This weekend just gone (28th/29th August) was the Doublefinish.com Open. Not a huge field but alot of quality there; Deta Hedman, Dennis Smith, Steve Bunting, Peter Wright, Kevin Simms to name a few who were in attendance. There were 2 tournaments that weekend and I got tough draws in both; Deta Hedman on the Saturday and Dennis Smith on the Sunday - both first round draws. Lost 4-2 to Deta and 4-1 to Dennis. Felt I played as well as I have done in competition for a while. My finishing against Deta was a particular highlight for me (2 darts, 2 doubles - 80 c/o and 92 c/o and I also hit a 180) It was great playing against players of this caliber and I was just happy not to have disgraced myself.
But this brings up the differing mentality of players and their respective standards. Deta and Dennis, whilst would not have taken the game lightly, would have been thinking they would win. Me, whilst not out to lose, has to have some perspective. I could give them a good game (and I felt I did) but would have had to go some to beat them. Am I beat before I even throw a dart? Definitely not. One thing that got said to me by a player seemed very counter intuitive but does make sense on one level. I'd lost a game but played well and enjoyed it. He asked me if I enjoyed the game, I replied "Yes, despite the fact I lost I enjoyed it" He said to me;
"That's where you're going wrong. You didn't enjoy it despite you lost, you enjoyed it because you lost"
It's taken me a long time to get my head round this and I'm still struggling a little with it. I think it's about just enjoying the game regardless. I have had alot of first round exits recently but I'm enjoying just playing the game. Do I want to get past the first round? Of course I do. Is it getting to me? A little though I've played some excellent players and I feel I'm definitely improving. Whilst I am not there to lose, I'm there to enjoy the game. So how does this differ from the professionals?
I think it boils down to standards and knowledge of those standards. When Dennis and Deta played, they both knew it would be a tough game because they know they other is a very good player and their achievements but they also know how they can play. Despite that though, they both play because they enjoy it. To me, there seems to be a fine line between just playing to enjoy it and going into match thinking you will win. Thinking you will win can add additional pressure. But some will argue semantics. What is the difference between knowledge and belief in this context?
Some would say if I went into the game believing I would win is arrogance and delusion given the opposition but is taken as a standard mentality for pro's or those regarded as top quality. Is this what makes the likes of Taylor, Whitlock, King, Wade so immense? Is it just quality that stops the likes of Bunting, Simms, Wright, et al from pushing into the elite and getting that elusive World Title? How good do you actually have to be before believing you will win is accepted?
Monday, 30 August 2010
Monday, 5 July 2010
Part-y time?
John Part has shown why he is a 3 time world champion and why he infuriates darts fans by winning the North American Darts Championship. To me the guy is quality, steady and when he gets that swagger going, you know he's happy and his darts are devastating. There was a time where he was regarded as the only player to give Taylor a game. He is not a player people relish playing but his consistency has always raised question marks over his standing in the game.
You don't win 3 World Championships by being poor but critics of John will point that 2 of those were virtually handed to him. Beating a handy capped Bobby George in the first tournament after the split then beating Kirk Shephard who must have used every lucky charm in the book to get to the final. The one that cannot be disputed however is his 2003 triumph over Phil Taylor to become only the 2nd player to beat Taylor in a PDC World Final since its inception and ending Taylors 8 year reign as World Champion. Part showed that when he can string performances together, he is a match for anyone and can handle the pressure. He had a 3 set lead over Taylor but Taylor rampaged the next 4 to go from 4-1 down to 5-4 up. Part showed his mental bottle by going 6-5 up and even when Taylor levelled, Part never buckled. Going to 2-0 up in the final set then cooly taking out 77 for the victory.
Part always seems to get bit homesick and frequently travels home to Canada between tournaments. This really doesn't do him any favors and is taking its toll as erratic performances against Mark Webster and Kirk Shephard have recently illustrated. Some will argue that he was able to put in a great performance in the North American Champs as its pretty much on his door step but that doesn't argue against the point that Part is a quality player. Whether he has the drive to re-establish himself in in the top 16 (well 32 for starters) is open for debate however as is whether he can biuld on this recent (and much needed) success.
There is an argument that he has possibly under-achieved in the game but his achivements are on par with Dennis Priestley and there's a man many have huge respect for and wouldn't say he under-achieved. Making 5 finals in 7 years (winning 1) is a great achivement, the PDC was still in its infancy and whilst the quality was higher in terms of them all being former World Champions, it was still a significantly smaller field.
As stated earlier, people question the "validity" of 2 of Parts world titles but you can only beat
what is in front of you and Part has done that on the biggest stage in World Darts 3 times including beating the best player on the planet ever. You cannot take that away from him. As much as I like Part as a player, he won't be ranked up with Lowe, Bristow, Taylor, Anderson et al (no, not Adams) but he definitely be there or there abouts with Priestley.
Form is tempoary, class is permanent - is Part about to show the world his again?
You don't win 3 World Championships by being poor but critics of John will point that 2 of those were virtually handed to him. Beating a handy capped Bobby George in the first tournament after the split then beating Kirk Shephard who must have used every lucky charm in the book to get to the final. The one that cannot be disputed however is his 2003 triumph over Phil Taylor to become only the 2nd player to beat Taylor in a PDC World Final since its inception and ending Taylors 8 year reign as World Champion. Part showed that when he can string performances together, he is a match for anyone and can handle the pressure. He had a 3 set lead over Taylor but Taylor rampaged the next 4 to go from 4-1 down to 5-4 up. Part showed his mental bottle by going 6-5 up and even when Taylor levelled, Part never buckled. Going to 2-0 up in the final set then cooly taking out 77 for the victory.
Part always seems to get bit homesick and frequently travels home to Canada between tournaments. This really doesn't do him any favors and is taking its toll as erratic performances against Mark Webster and Kirk Shephard have recently illustrated. Some will argue that he was able to put in a great performance in the North American Champs as its pretty much on his door step but that doesn't argue against the point that Part is a quality player. Whether he has the drive to re-establish himself in in the top 16 (well 32 for starters) is open for debate however as is whether he can biuld on this recent (and much needed) success.
There is an argument that he has possibly under-achieved in the game but his achivements are on par with Dennis Priestley and there's a man many have huge respect for and wouldn't say he under-achieved. Making 5 finals in 7 years (winning 1) is a great achivement, the PDC was still in its infancy and whilst the quality was higher in terms of them all being former World Champions, it was still a significantly smaller field.
As stated earlier, people question the "validity" of 2 of Parts world titles but you can only beat
what is in front of you and Part has done that on the biggest stage in World Darts 3 times including beating the best player on the planet ever. You cannot take that away from him. As much as I like Part as a player, he won't be ranked up with Lowe, Bristow, Taylor, Anderson et al (no, not Adams) but he definitely be there or there abouts with Priestley.
Form is tempoary, class is permanent - is Part about to show the world his again?
Friday, 4 June 2010
Gossip is not just for women
Last night, the story that a player had been arrested at the UK Open spread around multiple darts forums. Users close to people in Bolton confirmed that it was Chris Mason. No reason was given but people were in contact with Lorna (Chris's wife) Those that weren't speculated as to what happened with drugs seeming to be the "popular theory" This has been shown to not be the case but the real reasons remain unknown at this time.
Gossiping is human nature, it's partly why forums exist. I blogged a while back on the clamour for news on what sports stars are up to and the incident with Chris just re-inforces it. Is speculation wrong though? People are going to be interested in what's happened and there's going to be rumours but peoples attitudes to it were interesting. Saying "rumor is that is was drugs but this is un-confirmed" is a far cry from saying "it definitely was drugs" Browsing through some of the different forums that were discussing it, all had picked up on the drugs rumor and nearly all had posters highlighting how absurd that was. The over whelming feeling was Chris is not that kind of guy. Some were very passionate in their defense of Chris but unfortunately for Chris, some only see his past and will assume any negative rumor to be true. But it was generating discussion because people are fans of the sport.
I don't believe speculating is wrong but you have to be clear that's what it is. I don't believe you can dampen it but that is the choice of the forum owners. A few mods on a forum were not happy it being discussed but I have nothing against it. Humans love to gossip and it isn't just the women, sports fans are probably just as bad. In this case, a story gets out that a player is arrested the first question is Why? and that leads to discussion/speculation. I've said so many times already and I will say it again - that's the point of a forum (among others)
The main problem people have with speculation is the gullibility of some. They will believe anything they read on the internet and be selective about it aswell. To use my earlier example, what is written is "rumor is that is was drugs but this is un-confirmed", they see "Chris Mason does drugs" and then that gets all over the internet. That's not really the forums fault though but the threat of legal action is always an issue. There's a larger argument over freedom of speech on forums but that's for another time.
If I was Chris Mason I'd look at the amount of support given during the incident but players need to accept that anything that happens may get leaked and will get discussed such is the nature of the internet and forums. They may not like it being discussed but we're not camping outside their home trying to get pictures. It's a small but distinct difference.
Gossiping is human nature, it's partly why forums exist. I blogged a while back on the clamour for news on what sports stars are up to and the incident with Chris just re-inforces it. Is speculation wrong though? People are going to be interested in what's happened and there's going to be rumours but peoples attitudes to it were interesting. Saying "rumor is that is was drugs but this is un-confirmed" is a far cry from saying "it definitely was drugs" Browsing through some of the different forums that were discussing it, all had picked up on the drugs rumor and nearly all had posters highlighting how absurd that was. The over whelming feeling was Chris is not that kind of guy. Some were very passionate in their defense of Chris but unfortunately for Chris, some only see his past and will assume any negative rumor to be true. But it was generating discussion because people are fans of the sport.
I don't believe speculating is wrong but you have to be clear that's what it is. I don't believe you can dampen it but that is the choice of the forum owners. A few mods on a forum were not happy it being discussed but I have nothing against it. Humans love to gossip and it isn't just the women, sports fans are probably just as bad. In this case, a story gets out that a player is arrested the first question is Why? and that leads to discussion/speculation. I've said so many times already and I will say it again - that's the point of a forum (among others)
The main problem people have with speculation is the gullibility of some. They will believe anything they read on the internet and be selective about it aswell. To use my earlier example, what is written is "rumor is that is was drugs but this is un-confirmed", they see "Chris Mason does drugs" and then that gets all over the internet. That's not really the forums fault though but the threat of legal action is always an issue. There's a larger argument over freedom of speech on forums but that's for another time.
If I was Chris Mason I'd look at the amount of support given during the incident but players need to accept that anything that happens may get leaked and will get discussed such is the nature of the internet and forums. They may not like it being discussed but we're not camping outside their home trying to get pictures. It's a small but distinct difference.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Stay or Go
In case anyone wasn't aware, I won my local pubs darts knockout tournament last night (yes, I'm still chuffed to bits about it) I was runner up last year and this year I went one step further beating the 2 best players in the team along the way. House champion - nice ring to it.
For the last couple of months, I have been the subject of discussion regarding where I will be playing my darts next season. It seems pretty unanimous to the team that I will be leaving and I will playing for The Cross Keys next season. Even the landlady thinks I'm leaving when she said "Oh I thought you were going to the Keys next season"
A couple of things have contributed to the rise of this rumour; I practice in there often, I play with most of their team in the SuperLeague, I'm regarded as 1 of the best players by my team (I still think I'm a little behind a couple) I take the game more seriously than anyone on the team, I openly admit I want to improve my game. Given human nature to gossip, I can see why they seem convinced I'm leaving. I know that it's not just my team who I think I'm leaving based on comments from other people.
The team seem to have been planning life without me next season with a few people rumoured to be joining the team. If I left, there would be no animosity as they know it would be to improve my darts not to go glory hunting. The Keys did win the league last season, runner up this season. But do I want to be fighting for my place all the time? I have to in the SuperLeague and I expect to given the standard of the players. If I did join the Keys, I am good enough to be competitive and give myself a great chance of being picked. I know that I may not get a singles game but I should at least get a game. Having to fight in theory should make you a better player - and I want to be a better player - but there are reasons to stay.
I've enjoyed taking on the captains role. It has added pressure but I think it has focused me a little more. Fighting for your place may improve you but so does playing regularly and I get that where I am. Leaving would only change 2 fixtures as I would be playing the same teams anyway. There's no guarantee the Keys want me. These new players rumoured to come in are very good players so it would strengthen the team and increase competition anyway. Even if they don't join us, the team is still pretty good to be competitive, we lost alot of games 5-4 this season. Can still win the Singles tournament no matter who I play for.
I love the game and there is a risk of increasing the pressure to fight for my place may reduce that. Last year when I was really struggling for form I lost all enjoyment of it and I don't want that to happen again. I like the idea of just turning up knowing I will get a singles game and if I play well, a doubles game aswell and that's even if I wasn't captain. The only pressure comes from what I put on myself. I have tournaments to play in to play better players and get used to the pressure of that. Having 1 aspect where that isn't there could be very important to becoming better - enjoyment will lead to having motivation to practice more.
Next week is the finals of the 5 a side and 7 a side tournaments. We are in both and I'm confident with a full strength side, we will do well especially in the 5's. This is my main focus at the moment, to deliver some silverware for the team. We came runners up in the 7's last year (didn't qualify for the 5's) and I'd love to go 1 better for the team. The Cross Keys will be in the 7's (they won it last year) so something may get said then regarding whether they would like me to sign for them.
So it all boils down to 1 simple question, stay or go?
For the last couple of months, I have been the subject of discussion regarding where I will be playing my darts next season. It seems pretty unanimous to the team that I will be leaving and I will playing for The Cross Keys next season. Even the landlady thinks I'm leaving when she said "Oh I thought you were going to the Keys next season"
A couple of things have contributed to the rise of this rumour; I practice in there often, I play with most of their team in the SuperLeague, I'm regarded as 1 of the best players by my team (I still think I'm a little behind a couple) I take the game more seriously than anyone on the team, I openly admit I want to improve my game. Given human nature to gossip, I can see why they seem convinced I'm leaving. I know that it's not just my team who I think I'm leaving based on comments from other people.
The team seem to have been planning life without me next season with a few people rumoured to be joining the team. If I left, there would be no animosity as they know it would be to improve my darts not to go glory hunting. The Keys did win the league last season, runner up this season. But do I want to be fighting for my place all the time? I have to in the SuperLeague and I expect to given the standard of the players. If I did join the Keys, I am good enough to be competitive and give myself a great chance of being picked. I know that I may not get a singles game but I should at least get a game. Having to fight in theory should make you a better player - and I want to be a better player - but there are reasons to stay.
I've enjoyed taking on the captains role. It has added pressure but I think it has focused me a little more. Fighting for your place may improve you but so does playing regularly and I get that where I am. Leaving would only change 2 fixtures as I would be playing the same teams anyway. There's no guarantee the Keys want me. These new players rumoured to come in are very good players so it would strengthen the team and increase competition anyway. Even if they don't join us, the team is still pretty good to be competitive, we lost alot of games 5-4 this season. Can still win the Singles tournament no matter who I play for.
I love the game and there is a risk of increasing the pressure to fight for my place may reduce that. Last year when I was really struggling for form I lost all enjoyment of it and I don't want that to happen again. I like the idea of just turning up knowing I will get a singles game and if I play well, a doubles game aswell and that's even if I wasn't captain. The only pressure comes from what I put on myself. I have tournaments to play in to play better players and get used to the pressure of that. Having 1 aspect where that isn't there could be very important to becoming better - enjoyment will lead to having motivation to practice more.
Next week is the finals of the 5 a side and 7 a side tournaments. We are in both and I'm confident with a full strength side, we will do well especially in the 5's. This is my main focus at the moment, to deliver some silverware for the team. We came runners up in the 7's last year (didn't qualify for the 5's) and I'd love to go 1 better for the team. The Cross Keys will be in the 7's (they won it last year) so something may get said then regarding whether they would like me to sign for them.
So it all boils down to 1 simple question, stay or go?
Friday, 16 April 2010
The Good, the Bad and the Car Park
Been a while since my last blog and whilst there are no major things on at the moment, couple of little things have built up.
Premier League - been a bit dull recently but certainly picked up last night. Top quality darts, come backs, missed doubles - had nearly everything including the villain in the form of Mervyn King. Being on the Pro Tour has helped Whitlock immensely and Baxter is defying all odds at the moment by being right in the hunt for a play off place. Despite losing, Barney showed some great bottle to pull himself back into the match against Whitlock. Lewis is blowing hot and cold but again, pulled himself back from 4-1 down. Wade should have had Taylor but he's not a 15 time world champion without knowing how to dig deep.
UK Open qualifiers - prelims didn't exactly go according to plan as many people qualified for the finals without throwing a dart. I didn't attend despite entering so I can hardly criticise others who did the same. But it seems the draw was done in advance which screwed it all up. Whilst doing the draw in advance works for professional players, they were dealing with pub players. The draw should have been done once it was known how many would be there. Even the PDC have lessons to learn.
Car Park - Doublefinish's Car Park section is reaching legendary status thanks to Andy Fariclough and Dave Whitcomb. The Car Park is where the most controversial topics end up and it seems to be the area Doublefinish is judged on. Whilst it is a darts forum, just about anything gets discussed and the idiocy and sometimes bigoted view points get shown up for what they are and demonstrate that society is not as accepting as people like to make out. You can't allow simply anything but you cannot marginalise sections of society either. Despite the way some of the topics go due to some posters, I wouldn't change it and basically say "Fuck You" to anyone who has a problem with how it operates. Its not always pretty but its never dull.
Private lives of the sports stars - should they be discussed? In a fans forum, possibly but with the clamour/profile of such stars, it will make news.
Deta Hedman - sponsorship deal at last. Hopefully will allow her to get the practice/preparation needed to launch a serious assault on the World Championships and boost her profile. Rumored to be at the Chris Mason charity exhibition so hopefully will get to meet her in person.
My own darts - steady at the moment. Having some poor moments but having some great ones aswell. Had alot of fun last night despite losing the plot a little after going 2-0 up. Not the first time but its all learning and entering competitions is very slowly paying dividends. An ear infection may put me out of one tomorrow (unlikely though) but lots of others to enter
Premier League - been a bit dull recently but certainly picked up last night. Top quality darts, come backs, missed doubles - had nearly everything including the villain in the form of Mervyn King. Being on the Pro Tour has helped Whitlock immensely and Baxter is defying all odds at the moment by being right in the hunt for a play off place. Despite losing, Barney showed some great bottle to pull himself back into the match against Whitlock. Lewis is blowing hot and cold but again, pulled himself back from 4-1 down. Wade should have had Taylor but he's not a 15 time world champion without knowing how to dig deep.
UK Open qualifiers - prelims didn't exactly go according to plan as many people qualified for the finals without throwing a dart. I didn't attend despite entering so I can hardly criticise others who did the same. But it seems the draw was done in advance which screwed it all up. Whilst doing the draw in advance works for professional players, they were dealing with pub players. The draw should have been done once it was known how many would be there. Even the PDC have lessons to learn.
Car Park - Doublefinish's Car Park section is reaching legendary status thanks to Andy Fariclough and Dave Whitcomb. The Car Park is where the most controversial topics end up and it seems to be the area Doublefinish is judged on. Whilst it is a darts forum, just about anything gets discussed and the idiocy and sometimes bigoted view points get shown up for what they are and demonstrate that society is not as accepting as people like to make out. You can't allow simply anything but you cannot marginalise sections of society either. Despite the way some of the topics go due to some posters, I wouldn't change it and basically say "Fuck You" to anyone who has a problem with how it operates. Its not always pretty but its never dull.
Private lives of the sports stars - should they be discussed? In a fans forum, possibly but with the clamour/profile of such stars, it will make news.
Deta Hedman - sponsorship deal at last. Hopefully will allow her to get the practice/preparation needed to launch a serious assault on the World Championships and boost her profile. Rumored to be at the Chris Mason charity exhibition so hopefully will get to meet her in person.
My own darts - steady at the moment. Having some poor moments but having some great ones aswell. Had alot of fun last night despite losing the plot a little after going 2-0 up. Not the first time but its all learning and entering competitions is very slowly paying dividends. An ear infection may put me out of one tomorrow (unlikely though) but lots of others to enter
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
For the money and the glory
Since the split in 1993, the PDC have firmly established themselves as the most lucrative body in the world of darts. They have the majority of the best players in the world and in conjunction with Sky, have a very slick presentation package to provide high quality enjoyment for everyone. In the 2009/2010 World Champs, the prize fund reached £1million and looks set to increase further and outside these (and even the majors) the prizes on offer are substantial.
The figures above are stuff the BDO can only dream of. Their mantra has always been about catering for all levels but they cannot match the PDC at the top end, the elite and some argue it's about time the BDO conceded on that front. With the recent announcement of a Youth and Womens World Championships with substantial prize money and offerings of a tour card to the last 4 at the Lakeside, the PDC appear to be targeting the core supports of the BDO. Whether these turn out to be successfull only time will tell but it is still very telling that the PDC are going for it.
With the PDC tourcard coming in to play, the very best will get well rewarded with the aim of forcing the rest to improve to gain a lucrative tour card, a system Hearn seems to be about to implement in Snooker. There are advantages and disadvantages to this system but that is not the point of this blog.
As stated earlier, the BDO cannot compete on the prize fund front and the players who appear happy to be competing for comparitively insignificant sums of money is met with ridicule by some. The opposing argument to this has been "well heaven forbid people play just for the enjoyment" This is pretty much reducing the BDO to an amateur game and the PDC to nothing more than money hungry vultures.
Do people really believe the PDC players are only interested in money?
In todays world, wealth is seen as status. Competing for vasts sums of money seems to add excitement, profile and drama to proceedings and things do seem to get more serious. The PDC ranking system is based on how much money a player has earned. If they didn't love the game, they wouldn't play it. Not everyone is seemingly as robotic as Phil Taylor (and I wouldn't be surprised if it was revealed that he really is a robot) but even he plays because he enjoys the game. So why not compete for large sums of money and get masses of enjoyment out the game? Players do exhibitions but whilst they are being paid, they (usually) put on a very good show and are clearly enjoying themselves.
Steve Beaton commented that his fine run of form in the back end of last year was due to him not playing to win but just playing to enjoy himself. So is the main difference between the BDO and the PDC merely the stakes involved? Despite the difference in stakes, I doubt the BDO players enjoy themselves any more than the PDC players. There are people who are very good at darts who simply do not want to turn it into a living and they should be respected for that. But those who do should be treated with equal respect. That said, if you really believe you are capable of mixing it with the best, you take on the PDC. In the words of Bobby George: "If you want to earn a very good living from darts and think you're good enough, you play in the PDC"
It is possible to have your cake and eat it in this case.
The figures above are stuff the BDO can only dream of. Their mantra has always been about catering for all levels but they cannot match the PDC at the top end, the elite and some argue it's about time the BDO conceded on that front. With the recent announcement of a Youth and Womens World Championships with substantial prize money and offerings of a tour card to the last 4 at the Lakeside, the PDC appear to be targeting the core supports of the BDO. Whether these turn out to be successfull only time will tell but it is still very telling that the PDC are going for it.
With the PDC tourcard coming in to play, the very best will get well rewarded with the aim of forcing the rest to improve to gain a lucrative tour card, a system Hearn seems to be about to implement in Snooker. There are advantages and disadvantages to this system but that is not the point of this blog.
As stated earlier, the BDO cannot compete on the prize fund front and the players who appear happy to be competing for comparitively insignificant sums of money is met with ridicule by some. The opposing argument to this has been "well heaven forbid people play just for the enjoyment" This is pretty much reducing the BDO to an amateur game and the PDC to nothing more than money hungry vultures.
Do people really believe the PDC players are only interested in money?
In todays world, wealth is seen as status. Competing for vasts sums of money seems to add excitement, profile and drama to proceedings and things do seem to get more serious. The PDC ranking system is based on how much money a player has earned. If they didn't love the game, they wouldn't play it. Not everyone is seemingly as robotic as Phil Taylor (and I wouldn't be surprised if it was revealed that he really is a robot) but even he plays because he enjoys the game. So why not compete for large sums of money and get masses of enjoyment out the game? Players do exhibitions but whilst they are being paid, they (usually) put on a very good show and are clearly enjoying themselves.
Steve Beaton commented that his fine run of form in the back end of last year was due to him not playing to win but just playing to enjoy himself. So is the main difference between the BDO and the PDC merely the stakes involved? Despite the difference in stakes, I doubt the BDO players enjoy themselves any more than the PDC players. There are people who are very good at darts who simply do not want to turn it into a living and they should be respected for that. But those who do should be treated with equal respect. That said, if you really believe you are capable of mixing it with the best, you take on the PDC. In the words of Bobby George: "If you want to earn a very good living from darts and think you're good enough, you play in the PDC"
It is possible to have your cake and eat it in this case.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Kings Konquest
Mervyn King's dedication, temperament, attitude and application to the game is possibly second only to Taylor. Add to that his self believe, is it a co-incidence that King is very much on the verge on establishing himself as the "official" #2?
Barney's head is gone (well barney is just gone generally) Wade can't make up his mind what he wants and is massively affected by the crowd, Jenkins seems to be the nearly man. King however, does not let anything get to him on that stage. He has an ego and his A game is now stuff of legendary ridicule. But he makes no excuses and seems to bounce back after a set back. He's on a great run of form at the moment, winning both Swindon Championships and un-beaten in the PL including a 7-7 draw against Taylor.
Another man to put into that bracket could be Simon Whitlock. Typical Aussie determination and extremely talented. Others are upcoming and they all seem to share a trait of professionalism and dedication (Osbourne, Nicholson)
You get what you deserve, put in the effort in an that (name your cliche) but with the money involved in the game now and more people taking up darts as a profession, is this the start of an era where 1 mans domination is at an end?
Barney's head is gone (well barney is just gone generally) Wade can't make up his mind what he wants and is massively affected by the crowd, Jenkins seems to be the nearly man. King however, does not let anything get to him on that stage. He has an ego and his A game is now stuff of legendary ridicule. But he makes no excuses and seems to bounce back after a set back. He's on a great run of form at the moment, winning both Swindon Championships and un-beaten in the PL including a 7-7 draw against Taylor.
Another man to put into that bracket could be Simon Whitlock. Typical Aussie determination and extremely talented. Others are upcoming and they all seem to share a trait of professionalism and dedication (Osbourne, Nicholson)
You get what you deserve, put in the effort in an that (name your cliche) but with the money involved in the game now and more people taking up darts as a profession, is this the start of an era where 1 mans domination is at an end?
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