March 11, 2006
Column 233
The Boy from Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee
Yes siree, Bob!
In the sixth World Series of Darts (WSOD) qualifier today, from among a STRONG field of 147, it was a virtual unknown darter from a town few have ever heard of that emerged victorious, booking his name along side Isen Veljic, Roger Carter, Jim Widmayer, James Watkins and Dave DePriest as the newest member of the potential Million Dollar Man Club, as the March to Mohegan continues to wend its way across America.
Again, Johnny Kuczynski and Ray Carver did not register. But Darin Young was there! Last week’s Chicago semi finalist Joe Slyvan was there. So were Scott Ingrum, Tom Waterman, David Thibault, Dayton Strawbridge, Chris Linkous, Mike Naulty, Bruce Cottrell and Doug Watkins.
But it was a virtually unknown darter from a town that even I had to look up on the Internet (Soddy-Daisy is somewhere near Chattanooga) who dispatched Waterman and Strawbridge en route to the final showdown of the day. There he faced nationally top-ranked Darin Young and shocked some hair right onto Big Daddy’s head.
Joseph Carter Chaney picked up his first set of darts in 2000, threw league for less than a year, and left the game. ‘Bout three years ago, he picked ‘em up again – don’t nobody know why exactly. And they weren’t none of them there fancy name brand darts neither. Nope. Chaney competes with a “no name” set that he picked up somewhere. Don’t nobody really know where neither. But they work just fine. Today them there “no names” flew as purty as a Christmas tree.
And they had to.
That’s because Darin Young came to WIN. And win he nearly did. No doubt he’ll be back soon and no doubt he will be a major force to contend with once the Professional Darts Corporation’ (PDC) professionals roll into Connecticut.
After sailing through the first three rounds, Young drew Slyvan. Quickly, Young (with a fifteen darter in his second game) popped into a two to nill lead. But Slyvan fought back to tie the match at two. Young then fired back, taking the fifth leg – but Slyvan dominated the sixth leg to tie the match again. In the tiebreaker, Big Daddy took no prisoners, closing 118 for another fifteen darter and dashing Slyvan’s million dollar dream for the second time in two weeks.
In the final, Young and the boy from Soddy-Daisy faced off in a good old fashioned barnburner. Yes siree, Bob, I do say again. In fairness to Matthew Thompson, the darter Chaney dispatched to get to the finals, just as Young only just made it past Slyvan Chaney’s path to the final oche was just as tough. Thompson was looking at forty-two for the win when Cheney closed out the match.
Chaney jumped in front of Young quickly, leaving Young looking at forty-seven and fifty respectively in the first two legs. Down two to nill, Young struck back with a fifteen darter and then stole leg four when Chaney missed three darts at the double four. It was tied at two all. Young then SLAMMED in a twelve darter to grab the momentum – BUT Chaney slammed back with a fifteen darter of his own to even the match again at three apiece.
In the dramatic seventh-leg tiebreaker – and almost a throw back to the Atlanta Carter-Wallaston final – it seemed as though neither darter could find the double. Young had the first shot – sitting on seventy, he threw triple ten, caught a fat twenty, and then wired the double ten. Cheney was looking at seventy-four. He stuck the triple twenty but then wired the double seven in his bid to end the match then and there.
Then, almost unbelievably for a darter of Young’s caliber and experience under pressure, the man from Freeland, Pennsylvania wired three CONSECUTIVE attempts to close the double ten. Chaney had new life and took advantage of it, nailing the double seven on his second dart to book his place at the Mohegan.
Understandably, Chaney was as pleased as Young was disappointed.
“I really haven’t been throwing very long at all,” said Cheney after the final. “At home I’m really good at reading the competition. It was tougher here today. I played in the Atlanta Qualifier, too, but got beat by Brad Wethington. I remember looking around the room that day though and thinking… Hey I’ve beaten most of these guys before. So, I came in pretty confident that I could do well today.
My buddies at home thought I was nuts for making the trip up here today. They all warned me that Darin and maybe Johnny “K” would both be here, so why bother? I told them… Hey, if I can’t get by Darin and Johnny, how could I ever expect to beat Phil Taylor! So here I am.”
Others finishing strong today included Mathew Thompson and Scott Ingrum (top four), Dayton Strawbridge, Chris Linkous, Brian Massey and Gordon Dixon (top eight), and Danny Shawyer, Daniel Oleyar, Steve Spilman, Doug Watkins, Jim Newman, Karl Sweet, Brian Long and Joe Slyvan (top sixteen).
As expected, Daren “Bull Puppy” Parzow, the only man in the venue with less hair than Big Daddy Young, ran a hell of a tournament. And also as expected (and appreciated), Mike Harris of Bull’s Eye News did a great job of keeping yours truly informed of the action. It is from his notes (and the input of secret moles whose names I cannot divulge) that I am able to file these reports from my couch in sunny Florida after each qualifier.
That said, the moles they are accumulatin’ so you can expect more and more “inside” information as Dartoid’s World continues to follow the AMAZING WSOD Million Dollar March to the Mohegan.
Next up LAS VEGAS!!!
For further information about today’s Washington D.C. WSOD qualifier go to the Bull’s Eye News (http://www.bullseyenews.com) and Professional Darts Corporation (http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/Welcome) websites.
From the Field,
Dartoid
