The Random Darts Discussion Thread
This thread made because of the hijack created in the English Premier League thread.
Darts is one of the most popular pub sports in the world, and collects a decent TV audience in the United Kingdom, Europe and around the world. Like snooker, there is some decent money at the top of the game, and the best player in the world, Phil Taylor, made over 1MM pounds this year IIRC, with his prizemoney for winning the last World Championship being a quarter of a million pounds.
Anyway, this weekend is the last day of the newly formed World Cup of Darts, contested in two man teams. Like the world cup of football, it involved a number of countries (24 in this case) a group stage, semi's and a final, and some epic English fail.
In the qualifying rounds the top 8 teams (England, Netherlands, Australia, Scotland, Wales, N.Ireland, USA and Canada) played a weaker team that had won an initial qualifying round in a short, somewhat high variance best of 11 legs match. Spain went on to beat England 6-5 and knock them out before the group stage.
Today is semi-final and final day. In the first semi-final, Netherlands beat Spain 4-0. The second semi is on now, Wales for Australia. The format for the semis and final is 4 singles matches and a doubles match, just like the Davis Cup tennis, but the doubles is played last and worth double. If it ends 3-3 a sudden death leg is played, almost equivilent to a poker flipament. Its good theatre and a decent sport if you have someone to get behind.
Currently Simon Whitlock (AUS) is playing Mark Webster (WAL) the match is locked at 3-3 first to 6 and the tie itself is locked at 1-1 Webster and Whitlock winning their first doubles.
Oh, and LOL darts...
Littler needs to win this decisive leg. We deserve at least a 12th set.
bah
Ah well GG deserved winner in the end, Littler will do it one day!
Major blow for the Pear shaped bloke theory
Another hit to the Baids theorem
Very happy with the result, would have been an amazing story for the kid to win but I think it’s better for the sport that he didn’t win.
Should have gone 5-2 up, that miss was the end for him. Littler’s setup and checkouts are sometimes sub-optimal, and over time he should learn to make better choices. I doubt many would go T18 T18 D2 for a 112 checkout. Similarly in the semi-final he definitely went for T20 T20 T20 with 182 left.
If the fat kid were brazilian everyone would say he was an age cheater.
Premier League must be:
1. Luke Humphries
2. Michael van Gerwen
3. Michael Smith
4. Nathan Aspinall
5. Gerwyn Price
6. Rob Cross
7. Peter Wright
8. Luke Littler
Right?
That is the line up that I have seen someone work out from tweets yes
Isn't MVG having his jaws broken or something? Thought he was gonna be out for a while.
I see no reason to rush Luke Littler, the world #31, into the Premier League. His time will come.
Won’t happen, but my choice would be:
1. Luke Humphries
2. Michael van Gerwen
3. Michael Smith
4. Nathan Aspinall
5. Gerwyn Price
6. Rob Cross
and two of:
9. Jonny Clayton
10. Dave Chisnall
12. Joe Cullen
Viewing records were absolutely smashed during his run.
If you are not going to include him, might aswell do away with wildcards and just go with the top 8. He's exactly what a wildcard pick should be imo.
I see no reason to rush Luke Littler, the world #31, into the Premier League. His time will come.
Was already announced as Humphries/MSmith/MvG/Price/Cross/Aspinall/Wright/Littler by the time you posted. Yes they've got to capitalise on the attention he's brought to the sport. And yes it will probably knacker his chances of getting into majors this year unless he wants to risk getting severely burned out
I’m not really excited about Peter Wright being in
Glasgow leg is day after my birthday, might go
Very happy with the result, would have been an amazing story for the kid to win but I think it’s better for the sport that he didn’t win.
Should have gone 5-2 up, that miss was the end for him. Littler’s setup and checkouts are sometimes sub-optimal, and over time he should learn to make better choices. I doubt many would go T18 T18 D2 for a 112 checkout. Similarly in the semi-final he definitely went for T20 T20 T20 with 182 left.
I agree with most of this except he obviously didn't intentionally go T18 T18 D2 for the 112, he accidentally hit the second triple when going for single 18 to leave D20.
Littler in the PL is super duper obvious from a pure capitalise on the world's concept.
I'd almost make a "World's Finalist" slot for whoever has a huge run to bring in new viewers as again, it's all exhibition's. Be it a random Aussie, German, 16yo, Lim etc...
As a decade + sports dad of 3 kids this could have been written to/by me
A few names that are through to round 2 of Q-School include Mike Warburton, Adam Hunt, Danny Lauby, Matt Dennant and Stefan Bellmont. WDF champ Baetens surprisingly dumped out in the last 256 by a Czech guy who I've heard of but who he shouldn't be losing to.
As an aside the PDC have wrecked the Euro Tour by making the direct qualifying criteria basically the same as the Matchplay, completely screwing over at least two thirds of all card holders, all affiliates, and having the effect of making the top 32 a very closed loop with much the same players going to be in every event by default. Seeds for the first two World Series events are the exact same eight players as in the Premier League, because who doesn't love seeing the same matchups we get every week even more often
Leighton Bennett has a tour card. The level of hype the PDC will generate when he plays Littler in due course will be huge
Rooting for Aspinall as per usual but an MVG Littler final tonight would be fun to watch.
Very first leg of the Aspinall v Littler QF.
9 darter for the kid.
He's ridiculous.
