The above heading could quite easily be in reference to Rory McIlroy. The world’s most talent-endowed golfer literally is from Hollywood. The Co Down incarnation that is, not the one with the famous paving slabs.
It would be quite the document too, given all the highs and lows the soon-to-be 34 year old has gone through in what must already be considered a stellar career, even if he were never to win another tournament. Though that isn’t likely to be an issue.
But no, there was no need for Steven Spielberg on Thursday night at the opening jousts in the Premier League Darts as the man who actually is Hollywood – Chris Dobey – wrote his own script which, it must be said, many producers would scoff at for being too unrealistic.
Yet it most certainly was. The man from Newcastle was previously in the Premier League, sort of, in 2020. That was the season during which the darting Brains Trust named a reduced number of definite starters and allowed a ‘Contender’ stake their claim. ‘Hollywood’ being one of the chosen ones. With the idea being that if any of them won their ‘contender’ outing, they advanced further into the competition.
This time, however, Dobey’s place in the league is very much on merit and attributable to his own brilliance on the oche. Particularly most recently in his capture of the Masters.
The Premier League, mind you, is different gravy to almost every other tournament. A completely different test of a player’s metal. Not least in the stamina department. Thus, Dobey could have been forgiven for taking a while to adjust to the rigours thereof.
Not a bit of it. He firstly dispatched a still out of sorts Peter Wright (6-3) before coming through an entertaining encounter with the equally burgeoning Nathan Aspinall, by six legs to four.
On form, the two would be fairly closely matched, but the Hollywood scriptwriter definitely took the advice of singer Alison Williams and saved the best for last. Now, rather fickly, there have been some aficionados of the board in the last year (or more) questioning whether Michael Van Gerwen was still the force of old.
Anyone still harbouring such notions after he was beaten by a truly inspired Michael Smith in the greatest World Championship Final ever played must surely be convinced by now after the manner in which he reversed the result of last month in the Premier League opener against Smith.
Van Gerwen, more than any other player perhaps, knows that while hunger is a great sauce, victory itself is often the best appetiser. Hence Dobey, having accrued his first TV Major only the week before, would’ve been bubbling with confidence.
Belief itself won’t pin the arrows in the correct slots though. When the heat was really on he produced finishes of 160 and 170 to get himself off to a start even he would scarcely have imagined.
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