BOYLAN TALKS SPORT

Sometimes, something you think must be a misprint or a wind up turns out not to be so. Of course such can be the case with the most serious issue in life too. With regard to what you will read hereafter, what appeared to be unbelievable was the fact that there was only one session of darts on Wednesday when there had been two every day up to that point and there appears also to be going for as long as there are enough participants left in to necessitate as such.

As for the action which did transpire when they action did transpire when the day did belatedly get underway, a description of the ‘card’ could be split in two. Between players producing breakthrough performances on the biggest stage in the sport and others merely doing as they would have been expected to do. In the former category, you had Adam Sevada and Stefan Bellmont of Switzerland.

The latter, in particular, grabbing the headlines. Firstly as it was a first win on the Ally Pally stage for the nation in question and secondly because Belmont’s advancement was achieved by usurping one of the icon figures in the sport, five time champion of the world, Ray Van Barneveld. Will the Barney Army have occasion to tune up their Ally Pally voices again? We can but hope.

Elsewhere in the midweek matches, James Wade was his usual, methodical, efficient self in disposing of the challenge of Azemoto of Japan and similar comments could eventually be affixed to Martin Schindler’s list of a analytics after his dispensing with the attentions of Stephen Burton

In a post pertaining to the ongoing PDC World Championships earlier this week, the point was made that darts was one of the few sports where almost anyone can have a go. It’s also one of the rare examples of a discipline where competitors can keep going as long as they like. Right, so you could legitimately say that applies to any sporting pursuit in that a sportsperson’s retirement decision is their own.

Indeed it is, partially. Because in some cases – especially in sports where physicality is rudimentary, an athlete’s body will make the decision for them. By sending enough signals that it can’t take any more toil. Just this week we have seen Donegal’s ace marksman Paddy McBrearty exit the inter county stage on “Medical advice”. I always take such descriptions with a grain shovel full of salt as most of these ‘experts’ haven’t a bull’s notion about sport and in fact look down their snooty noses at it.

Darts is one area in which – with the exception of Dartitus – equivalent to The Yips in golf – there are no such impingements. As the extraordinary progress of Singapore’s Paul Lim on Saturday night last proved. And, while nowhere near the same as the septuagenarian in age range, both Fermanagh’s Brendan Dolan and Max Hopp of Germany seemed to engage in a bit of time travel that, you suspect. would have even impressed Marty McFly!

Now, I honestly can’t remember when Dolan made history – hence the nickname – by becoming the first Irish player to hit a 9-darter on live television, but, that he did so tells you the class there is within the player. And, even though his form can be up and down like a toilet seat, one cannot but admire his obduracy. In how, seemingly often against woeful odds, he manages to maintain his berth in the elite top 32 in the sport and thereby garners enough prizemoney to keep turning up in the main events.

On this occasion, though the man from Beleek only hit one maximum – prompting the now familiar helicopter celebration – which of I often wonder whether was it in tribute to The Helicopter Song by the Wolfe Tones in homage to the Republican volunteers who staged a daring escape from jail in 1981. However, any difficulty perpetrated by the lack of treble 20 pummelling was easily sidestepped due to the ability of the man from the Erne County to take out big finishes elsewhere around the board.

Having said all of the above, any fair analysis of the action in this one must pay particular credit to Dolan’s opponent, Tavis Dudeney. Yes, that is his name pronounced exactly as it should be. Put the name in your memory bank, you’ll be hearing it again.

That was followed by a match which nobody who witnessed it, either in person or on television, won’t forget it in a hurry. Not only because of the darting ability of young Charlie Manby, but, perhaps even more so, because of an astonishing meltdown on stage by the defeated Cameron Menzies of Scotland.

Cam is an emotional guy, always has been. But Fallon Sherrock’s other half completely blew a gasket. Having a punch up with his water table.

To the extent that match referee Kurt Bevans approached the player to either (a) comfort and calm him down or (b) reprimand him for his conduct.

The great pity, of course, is that Charlie Manby’s barnstorming brilliance may end up overshadowed by what transpired after the match.

The final match of that afternoon session was another snore fest as Peter Wright advanced past Noah Linn Van Louven. But thankfully, the opening game of Monday’s evening session more than made up for it as Max Hopp of Germany took another huge step back towards where he should be in the world rankings compared to where he should be. An achievement in itself when one considers that he had actually dropped off to such a level that he had actually lost his tour card.

On the evidence of his dispatch of a surprisingly off colour Martin Lukeman, such problems appear to be well behind him. Jonny Clayton is another who most certainly came into form at just the right time of the year. To underline as much, The Ferret looked his brilliant best when getting the better of Adam Lipscombe while the burgeoning Conor Scutt eventually overcame the great Simon Whitlock.

We can but hope that the Beard To Be Feared will grace a big stage in the sport once again. He certainly still has the class to do so. The same can absolutely be said of the unique Dutchman and my favourite darts player of the whole lot of the, Dirk Van Duivenbode who needed. and produced, his best form in a long time to edge past Andy Baetens. The aubergines are ripening!

Did something or somebody, sporting or otherwise, ever randomly pop into your head from seemingly absolutely nowhere? Now read on…

For what has felt like an age, I’ve wondered what ever became of Willie Boreland. A lanky, languid Scottish darts player who exploded into the bigtime when winning his first ever outing at Alexandra Palace by burying a 9-darter to edge past another youngster who quite evidently had the machinery to go very far in the game as well, Bradley Brooks.

Anyone who does remember Willie does so, like me, more for him going completely berserk – though not to Damon Heta levels against Luke Woodhouse, having pulled off the darting equivalent of Golf’s hole-in-one or a 147 break in Snooker.

Turns out, very poignantly, that big Willie, for a period at least, parked his career to care for both his mother and grandmother. He was quoted quite recently as saying “Mum is currently undergoing tests for Alzheimer’s, so I parked the darts to look after her. Hopefully the tests don’t show and I’ll be back on the road soon”. You might be thinking ‘well it’s his mother, of course he would’, but, for me, as someone who knows all too much about care needs and carers, it’s still a wholly admirable and frankly inspirational thing to do. So, hopefully if and when he does make it back to the oche, things go well for him.

Regardless of who you are, though, no matter who may be out of a given picture, you’re always waiting to see who will be next to enter the big picture. In sporting terms or otherwise. There was certainly no shortage of contenders putting their hands up during both sessions at the Ally Pally on day four of the battle for the Sid Waddell Trophy.

Right from the minute soon to be retired legendary MC John McDonald cleared his throat for the for first as Ritchie Edhouse and debutante Jonny Tata of New Zealand took to the stage. Like everyone from the land of the two islands, the All Black dartist has something of an aura and mystique about him. Not to mention the fact that he’s built like a Panzer tank and you could very easily visualise him packing down at scrum time with Cody Taylor et al.

Most importantly in this context however, he’s a cracking good darts player too and would surely have caught more than the one seeing optical organ in this seat. Elsewhere, there was no problem spotting the rapidly burgeoning Dom Taylor as he looked every bit to be star taking the same trajectory as Boreland and Bradley Brooks and, no doubt, dreaming of one day being somewhere like the same stratosphere as Mr Littler.

He certainly has the ‘game’ to go along with the height and the hype. And, as the affable Glen Durrant – worlds better than the bore fest that is Mark Webster on commentary – astutely observed, while he may not be the biggest 180 hitter on the circuit, he certainly has the knack for big scoring and big checkouts and there should be nobody over excited at tackling the one called The Tower.

Mind you, it was a day for big men making big impacts on the biggest stage in the sport. Firstly there was the Tower Taylor in the afternoon, but, there were even more significant happenings in the same bracket during the evening session.

Principal among which was the demolition job inflicted by the man mountain that is Wesley Pleisir on the hitherto impressive young German Lucas Venig. The latter having looked highly impressive at the Players Championship Finals at Butlins just a fortnight beforehand.

Even that was only to cause the viewers to lick their lips as the thunderous turn-ups continued in the very next match with Ally Pally newcomer Darren Beverage proving as Ice Cold as his nickname in obliterating the very popular dancing Belgian Dimitri van den Bergh.

The Dreamaker did, as the wonderful Wayne Mardle said in commentary, have “A darting disaster” but as the legend formerly known as Hawaii 501 rightly pointed out, that the diminutive dart dispenser made it back to the big stage at all this year is a tremendous credit to him and indicative that he still has plenty to offer at the highest level.

Now, if the emotions were highly charged in an upset sense at seeing Dimi drop out so tamely, a few hours previously, the hysteria was of the ebullient positive kind as the great Nitin Kumar of India made history by becoming the first player from the most populated place on the planet to win a World Championship match.

And just to put the ice-cream atop the apple tart, he did so whilst surving five tonne-plus checkouts from the gutsy Dutchman Richard Veenstra.

However, as the old saying goes, what goes up must come down. Thus, after being absolutely spoiled for the vast majority of a darting Super Sunday to rival anything of the same name in soccer, there was always going to be a degree of payback!

However, what us mere mortals had to endure in the last match of both Sunday sessions would make paint drying seem like a PTO shaft at 1800 revs. Firstly as narky, needly Joe Cullen had surprisingly little bother in disposing of the attentions of Bradley Brooks.

Then, in what resembled a cross between an advert for insomnia medication and Prozac, James Hurrell shuffled past the (very) colourful American Stowe Buntz.