World Darts

[TonyW]

Pubs are closing at a rapid rate and those that dont are going over to food and not having dart boards so how can the BDO survive long term?

The BDO will probably survive as they are the governing body for darts in this country.

The PDC is a completely different type of organisation, concerned with running top professional darts in much the same way as snooker is governed.

The number of pubs offering darts is, as you say, shrinking, but there will still be plenty around for the game and the BDO to thrive in the amateur game, and to have a small number of large professional tournaments.

 

[TonyW]

The BDO also run the inter-county championships.
Barry Hearn tried to nick those for the PDC not too long ago, but failed.

So the BDO still has a a huge role in darts, just not at the the top professional end.

 

[Sheebo]

To be honest, that was the only way.

You played your pub darts, progressed through Superleague and County, and maybe international darts, before joining the Professional Darts Players Association and moving over to the PDC if you wanted to.

There is no "moving over" now though.

You can join the PDPA, but no matter how good you were on the BDO circuit, you still have to go through the qualifying weekend in an attempt to earn a PDC Tour card, and many great players just don't get one.

There was a time when great BDO players were being offered money to cross the line (I know 2 very good players that were each offered £20,000 about eight years ago to do it, but turned it down).

That was a lot of money in darts then, they are still with the BDO.

Lots of the future PDC stars will never have played under the BDO code, and a lot of the current BDO big names will never make it onto the PDC tour.

My mate just joined th pdc a few years back - never played county or anything but yes then Q School came in and it all changed. Many just can't afford the tour without good sponsors. The challenge tour seems a good idea - I think the top 2 automatically get tour cards for the next 2 years...

 

[TonyW]

There are some cracking players on the Challenge Tour, some of them lost their main tour cards and are doing quite well on the Challenge.

The sport is becoming pretty difficult to make it in these days.

Say what you like about Mr. Hearn (if you dare ) but he certainly has the Midas touch.

 

[Sheebo]

There are some cracking players on the Challenge Tour, some of them lost their main tour cards and are doing quite well on the Challenge.

The sport is becoming pretty difficult to make it in these days.

Say what you like about Mr. Hearn (if you dare ) but he certainly has the Midas touch.

Alan Tabern being the one that springs to mind straight away... My mate Adrian Gray of Hastings got to the last 16 of the World Champs qualifiers today but unfortunately lost 5-4 so no Sussex player at the worlds Altho Justin Pipe now has a large Sussex fan base so I urge NSCers to get behind him!

 

[OzMike]

Never heard of any of them, been away too long.

 

[Bad Ash]

average 12 darts to check out etc. etc.

I originally read that as 12 dart leg, and was thinking that was pretty good going!

Interestingly it seems to be stat (number of darts taken to win leg) that isn't readily available, yet must pretty much one of the most important stats that there is.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Alan Tabern being the one that springs to mind straight away... My mate Adrian Gray of Hastings got to the last 16 of the World Champs qualifiers today but unfortunately lost 5-4 so no Sussex player at the worlds Altho Justin Pipe now has a large Sussex fan base so I urge NSCers to get behind him!

Isn't Pipe from the South West? Curious how he has a Sussex fan base.

He spends an age throwing darts. Always worth a bet against the rhythm players I find. The look of Lewis's face once was a picture as he spent 10 minutes lining up his throw.

 

[Bad Ash]

Pubs are closing at a rapid rate and those that dont are going over to food and not having dart boards so how can the BDO survive long term?

A few pubs round me seems to do pretty well by making a big efforts to get in the darts teams, with some will have 2 or 3 teams playing at home at the same time (by having 5 or 6 teams entered in the leagues), which is 20-30 people in the pub who in general are fairly keen drinkers.

 

[Braggfan]

I've always thought it unfair when playing PDC is labelled selling out. The BDO always said they don't owe the players a living and wouldn't commit to a set number of televised tournaments for the pro players trying to make a living out of the game. On top of that they wouldn't allow the top players to organise tournaments for televsion under the BDO banner, hence the split to the PDC which promoted televised tournaments and actively helped players to make a living out of the game.

The other BDO criticism of the PDC is that it doesn't have womens tournaments. But the PDC is non gender specific, anyone with enough talent can pay on the tour. Arguably the BDO is holding back female palyers by keeping the game split between genders.

Personally I think if you're a player who has the ability to make a living out of it, there is nothing wrong with wanting to persue that, and that is what the PDC offers you, where as it is categorically what the BDO have said is not their responisbility.

As it is I think both organisations have their place, as the BDO does definitely do more at a grass roots level while the PDC looks after the higher end of the spectrum. It's a shame their can't be a merger of the two so that a single authority does both.

 

[Bad Ash]

But the PDC is non gender specific, anyone with enough talent can pay on the tour. Arguably the BDO is holding back female palyers by keeping the game split between genders.

I would argue that all professional sport should be this way, that would stop any arguments about the equality of the prize funds.

 

[atfc village]

Richie Burnett pulls out of The Pdc World Championship for personal reasons.

 

[Sheebo]

Isn't Pipe from the South West? Curious how he has a Sussex fan base.

He spends an age throwing darts. Always worth a bet against the rhythm players I find. The look of Lewis's face once was a picture as he spent 10 minutes lining up his throw.

Haha well he's a friend of mine as he is good mates with my mate who played on the circuit & did an exhibition for us recently hence the Sussex Fanbase line. He's a slow player (mainly due to a car accident some years ago that made him change his throw - not that the comms tell u that) but gets a lot of unnecessary stick for it. Also is only marginally slower than Taylor (apparently about 1 second per 3 darts) yet people attribute him to be this slow slow player. There's no 'normal' way to throw a dart after all.. He's good mates with Ady so wouldn't have been any malice in Lewis' face

Support him in the worlds he's a top bloke & not up his own arse like a few of them

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Haha well he's a friend of mine as he is good mates with my mate who played on the circuit & did an exhibition for us recently hence the Sussex Fanbase line. He's a slow player (mainly due to a car accident some years ago that made him change his throw - not that the comms tell u that) but gets a lot of unnecessary stick for it. Also is only marginally slower than Taylor (apparently about 1 second per 3 darts) yet people attribute him to be this slow slow player. There's no 'normal' way to throw a dart after all.. He's good mates with Ady so wouldn't have been any malice in Lewis' face

Support him in the worlds he's a top bloke & not up his own arse like a few of them

The car accident is interesting. Never knew that.

I've met a couple of them and it's clear that there are some personalities who don't get on. We used to drink in Baxter's pub in the Cotswalds - Bloke would have shagged a dog given half a chance the dirty b'stard. Also, Steve Beaton has appeared in our pool league in years gone by - He's a cracking bloke. Taylor especially came in for stick around his complete inability to take any kind of defeat without getting the right hump or being completely patronising at the other end of the scale. Whether that is born of jealousy I don't know but I can't say Taylor comes across as someone you'd want to share a pint with.

 

[Sheebo]

The car accident is interesting. Never knew that.

I've met a couple of them and it's clear that there are some personalities who don't get on. We used to drink in Baxter's pub in the Cotswalds - Bloke would have shagged a dog given half a chance the dirty b'stard. Also, Steve Beaton has appeared in our pool league in years gone by - He's a cracking bloke. Taylor especially came in for stick around his complete inability to take any kind of defeat without getting the right hump or being completely patronising at the other end of the scale. Whether that is born of jealousy I don't know but I can't say Taylor comes across as someone you'd want to share a pint with.

Never spoke to him properly mate but Yeh there's always a bit of needle going on somewhere or other.. Beaton always seems v humble so that doesn't suprise ME. Gary Anderson is another sound bloke - takes defeat better than most & is so chilled about anything - glad he won sunday!

 

[Paris]

 

[TomandJerry]

Whats not to love about darts?

Hot women walk on's, loads of beer, fancy dress, loud music, chanting between the drunken fans (tables/chairs), showers of beer after 9 darters, Oi Oi Oi every so often, cracking atmosphere!

 

[crodonilson]

Great week so far and the mens and womens tournaments are really hotting up.

Great to see 'Scotty Dog' Scott Mitchell end his hoodoo at the Lakeside and reach the QF's for the first time in 9 attempts, top player and great bloke to boot, big local support down here.

'Big Robbo' Gary Robson will take some beating this afternoon and 'Scotty 2 Hotty' Scott Waites v 'The Boss' Ross Montgomery has all the makings of one of the best ever Round of 16 ties at the Lakeside.

LETS PLAY DARTS!!

 

[Pavilionaire]

Crodo - tomorrow is your big day! It'll be 25 years since Paul Lim hit the last 9 darter at a BDO world championship.

This year, only one man is currently averaging more than 95 in the tournament and that's Glen Durrant on 96.2.

Fitton, Green, Mitchell, Norris, Adams all played 2 matches and averaging 90-95. And we're yet to see a 170 finish, let alone a 9-darter.

Lisa Ashton averaging 81.7, Peter Sajwani (the Swedish supermarket manager who knocked out the No. 1 men's seed) 81.3.

I'm finding the BBC2 late night highlights the perfect way to beat insomnia, they should prescribe it on the NHS!

 

[crodonilson]

Crodo - tomorrow is your big day! It'll be 25 years since Paul Lim hit the last 9 darter at a BDO world championship.

This year, only one man is currently averaging more than 95 in the tournament and that's Glen Durrant on 96.2.

Fitton, Green, Mitchell, Norris, Adams all played 2 matches and averaging 90-95. And we're yet to see a 170 finish, let alone a 9-darter.

Lisa Ashton averaging 81.7, Peter Sajwani (the Swedish supermarket manager who knocked out the No. 1 men's seed) 81.3.

I'm finding the BBC2 late night highlights the perfect way to beat insomnia, they should prescribe it on the NHS!

To be fair Paul Lims 9 darts was the equivalent of Roger Bannisters 4 minute mile, without Paul Lims heroics all those years ago I doubt we'd have had all these 9 darters in the many PDC televised tournaments.

I've thoroughly enjoyed it so far, so the standard is slightly below the very best of the PDC but there has still been some high quality darts thrown in front of a passionate and knowledgeable darts audience and unbearable tension at times.