Thursday, January 26, 2023
Column HR391
SPANNING THE WORLD!
Gong xi fa cai. Welcome to the Lunar New Year. Year of the Rabbit. Like Phil Taylor the Energizer Bunny is “Over the Moon”.
Today, we visit Las Vegas (what happens there won’t stay there), Bucharest, Romania (a 2-WDF eventer), Copenhagen, Denmark (for the PDC) and Coventry, England, for the JDC Q School.
The Old Dart Coach may toss in a few remarks to keep readers on their toes. “Reading on their toes” seems silly. Reading on the “donicker” – acceptable.
The Las Vegas Open drew a quality field for a 4-day darting orgy. ADO National Champions were anointed in cricket and 501. Chuck Puleo laid a good old fashion lesson in darts on Leonard “The Jerk” Gates 5-1 to become cricket champ. Puleo’s closest call came against Danny Baggish. The pair were tied at 2 in the race to 3. Baggish held the hammer. Baggish left 19s open after 6. Puleo went 18, t17, 19, scoring 19. Baggish’s answer was weak 18, 19. Puleo pounced with 5-18s, scoring 73. The fat lady sang. Puleo 3-2.
Marlise Kiel escaped in her semifinal against Sandy Hudson 3-2. Hudson needed 2 bulls with 6 darts. Didn’t happened. Kiel closed with 3 single bulls from 9 darts. Kiel then opened a 2-nil lead over Cali West in the final. West got one back when Keil returned the honor. Keil became ADO National Cricket Champion 4-2. The ADO 501 title went to Paula Murphy. She captured the crown 5-2 over Cali West after taking out 2023 Cricket Champ Marlise Kiel 4-2 from 2-nil down.
The men’s ‘01 title went to Leonard “The Jerk” Gates 6-3 over Danny Baggish.
The ADO/WDF ’01 singes saw Chris Lim Gong xi fa cai-ing as he rabbited through the competition to win, repeating his victory of 2020. Lim took down Leonard Gates in their semi 5-3. Up 4-3 Lim took advantage of Gates leaving himself 14 from 106 while he was on 150.
In the final Gary Mawson, the former mailman, kept delivering. He took advantage of Lim, as Lim squandered a 3-nil lead to see the match level. Lim had double trouble. Lim would lead 4-3 following a 13-darter darter (4-3) and the match was then then level again at 5. Lim took the decider in 18 erasing 60 as Mawson fell into scoring drought.
Murphy would win the Women’s Cricket singles taking out ADO Cricket Champ Marlise Kiel 2-1 .
Bucharest, Romania played host to the aptly named Romanian Darts Festival. The event had two WDF points events. On the lady’s side Ms. Beau Greaves made it her very own playground winning all events.
Ms. Greaves took both singles without taking a deep breath. Her overall record for the pair of singles was 49-3 (adding in pair’s wins, with Deta Hedman) it was 66-3. Greaves trailed only once (0-2) against Aletta Wajer.
The only conclusion is that Greaves is far, far ahead of the “over the pond women” or they are really bad. Going with far ahead.
Peter Wright won his first TV title of the year with an 11-5 victory over Gerwyn Price to annex the Viaplay Nordic Darts Masters. In the process he derailed the 2-match TV win streak of Michael Smith.
Wright’s 11-8 over Smith came despite being outscored but finishing 50%. Before his two TV wins, Smith had found crucial doubles a challenge. When those pesky doubles were eliminated, he became world champ. They’re back. Against Wright he was 5 for 25.
On the way to victory Wright took out Michael van Gerwen. Wright led 7-4 only to find himself level at 8 when van Gerwen used T80 and a 60-out in 14 darts.
Following 3 misses Wright got a 9-8 lead. MvG would level in 15 darts. A scoring drought by MVG allowed Wright to take the match (10-9) in 19 darts on d5. Wright garnered 22-T40s to MVG’s 13 allowing Wright to dawdle on doubles at 29.4%.
Kaden Anderson may well be the preview of the future for American world class darters…
The Bottleson Darts-sponsored youngster traveled to Coventry, England, to face the best JDC (Junior Dart Corporation) darters. When he won the third event of 4 events he gained his JDC Tour card. In that win Andersen, early on, took out a previous finalist Fabian Taper of Wales 4-3. Taper had lost in final of the second event and was runner up in the 4th. Against Ireland’s Luke Dooley in the semifinals Anderson was up 2-1 and 3-2 when he rolled out a 15- darter to 4-2. Oh yes – the average for that leg was 100.20.
A few maybe uncalled for comments…
The #38 ranked player from the PDC came to the Las Vegas Open on an exhibition tour of the USA. On the Order of Merit Whitlock has earned $153,000. “While on vacation” (his words), he entered the doubles with Van Dongen. They got dusted by Jeff Springer and Kevin Luke 2-0 in the cricket.
Van Dongen and Whitlock won the doubles and mixed triples with Katie Falla. There’s an obligations that comes with the label “Professional”.
Wonder why the ODC calls Leonard Gates a jerk?
At the recent PDC World Championships a young boy suffering from cancer was brought into the practice room. Canada’s Jeff Smith took off his shirt, autographed it, and gave it to the boy. When the youngster asked Gates for an autograph Gates told him, “Don’t bother me.”
Find a dictionary – you know, that book that tells what words mean. Look up “professional” and “class”. Next to neither will you find a photo of Leonard Gates.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: the PDC and CDC should sanction Gates for bringing the sport into disrepute. The ADO? Look up “disrepute” in the dictionary!]
CONGRATULATIONS to the Reunion Committee (The Millers – not Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston from the movie but Doit and Julia from Phoenix), Linda Endo, Russ Lopez, Liza Farrell, Duck Miller and Jerry Feather for carrying on despite the restraints placed upon the Committee by “I’m Matt Stoner ADO Vice President”.
The Friday night suite photo showed 14 dart players, 5 committee members and two husbands. On Saturday, the group grew larger with drive-ins. Things might have been different if only one of the original members had “apologized for something they didn’t do” or the Committee had stood up to the ADO.
An Irish reader posted: This posting doesn’t seem up to your normal standard. Spot on.
Why?
The ODC answered via Facebook, when asked to name “three persons bands”. Faster than a speeding bullet the ODC came up with “Three Dog Night”.
Immediately came the Facebook rebuke.
There were four people in Three Dog Night.
Shot back the ODC: Then why isn’t it called Four Dog Night?
No answer has come back.
Stay thirsty my friends.
