The World Darts Championship

Even after fluffing game-shots on his beloved double-tops David, not once, looked like he thought he was going to loose. He kept his concentration, kept his nerve, and didn’t dwell on lost opportunities.

Unfortunately for him Australia is wise enough to ban all sports on TV sponsored by tobacco and thus his heroics will probably go largely unnoticed in his homeland. Yes, Darts has an image problem, often looking tacky and cheap, and damaged by a split it cannot afford, but forget the gallons of lager, crap jewellery, DJ Ötzi et al, this was gripping stuff and as heart-warming a victory as I’ve seen in any game.

A highly personable Australian haemophiliac, limping to the oché, fulfilled his dream of becoming world champion, won 20 years worth of his disability pension.

Boomeran g back to win final battle

Good article on the darts by Bob Stanley in the back of time out this week, only thing is, it's as if he's read the darts threads on this here thing and precied (sp?) them to make the article.

Still, more Tony David heartwarmingness - in the interview yesterday he said he'd finally been able to buy his own house, so everytime he drove down the street he could see what winning the world title had done for him. Bless.

And as regards PDC - the coverage yesterday started by claiming that the Embassy had been won by all the greats of the game. Phil Taylor not mentioned once.

He swirled up to the ockie/ockey/ochre/ochy (the noo) in a HUGE CAPE with darts shirt underneath.

His opponent looked like his girlfriend had forced him into a shiny shirt and he was UNIMPRESSED.

Then the real actual darts started and I think I went to eat potato waffles. Ah well.

Bob Taylor (Sco) 0-3 Paul Hogan (Eng)
Raymond van Barneveld (Ned, 1) 3-0 Peter Hunt (NZ)
Robert Wagner (Nor) 3-2 Co Stompe (Ned)
John Walton (Eng, 8) 3-2 Tony Eccles (Eng)
Brian Derbyshire (Eng) 0-3 Andy Fordham (Eng)
Tony West (Eng, 5) 3-1 Mick Reed (Eng)
James Wade (Eng) 3-0 Shaun Greatbatch (Eng)
Tony David (Aus, 4) 2-3 Darryl Fitton (Eng)
Vincent van der Voort (Ned) 2-3 Stephen Bunting (Eng)
Ted Hankey (Eng, 2) 3-2 Colin Monk (Eng)
Gary Robson (Eng) 3-2 Steve Coote (Eng)
Gary Anderson (Sco, 7) 0-3 Tony O'Shea (Eng)

Today:

Albertino Essers (Ned) v Steve Duke (Aus)
Martin Adams (Eng, 6) v Ritchie Davies (Wal)
Paul Hanvidge (Sco) v Jarkko Komula (Fin)
Mervyn King (Eng, 3) v Rick Hofstra (Ned)

haha but his name is "Mr Hankey"! he must be crap.

I didn't see Bob Taylor lose (again) but I assume he has a heart of gold, maybe next year, well liked on the circuit, lives in Finland, lovely fella etc

John Part is very good though.

i watched about 5 hours of darts yesterday...

is it some osrt of "it's not a sport, it's a parlour game" thing?

http://www.bdodarts.com/

The BDO version does seem flaky in any case. It's odd how most of the players that leave for the PDC seem to be good ones but not the champions. Kevin Painter, for instance, never seemed to do that well at the Lakeside. Is it cos Barney, Walton, David etc. seem to know they're onto a good thing? Do the Dutch audiences have something to do with it (only Dutch player I can think of that 'crossed over' is Scholten)?

You don't want Tony Green commentating on your life either. "A fridge, there. Keeping things cool, calm and collected."

Those who cannot see it on the telly - BBC is streaming the matches they show live on telly (i.e. the semis and the final) on the internet.

let go of the dart!

it's like the yips.

The whole Essers-Duke match was a right chore to watch, but I sat through it, which knackered me too much to stay awake during Komula-Hanvidge.

I wondered if he was going to announce his retirement on stage after he won on sunday, but he was talking about going to the gym to get fit for next year. he obviously had a change of heart.

It will be interesting to watch the battle now, and see if there's anyone to take his mantle.

Taylors odd, in darts terms I think he's an absolute genius (not a patch on how he was five or so years ago though, but as a person I ain't so sure, on Soccer AM he comes over as a bit of a tit.

back to the BDO, i've said it before and i'll say it again, bobby george is the funniest man in sport, "mervyn king was BANG AAAHT of order" for having the oche checked apparently. also he appears to be sporting a motorcycle chain around his neck this year...

Magnificent. Truly magnificent. The man has a greater sense of the absurdly comic than any number of half-arsed wise asses.

Last night - Steve Duke got my vote cos he looked nice and avuncular. Though Esses was hilarious; dartitis with the look of a slightly camp bouncer.

Mervyn King - the Gods of Dutch darts will make you pay for your gamesmanship against Rick Hofstra. Last year I said I was bored with Bobby George but he was on good form last night; good analysis of the problems with the laws of darts, nice punditry then classic about Ted hankiey, who according to the dazzler is 'a proper darts player'. Magic.

Taylor - didn't he get found guilty of some sexual assault a year or so back?

Paul Hogan (Eng) v Raymond van Barneveld (Ned, 1)
Robert Wagner (Nor) v John Walton (Eng, 8)
Andy Fordham (Eng) v Tony West (Eng, 5)
James Wade (Eng) v Darryl Fitton (Eng)
Stephen Bunting (Eng) v Ted Hankey (Eng, 2)
Gary Robson (Eng) v Tony O'Shea (Eng)
Steve Duke (Aus) v Ritchie Davies (Wal)
Jarkko Komula (Fin) v Mervyn King (Eng, 3)

Second half of the draw significantly easier to pick than the top half too - based on what I saw last night, King and Davies have no problems, and O'Shea and Hankey ought to get through too.

The top half is much more intriguing, Walton and Barney look probable, but as for the other two it's anyone's guess...

I scored 107 on Saturday.

phil taylor is upset when he scores 107, you see the difference :)

like how it's framed -ARTS there.

generally i abide by the widely accepted standard that whoever smelt it, dealt it. but in this case, given that he was so forthcoming about how he shits his pants if he farts on stage, i believe him when he says it was the other guy.

I suspect some suspiciously quiet turd party, situated close to the oche was involved in this incident, and they might not be feeling like talking about it. I thought that was a pretty erm.. solid testimony from Anderson!

did espn do much coverage?

https://nypost.com/2018/11/17/dart-championship-descends-into-madness-as-players-accuse-each-other-of-farting/