The Lakeside World Darts Championship starts tomorrow. First game up should be a good one, it’s at 1:00 between BDO No. 1 Gary Anderson and Norway’s Robert Wagner who beat Anderson at the World Masters a month ago. Anderson has played brilliant stuff over the last couple of years but has never done it at Lakeside, he’s gone out in the first round the last two years. I think it could happen again.
In the bottom half the King of Bling, England captain Martin “Wolfie” Adams is, according to informed sources (ie people on a darts forum I read) up against it aginst relative unknown Dave Chisnall. Don’t like Adams, I think he’s one of the last of the bitter bigots on either side of the darts split still left and I hope he oes out (love the signature about Adams and Hankey btw Bandage).
I think it might be a player who is not switching over that will win it. Darryl Fitton must surely be due a run in this tournament, he certainly has the class to win it. It looks like he might be staying put for this year at least. I’ll go for him to win it out.
As always the rumour mill is working full-time about which players we can expect to see moving to the PDC. Looks like Anderson, Webster and Whitlock may go. Have to say they’d be mad not to. PDC World Championship winner will get 200k next year afaik. Still love the Lakeside though, my favourite venue for darts. The idiosyncracies of the tournament are pretty funny too like the way all the officials go around thinking they’re all important in their stupid maroon blazers. Martin Fitzmaurice the fat guy who shouts out “Let’s play Darts” is supposed to be an arsehole of the highest order.
See how long Fitzmaurice has been around? I think that’s him in the Paul Lim 9-darter video from 1990. Apparently Shaun Greatbatch is playing today despite being in the middle of cancer treatment. He’s not meant to be very well at all.
Don’t usually watch the Lakeside, but once the PDC is finished, I’ll watch a bit of the latter stages of this farce. Keep the oul updates coming though lads, because I don’t fancy sitting through these early rounds.
I couldn’t give a fook if Anderson is a “hun”. Quality player and as soon as he gets out of that sham organisation the better. See these two clowns on at the moment, Sims and Hughes, good lord.
Don’t think Anderson is a Hun. Supports Hibs I believe. Gogd win for him there, maybe getting over his first round hoodoo can fire him to go all the way. I’d like to see him do it.
Greatbatch is actually the first player to do a nine darter live on television in the Dutch Open in 2001. That’s another of my hobby horses as Sky always say it was Taylor at the 2002 World Matchplay. They have live TV in Holland too you know.
The BDO oganisation itself is obviously a farce, but you can get some quality darts at the tournament. The Lakeside had a higher overall average last year than the PDC championships. Also four of the quarter finalists at Alexandra Palace this year switched over within the last couple of years. Players like Stompe and Van der Voort who never made much of an impression in the BDO are doing very well in the PDC.
Looking at Stompe since the move it’s not like he’s playing against worse opposition, he’s just playing like he never has before. As for Van der Voort, I don’t think he’s up to much still. Also with many BDO tournaments being shorter format its easy to see why no marks can get wins over better players.
Stompe’s attitude wasn’t great the other night. He had himself beaten before he threw his first dart. Taylor is beatable, that has been proved over and over again.
Bobby “The BDO is better than the PDC” George or his other nickname Bobby “Taylor wouldn’t have won as much if had have stayed in the BDO” George. Total clown.
Is the PDC clearly streets ahead of the BDO or is not that it is slightly better but because of hype surrounding it the difference between the two is highlighted. I know in other sports Sky have they always make out competitions to be better than they are. They were hyping EPL up to be best league in the world back when La Liga was miles better. How much of a difference really is there and which organisation is the one that ITV have the rights for some of the lesser events?