is markedly higher than the other Razor options.

This variation provides a dense feel for those who like to go straight for the target.

Open the Box: The three, 95% tungsten barrels come tucked into a point protector and with a colour coordinated setup of Nitro-Tech stems (3) and Hardcore standard shaped flights (3). Black steel points are supplied and fitted.

Testing feedback: The difference in these darts from previous editions is easily noticeable. The revamp gives them a feeling of precision and directness while retaining the feeling that they will never move in the action of throwing. The ‘Razor Edge’ grip sections give an aggressive 4/5

Snapshot: This Razor Edge ZX-95 dart is a perfect example of the non-payer dart. All the tech and all the styling, but not the premium price tag.

There are plenty of useful features as well as simple, classy cosmetics.

ZX-95s can be used by a variety of throwers although we expect that they will be most popular with a dart by dart (Peter Wright style) player, who holds the barrel very lightly indeed.

At around £43 they are superb value for a highly-styled 95% tungsten dart with multi-grip zones.

Marks: 8.5/10 Aggressive grip and 95% tungsten are polarising features on a dart.

So to average out at 8.5/10 over functionality, looks, performance, and value is very impressive indeed.

Yet again there’s a hidden gem with no name on the barrel. Look out for others in every launch. www.aim180.org

PERFORMANCE www.dartsworld.com

C

THE BOARDROOM: LAUNCH SEASON (PT II)

ontinuing our review of the darts industry’s amazing resilience and progress in 2021:

Red Dragon were looking forward to a special year after claiming both overall World titles, each with fairytale backgrounds, within a fortnight. Yet a freak combination of events almost stole their thunder.

First, MVG was snapped up by their sister company and Wayne Warren’s championship was impacted by the collapse of the BDO, both before Coronavirus began its dirty work.

The Welsh brand remained unbowed. A strong commercial showing was backed up by the deadly duo of Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price bringing home the World Cup (PDC) and the sensational late-season performance of Price, four TV titles including the BIG ONE, has ensured that RD gets another World championship lap of honour.

Warren’s capture of the MAD World title belt means he too may enjoy a fuller season of acknowledgment prior to the WDF staging a new World Championship in 2022.

Red Dragon’s latest product launch combined elements of a seasonal launch with a new accelerated development/turnaround model. A new Peter Wright model was debuted at Ally Pally and on sale three days later.

Harrows have staged a notable return to prominence recently. The Harlow based firm doubled down on a focused approach to sponsored players while emphasising their engineering and innovation credentials with a very interesting, non-player based, launch late last year. The astute signing of Chizzy and more steady progress from others in their stable could see a strong return for a venerable brand in 2021.

Target has seemed to plateau over the last couple of years. Despite an extensive stable of darting talent and some of the most distinctive cosmetic and design work of recent times they seem to have struggled to capitalise or assert their hoped-for dominance.

Could a new phase could be underway? Glen Durrant’s Premier League win capped his astonishing surge to the top echelon of the PDC and Nathan Aspinall represents the next generation of talent.

A staged approach to new product releases, over 2020, appeared to lean toward new generic models rather than multiple player updates. Exceptions were made for Gabriel Clemens (a shrewd acquisition) and legends Phil Taylor and RVB. How much of this approach was due to Covid-19 and how much is a long term strategy will soon become apparent.

There were strong performances from other brands as Bulls moved up another level while launching a sister brand, Shot! celebrated their 50th anniversary with the signing of Kyle Anderson and Loxley entered the fray with an intriguing range.

Our business appears in robust health and ‘The Boardroom’ looks forward to bringing you all the latest developments during 2021.

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COUNTY LINES

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PRECISION ENGINEERING FROM BILLET TO BOARD

by Alan Towe

HE UKDA Board of Directors are pleased to announce the structure for the inaugural season of play in the Darts Corner National League.

UKDA CEO Colin Savage and the team wish to thank our headline sponsor Darts Corner, along with Elite Sports Management, AON Contracts and L-Style for their valued support in sponsoring the National League system and the Premier Division, Championship and League One within the setup.

COLIN SAVAGE ANDREW CULLING

STEPHEN GREENWOOD

UKDA playing rules will be announced in due course.

The five National League divisions will be made up of the following teams, Premier Division: Cheshire, Cornwall, Devon, Essex, Glamorgan, Hampshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, London, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire.

Championship: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Gwent, Hertfordshire, Humberside, Kent, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Sussex, and West Midlands.

DAVIE HANSON

DEBBIE JONES

ELAINE KEARNS

Division One: Cleveland, Clwyd, Derbyshire, Gwynedd, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, and Worcestershire.

Division Two: Bedfordshire, County Durham, Cumbria, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Montgomery and Radnor, Norfolk, Tyne and Wear, West of England and Wiltshire.

www.quantumdarts.co.uk

GARIN RODERICK

JOSH CLOUGH

KARL COLEMAN

PAUL BOOTH

PAUL MARSH

Division Three: Black Country, Breconshire, Gloucestershire, Isle of Wight, Northumberland, Pembrokeshire, Salopian, Shropshire and Wirral.

In addition to the management team printed in the previous edition of Darts World four more members have been added, they are Paul Marsh (National League Director), Richard Biggs (Regional Manager for the South East), Debbie Jones (Youth Co-ordinator) and Stephen Greenwood (Chief Disciplinary Officer and Regional Manager for Wales and East Central).

MATT JONES

Stephen Greenwood has given a brief account of his history and experience. He said: “I have 31 years in public service over the last 25 served as a police officer in Dyfed Powys.

“I am the brainchild /chairman behind the very successful Newtown Premier League which has developed many Welsh internationals in its 13 years of darting.

Free Consultation and Discount to all Dart Players with code DWM Self Assessment Management Accounts

Bookkeeping Year End Accounts

VAT Set Ups

“I am also the chairman of the newly formed Newtown Darts Organisation formed in 2019. I have run many, many successful open competitions throughout Mid-Wales and Shropshire.

“I have also orchestrated the Contest of Champions for the last 10 years, a competition involving the very best of players from their respective Premier Leagues. I aim to give the UKDA the full benefit of both my legal background advice and darting experience.”

In addition to the Management Team a new Events Team has been formed and is comprised of Davie Hanson (Events Director), Paul Booth (Master of Ceremonies), Andrew Culling (Referee), Garin Roderick (Referee), Josh Clough (Referee), Simon Rimington (Referee), Matt Jones (Referee and Event Support), Karl Coleman (Event Support) and Elaine Kearns (Event Support).

UKDA Chairman Johnny Stefano explained: “It has been six months since the UKDA proposal to encourage County teams into the National League was released and we have been working tirelessly since that moment to find a title sponsor for the Association and we are delighted that this objective has now been achieved.

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For further information please visit www.catdromeda.co.uk OCHE ICONS or contact Cat at catherine@catdromeda.co.uk www.dartsworld.com

“The level of support, help and advice we received from the outset by Darts Corner, their CEO Wayne Taylor and his team

JOHNNY STEFANO

RICHARD BIGGS

SIMON RIMINGTON

has led us to this historical moment.

“Considering those discussions started when we didn’t even have any teams signed up, all negotiations since have taken place during the toughest period imaginable, not just for grassroots dart players specifically but the country generally, which makes the agreement even more incredible.

“The UKDA now have the support we sought and when we all get back to playing again, hopefully in September as scheduled, the commitment Darts Corner has provided will ensure we can now provide an exciting future to all those players who have entrusted us with the task of moving the National and Super League systems forward.

“Thankfully we have managed to acquire investment from numerous sources and in truth, sources that wouldn’t have previously been interested in doing so.

“Though work still goes on within the UKDA Management Team to ensure all commercial opportunities are pursued, the backing of Darts Corner, the endorsement of what we want to achieve, the benefits that our new sponsors will provide will filter back into the National and Super League areas of the grassroots game.

“To all the players competing within them, we are both grateful and excited to see what together we will be able to achieve for the players in the next few years.”

AMATEUR www.dartsworld.com

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COUNTY LINES

by Alan Towe Brenda Dyer, winning 3-1 against Tracey Davies in game five, winning 3-2 against Denise Cassidy in game six then losing 3-0 in game ten to Lorraine Hyde. Natalie Gilbert is placed third in the table just two points behind the leading duo.

Top place in the Championship Division goes to Sharon Godbeer, but again with sixteen points only leads on average from Donna Gleed. The leading pair are followed by a string of four players Deb Watling, Sally Smith, Helen Ward and Tina Neylon, all on fourteen points.

Division One provides the only clear point’s leader, Kelly Haverson’s eighteen points giving her a two points advantage over her nearest rivals Emma Martin and Eileen Askew, however Emma Martin has only played nine games and a win in her game in hand would see her draw level on points with Haverson.

The reason for some players having only played nine games in Division One is down to the fact that Kelly Eddy has withdrawn from the league.

Amazingly since its inception the Derbyshire Darts Online League has already completed its seventh successful season in which the standard of play just got better and better.

The Premier Division title went to one of Derbyshire’s finest Darron ‘The Rooster’ Brown. pictured right.

Brown took the title for a second time with a total of 87 points, three more than runner-up Darren Layden who had a final nine point’s advantage over third placed Dale Gadsby.

Eleven points was the difference between the top two players in Division One as Ian Richardson wrapped up the title with 95 points and his nearest rival Mark Sabin had 84. Bill Schooley was a further six points adrift on 78 and finished third.

Steve Arkwright was the Division Two champion ending his campaign with 90 points and a nine point lead over second placed Adam Webster who in turn was six points to the good over third in the table Chris Hilton.

Division Three was a very close run affair with just one point separating the top three players. With 90 points Frankie Foster won the division but only just as Rose Mort claimed the runnersup spot with the same 90 points. Jason Brealey finished third in the table, his 89 points just one short of the two players above him.

RUSSIAN RULE YET…Anastasia Dobromyslova chases Ksenia Klochek in ladies Top Gun Online League

These were sentiments echoed by Darts Corner CEO Wayne Taylor. He added: “I love darts and everything to do with darts.

“It’s been my passion for nearly 30 years and after all the recent upheaval, all the uncertainty that millions have suffered and unfortunately are still facing, l felt now was the perfect time to give something back, to demonstrate both support and thanks to the tens of thousands of darts enthusiasts that over the last 15 years have supported Darts Corner.

With this agreement, I believe that’s exactly what we will be able to achieve and I am genuinely thrilled, especially as the UKDA has chosen us as their partner when there were so many

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other options open to them.”

With the Top Gun Ladies Online League going from strength to strength a new division was added and the new season began with a Premier Division, Championship Division and Division One which included no fewer than sixty six players with twenty two in each division.

After all players have completed ten games in the Premier Division the lead is held by Ksenia Klochek who has 18 points from her ten games played. Hot on the heels of Klochek is Anastasia Dobromyslova who also has 18 points but trails by just two legs of average after winning 3-1 in game three against

In addition to the four divisions the league also run their FA Cup in which all 74 players participate. The quarter-finals saw 5-3 wins for Henry Coates and Paul Baker over respective opponents Colin Dymond and Wayne Pepper while Darron Brown and Stuart Barrowcliffe in turn recorded 5-2 wins over Darren Layden and Chris Bradshaw.

Both semis finished with 5-2 scorelines as Darron Brown beat Stuart Barrowcliffe and Henry Coates accounted for Paul Baker.

Continuing with the best of nine legs format the final saw Darron Brown make it a fabulous double as he added the F.A. Cup title to his already won Premier Division title winning 5-3 against young Henry Coates.

Season eight gets underway on Saturday, January 30 and for the new season a further competition will be added to the fixture card as “The Boom Boom Cup” will be introduced in loving memory of one of Derbyshire’s much loved and respected players David Allcock who sadly passed away recently.

It is hoped that the 74 entries for season seven will be surpassed for season eight and the league expand even further.

Full Results: F.A Cup:- Round One (Last 128 Best of 9 Legs) Owen Thomas 5 Craig Freeman 2, Darren Griffiths 5 Ryan Clarke 2, Jason Brealey 5 Connor Moss 3, Darran Sinfield 5 Shane Robinson 2, Paul Coward 5 Matt Wheatcroft 1, Andy Marriott 5 Lee Bridges 0, Lee Arkwright 5 Ryan Barton 0, Dale Gadsby 5 Gary Burch 4, Adam Webster – bye, Amy Eyre – bye, Andrew Houghton – bye, Andy Copeland – bye, Andy Tootill – bye, Ben Turner – bye, Bill Schooley – bye, Callum Briddon – bye, Carl Charnock – bye, Carl Coulthard – bye, Chris Bradshaw – bye, Chris Hilton – bye, Chris Sharp – bye, Colin Dymond – bye, Damian Donoghue – bye, Darren Layden – bye, Darron Brown – bye, Debbie Caven – bye, Frankie Foster – bye, Gordon Toft – bye, Henry Coates – bye, Ian Cross – bye, Ian Richardson – bye, Jack Ford – bye, Jack Kerr – bye, Jeffrey Edwards – bye, Jordan Beresford – bye, Josh Bridges – bye, Josh Wilmot – bye, Keith Lodge – b bye, Kevin Reddington – bye, Mark Sabin – bye, Mark Strickland – bye, Martin Courtney – bye, Mason Evans – bye, Matt Bryan – bye, Matthew Fairey – bye, Michelle Adkin – bye, Mick Evans – bye, Nigel Daniels – bye, Paul Baker – bye, Paul Holman – bye, Pete Burgoyne – bye, Pete Hadfield – bye, Richard Bloomfield – bye, Rose Mort – bye, Roy Clarke – bye, Russ Sharp – bye, Sam Revill – bye, Sean O’Brien – bye, Steve Arkwright – bye, Steve Coward – bye, Stuart Barrowcliffe – bye, Vicky Henshaw – bye, Wayne Pepper – bye, Winston Holt – bye.

Round Two (Last 64 Best of 9 Legs) Colin Dymond 5 Jack Kerr 1, Adam Webster 5 Andy Tootill 3, Darran Sinfield 5 Carl Coulthard 0, Andy Copeland 5 Josh Bridges 0, Sam Revill 5 Russ Sharp 3, Dale Gadsby 5 Nigel Daniels 1, Ian Richardson 5 Callum Briddon 0, Ian Cross 5 Winston Holt 1, Chris Bradshaw 5 Roy Clarke 0, Stuart Barrowcliffe 5 Mason Evans 1, Andy Marriott 5 Mark Strickland 1, Matthew Fairey 5 Ben Turner 2, Andrew Houghton 5 Jason Brealey 0, Steve Arkwright 5 Chris Sharp 3, Henry Coates 5 Owen Thomas 2, Pete Burgoyne 5 Mick Evans 0, Frankie Foster 5 Debbie Caven 0, Richard Bloomfield 5 Michelle Adkin 1, Rose Mort 5 Jordan Beresford 4, Jeffrey Edwards 5 Jack Ford 2, Mark Sabin 5 Vicky Henshaw 0, Paul Baker 5 Pete Hadfield 4, Keith Lodge 5 Matt Bryan 1, Wayne Pepper 5 Kevin Reddington 0, Darren Layden 5 Amy Eyre 0, Carl Charnock 5 Chris Hilton 4, Lee Arkwright 5 Steve Coward 1, Gordon Toft 5 Damian Donoghue 0, Josh Wilmot 5 Sean O’Brien 2, Bill Schooley 5 Darren Griffiths 4, Darron Brown 5 Paul Coward 3, Martin Courtney 5 Paul Holman 0.

Round Three (Last 32 Best of 9 Legs) Wayne Pepper 5 Rose Mort 0, Henry Coates 5 Andy Copeland 0, Darron Brown 5 Josh Wilmot 0, Ian Richardson 5 Pete Burgoyne 4, Darren Layden 5 Adam Webster 0, Dale Gadsby 5 Keith Lodge 1, Andrew Houghton 5 Sam Revill 1, Paul Baker 5 Mark Sabin 3, Colin Dymond 5 Gordon Toft 4, Frankie Foster 5 Matthew Fairey 4, Martin Courtney 5 Jeffrey Edwards 0, Stuart Barrowcliffe 5 Andy Marriott 0, Steve Arkwright 5 Carl Charnock 2, Chris Bradshaw 5 Richard Bloomfield 1, Bill Schooley 5 Ian Cross 1, Lee Arkwright 5 Darran Sinfield 0.

Round Four (Last 16 Best of 9) Darren Layden 5 Dale Gadsby 4, Chris Bradshaw 5 Ian Richardson 2, Henry Coates 5 Andrew Houghton 3, Colin Dymond 5 Frankie Foster 3, Darron Brown 5 Steve Arkwright 3, Stuart Barrowcliffe 5 Martin Courtney 2, Wayne Pepper 5 Lee Arkwright 4, Paul Baker 5 Bill Schooley 0 Quarter-Finals (Best of 9 Legs) Henry Coates 5 Colin Dymond 3, Paul Baker 5 Wayne Pepper 3, Darron Brown 5 Darren Layden 2, Chris Bradshaw 2 Stuart Barrowcliffe 5.

Semi-Finals (Best of 9 Legs) Darron Brown 5 Stuart Barrowcliffe 2, Henry Coates 5 Paul Baker 2.

Final (Best of 9 Legs) Darron Brown 5 Henry Coates 3.

AMATEUR

AMATEUR

www.dartsworld.com

www.dartsworld.com

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BELT UP! Warren leads MAD charge with opening night glory

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AYNE WARREN admitted that 2020 had been “a killer” after winning the MAD world title on launch night.

December.

The reigning BDO World Champion was the headline act at the ambitious ‘The Dawn’ opening occasion of Modern Amateur Darts in mid-

“It’s something different which darts needs. This will kick off the amateur side of things, this will be massive.”

In a tense final between the BDO world champs, Mitchell went 2-1 ahead but Warren quickly tied it up and went 4-3 up as Mitchell couldn’t pounce on the opportunity to break throw.

Mitchell held to make it 4-4 and make it very much a level game still. A potentially pivotal 101 checkout followed from Warren to make it 5-4.

In the crucial leg, Warren got himself back into it by hitting a 140 and a 180 to leave 55 with Mitchell on 82 and it was the former who pinned it to make it 6-4.

Warren spoke afterwards and said that while it was good to win, it was difficult playing someone he is so close to.

“When I won the World title this year, the first person I spoke to was Scott. I phoned him up, my missus phoned him up. He’s been a great help to me. It’s very hard to play a friend.

“To win tonight for MAD darts, it’s as good as winning the world title. I hope everyone enjoyed that and as far as I’m concerned, MAD darts, let’s go forward.”

In a rush of information, the founder of MAD Steve Brown headed a media release of a new belt system and that the opening games would happen the same night.

There were plenty more winners at the official launch which was hosted by John Rawling and Paul Nicholson, with added content from founder Brown.

Warren ended the affair by effectively retaining his world title position this time under the MAD banner, defeating Scott Mitchell in the final.

One of the concepts announced was the MAD Championship title system, inspired by the structure used in combat sports, crowning Divisional Champions with title belts, and allowing those champions to accept bids from challengers to play for the title.

Warren, 58, admitted: “It has been a long time after winning the world title. I had looked forward to the rest of 2020 but it has been a killer. It was strange.

“I am a big believer in amateur darts, I was brought up in it all my life, simple.

“I feel sorry for the amateur side of the sport, what has happened with the BDO darts. MAD darts will take over.

“As soon as I had the phone call to get involved, you would be stupid to turn that down. I jumped on the case straightaway. I didn’t think twice.

“I hope it is successful for all the amateur players as well. It is in safe hands with Steve Brown in charge.

“I think the boxing-style belts are great, something different. Do I feel like a boxing fighter? No, I am a lover not a fighter!

The MAD European Title was awarded to BDO World Master John O’Shea. Challenger James Richardson managed to unseat the Irishman in a very enjoyable match, with Ruthless winning through 9-5.

The MAD Wales National Title was awarded to BDO World Championship runner-up Jim Williams under the same criteria.

He faced off against former World Champion Richie Burnett, and a solid performance ensured a successful defence, winning 8-2.

The MAD Scotland National title remained vacant, and was contested by two worthy challengers in Ryan Hogarth and Gary Stone. Stone was destructive in his performance to claim the title by 8-1, averaging almost in what would be the performance of the night.

“

I think the boxingstyle belts are great, something different. Do I feel like a boxing fighter? No, I am a lover not a fighter!

“

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The MAD England National Title was awarded to Paul Hogan as the highest ranked English player in the WDF Rankings. He defended the title against Manchester’s Darryl Fitton, who himself managed to become the new champion in a very tight affair, surviving two match darts to come through an 8-7 victor.

title as well as a £10,000 prize Fund.

Also announced at The Dawn were three MAD Showpiece Events, to feature on top of the local open events and national major events.

*The MAD Golden Gauntlet – A 30-Player Invitational Event, featuring Champions, Icons, and Wildcards. A randomly drawn, quickfire, last man standing event, starting with two players competing a leg of 701, and a new player joining once a leg has been completed.

Once the 30th Player has entered, the winner of the last leg claims £10,000.

These were: *The Great British League Championships – This is the culmination of the MAD local league system, featuring the 16 Super Regional Teams playing off for the

*The British Amateur Open – A three-Stage Event, with qualifiers at regional and super regional level, and the best 64 Players entering the national finals. A £30,000 prize fund is played for, with all 64 Finalists receiving Prize Money and the Champion receiving £10,000.

MAD UPDATE The last few weeks have again seen MAD make real progress in its integration within the world of Amateur Darts.

Since the last update, they have finished their Super Regional Director recruitment, have formally launched the MAD Brand, have released Events Information, and started to make connections abroad.

RECRUITMENT The last two Super Regions have now had their Directors appointed. The Scotland Highlanders is such a vast area, they decided to split the Super Region in two. Daryl Stewart, of Blairgowrie, is heading up the southern half of the area, including Fife, Angus, Perthshire, and South Aberdeenshire.

Kevin Wilson of Inverness is heading up the northern half, covering North Aberdeenshire, Morayshire, Inverness-shire, Ross & Cromarty, Caithness & Sutherland, Western Isles, and Orkney/Shetland.

JDC NEWS

A

FTER marking our first decade of championing junior darts last year the JDC are determined not to stand still.

Even in these difficult times, it is vital that we keep planning for how our members can safely and securely play and enjoy the sport of darts.

Speaking of landmarks, happy birthday to our Chairman, Steve Brown, who reached his Double Top birthday recently Our first action was to extend the period of free membership through to the end of 2021. With families needing to prioritise our board unanimously decided to waive fees regardless.

The various Covid related restrictions, under which the JDC has laboured since early 2020, have reminded us of the importance of lowering the barriers to entry to our activities.

As successful as the JDC tour is, we thought that it may prove difficult for players to travel in the near future, so we are going to take the tour to our players with the Super16.

Our 16 Super regions will each host events to produce one boy and one girl to compete in a grand finals event.

The finals will be streamed or broadcast and we hope they will become a firm fixture in the JDC calendar.

The culmination of the Super 16s will feature the Boy’s Champion face off against the Girl’s winner at The Masters in 2022.

Marc Ayres, from Barrow-in-Furness, has been appointed as the Super Regional Director for The England Crusaders, covering Cumbria and the Isle of Man.

FURTHER RELEASES Following the MAD Launch, further information was released on social media. Presentations covering the whole MAD concept, league system, open events system, showpiece events, a new event called the MAD Vault (which would see amateur players competing for an unlimited prize fund), The Championship Title System, and the MAD Pub to Pro Masters, were all released.

The MAD Pub to Pro Masters offers a phenomenal opportunity for the Amateur Dart Player. The Highest Ranked Player in each Region will play off for the following Prize Package: *£2,000 cash

Our finalists will have the chance to experience the full stage, the audience (we hope), and the formality of a major stage final.Event a TV slot could feature.

Special JDC thanks to Mathew Porter and the PDC for providing such opportunities over the years and supporting junior darts in numerous other ways.

Winmau has also been behind us all the way and the recent renewal and expansion of their support is particularly welcome in these uncertain days.

The JDC Virtual platform is once again proving a vital aid during Lockdown and it will not be long until we have tracked 10 million darts through our drills and exercises. We have even added a Virtual Team feature!

Sadly our Gibraltar-based events were a washout last year, this included the MVG Masters which is supported

*A fully funded MAD world title shot. *A fully funded Q-School spot. *A one-year management deal with a top sports management group. *Three exhibition appearances. *One-year Winmau Product Deal, including having the champions darts designed.

So as you can see, MAD have really taken strides in its development. The MAD Website is also live, and you can visit www.maddarts.tv today to become a MAD member.

Plus, MAD have already started to connect in the Netherlands, with a Dutch infrastructure already being designed for expansion of the MAD concept.

Keep an eye on Facebook (MADdarts) and Twitter (@officialmad180) for regular updates.

AMATEUR

AMATEUR

www.dartsworld.com

www.dartsworld.com

by Michael himself and MODUS darts. Plans are again afoot to return to Gibraltar during 2021 and to expand the multiple events held there. Michael’s support is a real boost and we look forward to seeing him inspiring players in person very soon.

There is plenty more to come from the JDC in 2021 and we would urge you to keep an eye on Darts World’s platforms for early news.

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NORTH AMERICA NEWS

LONDON PRIDE

By The Pearly King (supported by Smilers Ltd)

W

elcome to the first London Pride column in quite some time.

When the column last appeared, London were pushing for promotion to the BICC Premier Division, and lying second in the table as the season was drawing to a tense finale with four teams vying for the two promotion places on offer.

The season was then suspended as a result of the Covid pandemic, which saw the darts world as a whole placed in limbo.

Over the last few months. there have been significant changes as you would have no doubt seen and read across the various Darts World media platforms and elsewhere, with the sudden demise of the BDO and UKDA consequently becoming the new custodians of the amateur game, with MAD adding another avenue for players.

I have been watching the ongoing developments with keen interest, and the early indications are very positive.

UKDA have certainly gone about the task in hand with a real intent, and look to have implemented an extensive and highly competent management structure that will give all National League teams (as the counties will now be referred to) a very solid foundation to help both themselves and the amateur game as a whole grow and prosper throughout the coming years.

The Divisional Structure for the inaugural Darts Corner National League has now been released, and London will be competing in the Premier Division.

Everyone is now eagerly waiting for the actual fixtures to be released once restrictions have eased sufficiently, especially with the Magic Weekend scheduled to conclude the season, where the last two matches for each team will be played. As soon as the fixtures are known, they will of course be included in future London Pride columns.

I personally think this is a fabulous concept and believe it will soon become a real focal point of attention, drawing interest from others outside of the sport, similar to what has happened in rugby league over the last fifteen years or so.

I would like to think that there will be increased media interest as a result other than through the usual sources, which can only be a good thing as it would bring the many positive aspects of the amateur side of the sport to a wider audience.

With every team from both the Premier and Championship Divisions all in action at the same time, it will provide a fitting and exciting climax to the season.

It throws up a mouth-watering prospect for players, officials and spectators alike, with the possibility of so many games having a bearing on where a team finishes up in the table.

Certainly a large venue would be needed, with a lot of to-ing and fro-ing from people trying to see how their rivals are faring and relaying the information back to their own team!

The new season is scheduled to begin, all being well, in early September.

In the meantime, stay safe, and in the immortal words of the late London referee Alex Day, “May your (Online) darts fly straight and true”.

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GAMBLER ADDICT Baggish joy for re-birth of American darts with CDC

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WORDS: PETER CITERA PHOTOGRAPHY: LAWRENCE LUSTIG H, there you go.

60-60-BULLSEYE!

Those words out of the mouth of Sky Sports broadcasting legend, Wayne Mardle, marked the first ‘Big Fish’ 170 checkout of the 2020-2021 World Darts Championship.

While such checkouts have become commonplace on darts’ biggest stage, this one in the second round felt different because it was thrown against the 21-seeded Adrian Lewis by an American, Danny Baggish. pictured above right.

Moreover, it came at a critical time in the match, with Baggish up 2-1 in sets but Lewis only one leg away from levelling the match.

Two impressive legs later and North America had its first player in the third round at the World Darts Championship since John Part in 2012 (before the field was expanded to 96 players).

While the casual darts fan may have been surprised

by Baggish’s run (as well as impressive performances by the rest of the North American field), those who follow the sport closely have been looking across the pond with higher expectations for the past few years.

Largely because of the emergence of Championship Darts Corporation, the PDC’s North American affiliate and producer of the Championship Darts Circuit.

A darting powerhouse in the 1970s–1990s, North Americans would appear regularly in the late rounds of televised events.

In fact, the first WDC (now PDC) Matchplay was won by none other than current CDC player, Larry Butler who is, to this day, the only American to claim a PDC major title.

But then things got quiet. A decline in sponsorship coinciding with advertising law changes around tobacco and failure

to embrace longer-format events - and the game of 501 generally - led to the decline of the game on the continent.

Aside from PDC Hall-of-Famer, John Part (also a CDC Tour Cardholder), North America struggled to field players who could compete at the highest levels of the game.

Perhaps the lowest moment came in 2006 when only one US player out of 16 qualifiers managed to make it out of the first round at the World Series of Darts event in Connecticut.

That led to a lot of soulsearching among darts promoters and, ultimately, the groundwork for what would become the CDC. The three founding partners – this writer pictured below left (Peter Citera), Anthony Eugenia and L. David Irete – collaborated with Jay Tomlinson on the PDC North American Championship Tour and, when Tomlinson decided to retire from full-time promotion, founded Championship Darts Corporation in 2015.

Like many organisations, the first few years of CDC were touch-and-go, with every decision carrying the potential for failure.

However, thanks in large part to the loyalty of top players, sponsors who believed in the vision, the launch of youth events and a little bit of dumb luck, the relationship with the PDC and JDC was established and the company hasn’t looked back.

When top players have the opportunity to face off against each other again and again, averages rise, finishing improves and the cream rises to the top. The proof is in the numbers: the CDC Tour scoring average has risen from the high 60s in the first year to top 80 for the first time in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

The quality of play from North Americans at PDC events (and their finishing positions) has risen every year since the CDC/PDC partnership was formed.

Americans and Canadians have

NORTH AMERICA NEWS

ISLAND HOPPERS

By The Pearly King (supported by Smilers Ltd)

produced memorable games on the biggest stages: from Darin Young sending Raymond van Barneveld into (temporary) retirement to Matt Campbell defeating Dimitri van den Bergh in the 2020 World Cup to Baggish’s win over Lewis, the days of North Americans being ‘easy draws’ are over.

While the CDC’s original goal of creating another North American Champion of the World by 2025 may prove to be a little aggressive, there is no doubt that the formula is working and the future of darts on our side of the pond is brighter than ever.

By STEVE BROWN OKAY, I know it’s a bit late, but I’d like to wish you all a very happy, peaceful, prosperous, and safe New Year Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to submit a column last month as my lovely wife Missy was taken ill with Covid-19. Due to some underlying health conditions, she is a high-risk case, and was hospitalised for a while.

I never contracted the virus (or at least, I have no reason to think I did), but I did have to self-isolate for a couple of weeks. By the time we got everything straightened out, the holidays were upon us, so it hasn’t really been a great deal of fun.

As in Europe, we are seeing another surge in virus cases over here right now, and of course, another surge in restrictions. While we aren’t on a full lockdown – yet – most areas are having to deal with laws that are making it very difficult for people to play darts. Here in Ohio, we are currently dealing with a 10pm-5am curfew, and nearly all steel-tip leagues are inactive. Elsewhere in the US, we have continued to see a very small handful of minor tournaments, but nothing of any real consequence.

As far as tournaments in 2021, we have had very few scheduled so far, as nobody knows when and where we will be able to stage anything.

We did have two WDF-ranked events scheduled – one in January, and the other in February – but both have already been postponed.

These are the Ground Hog Open in Littleton, Colorado, and the Camellia Classic in Sacramento, California.

The World Championship again proved Danny Baggish he belongs on the PDC stage. Sadly, our other competitor, Danny Lauby, wasn’t able to get past his opener, but he certainly did himself proud on his PDC debut.

Lauby was the first former ADO National Youth Champion to compete in a senior World Championship, and also completed only the second father and son pairing (Colin and Arron Monk were the first), to play in the PDC World Championship – 17 years after dad Dan Sr last set foot on the stage at the Circus Tavern.

Since my last offering, I have lost several great friends from the world of darts. Obviously, most of you will know about the passing of the legendary Alan Glazier. The ‘Man in Black’ was one of the first superstars of the game, and despite not pocketing major titles, thoroughly deserves to be mentioned alongside multiple world champions.

Ray Merchant and Jim Nortrup were long-time pals of mine during my time in St, Louis, and Jim and I were team-mates for a short while.

Ray passed away in November, and Jim just last week. While not as well-known as his brother Luis, Texas’ Bert Martinez was a superb player; he just didn’t travel as much.

A couple of weeks ago, Bert suffered a massive stroke, and passed away a few hours later. Finally, I was woken early this morning by a text informing me that and old mixed doubles partner of mine, Kathy Theriot, had passed.

On my trips down to Biloxi, Mississippi, I used to stay with Kathy and her husband Bubba. Their house was flattened by Hurricane Katrina a few years ago…

You know, it’s pretty depressing, isn’t it? There is so little good news about right now, but it HAS to get better in 2021. It may never be the same again, but the sooner we can get darts back – and in front of a crowd – the happier we will all be...

GLOBAL

GLOBAL

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W

e begin with a packed round-up with the WDF Virtual Cup.

Jersey’s Craig Quemard and Bobby Williams competed in the Men’s Event, but were unable to make it out of the Round Robin stage. Quemard won four of his nine games while Williams registered just the solitary victory.

The Ladies fared better. Angie Le Bailly had three wins while Ema Hawley’s five victories were sufficient for her to make it into the knockout stages.

Hawley then took a deciding seventh leg to move into the last 16, before a fantastic run was ended at the hands of the vastly experienced Aileen de Graaf.

Following the completion of the Cup, the WDF formally announced that Guernsey’s application for membership was successful, and this means that the Islands can launch a two-pronged assault on both the World and Europe Cups which can only raise the profile and standard of darts in the Channel Islands still further.

Unfortunately the restrictions have put paid to the planned four team tournament planned for the Isle of Man in January where both Guernsey and Jersey were slated to compete with the hosts and the Republic of Ireland, but it is hoped this will now commence in 2022.

October saw the second staging of the Herm Festival of Darts. Sadly travel restrictions prevented the Jersey contingent from attending, long with those from the UK mainland (although your correspondent did go through a mandatory 14-day isolation in order to cover the event).

Despite this, the Guernsey darts fraternity supported it in good numbers, and the event attracted the attention across all forms of broadcast media, with the regional ITV cameras attending on the Saturday.

All four competitions were keenly contested with everyone determined to compete in the final session of play when the titles would be decided.

Tracy Ingrouille was defending both the Open and Classic crowns, and this time round was defeated in the final of each. Jo Fallaize (35.93) claimed the Classic with a 4-1 win, and the Open saw a fine game which went right to the wire. Yvonne Le Gallic (42.73)

gained the early advantage in the decider and held on for a deserved win.

Nick Ogier and Adie Exall made it through to the Men’s Classic Final after seeing off Michael Ogier and Lee Savident in the Semis. A ding-dong battle ensued, and it was fitting that it went all nine legs. Both players missed doubles before Exall (66.02) found the outer ring in a game that neither player deserved to lose.

The Open was a bit more straightforward. Ken Waters and Michael Ogier had fairly comfortable wins in their semis against Lee Smith and Tim Cotterill. The Final followed in similar vein as Waters (68.98) bagged the prize in the seventh leg of the contest.

Another enjoyable weekend was had by all, and hopefully those that couldn’t make it in 2021 will be back for the third edition which is already established as a fixture in the Islands’ darting calendar. The dates have now been set for mid-October and there has been a good early take up for places. Given the current climate it is good to see that the event has managed to retain both sponsors as well.

The ongoing pandemic has once again affected the Annual Inter-Insular match between Guernsey and Jersey, which has unfortunately been postponed for the second straight year. It is now slated to be hosted by Guernsey in 2022.

Guernsey have recently played an online match against Hertfordshire, losing by 18 points to 8. Despite the result, it was a good learning curve for them with some very close games indeed and the players will benefit from coming up against opposition who have plenty of experience on the county circuit. The post-match reaction from both teams was very positive and there was talk of a game to be played in a more traditional manner at a later date. However there might be a friendly argument over who was to host the match as I suspect both would like to visit the other!

The various leagues now have been suspended on both islands, as a result of Guernsey entering lockdown just before this article was written.

Hopefully the situation in either Jersey or Guernsey will have changed for the better before the next issue, when I can give the latest updates on the latest action should any have ensued.

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RED HOT HETA

“

WORDS: PAUL WOODAGE

When we were both in the same softball team he was nicknamed ‘Mr Miyagi’ and I was ‘Daniel San’, which no one knows… well until now!

Aussie on softball to bullseyes

“

W

PHOTOGRAPHY: TAYLOR LANNING

sport was and the darting world outside of Australia.”

HO is Damon Heta? That was the question on the lips of most darts fans when he won the 2019 Brisbane Darts Masters. They certainly all know who he is now.

Since that groundbreaking triumph, the popular Aussie has gone from strength-to-strength and is currently one of the most in-form players on planet darts. A maiden victory on the Pro Tour in September followed up by excellent runs to the quarter finals of both the Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals have propelled Heta into the world’s top 64.

It’s fair to say the Australian has taken to life in the PDC and the UK like a duck to water. Together with his wife, Meaghan, the couple have settled in their new Derbyshire home extremely well.

So how did it all begin for the man from Perth?

He admits: “My parents played darts so we always had a board set up at home. One night they needed a fill in for their local league so I tagged along, enjoyed it so began to join them each week. Western Australia has produced some really good dart players; there’s Graham Hunt, Kim Lewis, Peter Hinkley and the Anderson brothers, Kyle and Beau.

“The standard is getting better and they have recently set up the Premier League so you’re up against the top players each week. That has helped me get to where I am now.

“My family is a very sporting one. I first began playing rugby league under 9s and I also played softball at a high level in the juniors. My Dad was a Sensei so I grew up with karate. When we were both in the same softball team he was nicknamed ‘Mr Miyagi’ and I was ‘Daniel San’, which no one knows…well until now!

“I only started playing darts when I was around 15. A few years later, I was a member of the Western Australia under 18s and when I was available, represented them in the Australian Championships. After winning the 2011 Pacific Masters, I was selected to play for my country.

“I attended the 2014 Sydney Darts Masters qualifiers and got through. I recall having no idea about what it was all about, all I knew is that I got to play one of the top players in the world, Dave Chisnall. I walked out on stage and was a bit overwhelmed.

He beat me 6-0. That really opened my eyes up to how big the

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The world seemed to be Heta’s oyster but to fully achieve his dream it would mean relocating to the UK and committing a career solely to darts. For Damon and his wife of 10 years, Meaghan, they had some huge decisions to make.

He added: “Between 2015 and 2018, I played mainly in my weekly league and tried out for the PDC World Series tournaments when I could. After the Brisbane event in 2018, I was talking to Gary Anderson and Michael Smith about moving to the UK permanently to become a professional darts player.

Meaghan was with me and said if that’s what I wanted to do then we will do it.

“In August 2019, I won the Australian Open beating Jim Williams in the semis and Scott Mitchell in the final. The following weekend was when I won the Brisbane Masters. I also topped the rankings on the DPA circuit which gave me my spot in the PDC World Championships at the end of the year before leading into Q-School in January. So that all gave me the confidence to hit the ground running when I arrived in the UK.” Just over a year since the move, the plan is certainly working out extremely well. After winning his two year tour card in January 2020, Heta has soared up the rankings.

Heta continued: “We spend all our time with Mac Elkin (owner of The Sportsman Management Company), some of his players as well as Keegan Brown and Bradley Brooks. He and his team have taken us both under his wing, always willing to help out if we have any questions.

“We were initially planning on going home in May for a quick trip but when the announcement was made Australia was closing its borders we booked the next available ticket home and left within two days. We didn’t think we were going to be there for four months but it was great to see the family again and to be home.

“Frustratingly, I was unable to return to the UK for the PDC Summer Series which hurt. I wanted to hit the ground running when I got my tour card in January and I was playing really well but wasn’t getting the results. Then to be missing five Pro Tours at a time when I had only played eight made me want it more.”

Looking ahead, Heta has a game plan set in place for this year.

He added: “I just want to play well, qualify for all the TV tournaments I can and win things, which I am sure is everyone’s answer! I’m happy with the way I’m playing and have reached the top 64 within my first twelve months. By the end of 2021 I am aiming for at least that top 32.”

And few would bet against that happening.

OCHE ICONS

OCHE ICONS

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Despite losing his world title, Peter Wright features in all nine categories and tops the pile in six of them…

UL TR

A

9s

H

ERE is our third installment of the Darts Database Ultra 9s - the best performance indicators taken from all PDC matches and all 128 PDC Tour Card holders to help inform your analysis and predictions for the upcoming season. The Ultra 9s will soon be available to look at over your chosen time period, through Darts Database Premium (available with Darts Prime). Here are the top 5 in each category after the Ladbrokes Masters.

2. Explosiveness

Legs won in 12 darts or less

3. Efficiency Legs won in 15 darts or less 1 Peter Wright 54.17% 2 Gerwyn Price 50.91% 3 Jose de Sousa 48.00% 4 MVG 47.66% 5 Michael Smith 46.67%

RE-JOYCE...Red-hot Ryan tops checkout stats. Pictures by Taylor Lanning

1. Scoring Average score after 9 darts 1 Peter Wright 173.65 2 Jose de Sousa 175.33 3 MVG 175.84 4 Gerwyn Price 177.13 5 Michael Smith 180.39

4. Reliability Legs won in 18 darts or less

5. Clinical Finishing

1 Peter Wright 87.73%

FInishes taken in the minimum possible darts 1 Peter Wright 11.96%

2 MVG 87.40%

2 Jose de Sousa 11.48%

3 Gerwyn Price 86.87%

3 Gerwyn Price 11.40%

4 K. Rajatski 86.12% 5 James Wade 85.79%

4 Devon Petersen 11.50%

6. Accuracy

7. Checkouts

Treble scoring accuracy on 20, 19, 18 & 17

Overall % on the 21 different segments (including the bull)

1. Peter Wright 43.51%

5 MVG 11.15%

1. Ryan Joyce 43.73%

2. MVG 43.01%

2. James Wade 43.38%

3. Jose de Sousa 42.84%

3. Peter Wright 43.46%

4. Gerwyn Price 42.78%

4. Gerwyn Price 42.55%

5. Dave Chisnall 42.11%

5. Mervyn King 42.33%

1 Peter Wright 11.30%

8. Functional Checkouts

2 Jose de Sousa 10.91%

Checkout % discounting misses that didn’t cost the player the leg

3 Gerwyn Price 10.82%

1. Ryan Joyce 54.27%

4 Michael Smith 10.65%

2. James Wade 53.28%

5 D Van den Bergh 9.68%

3. Peter Wright 52.15% 4. Gerwyn Price 50.33% 5. Damon Heta 50.82% 9. Match Clinching* The accuracy on doubles in attempts which, if successful, would result in winning the match 1. Stephan Siepma 104.08 2. Jose de Sousa 100.18 3. Peter Wright 99.87 4. Glen Durrant 99.21 5. Darren Webster 99.04

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NUMBERS GAME

NUMBERS GAME

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49

“

“SAM WAS A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF EVERYTHING THAT WAS GREAT ABOUT THE BDO.”

The surgeon basically said that I had broken my back and there wasn’t a hope I could play the semi-final.

They refused to give me painkillers or an injection in case I sustained permanent damage but did suggest a steel corset.

IN MEMORIAM SAM HAWKINS

“

STALWART SAM…Hawkins, right, presents cheque to Tony Brown.

LIKE A CANDELABRA IN THE WIND HOW BOBBY GEORGE ADDED DAZZLE TO DARTS

S “

WORDS: PAUL WOODAGE

coring for show, doubles for dough.”

said this wasn’t a circus and didn’t like all the razzmatazz - he loves it all now!

one evening. Within a few years he was racking up the tournament wins.

Arguably the most famous phrase spoken in the history of darts.

Those memorable words emanated from darting royalty and one of the characters that truly encapsulated the birth of the game.

That man is of course the enigmatic Bobby George.

“As far as the whole look goes, that dates back to my Embassy debut in 1980.

The glittery shirt was actually an idea inspired by ice skaters who often dressed that way. During a trip to Spain for a tournament, I was having a few drinks in a bar and watched an Elvis impersonator perform in a shiny shirt and bright yellow catsuit. I turned to the bar owner and commented that he was a dreadful singer but really looked the part. The gaffer’s missus did a bit of embroidery so agreed to make me a similar shirt if I agreed to wear it at the World Championships the following month. They also bet me £25 I wouldn’t, so come the event I didn’t want to lose that wager.

He said: “One of my early pals in darts was Paul Durrant who owned Durro Darts. A very decent player who wasn’t short of a few bob so paid for me to go to America as long as I gave him the $250 airfare back if won a tournament.

So in 1978, I went over and cleaned up including winning the North American Open. That victory alone was a nice couple of grand so when I got home I gave Durro his money back.”

Also recognised for his flamboyant entrances and well known catchphrases, the iconic ‘King Of Bling’ is undoubtedly one of the biggest personalities the sport has ever produced. In a time when players would simply just stride out to the stage with darts in hand, it was George who was the first to break that mould.

When he walked out to a match at the 1994 Embassy World Championships, he changed the entire way darts players make their grand entrances onto the stage.

George beamed: “Before the event began, I was chatting with a cameraman called Bob Wilson. He had these great images of players strolling up the oche but there was something missing so he suggested perhaps adding a bit of music.

I knew the BDO probably wouldn’t like it but when I asked the BBC they thought it was a great idea. A few players moaned at the time, especially John Lowe who

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“Two BDO officials called Bill Skipsey and Fred Harwood gave me a candelabra they got from the hotel just before I walked on against Dave Whitcombe so there I was, in this loud glittery shirt holding a big candle thing.”

It’s hard to believe that the man who won the famous News of the World tournament in 1979 only really began chucking arrows properly a few years earlier. It was during a fishing trip with friends to Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland that Bobby first recognised he had a talent for the game when he began playing with mates in the pub

Reminiscing about some special times he spent with his long time friend, the late great Eric Bristow, George recalls with fondness: “I’d known Eric for donkeys years. When I began playing properly we would often go on what was known as ‘money racers’. We’d travel around to different pubs in East London and try to win a few bob at the darts.

“It was like an apprenticeship back then, it’s how we made a few quid. We had an arrangement that whatever we won we would share. A lot were only a £50 prize purse but it soon added up if we managed to do a few tournaments each night in different bars. Essentially it was like getting paid to go on a pub crawl.”

That was George’s big break. After his initial rise to fame, fast forward a few years away from the bright lights of

T

HE passing of Sam Hawkins was met with a huge outpouring of affection in the darts community.

An honorary president of the British Darts Organisation (BDO), and indeed a co-founder of the organisation, Hawkins died on January 6 after being admitted to hospital on New Year’s eve following a suspected heart attack.

the BDO World Championships, he returned in 1993 and went all the way to the semi final where John Lowe put an end to the dream. Twelve months on during a match at the Lakeside, the cost from years of intensive labour finally caught up on him.

He added: “All my life I had worked hard physically; digging tunnels, laying floors and so much more. It had all taken its toll on my body but I always used to just get on with it and battle through the pain. After my 1994 Embassy World Championships quarter final win against Kevin Kenny, I jumped up in delight and heard my back go the second I landed. It was sheer agony and knew immediately I was in trouble so went straight to the hospital. Of course the BBC were there with cameras on me as I was lifted on some kind of human crane and taken for x-rays.

“The surgeon basically said that I had broken my back and there wasn’t a hope I could play the semi-final. They refused to give me painkillers or an injection in case I sustained permanent damage but did suggest a steel corset.

If the pain got too much my body would let me know and I would simply collapse so I went along with the corset idea. As soon as I arrived at the venue and strapped it on I could barely walk or turn meaning every time I threw a dart at a double that wasn’t tops it missed by a mile.

“Against the odds and probably science, I somehow managed to scrape a win against Magnus Caris. The next day in the final against John Part I could barely move. The Embassy and BBC were really putting pressure on me to play. Eventually I decided to give it my best shot but Part battered me 6-0. Afterwards I hobbled back to the changing room where my driver Stretch helped me take off my shoes and socks.

They were wringing wet with the sweat from the pain, I felt like someone had shoved thousands of razor blades in my body.”

It’s a very different game now to how it used to be. The PDC have changed the landscape for darts completely and turned it into a global sport allowing players to make a very lucrative living from it.

George added: “I have to say what the PDC have done is marvellous. I’ve known Barry Hearn a very long time and he has always been a smart, shrewd businessman. It was frustrating to see the demise of the BDO as they had it all - a magnificent ship sat in the harbour, a great crew but no wind to sail it.

“All the chairman, Ollie Croft had to do was ask the 25,000 or so BDO members an annual fee which could go towards production. But he was too soft and let the counties dictate to him when it should have been the other way around. I once stood up in front of all the county leaders and tried to talk sense into them but they didn’t want their players putting their hands in their pocket to pay a subscription fee. If they had listened things could have been very different.”

For now he enjoys the quiet life with wife Marie on his self-built mansion in Essex aptly named ‘George Hall’. It boasts 17 bedrooms, a workshop where he used to make dartboards and even it’s own pub which hasn’t been forced to close.

If you love all the stories of yesteryear, the brilliant anecdotes and want to listen to some of George’s fond memories then you will regularly find him on the exhibition circuit reminiscing. A definite entry of the bucket list of any true darts fan.

LEGACY

LEGACY

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Hawkins was instrumental in many roles within the BDO including those of Chairman and England team manager and was strongly influential in the founding of the British Pentathlon event.

The words that most often linked to Hawkins are ‘stalwart’ and ‘gentleman’. He was involved in the reformation of darts’ image in the 1990s and, despite the split that followed, he was held in great respect by many from both sides of the darts divide.

Hawkins played to a strong standard himself in his earlier days and also formed a strong mixed doubles pairing with his wife of over 50 years Marie, but it was as an administrator and official that he is best remembered.

From attending the founding meeting of the BDO in 1973 to chairing the organisation in the mid-2000’s Hawkins journeyed from his home in Sidcup to almost every major BDO event in Britain.

It’s fair to say that Hawkins gave a large chunk of his life to the sport of darts and that many are thankful for his contribution.

There was a massive reaction on social media with many organisations and individuals leaving their own tribute.

Wayne Mardle said: “Sam was a fundamental part of everything that was great about the BDO. Sad news indeed.”

WDF added: “It is with great sadness that we note the passing of England National Darts Honorary President Sam Hawkins last week.

“We do have lovely memories. Sam participated in multiple WDF Cups with Team England as team manager. He was one of those grounding forces in the BDO and in the England Darts.

“Our sincere condolences and prayers are with Sam’s wife Marie, family, and friends through this time of sorrow.”

Richard Ashdown: “Sam Hawkins, who we sadly lost this week. An integral part of the BDO from its inception. Sam was made England Darts honorary president. A lovely man. Thoughts are with his wife Marie, family and friends at this time.”

BDO: “The BDO are saddened to announce the passing of their Honorary President Sam Hawkins.

Sam was a BDO stalwart for many many years who worked tirelessly for the BDO and was one of its founding members. He was a well respected official and a gentleman. The BDO send their sincere condolences to all of Sam’s family.”

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