{"id":6029,"date":"2023-03-01T10:46:22","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T10:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2023\/03\/column-hr396-forest-for-the-trees\/"},"modified":"2024-02-14T22:18:01","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T22:18:01","slug":"column-hr396-forest-for-the-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2023\/03\/column-hr396-forest-for-the-trees\/","title":{"rendered":"Column #HR396 FOREST FOR THE TREES"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wednesday, March 1, 2023
\n<\/strong>Column HR396<\/strong>
\nFOREST FOR THE TREES<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Old Dart Coach is accused as being unable to see the \u201cforest for the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Bunyan, with Babe (strange times those!) faced the same problem when visiting Las Vegas years ago, proclaiming,\u00a0“I don\u2019t\u00a0see<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>any forest for all these trees.”\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0With\u00a0ax in hand he set about to clear the trees.\u00a0 420 miles later, near Reno, he found the\u00a0forest.\u00a0\u00a0“Hold on there, Old Timer, there\u2019s\u00a0no trees between Las Vegas and Reno?”\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Bunyan got\u00a0\u2019er done.<\/p>\n

The term \u201cforest for the trees\u201d is rare these days.\u00a0 Now it\u2019s “another set of eyes.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The ODC got another set of eyes on American Darts.\u00a0\u00a0The Sultan of Sittingbourne, aka Dave Whitcombe, whose\u00a0name should\u00a0roll off the tongue with those of Mr. Lowe, Bristow, Wilson and Anderson.\u00a0 If it doesn’t, re-roll your tongue.<\/p>\n

Whitcombe: Been watching a lot of tournaments from the colony of America lately via YouTube.\u00a0 Am pretty impressed with the standard of play, both men and women.\u00a0 It\u2019s a fact now that it\u2019s a far higher standard overall than way back when I graced the oche.\u00a0 Players that I\u2019m not familiar with would certainly be a danger to players over here.\u00a0 It\u2019s obvious many are taking practice seriously and become more consistent<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0ODC\u00a0was wrong –\u00a0North American darters are measuring up against non-PDC players.\u00a0 Watching the PDC Women’s Series (and eliminating the top 3 or 4 ladies) it’s clear\u00a0the Norte American ladies would do fine.<\/p>\n

Comparing North American players against the very\u00a0top of the top is stupid.\u00a0 But thanks to the\u00a0Sultan the sun is now shining brightly through the foliage…\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Whitcombe\u2019s postscript:\u00a0I think the standard for the top women in the UK and parts of Europe has gone up heaps with Beau getting better and better.<\/em><\/p>\n

If Beau is getting better all ladies are playing for second place.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0PDC Women’s Series kicked into gear last weekend.\u00a0 Beau Greaves was attempting to run her winning streak as she captured the last 8 events last year.\u00a0\u00a0More than 130 ladies from 9 countries toed the oche as a roadblock to Greaves’ streak.\u00a0 One completed the task.<\/p>\n

The Series is a \u201cone off\u201d for PDC events with no seeding.\u00a0 This gives the ladies a measure of hope in battling Greaves and\u00a0a rejuvenated Mikuru Suzuki.\u00a0 When Greaves and Suzuki drew in the same half of the draw there was hope.\u00a0 That happened twice opening the door\u00a0for\u00a0Ireland’s Robyn Byrne\u00a0and Britain\u2019s Kim Holden to lose 5-0\u00a0to Greaves.<\/p>\n

Fallon Sherrock had a miserable weekend.\u00a0\u00a0She didn\u2019t draw well, losing\u00a0top 16 to Suzuki twice and\u00a0Lorraine Winstanley.\u00a0\u00a0Sherrock\u2019s top 8 got derailed by Greaves 4-1.<\/p>\n

The two-day battle between Greaves and Suzuki was a classic.\u00a0 In event #1 Suzuki and Greaves held level at 3.\u00a0 Greaves emerged up 5-3\u00a0had 144 check\u00a0and finished the match averaging 94.34.<\/p>\n

Next was the semi of event #2.\u00a0 Suzuki used 14 darts and a 65-check to jump to a 1-nil lead.\u00a0 Greaves then took 5 on the trot for the win averaging\u00a090.06.<\/p>\n

The third meeting saw Greaves and Suzuki in the quarter finals.\u00a0 Suzuki broke on top 2-nil only have Greaves storm back with a pair of 14-darters and\u00a0a 19-darter for a 3-2 lead.\u00a0\u00a0Suzuki then chalked up a pair of her own – the first when Greaves couldn\u2019t check with 9 from 60.\u00a0 Greaves drew level in 15 forcing a decider.\u00a0 Suzuki needed 80 after 12 darts and\u00a0used 4 darts for the match.\u00a0 Suzuki would take the final 5-1 off Welsh Rhian O’Sullivan.<\/p>\n

Their final meeting of the week came in the semis of event #4.\u00a0 Suzuki built a 4-3 lead with a nifty 145-check of t15, t20, d20 in 15 darts.\u00a0 Suzuki had three match darts go astray as Greaves closed with 58.\u00a0 The decider had Suzuki in charge after 12 with 80 remaining as Greaves, with the throw, had 188.\u00a0 A T40 placed Greaves in two-dart zone as Suzuki\u2019s one match dart missed.\u00a0 Greaves closed\u00a0with\u00a0two from 48.<\/p>\n

Greaves’ three wins provided a paycheck of \u00a36,300 with Suzuki collaring \u00a34,000.\u00a0 Greaves also had an average 107.36 in beating Casey Gallagher in 8 minutes with two 90 checks.\u00a0\u00a0Greaves’ 107.36 average was her second best exceeded by her 107.86 in beating Fallon Sherrock 5-3 last October.\u00a0 (Last week’s Premier League produced only two averages of\u00a0100+,\u00a0both by Gerwyn Price.)<\/p>\n

Price tossed a monkey wrench in the ODC\u2019s predictions as he took out Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-4.\u00a0 Peter Wright lost again, unable to check from 104 giving Michael Smith a 6-5 win.\u00a0 Saving some face was the ODC\u2019s having Michael van Gerwen the winner over Gerwyn Price 6-5 with the help of the Tungsten God.\u00a0 In the final van Gerwen and Price were level at 5.\u00a0 Price would miss 7 match darts giving van Gerwen 6 from 178.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s prediction by the ODC:\u00a0
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michael van Gerwen<\/strong>\u00a0again beats Price.<\/p>\n

Michael Smith<\/strong>\u00a0rebounds from his loss last week to Price sending Nathan Aspinall packing.<\/p>\n

Dimitri Van den Bergh<\/strong>\u00a0will deal the fast-fading Chris Dobey\u00a0handing\u00a0him\u00a0another defeat.<\/p>\n

Jonny Clayton\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0back extending Peter Wright\u2019s Thursday night losses.<\/p>\n

Semi-final<\/u><\/p>\n

Michael Smith<\/strong>\u00a0over Michael van Gerwen<\/p>\n

Jonny Clayton<\/strong>\u00a0over Dimitri Van den Bergh<\/p>\n

Final<\/u><\/p>\n

Jonny Clayton<\/strong>\u00a0gets his first win of the season and \u00a310,000.<\/p>\n

This week it\u2019ll be \u201cdarts bloody darts\u201d, as Jim the Bizz would say, as 258 PDC players descend upon Butlin\u2019s Minehead Resort for the 2023 \u201cHow\u2019s Your\u201d Cazoo UK Open.\u00a0\u00a0Those escaping to 128 will collect a paycheck from the\u00a0\u00a3600,000 prize fund with the winner banking \u00a3110,000.<\/p>\n

North Americans in the field include Jeff Smith and\u00a0Matt Campbell from\u201d Oh Canada\u201d and\u00a0Jules van Dongen along with Danny Lauby representing the Colonies.\u00a0 The event starts Friday and concludes Sunday with wall-to-wall converge on PDC TV.<\/p>\n

The Port City Open held center stage this week in the US of A.\u00a0\u00a0Danny Baggish lost his PDC tour card.\u00a0 Campaigning at home he took the ’01 singles while Leonard Gates took the Cricket.\u00a0 One of those ladies that can compete with anyone is Paula Murphy as she took both singles.\u00a0 It is interesting that the ’01 singles drew a combined 307 players while Cricket drew less than half that at 145.<\/p>\n

There is a story out there that Cricket is an American game.\u00a0 Not so – the English have played it for eons and call it \u201cMickey Mouse\u201d.\u00a0 Finally, the English get something right.<\/p>\n

The ODC might be fairly accused of sometimes not seeing the “forest for the tress” but he did once see a bear go #2 in the woods.\u00a0 True fact.<\/p>\n

Stay thirsty my friends.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Reed","author_link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/author\/howie-reed\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The Old Dart Coach is accused as being unable to see the \u201cforest for the trees.\u201d\u00a0","authors":[{"term_id":17,"user_id":4,"is_guest":0,"slug":"howie-reed","display_name":"Howie Reed","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/111howie.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/111howie.jpg"},"first_name":"Howie","last_name":"Reed","user_url":"http:\/\/www.dartoidsworld.com","job_title":"","description":"Astute, often controversial, and always humorous, the Old Dart Coach, Howie Reed (a former rodeo cowboy and advertising executive), is heralded as the Dean of Darts Chroniclers - the most prolific and widely followed writer ever about our sport. He goes back decades with the legends and knows where the skeletons are buried (just ask any of the ADO and WDF old-timers!). Here are four well-known facts about the Old Dart Coach: 1) he is a Republican, 2) he loves the ladies, 3) he can drink most anybody under the table, and 4) he throws darts as bad as Dartoid."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6029"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6132,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6029\/revisions\/6132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6029"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=6029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}