Sunday, February 1, 2009
\nColumn 347
\nOne year ago, this February, in darts…<\/b><\/p>\n
February followed January, as it often does, and…<\/p>\n
…the Whyte & Mackay Premier League kicked off with a first night shocker as thirteen-time world champion Phil Taylor, using a new set of Unicorn\u2019s aerodynamically perfecto mundo Sigma darts and despite a 6-5 advantage, sees his 44-match Premier League winning streak go up in smoke 8-6 to James Wade. Unicorn stock plummets and the company is purchased by Enron. Raymond van Barneveld dispatches Wayne Mardle. After leading 7-0, Adrian Lewis survives a scare to top Terry Jenkins 8-5 with a bulls-eye checkout. Three-time and current world champion, John Part, and Peter Manley fight to a draw.<\/p>\n
In the second week at Plymouth-sans-Rock Barneveld handles Part, Wade nearly lets a 5-1 lead over Terry Jenkins slip away but prevails 8-6, Taylor bounces back with an 8-4 win over Adrian Lewis, and Mardle and Manley fight to a brilliant tie \u2013 with Mardle scoring an amazing 87.5% on doubles.<\/p>\n
Week three at Manchester sees Barneveld clear his third straight victory, handling Manley 8-4 to go atop the field. Jenkins zips to a 3-0 over Taylor only to see Taylor fight back and even the score \u2013 but Jenkins\u2019 high scoring propels him to an 8-5 win and the admiration of the 5,000-strong crowd. Mardle lurches into a 5-2 lead over Part but Part then reels off five legs without answer, closing the door on an eventual 8-6 victory. Lewis leads Wade 7-5 but Wade battles to a draw.<\/p>\n
In Coventry during the fourth week, Taylor\u2019s troubles continue with an 8-3 loss to Manley, a remarkable third loss in four attempts following his unblemished record during the first three years of the tournament. Manley\u2019s victory is his first televised win over the perennial world champion since 1999. Manley comments that \u201cI\u2019m really enjoying myself.\u201d Taylor\u2019s post match remarks cannot be reprinted in this family oriented space because phrases such as \u201cbloody fucking bullshit\u201d are not permitted. Adrian Lewis notches his second win by a whisker over Mardle, 8-6. After four weeks, with Barneveld defeated 8-5 by Jenkins, it is Wade (who knocks off Part 8-4) at the head of the pack.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile…<\/p>\n
At one of Olly Croft\u2019s biggies, the Dutch Open, Robert Thornton defeats someone named Alain van Bouvwel, who may or may not be the guy who sings the Boll Weevil Song<\/i>, and Anastasia Dobromyslova follows up her win at Wimbledon over Venus Williams to take the ladies title.<\/p>\n