Entertainment For Lively Minds
One HUNDred and EIGHTY!!!
May I draw your attention to a cultural phenomenon currently taking place at Alexandra Palace and being shown on Sky Sports. The PDC World Darts Championship. I've probably lost some of you already but try and stay with me. I don't know if darts is sport or not, what I do know is that it is proper entertainment. The players, their wives and girlfreinds. the walk on's, the walk on girls, the crowds and the commentators all before a dart's even been thrown. A couple of games today are as exciting a piece of television as I have seen and I am a real sports fan.
If you have nothing better to do on New Years Day at 8pm and have access to Sky Sports can I recommend that you watch Phil "The Power" Taylor vs Adrian "Jackpot" Lewis in a quarter final. It is a classic master and apprentice clash with added spice as despite Taylor being Lewis's mentor they now do not get on at all. Taylor is the greatest player ever and the biggest favourite since the Paul McCartney fan club were voting for their favourite Beatle, Lewis is the form player of the tournament so far. I have my tenner on Lewis at 4-1 (Sky Bet) it may help if you know that Taylor walks on to "The Power" by Snap and Lewis walks on to "Papa's Got A Brand New Pig Bag" by Pig Bag. Either way it promises to be a thrilling encounter in front of 6000 baying fans at Ally Pally.
If you're really lucky you might see a 9 dart finish as rare as hens teeth but as done this week by Raymond Van Barneveld.
As you were.
P.S. if you don't believe me try The Times view. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/giles_smith/article696...
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Top work Dave
Barney, Barney, Barney...
I used
to love watching the darts, back in the days of Bristow, Wilson, Evans and Lowe. Raucous crowds, loads of needle, hugely entertaining.
And it's still fun now.
Compare and contrast with the shambles that is snooker these days.
Big fan too
Have been watching darts on Sky since the breakaway back in 1993/4. Great entertainment. Despite his 180 a night or two back - Barnie looked washed out tonight. His diabetes and probably the heat are affecting him.
For anyone who hasn't Sky Sports
The BDO championship is on the Beeb from Saturday. Although it hasn't got the top players, it's still cracking entertainment (try to find the highlights of the 2007 final if you can, it was incredible), and a great way to cheer up after the festivities.
Lakeside
I'm off to the Lakeside on Saturday for a Leo Sayer at the BDO World Darts (the one on the BBC).
Reigning BDO world champ is Ted Hankey, aka The Count:
The Count
I've mentioned this before but one of my favourite sports pieces of recent years was from coverage of the darts at Lakeside.
It was reported Hankey had merchandising posters everywhere showing him in his cloak, with the words Ted 'The Count' Hankey in blood red lettering against a black background.
They should really have foreseen that his opponent's fans would go around with black felt-tips covering up the 'O'.
Haven't been watching this....
..partly because I don't have Sky but then last night I saw some clip which said that Helen Chamberlain was the girlfriend of one of the top players who glories in the nom-de-dart "The Machine".
Helen Chamberlain is 42.
He's 26.
Phew! Rock and roll!
You're obviously referring to James Wade
They're the Posh & Becks of the darts world.
The crowd chant
when Wade is playing and the camera pans to the watching Chamberlain is not pleasnt, funny, but not pleasant.
Judging by the look of the middle bloke
Ricky Gervais has been doing the hard yards on the oche between collecting awards...
And a darts tip for the next decade,
get some money on this lad for a big win in the next couple of years
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/8294915.stm
'If you have nothing better to do on New Years Day at 8pm'
- thank God for toenail clippers.
Very funny
and an up arrow from me. I have at times combined the two but you have to be careful if your'e eating pork scratchings.
Darts League
Thought you might be all amused by this - the darts league I play in (currently 4th in the league and with a best leg of 21 darts) holds it's finals tournament in May - we filmed this years for prosperity.
May I recommend Brown vs Lomas - excellent use of intro music and that's me on MC duties!
http://seftonparkcc.blogspot.com/2009/03/darts-night-entrances.html
I`m not a sport snob...
but I know great entertainment when I see it. In HD as well you know. It`s stopped me watching the entire series of Breaking Bad on my planner too (which I have saved for the holidays). Watched Barney struggling last night with his diabetes and he still overcame the hardest looking man ever to appear in front of a TV camera. When the PDC Worlds are finished we`ll move straight to the BDO Worlds. Hope Ray Stubbs is better and presenting as the guy on Sky ain`t the best. I guess this is `Marmite` sport though, so each to their own. Adrian Lewis to win the PDC Worlds. Martin Adams to win the BDO Worlds. Ted Hankey IS a count, no doubt about that.
An hour to go
and if this evening is as good as this afternoon was then I'm in for a great night. Kronenburg in the fridge, various snacks to hand and I'm ready!
daveross
Culture Correspondent
The Word Blog
Thanks for alerting me to this..
I sat down with the GLW and the parents to watch this after the tedium of Doctor Who - it was absolutely fantastic - thank you. Will be watching the semis tomorrow!
Hope you genuinely
enjoyed it. This evening was a bit of a let down after the afternoon session and I lost my tenner. Taylor is an astonishing talent and as driven as Federer and Woods if not as aesthetically pleasing on the eye. Roll on the semis and a Whitlock - Taylor final.