July 12, 2006
Column 265
Tommy Cox Disqualifies Gary Spedding and BANS Yoko Ono!
Friday, June 30
The World Cup quarter finals commenced today after a brief hiatus negotiated by PDC tournament director Tommy Cox “so the LVDC might be permitted to proceed undistracted.” The break was to last through the weekend but World Cup officials reconsidered after learning that Cox disqualified Gary Spedding for not speeding quickly enough on Wednesday to his assigned board. Commenting off-the-record, one Germany official had this to say: “Tommy Cox ist ein grosser Kartoffelkopf!”
About the same time Germany was shocking Argentina, John Part stepped to the line to face Terry Jenkins in the first match of the other big international quarter final of the day. Suffice it to say Part won. Probably even he doesn’t know how. Realist that he is, in the post match interview (and as many of his fans who suffered heart attacks were being attended my medics) he had this to say: “I wasn’t even in the tournament a few days ago and now I’m in the semi-final. I don’t mind who I draw next – I’m playing with THEIR chips.”
Possibly Part won’t like the chips some of the others are holding. Barneveld stepped to the line after the interview, immediately stuck back-to-back maximums and finished the first leg against Andy Hamilton in ten darts (three of them thrown in the dark because the lights flickered out) en route to a 3-1 victory to show that he’s pretty comfortable with the chips he’s holding. Phil Taylor marched over Dennis Priestley in straight sets. And Wes Newton tossed in seven maximums, including two in a row at one point, followed by a third triple 20, before missing the triple 19 to be denied the perfect game in a repeat of Andy Jenkin’s crowd pleaser on Thursday. Newton went on to dispatch Chris Mason (who took Part to the wire at the world championships six months ago) 3-2.
So to those out there (and there are many) who think Part and Newton got the better of the draw at the end of today’s play (they will face each other tomorrow in the semis), I wouldn’t be so sure.
In the other semi final Barneveld and Taylor will replay their Budweiser UK Open match from just a few weeks back where Barneveld emerged the victor 11-10. As the British say, this one will be a “real Graham cracker.”
By the end of the day, Italy had also moved into the World Cup semis (and will play Germany) and all eyes in Britain were trying to figure out how to balance their telly viewing tomorrow between the semi finals of the LVDC and England-Portugal World Cup semi.
In other news and another Vegas-England connection, tonight the Cirque du Soleil’s $150 million extravaganza, called LOVE and set to the songs of the Beatles, makes its gala premier at the Mirage. The show will be attended by remaining Beatles Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, George Harrison’s widow Olivia and also Yoko Ono.
It is rumored that Ono, a darts fan, may make an appearance at tomorrow’s LVDC semi-finals but, if she does, Tommy Cox is planning to bar her from entry “because she ruined the frickin’ Beatles.” I am 100% in agreement with Cox’s position.
From the Field,
Dartoid
