In a thrilling final Peter "Snakebite" Wright beat Michael "Bully Boy" Smith 7-5. As much as I love Wright, I was hoping Smith would lift his first trophy. He has been runner up in all the big finals but never won one. If he keeps playing the way he is then one is surely just around the corner. A few years ago, it was Wright who was always the bridesmaid, now he has won 6 major trophies, including 2 Worlds, in the last three years.
The standard of darts this championship has been sensational. 9-dart finishes used to be extremely rare, but we had three in this year's championship finals, including one from beaten champion Gerwyn Price in his quarter-final against Smith. The final everyone wanted was Price against Van Gerwen, but Price went out to Smith and Van Gerwen was eliminated after contracting covid. Price continues to be the pantomime villain of world darts and was roundly booed during all his games. Just like when Beaton beat Sherrock in the first round, the MCs never tried to stop the crowd, and it clearly got to Price, who remonstrated with the crowd on several occasions.
The crowd at Ally Pally continue to play their part though, providing a great atmosphere right through the tournament, though they definitely show a pro-English bias! There were some fantastic performances from up-and-coming players as usual. Callum Rydz lit up the tournament with his super-fast action and prolific scoring, recording 180s at a truly alarming rate. He finally fell 5-4 to Wright in the quarter final in a session that saw Price fall 5-4 to Smith. A session that will be remembered for years to come.
The standard of darts this championship has been sensational. 9-dart finishes used to be extremely rare, but we had three in this year's championship finals, including one from beaten champion Gerwyn Price in his quarter-final against Smith. The final everyone wanted was Price against Van Gerwen, but Price went out to Smith and Van Gerwen was eliminated after contracting covid. Price continues to be the pantomime villain of world darts and was roundly booed during all his games. Just like when Beaton beat Sherrock in the first round, the MCs never tried to stop the crowd, and it clearly got to Price, who remonstrated with the crowd on several occasions.
The crowd at Ally Pally continue to play their part though, providing a great atmosphere right through the tournament, though they definitely show a pro-English bias! There were some fantastic performances from up-and-coming players as usual. Callum Rydz lit up the tournament with his super-fast action and prolific scoring, recording 180s at a truly alarming rate. He finally fell 5-4 to Wright in the quarter final in a session that saw Price fall 5-4 to Smith. A session that will be remembered for years to come.
Ryan "Heavy Metal" Searle also lit up the tournament before he fell to Wright in the 4th round. You can see that these young guys have the game to win the World Championship they just don't have the nerves yet. Like Wright in past years, he would play fantastically well throughout the tournament then fall at the last after letting the emotion get to him. Now he is steely calm and doesn't get rattled when the inevitable dip in the average comes.
The competition is still growing, competitors are coming now from all over the world as the marketing men sell the rights to more and more countries looking for Christmas sport to fill the Yuletide TV schedule bereft of local sport. It is a brilliant product that they have created, with drama, noisy crowds and incredible skill.
The competition is still growing, competitors are coming now from all over the world as the marketing men sell the rights to more and more countries looking for Christmas sport to fill the Yuletide TV schedule bereft of local sport. It is a brilliant product that they have created, with drama, noisy crowds and incredible skill.
Long may it continue.
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| Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports. |
I guess the sport is ripe for sponsorship. Nine dart finishes are like the 147 in snooker - a rare enough occurrence
ReplyDeleteA nine dart finish is every pub players dream. My record was a fifteen darter, once, not bad at pub level. I have'nt thrown for nearly thirty years and I tried in my local a few weeks ago could hardly hit or reach the board.
ReplyDeleteThe maximum finish on a Yorkshire Board, no trebles and no bull finish though the bull can be used to knock up the score, is twelve darts. 150 (three bulls) three times, then seventeen and double seventeen.
Caoimhin O'Muraile