Thursday, December 12, 2024
Column HR474
Ponce de León smiles…
With the WDF Lakeside World Championships off and running Ponce de León must have been smiling “ear to ear.” In 1513, de León found the Fountian of Youth in Florida. He discovered magic waters in a spring that would return youth to those a little long in the tooth. Many claimed this never happened, as there is no clear evidence that this actually occurred. Certainly, nobody would have believed that Paul Lim, at the age of 70, had discovered the Fountian of Youth at the Lakeside County Club Frimley Green, Surrey in the Motha Country.
That aside, the Old Dart Coach found de León’s discovery on the internet which means it must be true. Lost in the early kerfuffle at Lakeside’s call to the oche’ was that Paul Lim and USA’s Jason Brandon would become the story of this year WDF event in North America and Asia.
How did North Americans fare? Well not so well but first, in the manner of “Dragnet,” just the facts.
The historic Lakeside County Club has its place in darts history. All the great players have toed the oche there. They’ve left their mark that will endure over time until the venue falls down. This year’s starting field included 64 men and 32 ladies. A preliminary round cut the number down to 32 men and 16 ladies. At that juncture the seeded players join the fun.
The total prize fund included £221,000 ($279,475.77 US dollars) in prize money. That’s down from £257,000 ($325,031.68 US dollars) last year. The men’s winner collected £50,000 and the ladies winner won £25,000, which is the same as last year. The decrease in price money comes from lower placings.
There was a time when Mr. Lowe, Bristow, Dellar, Lazarenko, Wilson, Glazier, Virachkul, Umberger, Ney, Lord and Lim held court. Since the PDC entered the scene, most of the players are unfamiliar in North America. The exception is the perennial women’s champion Beau Greaves. Of course, she won it again as expected.
The Old Dart Coach had the pleasure of covering the precursor to the WDF Lakeside championships when it was the Embassy run by the now defunct British Darts Organization. A little known fact is that the ODC won the Embassy Writers World Championship one year and finished runner up the following year. How about the ODC!?
North Americans didn’t fare well in the opening rounds with the exception of Jason Brandon. North America was represented by Jeff Springer, Keven Luke, Jason Brandon and Jacob Tylor from Canada. The lone lady was Paula Murphy who won her first match in 2 sets (3-0, 3-1) over Paula Jacklin. Ms. Murphy fell victim to the Dutch seeded #6 lady Aletta Wajer in the round of 16 heading to the quarter finals. Murphy lost 2-1 (3-1, 1-3, 3-0). There’s a stat that the ODC made up because he can – Paula Murphy missed only one double that cost a leg while Wajer missed none.
Jeff Springer went down 2-nil (3-1, 3-1) to Aaron Turner. Springer did miss some doubles, but they wouldn’t have changed the final outcome. Kevin Luke went down 2-1 (3-1, 1-3, 2-3) to Sybren Gijbels. In the second set Luke lost 2-1, missing a double to steal the set. In the decider Luke couldn’t finish from 67 with three and went down to defeat.
Canadian Jacob Taylor waved goodbye to the Lakeside. Taylor lost to Carl Wilkinson 2-0 (2-3, 2-3). Taylor lost the first set when he couldn’t check out 3 for 57. Taylor led the second set 2 legs to nil but failed to finish with 3 from 62, giving the decider to Wilkinson 3-2.
Brandon would lose to Lim 5-0 which would make his joint 3rd. But if the ODC’s memory is correct the late Javier Gopar actually finished 3rd alone as at the old Embassy they played off the semi losers. Could be wrong.
That same year (as the ODC’s Embassy Writer’s triumph) Paul Lim recorded the first ever 9-dart game on live television. That was an era when 9-darters were a rare and wonderous happening.
After an absence of 30 years, Paul Lim (aka Leong Hwa) made his return to the stage at the Lakeside. Like fine wine at seven decades young he’s like the Timex watch that “just keep on ticking.” Yes, Lim represents Singapore, but North America and the USA still claim him as their own. He won his opening match with a “no sweat” 2-nil trashing of young Moreno Blom from the Netherlands. Lim lost the first leg in each set. He averaged 90.26.
Like Old Man River, Paul Lim rolled into the top 32 with a 3-set to 2 victory over Hong Kong’s Kai Fan Leung, seeded #7. Lim had a 2 set to nil advantage which shrank to level at 2 sets each. He copped the final set 3 legs to 1. The line score was 3-1, 3-0, 1-3, 0-3 and 3-1.
Lim became a raging torrent rather than a rolling river as he advanced to the round of 8 with a 3-2 win over Scotland’s Gary Stone. After taking the first set (3-2), Lim lost the second set 3-2 when he missed the bull and then 2 at 16. Stone leveled the sets at 2 when he tossed a Snyder at Lim. Lim then opened a can of WA with a pair of 3-0 wins where Stone nary viewed a double.
Against Jarno Bottenberg, Lim took it 4-3 (1-3, 3-1, 3-0, 1-3, 3-1, 0-3, 3-1) in a match that had only one three dart out – a T13 for Lim.
Enter Jason Brandon who worked his way to the semifinals with a win over #3 seed Neil Duff (4-3). Brandon took a 3-nil lead only to have Duff go on a 3 set run to force a deciding set. On Duff’s run Brandon had darts to win two of those sets. Regardless, Brandon fell behind 2-nil, then leveled with a T48 to force a final leg – won by Brandon in 20 darts.
Lim would blank Brandon 5-0 as he won 15 legs surrendering only 3.
The final was all Shane McGuirk as he jumped ahead of Lim 4 sets to nil. Paul made a valiant effort, taking 3 sets before McGuirk grabbed the next 2 sets for a 6-3 win. Paul Lim hauled in £16,000 ($20,403) while Jason Brandon collected £16,000 ($10,202.23). Playing in the PDC World Championships a second round loser) would collect £16,000. The runner up £200,000.
Now, if Mr. Lim wants a real challenge, he’ll play in the Stacy Bromberg Senior Open and Reunion on January 17th at CD’s Sports Lounge in Las Vegas.
Finally, from Gary Davis Sr.: “My first 501 singles tournament opponent at my First Windy City Open in 1988 was Paul Lim. Needless to say, I was oriental fried fish!”
Merry Christmas. Stay thirsty, my friends.
