Anyone who has been perusing content in this space for any length of time will know that this time of year is far from the favourite portion of the 12 month cycle. Equally, however, it’ll scarcely shock anybody to realise sport is generally the best medication for such ills.
Yes, there are a plethora of soccer matches in all the major European leagues. Most of which are available on some form or other. True also that there are the interprovincial fixtures in rugby, an array of horse racing and fixtures in NFL and NBA.
However, over and above all of them, for me, it’s the start of the PDC World Darts Championship which really heralds the beginning of the annual unnecessary chaos. To such an extent that I even coined my own hashtag to convey my relief at such being the case – #ThankChristItsDartsmas.
Ironically, though, this evening it dawned on me that there are eight days of the action at the Alexandra Palace in London have concluded already. Hence, the dark clouds which one all too regularly seems to be under hit like a pin into a baloon.
The other side of that coin, mind you, is that, as the competition progresses, the format gets longer which in itself means more drama and, perhaps most importantly of all, more 180s.
There was a time when yours truly wouldn’t watch the slinging of the arrows if the only alternative was staring at a black dot on the wall. That said, reason being that at the time Phil Taylor seemed to win absolutely everything and it was downright boring.
When that viewpoint altered is unclear but what is absolutely certain is that the shift was down to Michael Van Gerwen. Owing to a combination of the speed at which he threw and the regularity with which he peppered the treble 20 segment.
No doubt some of you are saying ‘MVG won that much it was boring too’. An understandle take, but to counter that the point would simply be made to refer to the playing style mentioned above.
Plus, as with anything, the more of it you see, the more characters therein you will become familiar with. To a point where, as is the case now, the tungsten tussles have become a vital viewing component within the sporting year. Even if affairs of the oche in midsummer still seem a little bit alien.
However, it can be said with absolute conviction that the Christmas period simply wouldn’t be bearable without the action from the Ally Pally. And predictability hasn’t been an issue thus far this year. At the time of typing, eight of the seeded players have fallen quicker than the leaves divorced the trees.
That in turn means doors are left ajar for others to charge through if they are good enough. In other words, with the likes of James Wade, Peter Wright, Simon Whitlock, Dimitri Van Den Berg and Kim Huybrechts out of the equation, naturally, others such as MVG, Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price or some of those considered to be outsiders by the odds makers like Gary Anderson, Rob Cross, Jonny Clayton or former BDO Champion Stephen Bunting are entitled to come into consideration.
In conclusion, however, I’ll defer to the line my late father imparted many years back in reference to punting – you never see a bookie on a bicycle. There’s been a poultice of money on Luke Humphreys (including some of mine) and with good reason. If he keeps a Cool Hand – and head – he can add the Sid Waddell Trophy to his rapidly expanding collection.
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