Sometimes, how you get there doesn’t matter as long as you reach the intended destination. For example, Irish soccer fans would gladly have put up with the snore fest scoreless draw against Egypt in order to secure safe passage to the knockout stages of the 1990 World Cup.
Likewise, those Meath supporters who braved the biblical rain of 1986 wouldn’t have given a damn because they’d just seen our lads win a first Leinster SFC in 16 years. So, you wouldn’t wonder that those who recorded victories in Tuesday’s final action before the Christmas break wouldn’t mind how they got there once the destination was reached.
What’s more, for practically all those who recorded victories during the afternoon session thereof, their successes were of the breakthrough variety, so carry an even greater degree of significance – if that’s possible for a World Championship victory. But it always absolutely was the case for Ryan Miekel and Callan Rydz and, in particular, German newcomer Arno Merk.
As is often the case though, it’s the story within the stories that really needs telling. Like Rydz playing to honour his grandfather who sadly passed away in the midst of the first phase of the Championships. Or Merk defeating Peter Wright in such a manner that left one consumed with great sadness to see a former two time winner of the Sid Waddell Trophy exit the race for this year’s incarnation without barely a whimper.
For others, though, their wins, of the hard fought type as they might have been, represented consolidation of noteworthy progress made by them throughout the season to date. Foremost among that category has to be Jermaine Wattimena. It would be merely stating fact that yet another of the Dutch darting brigade has been somewhat hit and miss – pun entirely intended – for much of his career but – since landing his first Major in the sport – has really put his foot on the gas and kicked on.
After all of the above, whoever was in action during the final session before the Christmas break had a very hard act to follow. And, if stripping away the fact that Michael Van Gerwen can count himself poxed in luck to have got past Limerick and Ireland’s Wille O’Connor after The Magpie suffered an eye injury in the second set which definitely precluded the man from Cappamore from taking that second set, the only major shock came via the defenestration of Danny Noppert by another individual who chose the biggest stage in the sport to launch themselves onto the biggest stage in the sport in Justin Hood.
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