Matchplay darts

[ClaretsPadiham]

Anyone going in Blackpool over the weekend ? Cracking venue for darts is the Winter Gardens.

Who we all rooting for ? Surely its either Littler or Price thats going to win it ?

Gerwyn Price has grown on me, used to think he was a dIck, but hes just mad passionate about the game and winning.

Anyway, Littler for me.

[jdrobbo]

The best venue in darts!!

I’m fortunate to have played on that stage three or four times myself, but it was in brass bands, not chucking darts.

Don’t think you can rule out Wade, but agree on Littler and Price. Gutted that Humphries went out early on. Very impressed with Rock and Van Veen: bug futures.

[Cheshireclaret]

Great to see Rock fulfilling his potential- much was made of him when he first emerged, people put too much pressure on him and it pushed his career back a year or two. Littler dealt with the same pressure in a different way, people are different, but on his day Rock is a match for anyone in my book.

I do love Wade though - tips up every year on the big stages, always goes deep in at least one major and what you see is what you get with The Machine. Immense natural talent who’d rather be tinkering with cars than practising!

[TheFamilyCat]

Did anyone see the Venky’s Out sign being held up the other night? The camera panned out and the twonk holding it was wearing a donkey costume! So many punchlines.

[Aclaret]

Did anyone see the Venky’s Out sign being held up the other night? The camera panned out and the twonk holding it was wearing a donkey costume! So many punchlines.

Yeah I saw it......also the same night a young lady with a UTC sign with " Venkys in" wrote on it.

[ollieclarets8]

I used to watch the darts (PDC) all the time and went to watch it a few times but it's just not the same as it used to be, for me. The Taylor vs Lewis/MVG/Barny era was by far the best.

[jdrobbo]

Did anyone see the Venky’s Out sign being held up the other night? The camera panned out and the twonk holding it was wearing a donkey costume! So many punchlines.

I may have seen it!!!

IMG_2346.jpeg (760.28 KiB) Viewed 1169 times

[taio]

Incredible leg. Both on 9 dart finishes and Littler hits it.

[colne-claret]

Went on the first night, been some belting matches so far. I’m rooting for James Wade after his win tonight. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of Littler, always rooting for the underdog which he no longer is

Come on Josh Rock!

[Cheshireclaret]

Quite incredible darts tonight, well done to all four of them. I’d love Wade to win it, and would t bet against him it’s a very Wade thing to do, but when Littler has the glint in his eye, it’s pretty bad news for any opponent. The depth in quality is far higher now than it was in Taylor’s prime, and not to take anything away from Taylor and Littler a completely different darter to The Power, but Littler really is something else. I’m certain there’ll be other kids who come through on the back of his heroics in the last 19 months (that’s right ladies and gentlemen, he’s been around less than 2 years) but for now this guy only usually gets beaten by himself.

EDIT - just to add, I sincerely hope Josh Rock has now found his mojo and will be right up there challenging Littler along with Humphries.

[taio]

Two superb matches

[Leyland Claret]

Arguably the best semi-final night around. The level of all the players was off the planet and it had absolutely everything.

[JohnMac]

Wade dug deep and deserved his place in the final.
Littler was 5-0 down but slowly ground him down before bursting ahead and then doing enough.

Josh Rock is the real deal though neither him or Johnny Clayton were disgraced.


The 9 darter was good but not to the same extent as MvG v Michael Smith.

[claret wizard]

And here we go, heart says Wade, head says Littler.

[jdrobbo]

Great final. Well played Littler.

Wade terrific.

Josh Rock one to watch.

[BurnleyFC]

Littler is just phenomenal. Such a talent and a great entertainer. He’s already one of the very best to ever pick up a dart at 18 years old.

Frightening.

[Colburn_Claret]

It's strange how the standard of darts has shot through the roof in the last 5/6 years.
Taylor aside, most of those competing at the top 10 years ago, would struggle to get into the top 20.
It's great to see, the darts is always a great watch.


Snooker on the other hand has lost all its characters I don't know if the players are better or not, but without Higgins, White, Parrot etc it's bloody boring.

[matttheclaret]

It's strange how the standard of darts has shot through the roof in the last 5/6 years.
Taylor aside, most of those competing at the top 10 years ago, would struggle to get into the top 20.
It's great to see, the darts is always a great watch.


Snooker on the other hand has lost all its characters I don't know if the players are better or not, but without Higgins, White, Parrot etc it's bloody boring.

I'm not sure the standard is that much better, I know you said 5/6 years but if you go a little further, the top 6 seeds at the World Championship ten years ago were Michael van Gerwen (who was an absolute monster of a player then, certainly compared to now), Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright and James Wade. The top 6 now are the 2 Lukes, a much worse MVG, Stephen Bunting, James Wade and Gerwyn Price. I'd sat there's not much in that, but probably say it was slightly stronger back then.

[claret wizard]

I'd say the big difference is the prize money. Wessel Nijman is number 40 in the world and earned an average of £95K the last two years. With sponsorship and expenses tax deductable he won't be worrying about how to pay a mortgage or keep his kids fed. That means he can practice a lot more, enter more tournaments and perform better. With money available that deep into the playing community then it'll be constantly putting pressure on the bigger players.

Of course, this can also have an impact at the top end and I suspect that the pressures of elite darting has had an impact on the £11M winning MVG. Travel, schedule and young family might have impacted his performances, and now his marriage has now collapsed.

Does this mean that the standard is better, I'd say it is generally. However the pressures the players face is different and I can't see anyone maintaining that level over the almost thirty years that Taylor did, against successive prentenders.

[Colburn_Claret]

I'm not sure the standard is that much better, I know you said 5/6 years but if you go a little further, the top 6 seeds at the World Championship ten years ago were Michael van Gerwen (who was an absolute monster of a player then, certainly compared to now), Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright and James Wade. The top 6 now are the 2 Lukes, a much worse MVG, Stephen Bunting, James Wade and Gerwyn Price. I'd sat there's not much in that, but probably say it was slightly stronger back then.

It's the averages that the top players score today.
The 100+ averages are quite common, when once it was only Taylor, MVG and one of the others having a great night.
Even the players who are still around have improved so much on what they once were. Wade has had a brilliant tournament, but it certainly wasn't his normal game he was just having a purple one, where once you would have expected him to be pushing for the title.