It's just not fair!!! :o(
The fact that it took my girlfriend five minutes to stop laughing didn't help either :o)
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Why? Why? WHY?!!!?!
Why, on the rare occasions I throw two perfect darts, do I get a sudden rush of blood to the arm and throw a third dart which almost makes me a new skylight?
It's just not fair!!! :o(
The fact that it took my girlfriend five minutes to stop laughing didn't help either :o)
It's just not fair!!! :o(
The fact that it took my girlfriend five minutes to stop laughing didn't help either :o)
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
2011 UK Open - Super Sunday
Now that the dust has had time to settle, and those in different time zones are in no danger of having the result prematurely revealed... :o)
Ask a theologian about the symbolism of baptism, particularly full-immersion baptism, and he or she will probably say that in the ritual a person dies to their old self and rises to new life.
James Wade's performance on Sunday embodied exactly the same principle. In his quarter final against Nicholson and his semi final against Mark Webster, both class players at the top of their games, Wade seemed dead and buried, when suddenly a rare slip by his opponent followed up with a cracking check out by the Machine turned him into a born-again darting superstar. His posture and expression perceptibly changed, his throwing action suddenly seemed more confident, any doubt about where his darts were going to land simply disappeared; the transformation was remarkable.
To come back from 7-3 adrift against Mark Webster, who by any standards was throwing brilliantly and had himself managed a terrific resurgence when all hope seemed lost, was a demonstration of sheer sporting class, and also stamina. Nicholson also demonstrated these attributes, but taking down first Anderson and then Taylor is no easy task and against Wade he lacked the sparkling energy he had shown in his previous two matches. Not that he didn't play superbly; it just wasn't enough to hold off Wade.
It would have taken a heart of stone not to feel sorry for Mark Webster. Having played a brilliant tournament, on the back of a Premier League performance which made Eddie the Eagle's 1988 Winter Olympics look successful, he went from being on top of the world to looking utterly crushed in a matter of a few darts. Still, if he's proved anything in this tournament it's his ability to get back on his feet and throw like a darting genius again.
And what of Wes Newton? He too proved his quality throughout the tournament (and has earned himself a well-deserved place in the Grand Slam of Darts), but against a James Wade who by the time he got to the final was walking on darting water the result was rarely in doubt; his resurgence from 4-3 down to 6-4 ahead provided a glimmer of hope for the Newton camp (and a period of nail-biting and boyfriend's-arm-twisting for my girlfriend, who had spent all day on an emotional roller-coaster :o) ), but it was short-lived as Wade took the next 4 legs on the spin.
Newton himself had taken down Denis Ovens to reach the final; Ovens had first roasted Andy Smith and then done 'Mile High' Mark Hylton to a turn to earn his place in the semis for the second time in two years - proving, in my humble opinion, that the Heat is a top notch darter who deserves to be recognised as more than just a floor player - but against Newton the Heat was on the blink, missing too many trebles and doubles to stay in contention.
So, what does this cracking tournament mean for the future?
For me, there was only one slight niggle in this tournament; I wish we'd been able to see more of the matches apart from those on the main stage - Reece Robinson v. Andy Smith, for example. Perhaps those staging and broadcasting the tournament could bear that in mind for next year, as I bet I'm by no means the only one thinking that.
Much has and will be said about the fact that Taylor and Barney were conspicuous by their absence in the latter stages. Barney just doesn't look like he's enjoying playing darts at the moment, and that really is a worry. Love for the game, coupled with ambition, is what makes a professional sportsman - it enables them to practice hard and travel the world playing in every tournament going. In any job, people who don't enjoy what they're doing lose their edge, and if Barney can't get himself back to a point where he enjoys what he's doing he may be looking at hanging up his darts shirt, which would be a great shame but is a decision only Barney can make.
Taylor's a different matter; he clearly still loves playing darts and competing. He's had a poor (by his stratospheric standards) run of form lately, but that can happen to anyone; the question is, as he gets older, can he come back? Personally, I think Taylor will astonish us yet, even if he never regains the invincibility he once had. A large part of the reason for his reduced invincibility is not his declining, but the inexorably rising standards amongst younger players, who've had him as a role model, and that's great for the sport. We have to bear in mind that whilst Taylor didn't reach the finals, neither did Gary Anderson or Adrian Lewis, and no one's suggesting they're declining. The whole point of the UK Open is that these things can happen - look at Mervyn King.
There are more terrific players out there than ever before, and they have long careers ahead of them to prove their worth - if that doesn't promise a glittering future for darts, I don't know what does :o)
Congratulations and thanks to all the players for all the great entertainment they've given us. Next stop Blackpool and the World Matchplay :o)
Ask a theologian about the symbolism of baptism, particularly full-immersion baptism, and he or she will probably say that in the ritual a person dies to their old self and rises to new life.
James Wade's performance on Sunday embodied exactly the same principle. In his quarter final against Nicholson and his semi final against Mark Webster, both class players at the top of their games, Wade seemed dead and buried, when suddenly a rare slip by his opponent followed up with a cracking check out by the Machine turned him into a born-again darting superstar. His posture and expression perceptibly changed, his throwing action suddenly seemed more confident, any doubt about where his darts were going to land simply disappeared; the transformation was remarkable.
To come back from 7-3 adrift against Mark Webster, who by any standards was throwing brilliantly and had himself managed a terrific resurgence when all hope seemed lost, was a demonstration of sheer sporting class, and also stamina. Nicholson also demonstrated these attributes, but taking down first Anderson and then Taylor is no easy task and against Wade he lacked the sparkling energy he had shown in his previous two matches. Not that he didn't play superbly; it just wasn't enough to hold off Wade.
It would have taken a heart of stone not to feel sorry for Mark Webster. Having played a brilliant tournament, on the back of a Premier League performance which made Eddie the Eagle's 1988 Winter Olympics look successful, he went from being on top of the world to looking utterly crushed in a matter of a few darts. Still, if he's proved anything in this tournament it's his ability to get back on his feet and throw like a darting genius again.
And what of Wes Newton? He too proved his quality throughout the tournament (and has earned himself a well-deserved place in the Grand Slam of Darts), but against a James Wade who by the time he got to the final was walking on darting water the result was rarely in doubt; his resurgence from 4-3 down to 6-4 ahead provided a glimmer of hope for the Newton camp (and a period of nail-biting and boyfriend's-arm-twisting for my girlfriend, who had spent all day on an emotional roller-coaster :o) ), but it was short-lived as Wade took the next 4 legs on the spin.
Newton himself had taken down Denis Ovens to reach the final; Ovens had first roasted Andy Smith and then done 'Mile High' Mark Hylton to a turn to earn his place in the semis for the second time in two years - proving, in my humble opinion, that the Heat is a top notch darter who deserves to be recognised as more than just a floor player - but against Newton the Heat was on the blink, missing too many trebles and doubles to stay in contention.
So, what does this cracking tournament mean for the future?
For me, there was only one slight niggle in this tournament; I wish we'd been able to see more of the matches apart from those on the main stage - Reece Robinson v. Andy Smith, for example. Perhaps those staging and broadcasting the tournament could bear that in mind for next year, as I bet I'm by no means the only one thinking that.
Much has and will be said about the fact that Taylor and Barney were conspicuous by their absence in the latter stages. Barney just doesn't look like he's enjoying playing darts at the moment, and that really is a worry. Love for the game, coupled with ambition, is what makes a professional sportsman - it enables them to practice hard and travel the world playing in every tournament going. In any job, people who don't enjoy what they're doing lose their edge, and if Barney can't get himself back to a point where he enjoys what he's doing he may be looking at hanging up his darts shirt, which would be a great shame but is a decision only Barney can make.
Taylor's a different matter; he clearly still loves playing darts and competing. He's had a poor (by his stratospheric standards) run of form lately, but that can happen to anyone; the question is, as he gets older, can he come back? Personally, I think Taylor will astonish us yet, even if he never regains the invincibility he once had. A large part of the reason for his reduced invincibility is not his declining, but the inexorably rising standards amongst younger players, who've had him as a role model, and that's great for the sport. We have to bear in mind that whilst Taylor didn't reach the finals, neither did Gary Anderson or Adrian Lewis, and no one's suggesting they're declining. The whole point of the UK Open is that these things can happen - look at Mervyn King.
There are more terrific players out there than ever before, and they have long careers ahead of them to prove their worth - if that doesn't promise a glittering future for darts, I don't know what does :o)
Congratulations and thanks to all the players for all the great entertainment they've given us. Next stop Blackpool and the World Matchplay :o)
Sunday, 5 June 2011
2011 UK Open - Time for Super Sunday!
Well, the most gruelling weekend of professional darts is halfway through, and as if last night's drama wasn't enough there's the promise of plenty more today :o)
My girlfriend is rather nervous about the prospect of James Wade taking on Paul Nicholson, and after his superb performances against Gary Anderson and Phil Taylor yesterday she has every right to be. Nicholson played brilliantly in both games; holding his nerve against Taylor in an utter nail biter showed real bottle.
Not that Wade was in shrinking-violet form yesterday either - on the contrary, after his cracking defeats of Terry Jenkins and Richie Burnett he too is on the crest of a wave, mentally and physically. Pitting him against Nicholson feels a bit like firing two particles towards each other in the Large Hadron Collider - no one knows what's going to happen, but it's liable to be spectacular.
'Mile High' Mark Hylton takes on Denis Ovens, who's going to need all his experience and stamina to bring down this high-flyer. Hylton's on the form of his life, and this match too has great promise.
Dave Chisnall, who vanquished Ronnie Baxter and John Bowles, will have his work cut out against Wes 'Ave It' Newton, who demolished Raymond van Barneveld in a manner so cold and clinical it would have made Carlos the Jackal nervous.
Mark Webster, who in going from 6-0 no-hoper to 9-8 victor against Co Stompe made what must be one of the most impressive comebacks since Lazarus, will be hoping his luck holds against Robert Thornton, who looks impressively solid and workman-like.
Taylor departed, Barney following, Anderson fallen by the way side, Lewis a distant memory; so many toppled greats, and yet the remaining line up is as impressive as anyone could wish for, and crackling with sporting drama - remember those journalists who keep saying the future looks bleak for darts? :o)
Best of luck lads, and give us a Super Sunday to remember... :o)
PS - my girlfriend has just gently reminded me ("You Bugger!") that I have neglected to mention James Wade's superb 124 Checkout against Richie Burnett - I have now done so :o)
My girlfriend is rather nervous about the prospect of James Wade taking on Paul Nicholson, and after his superb performances against Gary Anderson and Phil Taylor yesterday she has every right to be. Nicholson played brilliantly in both games; holding his nerve against Taylor in an utter nail biter showed real bottle.
Not that Wade was in shrinking-violet form yesterday either - on the contrary, after his cracking defeats of Terry Jenkins and Richie Burnett he too is on the crest of a wave, mentally and physically. Pitting him against Nicholson feels a bit like firing two particles towards each other in the Large Hadron Collider - no one knows what's going to happen, but it's liable to be spectacular.
'Mile High' Mark Hylton takes on Denis Ovens, who's going to need all his experience and stamina to bring down this high-flyer. Hylton's on the form of his life, and this match too has great promise.
Dave Chisnall, who vanquished Ronnie Baxter and John Bowles, will have his work cut out against Wes 'Ave It' Newton, who demolished Raymond van Barneveld in a manner so cold and clinical it would have made Carlos the Jackal nervous.
Mark Webster, who in going from 6-0 no-hoper to 9-8 victor against Co Stompe made what must be one of the most impressive comebacks since Lazarus, will be hoping his luck holds against Robert Thornton, who looks impressively solid and workman-like.
Taylor departed, Barney following, Anderson fallen by the way side, Lewis a distant memory; so many toppled greats, and yet the remaining line up is as impressive as anyone could wish for, and crackling with sporting drama - remember those journalists who keep saying the future looks bleak for darts? :o)
Best of luck lads, and give us a Super Sunday to remember... :o)
PS - my girlfriend has just gently reminded me ("You Bugger!") that I have neglected to mention James Wade's superb 124 Checkout against Richie Burnett - I have now done so :o)
Saturday, 4 June 2011
2011 UK Open - News Just In...
Following his tough match against Simon Whitlock, Co Stompe heads for the practice board...
*With thanks to Darts, Beers and Cheers for the original image - hope you don't mind me modifying it :o)
2011 UK Open - Third Round
Well, what a feast of delights the Third Round served up :o)
Co Stompe, looking ever-so-fetching in his blue and orange shirt (I have a feeling he's the only professional darts player to play in long sleeves), held his nerve to come through a thrilling match against Simon Whitlock by 9 legs to 7. Stompe looked comfortable early on, and racked up a healthy lead, but the Beard to be Feared came bouncing back and came within a whisker (Boom Boom Ching!) of making up the deficit. Cracking match, and emotional when Stompe revealed his sister was having cancer surgery in the post-match interview - best wishes to her.
Raymond van Barneveld held off a determined challenge from Steve Brown and won his match 9-5; that might seem a comfortable margin, but Barney was definitely looking unhappy mid-game as more and more errors - missed doubles, slips into the 5 or 1 - crept into his game. He picked up towards the end, but there were ominous signs for a player who feels his every mistake very keenly.
No surprises in the 3rd match as Phil Taylor defeated Mark "Frosty the Throwman" Frost (you've got to love that nickname) 9-3. Taylor started slowly and built up to a crescendo; nothing spectacular from him (by his standards) but a solid, workmanlike performance, and somehow he seems more dangerous when he's doing that. As Evel Knievel knows only too well, stunts can go wrong but a determined and grafting Taylor is very hard to beat.
Fireworks aplenty with the next two televised games: Terry Jenkins played brilliantly to put out World Champ Adrian Lewis by 9 legs to 7, and mid 90s BDO World Champ Richie Burnett held off a terrific comeback from Colin Lloyd to win by the same margin.
Jenkins went a Lewis like, well, a bull to a red rag :o) The Jackpot looked more like a man who's realised that the horse he's just bet his mortgage payment on has fallen at the first fence, as Jenkins took leg after leg with some inspired throwing, but Adie rallied and came back at him strongly, also throwing some brilliant darts. As Lewis began to loom large in his rear view mirror Jenkins had a few wobbles, but held his nerve and closed out the match before Lewis could take us to a photo finish.
After a 13 dart leg to kick off, Colin Lloyd soon began to look like he'd forgotten which end of the dart to throw first. Richie Burnett, "the Prince of Wales", meanwhile, was looking like he'd been born with a dart in his hand, thowing some super darts and cruising to a 7-2 lead. Lloyd looked doomed - was it Prayer? Popeye's Spinach? Who knows - whatever it was, it worked, and Lloyd began throwing like his brilliant old self again.
Once, when I was an undergraduate student, I went to watch the University rugby team play against Australia. Early in the match, with Australia deep inside our 22, the ball fell to one of our backs, who suddenly discovered that there was nothing between him and the Australian try line. As he crossed the halfway line, he risked a glance over his shoulder and realised that the entire Australian rugby team, red-eyed with fury, was bearing down on him like a pack of wild rhinos. Richie Burnett's face took on much the same expression as that back's did, as Lloyd won leg after leg in what looked like a miraculous comeback. Just like that back, who flung himself over the try line just before 15 enraged Antipodean giants could tear him limb from limb, Burnett somehow clung on and won a scintillating match by 9 legs to 7.
I wish Reece Robinson's terrific match against Wayne Jones had been televised - the Hull youngster managed a truly gutsy fightback against Wolverhampton's finest and won 9-8; he now faces Andy 'Pieman' Smith in what should be a cracking match. Dennis Priestly claimed a tough victory against Alan Tabern - it's mullets to action stations as he now takes on Phil Taylor in a classic early 90s rerun :o) "Mile High" Mark Hylton managed saturation bombing of Andy Jenkins, whitewashing the poor chap 9-0. John Part gained revenge for his defeat in the 2004 UK Open Final, taking down Roland Scholten 9-2, and elder statesman of darts Denis Ovens ended "Artist" Kevin Painter's comeback hopes 9-4.
All in all, a terrific evening's darts and some cracking fixture's ahead of us as we move into this weekend's darting marathon :o)
Co Stompe, looking ever-so-fetching in his blue and orange shirt (I have a feeling he's the only professional darts player to play in long sleeves), held his nerve to come through a thrilling match against Simon Whitlock by 9 legs to 7. Stompe looked comfortable early on, and racked up a healthy lead, but the Beard to be Feared came bouncing back and came within a whisker (Boom Boom Ching!) of making up the deficit. Cracking match, and emotional when Stompe revealed his sister was having cancer surgery in the post-match interview - best wishes to her.
Raymond van Barneveld held off a determined challenge from Steve Brown and won his match 9-5; that might seem a comfortable margin, but Barney was definitely looking unhappy mid-game as more and more errors - missed doubles, slips into the 5 or 1 - crept into his game. He picked up towards the end, but there were ominous signs for a player who feels his every mistake very keenly.
No surprises in the 3rd match as Phil Taylor defeated Mark "Frosty the Throwman" Frost (you've got to love that nickname) 9-3. Taylor started slowly and built up to a crescendo; nothing spectacular from him (by his standards) but a solid, workmanlike performance, and somehow he seems more dangerous when he's doing that. As Evel Knievel knows only too well, stunts can go wrong but a determined and grafting Taylor is very hard to beat.
Fireworks aplenty with the next two televised games: Terry Jenkins played brilliantly to put out World Champ Adrian Lewis by 9 legs to 7, and mid 90s BDO World Champ Richie Burnett held off a terrific comeback from Colin Lloyd to win by the same margin.
Jenkins went a Lewis like, well, a bull to a red rag :o) The Jackpot looked more like a man who's realised that the horse he's just bet his mortgage payment on has fallen at the first fence, as Jenkins took leg after leg with some inspired throwing, but Adie rallied and came back at him strongly, also throwing some brilliant darts. As Lewis began to loom large in his rear view mirror Jenkins had a few wobbles, but held his nerve and closed out the match before Lewis could take us to a photo finish.
After a 13 dart leg to kick off, Colin Lloyd soon began to look like he'd forgotten which end of the dart to throw first. Richie Burnett, "the Prince of Wales", meanwhile, was looking like he'd been born with a dart in his hand, thowing some super darts and cruising to a 7-2 lead. Lloyd looked doomed - was it Prayer? Popeye's Spinach? Who knows - whatever it was, it worked, and Lloyd began throwing like his brilliant old self again.
Once, when I was an undergraduate student, I went to watch the University rugby team play against Australia. Early in the match, with Australia deep inside our 22, the ball fell to one of our backs, who suddenly discovered that there was nothing between him and the Australian try line. As he crossed the halfway line, he risked a glance over his shoulder and realised that the entire Australian rugby team, red-eyed with fury, was bearing down on him like a pack of wild rhinos. Richie Burnett's face took on much the same expression as that back's did, as Lloyd won leg after leg in what looked like a miraculous comeback. Just like that back, who flung himself over the try line just before 15 enraged Antipodean giants could tear him limb from limb, Burnett somehow clung on and won a scintillating match by 9 legs to 7.
I wish Reece Robinson's terrific match against Wayne Jones had been televised - the Hull youngster managed a truly gutsy fightback against Wolverhampton's finest and won 9-8; he now faces Andy 'Pieman' Smith in what should be a cracking match. Dennis Priestly claimed a tough victory against Alan Tabern - it's mullets to action stations as he now takes on Phil Taylor in a classic early 90s rerun :o) "Mile High" Mark Hylton managed saturation bombing of Andy Jenkins, whitewashing the poor chap 9-0. John Part gained revenge for his defeat in the 2004 UK Open Final, taking down Roland Scholten 9-2, and elder statesman of darts Denis Ovens ended "Artist" Kevin Painter's comeback hopes 9-4.
All in all, a terrific evening's darts and some cracking fixture's ahead of us as we move into this weekend's darting marathon :o)
Friday, 3 June 2011
2011 UK Open - First and Second Rounds
So many matches, so little time :o)
However, just thought I'd bung up a few observations on last night's proceedings, in no particular order...
Reece Robinson - now there's a lad who's well worth watching, and I'd be very surprised if he wasn't a future star in the making (although given my record on making predicitions (see posts passim here) he's now almost guaranteed to crash and burn in a veritable orgy of disappointing performances, but hey ho... :o) ).
19 year old Reece, who put in a stonking performance at last year's UK Open (see here and here), played another blinder in his first round match, going for Barrie Bates like Dominique Strauss-Kahn for a chamber maid. Bates, a seasoned veteran, got tonked 4-0. Not content with this, Robinson then strolled out for his second round match and casually nailed Wayne Mardle to the wall. Hawaii 5-O rapidly became Hawaii 4-0, and poor old Wayne's hopes of a comeback were sadly turned to dust; still, I quite like Mardle as a commentator - I just wish he didn't sound exactly like Rod Harrington :o)
Peter 'Rock' Hudson, in his second round match against Magnus Caris (a man with a darting pedigree stretching back to Bristow and Wilson), pulled off a comeback from 3-1 down akin to the aforementioned DSK becoming the next President of France. Caris, having dumped out Kevin McDine in his previous match, had multiple darts for the match in a nervy 5th leg, but Hudson clung on by his fingernails and stayed alive.
Hudson, in a performance his namesake Rock would have been proud of, took the next leg and then threw a magnificent 10 darter (against a Caris who was throwing back-to-back ton forties) to snatch the last leg against the throw and win the match. Caris, in the 7th leg, was on 164; Hudson was not on a finish. Caris made the questionable decision to attempt treble 20, treble 18, Bull for a swift and glorious finish, rather than setting himself up for 3 darts at an easy double, and it cost him dearly as he missed two subsequent attempts to polish off 9, double 8 and Hudson capitalised. In the commentary box, it sounded like Eric Bristow needed all his composure to stop himself walking out on stage and slapping Caris for his schoolboy error :o) Nothing should take credit from Hudson though, and for me this was the match of the evening.
'Mighty Mike' van Gerwen was on decent form, which is good to see. James Wade came through both of his matches seemingly comfortably, though there was a little bit of argy-bargy at the end of his second round match when Dave Prins at first refused to shake his hand. "A bit ungentlemanly" and "Just not cricket" I hear you cry, and I'd be inclined to agree; not sure what it was all about (and neither was Wade), but it seems to have sorted itself out.
That great character Andy 'Pieman' Smith managed a back-to-back whitewashes of his opponents - always good to see him on form - whilst Dennis 'the Menace' Priestly (gradually :o) ) overcame his opponents to book a place in the Third Round.
'Bronzed Adonis' and former World Champion Steve Beaton made his way through too - he came closest to a 9 darter, throwing 6 perfect darts before missing his 7th at the treble 20. Colin Lloyd v. Jelle Klaasen was the biggest first-round bill; neither man pulled off anything spectacular, but Lloyd did what he had to do, before going on to end youngster Arron Monk's dreams of glory in the Second Round. Monk Senior - Colin; a very nice chap, but possibly the scariest looking man in darts :o) - fell at the first hurdle.
So, 32 survivors take on the 32 big shots this evening - and what fun it promises to be :o)
However, just thought I'd bung up a few observations on last night's proceedings, in no particular order...
Reece Robinson - now there's a lad who's well worth watching, and I'd be very surprised if he wasn't a future star in the making (although given my record on making predicitions (see posts passim here) he's now almost guaranteed to crash and burn in a veritable orgy of disappointing performances, but hey ho... :o) ).
19 year old Reece, who put in a stonking performance at last year's UK Open (see here and here), played another blinder in his first round match, going for Barrie Bates like Dominique Strauss-Kahn for a chamber maid. Bates, a seasoned veteran, got tonked 4-0. Not content with this, Robinson then strolled out for his second round match and casually nailed Wayne Mardle to the wall. Hawaii 5-O rapidly became Hawaii 4-0, and poor old Wayne's hopes of a comeback were sadly turned to dust; still, I quite like Mardle as a commentator - I just wish he didn't sound exactly like Rod Harrington :o)
Peter 'Rock' Hudson, in his second round match against Magnus Caris (a man with a darting pedigree stretching back to Bristow and Wilson), pulled off a comeback from 3-1 down akin to the aforementioned DSK becoming the next President of France. Caris, having dumped out Kevin McDine in his previous match, had multiple darts for the match in a nervy 5th leg, but Hudson clung on by his fingernails and stayed alive.
Hudson, in a performance his namesake Rock would have been proud of, took the next leg and then threw a magnificent 10 darter (against a Caris who was throwing back-to-back ton forties) to snatch the last leg against the throw and win the match. Caris, in the 7th leg, was on 164; Hudson was not on a finish. Caris made the questionable decision to attempt treble 20, treble 18, Bull for a swift and glorious finish, rather than setting himself up for 3 darts at an easy double, and it cost him dearly as he missed two subsequent attempts to polish off 9, double 8 and Hudson capitalised. In the commentary box, it sounded like Eric Bristow needed all his composure to stop himself walking out on stage and slapping Caris for his schoolboy error :o) Nothing should take credit from Hudson though, and for me this was the match of the evening.
'Mighty Mike' van Gerwen was on decent form, which is good to see. James Wade came through both of his matches seemingly comfortably, though there was a little bit of argy-bargy at the end of his second round match when Dave Prins at first refused to shake his hand. "A bit ungentlemanly" and "Just not cricket" I hear you cry, and I'd be inclined to agree; not sure what it was all about (and neither was Wade), but it seems to have sorted itself out.
That great character Andy 'Pieman' Smith managed a back-to-back whitewashes of his opponents - always good to see him on form - whilst Dennis 'the Menace' Priestly (gradually :o) ) overcame his opponents to book a place in the Third Round.
'Bronzed Adonis' and former World Champion Steve Beaton made his way through too - he came closest to a 9 darter, throwing 6 perfect darts before missing his 7th at the treble 20. Colin Lloyd v. Jelle Klaasen was the biggest first-round bill; neither man pulled off anything spectacular, but Lloyd did what he had to do, before going on to end youngster Arron Monk's dreams of glory in the Second Round. Monk Senior - Colin; a very nice chap, but possibly the scariest looking man in darts :o) - fell at the first hurdle.
So, 32 survivors take on the 32 big shots this evening - and what fun it promises to be :o)
Thursday, 2 June 2011
2011 UK Open
Or rather, the "Speedy Hire" UK Open. At least I have fewer qualms about that than I do the "Cash Converters" World Cup.
I mean honestly - the "Cash Converters" World Cup? Someone should have a word with the PDC Marketing Department, and point out that associating your competition with somewhere you can flog Granny's jewellery to pay the gas bill is hardly likely to evoke sporting glamour.
I don't doubt that Cash Converters provides people with a valuable means of raising cash when in financial difficulty - so please don't sue me; in any case, I'll probably be there myself before long :o) - but that's precisely the point. There's nothing wrong with what they do, but is skint people in trouble really the first thing you want to bring to mind when describing your competition? What next - the "Feeling Down the Back of the Sofa" Masters?
Anyhoo...
And so we prepare to head for Bolton, that jewel of Lancashire's industrial heartland, and to the Reebok Stadium for the UK Open - if anyone's wondering what Reebok has to do with Bolton, it's because a small shoe company known as J. W. Foster and Sons opened for business there in 1895 before, in a move similar in principle to Royal Mail becoming Consignia (albeit vastly more successful), renaming itself Reebok in the 60s.
I like this competition; it gives us a rare chance to see a much broader range of players on TV, from potential future stars to great names of yesteryear, and it has that frisson of potential giant-killing crackling in the air.
One newcomer getting the chance of a lifetime will be Davey Dodds, a gardener from my neck of the woods (County Durham), who will be squaring up to my girlfriend's favourite James Wade.
It sounds like the Machine has had a heck of a hard time recently - this article in the Currant Bun will give you some idea. I've had Depression, and I've worked with plenty of kids who have ADHD; Depression and ADHD are sometimes treated as jokey non-ilnesses by some people, but they are very real and can be seriously debilitating. Wade was diagnosed with both in the Priory Clinic, and Bi-polar Disorder to boot, shortly before the Premier League kicked off.
Going through with the Premier League after that must have taken real courage; Wade's statement on the PDC Website shows great dignity. These conditions still carry stigma in our society (I used to work for a disability rights group, and we worked hard on these issues), and by being open he's genuinely helping others who have them. I hope he has a great competition :o)
Best of luck to everyone taking part in the UK Open, especially those taking to the big stage for the first time :o)
Beer in the fridge, pizza standing by and darts on the box - ain't life grand? :o)
I mean honestly - the "Cash Converters" World Cup? Someone should have a word with the PDC Marketing Department, and point out that associating your competition with somewhere you can flog Granny's jewellery to pay the gas bill is hardly likely to evoke sporting glamour.
I don't doubt that Cash Converters provides people with a valuable means of raising cash when in financial difficulty - so please don't sue me; in any case, I'll probably be there myself before long :o) - but that's precisely the point. There's nothing wrong with what they do, but is skint people in trouble really the first thing you want to bring to mind when describing your competition? What next - the "Feeling Down the Back of the Sofa" Masters?
Anyhoo...
And so we prepare to head for Bolton, that jewel of Lancashire's industrial heartland, and to the Reebok Stadium for the UK Open - if anyone's wondering what Reebok has to do with Bolton, it's because a small shoe company known as J. W. Foster and Sons opened for business there in 1895 before, in a move similar in principle to Royal Mail becoming Consignia (albeit vastly more successful), renaming itself Reebok in the 60s.
I like this competition; it gives us a rare chance to see a much broader range of players on TV, from potential future stars to great names of yesteryear, and it has that frisson of potential giant-killing crackling in the air.
One newcomer getting the chance of a lifetime will be Davey Dodds, a gardener from my neck of the woods (County Durham), who will be squaring up to my girlfriend's favourite James Wade.
It sounds like the Machine has had a heck of a hard time recently - this article in the Currant Bun will give you some idea. I've had Depression, and I've worked with plenty of kids who have ADHD; Depression and ADHD are sometimes treated as jokey non-ilnesses by some people, but they are very real and can be seriously debilitating. Wade was diagnosed with both in the Priory Clinic, and Bi-polar Disorder to boot, shortly before the Premier League kicked off.
Going through with the Premier League after that must have taken real courage; Wade's statement on the PDC Website shows great dignity. These conditions still carry stigma in our society (I used to work for a disability rights group, and we worked hard on these issues), and by being open he's genuinely helping others who have them. I hope he has a great competition :o)
Best of luck to everyone taking part in the UK Open, especially those taking to the big stage for the first time :o)
Beer in the fridge, pizza standing by and darts on the box - ain't life grand? :o)
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