Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Column HR342
Roe or Wade?
It was just Mother’s Day weekend and in the USA’s non-contagious 50 states debate has erupted over Roe vs. Wade.
The PDC debate?
Wade vs. ALL – as the Premier League arrives in Scotland. It’s a night of undisrupted sleep for the sheep with men enjoying darts.
With a pair of wins in three nights James Wade is confident. I’m mixing it with the best dart players in the world. When you’re beating them it’s a nice feeling. If I dig in and do what I do, there’s no one who wants to play a close game of darts against me.
The late baseball (aka rounders) great Dizzy Dean said, it ain’t bragging if you can do it.
Wade laid an egg against PL leader Jonny Clayton. Wade missed his favorite d10 in legs 1 and 2, then got blown out in leg 3. Wade would scratch back to 2-4 after finally hitting d10. Then, it was “Good Night Nurse” for Wade losing 6-2.
The Old Coach asked, what darts will he (Wright) use next week when he faces Anderson? Maybe brass as, after all, it’s Anderson…
Wright started with Gold then switched to Silver in the middle of the second leg – to no avail going 0-2 down in 19. Snakebite could have taken a leg making it 2-3 but, alas, missed 3 from 40. Wright got to 2-4 with a 116 check only to get rolled by a pair of 14 darters, taking a 6-2 loss.
Maybe it’s not the darts?
Bottom of the table, Michael Smith, got a win against Gerwyn Price. The final (6-2) displayed Michael Smith as he can play – averaging 99+ with a 43% finishing average. The loss for Price left him with 15 points – his playoff chances less than slim, as are Smith’s. Smith got his first Players Championship win on May 10th.
Joe Cullen made a valiant effort against Michael van Gerwen after falling behind 5-2 on legs of 20, 14 and 14. Cullen then took 3 to draw even at 5. Both players were smoking hot in the decider as MvG had T80, T39, T30 that left him with 52. Cullen answered, kind of, with T40, T34, 81. van Gerwen, wanting 52, got the 12 but missed a pair at tops allowing Cullen a chance 146. Cullen collected only 90 – van Gerwen would take out 40 for the 6-5 win.
The Anderson-Clayton semi featured Clayton’s power, averaging 98. Clayton was up 3-2 as each collected a 12-darter. Clayton held for 4-2, then Anderson stole one with a 115-check, getting closer at 3-4.
Clayton saw Anderson’s 115, upping him to 116 and a 5-3 lead – then back came Anderson with 110 (to 4-5). The 10th leg was some kind of ugly. Clayton missed two from 32 allowing Anderson to miss 2 for 33. On the 20th dart after a miss Clayton got the 6-4 win.
Michael van Gerwen led 2-0 going for another final. Michael Smith put together legs of 12, 15, 14 and, 11 taking the lead at 4-2. van Gerwen was on the verge of going 5-2 down with Smith on 40 when MvG nailed a 108 (20, t16, d20) finish. Once even (4-4), Smith gained a one leg edge in 13. But MvG leveled at 5, then exploded to win 6-5 with a 104-check in 12.
It can be said that “he or she or it” that gets to the double first will win…
In the final Michael van Gerwen got to three doubles first but lost 6-3. Jonny Clayton finished 50% for the 6-3 win.
Clayton started with T80 and accepted 2 missed darts by MvG to lead 1-nil. Each would hold but then at 4-3 Clayton broke in 19 darts with MvG missing 6 at a double. It took Clayton only 15 darts to gain the 6-3 victory.
Michael van Gerwen would get revenge against Clayton in the weekend’s Euro Tour in Leverkusen, Germany. They met in the third round with van Gerwen falling behind 4-2. Both players had big checks – Clayton 125, 78 and 121 and MvG 124.
MvG would win 6-4 after Clayton missed the bull from 87 to level. MvG would win his second Euro 8-5 over Dimitri Van den Bergh – and £25,000.
Sefydliad Dartiau Cymru (aka Wales Dart Organization) hosted the Welsh Classic/Welsh Open last weekend – a double dipper for those chasing WDF points. It was Mother’s Day for Fallon Sherrock as she would play in both lady’s finals. It was a great day for England as they captured all events.
Wales one chance came in the Classic Lady’s when Rhian O’Sullivan took on Fallon Sherrock. The Welsh lass would have leads of 3-1 and 4-2 in the race to 5. Sherrock got it to 3-4 in a leg as ugly as it could get. Sherrock would win in 27 darts as O’Sullivan first busted 72, then missed 9 darts for the match. Sherrock then rolled taking the next two as O’Sullivan never regained her composure.
Sherrock’s chance for the double went asunder against Beau Greaves. It was the epitome of a great match regardless of gender or lack of same.
Both players averaged over 92. Sherrock led early 3-0 as Greaves struggled to hit anything but the board. The struggle imploded as Greaves got hot winning legs in 19, 12 and 15 to level at 3. The 12 darter included a 125-check on the Red Bull. Green bull and Red bull. How about them apples?
It only took 14 for Sherrock to regain the lead (4-3) when Greaves’ hot scoring fell off. For Greaves that scoring drought ended in 12 darts with a nifty 158 (T20, T20, d19). The decider went to Greaves as 62 disappeared with Sherrock at 32.
The ladies were the headliners as arguably two of the best in the world collided. Were it not for the ladies everyone would be talking about 15-year-old Luke Littler…
He was spectacular collecting three singles titles. In those three, two Boy’s and one Open, he would win 14 of the 18 legs played, trailing only once. He was behind 0-1 in first leg he played on Sunday. In the gent’s final he faced Wes Newton a former PDC Tour player. Littler led 3-1 then 4-2 with a 13-darter. Two more legs in 17 gave him the 6-2 win.
The ODC, showing no fear, will wade in on the Roe vs. Wade controversy. He’s a male and not pregnant (although some claim it’s possible). Also, it’s unlikely he will ever sire an offspring…
On Roe vs. Wade the ODC will defer to those that make the decision each day – Mexicans on the banks of the Rio who, prior to crossing, must decide whether to Roe or Wade.
Stay thirsty my friends.
