Garci's Blogtastic Soapbox Blog

The Present Day

2011-01-16T07:48:00.001-08:00

And so to 2010, and another new dawn. A wider pool of potential players with an appetite for darts, a new venue and further technological advancements in scoring and statistic keeping. 2010 saw five ranking tournaments take place, each held at the current abode of The Butcher. The February Open replaced The Sultan Invitational; The Spring Classic replaced The Blacksmith's Arms Masters; The Summer Grand Prix came back and was joined by the inaugurals Autumn Masters and the calender highlight, Tour Championships which brought the old Richard Dunmall Darts Challenge Trophy back into the limelight. There was a new ranking system which some cynics may say is a shameless rip-off of the structure of the ATP Tour, and lots of new faces joining some of the old stalwarts.

The review of the 2010 season can be seen elsewhere, but it would be wrong to not mention again here the fabulous moment that Tiger Wilko delivered in the final of the Tour Championship on 4th December. After missing both the Spring Classic and the Summer Grand Prix due to hand injuries sustained in a bike accident, Wilko was rediscovering some form at just the right time, and in the first leg of the sixth set of the Tour's show-pice event he was for a few moments at least, undeniably the best player on the planet. A 180 followed by a 121 check-out gave him an unprecedented 6 dart leg. No one, not even Phil Taylor could have beaten him for that leg, and that makes him the best darts player in the world. We have greatness on The Tour, and the levels of performance just keep rising.

The 2011 season will start on Saturday February 19th, and there will be great things ahead, of that there is no doubt. Will Tiger Wilko win the February event for the third successive time, or will Pugh complete a 'Butcher Slam' and get to hold all five titles at once? Or will King roll back the years and get on the winning trail? Could the ever-competitive Berry Brothers make that next step to the winner's circle? Or will one of the unkown quantities show themselves to have what it takes.We will know in a few weeks.

The Modern Era - 2004

2011-01-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

2004 was the year that Darts Came Back. The appetite for a new tournament was there, so the wheels were set in motion. In a break from traditional convention, the event was not to be held in any of the participant's homes, but in a pub. This presents certain problems, as there is always the possibility that the board would not available, as well as other disruptions. The chosen venue was The Sultan, a well-reviewed pub down in Colliers Wood. Its dartboard was located in a second bar, which after several scouting missions, was seen to be very quiet most of the time. The landlord didn't seem to mind the idea of us laying claim the board and that side of the bar for the afternoon, so the tournament was given the green-light. Veterans Dampier, Fisher, King, Martin, Pugh, Snelders, Williamson took the oche for inaugural Sultan Invitational on a February Saturday, with a new trophy up for grabs. More importantly, this event was to be the first of several across the year, so ranking points were also available - the vision of a fully-fledged Tour was becoming a reality.

A round-robin group saw matches played over best of 3 301 legs, and after the completion of the fixtures Williamson secured top spot by virtue of leg +/- difference from King after the two finished with identical 5-1 records. The newly monikered Tiger Wilko's only blemish was a 2-1 reverse to King, now known as The Grocer; who himself saw his only defeat at the hands of Pugh - now reinvented as The Butcher. Other name changes saw Dampier drop his Assassin tag for Skeggy 301; Snelders hang up his Coat for Doubles Dutch and Fisher say au revoir to Mr Darts, in favour of The D'Artoistist. Wilko would play Fisher in the first semi final, while The Butcher would get another test of his character against The Grocer.

The best of 5 leg semis got underway with Tiger Wilko beating The D'Artoistist 3-1, and King easily defeating a seriously underperforming Pugh 3-0. The best of 7 final therefore saw a repeat of the Millennium Darts final those 4 years past, and served further notice that even as the years go by, the class of the players remains. It was Tiger Wilko though who ushered in the new era with a 4-2 win and a highly respectable 42.34 average.

The Sultan Invitational saw new levels of data collation, with all statistics for averages, high scores, finishes and best legs (in terms of number of darts thrown) all being noted, saved and tabulated. One tournament however, does not a tour make.

April 24th saw The Blacksmith's Arms Masters take place at the Blacksmith's Arms pub in Rotherhithe. A regular haunt of Ted "Doubles Dutch" Snelders, the venue again offered a cosy back room and a dartboard not often used by the drinkers in the saloon bar. Snelders had excelled himself in the production of a fine trophy, and seven players turned up to fight for it. Martin was unable to attend, but the return of Christy "The Prawn" Howard was well-received. The group-stage started in controversial fashion, as Pugh was docked a point for late-arrival. Harsh perhaps, but justified after he made such a song and dance about others being there on time.

The first game saw the #1 seed Tiger Wilko beat Howard, and the first upset came in match 4 when The D'Artoistist secured a decent victory against The Sultan Invitational winner. The field was certainly very evenly matched, and it became clear that bonus points, awarded for clean-sheet wins and one-leg defeats, would be vital. As the group-stage approached its conclusion semi-final spots were still up for grabs, and as Fisher beat Pugh to move in to 4th spot on the ladder, he consigned Williamson to 5th and out of the running for a second tournament win. Howard topped the group after winning four matches on the spin; the omnipresent King grabbed 2nd, with Pugh getting 3rd despite his deduction.

The D'Artoitist took on The Prawn in the first semi-final and ran out a 4-1 winner to reach is first final since that event back in 1992. In the second semi-final the simmering rivalry between The Butcher and The Grocer was back on, and in what was the overcoming of a huge mental hurdle for Pugh; King was denied the chance the keep up his perfect record of appearing in every tournament final as The Butcher exorcised some ghosts and won 4-2.

The final became something of a watershed moment for The Butcher, who finally managed to hold his nerve and record a victory and a 41.82 tournament average. While the darts on show demonstrated that new levels of quality were being attained, this event was probably most memorable for the fact that The D'Artoistist was sporting an exceptional moustache that
everyone agreed made him look like a 70's West Brom fan. The tournament was also the first to see players wearing darts shirts, so it was clear that progress was being made in every area.

The third event of the year took place on Saturday 12th June, and saw 12 players arrive, each intent on being the first to hold aloft the glorious new trophy that would be awarded to the champion of The Summer Grand Prix. Two groups of six would utilise two boards and group games would be best of 5 legs. The venue was the then abode of Pugh, and his two housemates Danny "The Cavalier Peace" and Iain "The Saint" Ogilvie joined other newcomers: Richard "The Artful Dodger" Dodd; Simon "The Hobo" Clemson; Andy "The Snake" Miller and Craig "The Fire" Fryer in making up the field. Regulars King, Williamson, Martin, Fisher and Snelders completed the excellent turn-out.

From the outset it was clear that this tournament would become the new benchmark for organisation and performance. Group A saw the newly ranked #1 The Butcher set off in great form, winning his first 4 matches 3-0 to secure maximum points. Tiger Wilko, after his disappointment at The Blacksmith's Arms, was also on a mission of redemption. He lost his first leg of his first match against Doubles Dutch, but wouldn't drp another until his quarter final; a run of 18 consecutive legs including a whitewash win over Pugh in the final group game. This was particularly noteworthy as Pugh himself had set a record of 17 straight legs including those which saw him overcome Fisher in the Blacksmith's Arms masters final. Tiger Wilko, looked like the man to beat.

In Group B, the newcomers were making their mark, and for the second successive event, a finalist from the previous tournament would not make it through to the knockout stages. The D'Atoistist fell to defeats against Dodd, Fryer and King to find himself in 5th place, and miss out on a quarter-final spot. The group was topped by The Grocer, with Rod "The Judge" Martin in second. Both Fryer and Dodd got themselves through to join Wilko, Pugh, Snelders and Ogilvie in the last 8.

The quarter finals all went with seedings with the exception of an epic encounter between Doubles Dutch and The Judge. This was attritional darts, and went all the way to a nerve-jangling deciding 7th leg in which the former tournament winner Snelders rolled back the years and clinched for a place in the semis and an appointment with Tiger Wilko. The other semi saw a renewal of the Butcher/Grocer rivalry.

King had gotten to the semi by virtue of a 4-0 win over The Saint, but it may not have been quite so one-sided if it weren't for an occurrence that is possibly unique in any form of darts the world over. The crowd present round board 1 thought they had seen the first 180 of the tournament when Ogilvie slapped a third dart into the treble twenty bed. However, scorer Snelders had to point out that he had actually burst his score because he had stepped up to throw with 178 remaining. As The Saint was not on a finish, Snelders was under no obligation to inform the payer of what was required, and so the unfortunate chain of events was set in motion. The maximum didn't count and surely Ogilvie must be the only player ever to bust from 178. In another quarter final, The Butcher managed to fire a legal 180 versus The Artful Dodger, to record his second tournament max.

In semi-final 1. Wilko saw off the challenge of a revitalised Doubles Dutch to record a 5-2 win, while in the second, The Butcher again managed to keep his decent recent record versus Th Grocer and won 5-3. The final was set to be a close one, with the two form players facing off, but The Butcher was in a focused world of his own and Tiger Wilko couldn't get in the game, and an 11 dart leg set the seal on a 6-0 win for the #1. Again, the bar of performance had been raised, and the 44.85 tournament average represented a new high; as did the final average of 53.64.

Millennium Darts

2011-01-16T06:13:00.001-08:00

It was not until the first weekend of 2000 that darts returned to the mecca of London Road. There had been changes since the previous event, and a new garage replaced the one that had seen Williamson's special maximum all those years before. It was pleasing to see a mixture of old and new faces turn out to toast the new millennium and provide a darting send off for Pugh who shortly after would depart the UK to embark on 13 months of travelling. Three groups consisting of old stalwarts: Dampier, Fisher, King, Snelders, Pugh and Manser; and newcomers: Martin Arnold, Jon Sheridan and Christy Howard would battle it out to see who would reach the semi-finals. In one last attempt to try and put in a decent performance after years of disappointment, Pugh reached a semi-final, through a first ever 180, but went on to lose to Williamson, who himself made his first final. The other semi saw new boy Howard up against the player who had known nothing but success, King. Howard put on some pressure, but eventually the undiminished class of the two-time champ told, and it was he who faced off against Williamson in the final. A new opponent, but same story, and King, after an eight year absence, retained the trophy that had become such a fixture on his mantelpiece.

While statistics and scores are unavailable, there are photos from this, so we at least know who was there!

There would be another sizable gap before the next tournament, but when it came, it ushered in a new era. An era of computerisation and a commitment to recording stats and results so that details would never be lost again.

The School Years

2011-01-16T05:36:00.001-08:00

Precise details of the early tournaments, including the dates are unfortunately lost in time. While the format and structure was laid out, no record of averages or even match scores have been kept. What we do know is that that first event, which probably took place some time in late 1991 featured seven players (Dampier, Fisher, Forbes, King, McDougal, Pugh, Snelders, Williamson) and saw a round robin stage followed by the top 4 playing in semi-finals. Even these details are sketchy, and while the author believes this to be true, there is the faint recollection of a straight knock-out format swirling around in the hazy memories. What is certain is that it was a Wednesday afternoon; much needed sustenance was supplied by the now burnt-down Papa's fish & chip shop on the London Road and that the trophy and various cash prizes (in these days an entrance fee was divided up to provide prizes for 1st, 2nd and top checkout) were presented to the victor by Mrs Lorna Pugh - and very chuffed to have the honour she was too. This first landmark event was won by Matthew King, as he defeated the unseeded Ted Snelders in the final. The two would meet again.

Two more tournaments followed in this era, which for sake of simplicity we can call "The School Years". The first in 199 was an ambitious event for the organiser. Twelve players were invited to join the original seven, and they included: Richard "The Endorser" Dunmall; Martin "Miniature Arrows" Manser; Tom "The Unknown Archer" Sussmiss; Rod Martin and Tommy Sowerby. Two groups of six embarked on a round-robin stage, with group 2 playing matches in the garage. The highlight of the group stage was when those playing on board 1 heard a loud cheer from the second stage, and looked out the window to see the garage doors flung open and the six players emerge in a conga, as they celebrated Scott Williamson's 180. Further details of who qualified for the knock-out stage, and who beat who are again unfortunately lost, but in a satisfying legitimising of the first event, saw the same two players reach the final, but this time Snelders, now deservedly seeded #2, gain revenge for his previous defeat. Two tournaments, two finalists, two winners.

It is at this point that the author's vague recollection of a straight knockout format takes on a bit more resonance. It could be that Paul Adam joined the original seven and gave the event a nice symmetry. What is certain, is that Mickey "Mr Darts" Fisher played impeccably smooth darts and made his way to a first final, where he faced the now omnipresent King. King though demonstrated why he was the #1 seed by regaining the trophy. It would be nearly eight years before he had to put it on the line again.

The Making of the Trophy

2010-03-06T08:38:00.001-08:00

Our tournament needed an eponymous trophy. Something that epitomised our darting commitment. Solid, weighty and fuelled by beer. This is what CDT lessons were created for. Forget building mini-cars powered by rubber bands, or mis-shapen spice-racks...we could utilise that hour a week in a fully equipped workshop to build our trophy. After some consideration of how the thing should look we decided to just let what natural materials we had dictate the creative process. We had:

- A piece of wood measuring about 10" by 8"
- A single crappy plastic dart, most likely nicked from a pub
- A beer can (empty)

After some deliberation of how best to put these things together, we decided upon mounting the beer can on the "plinth" and then somehow attaching the dart. Simply standing the can would look a little phallic, so connecting it "heightways" was best. Simply gluing would unlikely be robust enough, but trying to screw it on through the thin metal would probably result in it tearing or crunching.

Who came up with the flash of genius is sadly lost in the mists of time; but it was decided to fill the can with plaster of Paris, to give the screws more purchase, and the whole piece a very satisfactory weight. The dart would then be attached to the front with liberal application of the glue gun.

Finishing touch was a small plaque which was engraved to read, unsurprisingly: "The Richard Dunmall Darts Challenge Trophy".

Special mention must go here to a character named Rod Harcourt. He was (and probably still is) a fairly amiable chap who arrived at our school a bit later than most of us. I never got to see him play darts, and don't really know whether he even liked the game, but he did like a bit of CDT. While it's easy now to claim credit for the trophy's construction, I am pretty certain that Rod unselfishly did most of the donkey work for the simple reason that he liked to. He even built a runner's up trophy which was a hand crafted dart made on the lathe, mounted by an angled piece of metal on a small plinth. While the original trophy survives - even if currently stashed in house of one of the player's parents - this second place bauble is universally accepted as lost. It's value now must be immeasurable...or not.

We were now ready to play the tournament.

The Birth of The RDDCT

2010-03-05T05:52:00.000-08:00

When it was decided that the thought of another dull PE session at that time of year between rugby/football and cricket seasons was asking too much; and that time could be spent more productively than by wandering listlessly through Mote Park or the Maidstone Chequers Centre; the prospect of a Darts Tournament to fill the space was embraced.

There were eight original competitors for the fledgling tourno, each with a catchy, or frankly ludicrous nickname:

Gareth "The Irrelevant Ripper" Pugh. Tournament organiser and host. So called because of a penchant for regurgitating trivial facts and statistics. Seeded #2 on the basis of home advantage.
Matthew "The Crafty Cripple" King. #1 seed due to a victory in Butlins darts event while on a football tour. "Crippled" due to a recent knee injury sustained in the cricket nets.
Scott "The Tartan" Williamson. He's got a nice tartan scarf and was pushed for time. #3 seed on the basis that he might be good.
Ashley "The Assassin" Dampier. Nice alliteration. Seeded #4 because he at least owns a dartboard.
Ted "The Coat" Snelders. Named after his fetching line in outdoor clothing.
Alan "The Crafty Canadian" McDougall. Dual nationality the key to this one.
Michael (Mickey) "Mr Darts" Fisher. A bold claim indeed.
Steve "Deadly Dud" Forbes. Not as clever as it may now look...based on his old man's moniker.

So they were the eight who made themselves available for an afternoon of darts. There would be an entry fee from which prize-money would be allocated, so once everyone was paid up, it was game on.

When collecting the money one break time, a rather generous chap by the name of Richard Dunmall happened to be standing near-by and voluntarily slipped a quid into the pot. How could this benefactor be rewarded? A wild-card in the event maybe? No he was taking the National Curriculum a bit more seriously...then what? He insisted on no reparations at all, but in spite of this there was one gesture that could be made.

The tournament would need a name, so it was decided that we would be playing for The Richard Dunmall Darts Challenge Trophy.

Now, we just needed a trophy......

The Challenge......

2010-03-05T05:42:00.000-08:00

....a revised attempt to bring my mates regular competitive darts.

The Solution........

.....a new tour of 6 tournaments spaced across the year with long-term planning of dates to enable those family guys amongst us to negotiate the appropirate terms for their release.

It's been tried before. The distant dream of an actual tour of several tournaments held a across the year, with ranking points available for each. Back in 2004 we got as far a third event in six months before lethargy and other contributing factors set in. But to understand why the concept of organised darts runs so deep within my group of friends, we need to go back. Way back to time so long ago that not even I can remember the precise date. What is known is that one day back early 1992 a group of darts-loving school kids decided that an imminent Wednesday afternoon PE lesson would be better spent doing some proper sport.

Prologue

2009-03-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

After a few months of thinking about it, and a few more of being told it's a good idea; I've finally decided to give it a go. And here I am. Motivated by a willingness to get away from the mundane spreadsheets of my daily routine - this is a good opportunity to use words as opposed to numbers for a change; and voice all those opinions and views that need airing when there's no one around to bore.

As appropriate place to start as any today is to probably say a few things about the opening race of this year's F1 World Championship. So good to hear the evocative Fleetwood Mac intro again, as F1 finds itself back on the beeb after a 10 year association with ITV. Bringing Brundle over to help out with the commentary is certainly a great coup, and was pretty much a no-brainer; but I still find myself hankering for the old days of Walker and Hunt. It's never been quite the same since Hunt died in 1993 - his laconic style and upper-class diction were the perfect foil to Walker's arse-on-fire rantings. Quite a pair, the genuine odd couple of motorsport commentary; or any commentary for that matter. They're certainly up there in my Hall of Fame of comms box combos. Seems to be a trait of modern broadcasting that commentators can't perform alone anymore. I don't seem to remember Bill MacLaren or John Motson ever craving company up there in the gantry, but now every sport needs at least two in the box, plus at least a couple more dotted around touchlines and grandstands. BBC's Six Nations coverage employed more pundits, commentators and analysts than their US Election work. Having the experts on is ok, if they all make a contribution; but it needs to be a enlightening and interesting. The BBC doesn't owe these people a living, and some of them are certainly more justifiable than others.

So, to try and place Hunt & Walker in the pantheon of my personal commentary combos, and find them some esteemed company. Personally, I find the much-travelled cycling pair of Phil Liggitt & Paul Sherwen an outstanding partnership. It says much about these two that whichever channel has broadcast the Tour De France over the last decade and a half that they have ended up describing the action. They keep it simple without dumbing it down and are able to make each day of a 21 day event interesting. For those who are not in to stage-racing or cycling in general, they make an extremely complex event accessible.

Next up are Adrian Morehouse & Andy Jameson: the voices of BBC's swimming coverage - well certainly for the big meets. These two get a lot of airtime during the course of an Olympic games, and have the task of making a relatively niche sport interesting to those who are really just waiting for the athletics to start. Personally, I think they do a fabulous job. It's a fairly insular sport swimming, and it's difficult for people who haven't done the relentless hours of training to understand the unwavering commitment it requires (of course, to excel at any sport at elite level requires commitment, but swimming always seems particularly brutal). Well, Ade & Andy really epitomise the Public Service Broadcasting mantra of informing, educating and entertaining. They are supportive of British athletes without being bias; and make sure that you learn something new every time you tune in. Great pair.

They may not be everyone's cup of tea, but Stevo & Eddie on Sky's Rugby League coverage are a fantastic duo. And such grafters. Not only do they front the coverage in the studio, present the highlights and provide the half and full time analysis - but they do all the commentary for every televised game too. They're not afraid to have the odd disagreement, and they certainly don't shy away from occasional controversial opinions. Hugely entertaining, and they love their rugby league.

It's difficult to list many others because very few come in a regular, unchanging partnership. Tennis, cricket, rugby and football tend to have rotation policies employed by their respective employers. I suppose Gray & Tyler enjoy a relatively consistent run together on Sky for the footy, but theirs is no longer an exclusive relationship. So, let's say that the three pairs listed above are my current faves, with Hunt and Walker already enshrined in the Hall of Fame. No one is assured of joining them when their days are done, but they're well on the way.

Well, back to the point in hand, today's Grand Prix. Certainly an impressive opening to the season which had the right measure of incident and drama; with the added bonus of a British winner. Will the rest of the season be as eventful? We can only hope. It has to be said that Hamilton seemed to relish the chance to prove himself as a racer as opposed to merely a car pilot today. He was enjoying it immensely as he scythed through the field from 18th on the grid. With any luck 2009 will be a season for racers - until of course, Eccleston goes completely bonkers and decides to award the championship to the driver who rolls the highest score with a dice or something. You never know with Bernie, but one thing is for certain - he'll want the winner to be in a red car with a prancing horse on it (allegedly).