The World Darts Championship

I was a John Lowe fan back in the day, and found his late-80s renaissance (after all those losing finals) a tremendously moving event. He was the Goran Ivanisevic of the oche. But a lot calmer, natch.

Never liked Bristow - he, Steve Davis, Jahanghir Khan, John McEnroe and Liverpool FC spoiled much of the early-mid 80s for me, with their strutting dominance.

Bobby George put up quite a fight but Barneveld deserves his favourite tag.

John Lowe, owned a pub in Chesterfield, can't remember the name, possibly the albatross. It had two championship standard boards. They were ace, I played him once (he'd take on all comers) he thrashed me, quite comprehensively.

His goings-on seem to fuel many a gossip session amongst the ladies of Upper Walton and Greenways.

I just spoke to my sister, she's going to take a digital piccy of his house for me so we'll all be able to see the wonder of old stoneface's campanile!

I have once played football with the captain of Partick Thistle and the Rangers right back. Is that any good?

Only figuratively, mind. Or is it metaphorically? I always get those mixed up. "I have once played football with the captain of Partick Thistle and the Rangers right back. Is that any good?"

Only if you can pronounce 'Partick Thistle' in precisely the same way as that chap from Chievo on Footy Focus t'other week.

CB: a scan of Lowe's garage would be a wonderful thing. This is a bit like a friend of mine deliberately making a trip to 17-19 Alma Road, SW18 in the early 90s to furnish me with a photo of 4AD's offices. Rather than some vaporous portal of, er, gleaming titanium it was a rather dull Victorian corner-terrace with the blinds down and a big military-looking jeep parked outside (Ivo's assault vehicle, presumably).

OK, back to your darts, boys...

I haven't been able to get engrossed in the darts this year, which has been a great disappointment to me. It's an emotional rollercoaster of a game.

Self-antonyms: isn't "sanction" another? To prohibit something, but also to endorse something. It's arguable whether there are any true self-antonyms (or true antonyms, I suppose), because these aren't true opposites (just as the opposite of "cleave" in the separate sense would be something like "re-unite", not "cleave" in the adhere sense).

I saw them support Enantiodromic at the Princess Charlotte in Leicester in 1997. They were managed by Fred Housego. Two Lim-Ed cassingles on Leaf, then nothing. I think I saw the singer eating crisps on the DLR last spring.

Not quite opposites, but I find two dictionary definitions of bathos somewhat contradictory:

ba·thos
n.
1.
a. An abrupt, unintended transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect.

2.
a. Insincere or grossly sentimental pathos: “a richly textured man who... can be... sentimental to the brink of bathos” (Kenneth L. Woodward).

I wish the second definition didn't exist - there are other words one could use and it's often not evident from the context which of them someone intends. Whereas the primary (?) meaning is very useful, describing, for example, Woody Allen's entire joke book.

Anyway Mrs Welthorpe whats your views on whether Erik Clarys -red haired Belgium with the idiosyncratic tactics- be a match for Dutch darting legend Raymond van Barneveld in the low-lands clash this evening?

Still my first game of the year is next Thursday, so I'll soon be on the oche myself. "Dr. C you require 7"

You surviving the work-trip Dr.C?

I’d like Monk (the fish) to win but if King can keep his current form my money would be on him.

I hate that Wolfie guy, I've always fuckin hated him.

David reaching the final is a colossal sporting achievement by any standard. The man is registered disabled with a rare blood-clot disorder. He spent a large chunk of his childhood in hospital where he was not expected to live, walks with a limp, and is unable to straighten his throwing arm. Not withstanding he's come from nowhere to be the first Australian to ever reach the final.

All a bit lost on the self-styled 'Wolfman' who reckoned "he'll find out what it's like to lose tomorrow because Mervyn will do him". I hope, hope, hope he's wrong.

Even after fluffing game-shots on his beloved double-tops David, not once, looked like he thought he was going to loose. He kept his concentration, kept his nerve, and didn’t dwell on lost opportunities.

Unfortunately for him Australia is wise enough to ban all sports on TV sponsored by tobacco and thus his heroics will probably go largely unnoticed in his homeland. Yes, Darts has an image problem, often looking tacky and cheap, and damaged by a split it cannot afford, but forget the gallons of lager, crap jewellery, DJ Ötzi et al, this was gripping stuff and as heart-warming a victory as I’ve seen in any game.

A highly personable Australian haemophiliac, limping to the oché, fulfilled his dream of becoming world champion, won 20 years worth of his disability pension.

Boomeran g back to win final battle

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/darts/7096290.stm

He looks like he has AIDS

his face lost disproportionally more weight than his arms and legs!

PHIL TAYLOR WITH A LATE AND ENTIRELY WORTHY CANDIDATE FOR QUOTE OF THE YEAR

I mean, even the Bishop of Southwark is under threat from this moment of wonder. Apart from the fact that he thinks a nuclear scientist will also be a ballistics expert, the sheer outrageous bombast of the man is astounding.

link doesn't work for me, but seeing as it's to the Sun website I'm glad as it saved me a moments revulsion as the wankers masthead appeared on my computer.

Mardle was .....tremendous last night, from throwing junk dart after junk dart and beating himself up about it to holding his nerve on a fair few single chance doubles.

Taylor was pretty garbage in places too. I think Painter will win now, unfortunately, I can't stand him.

Painter has the kind of face that I can't even look at for too long. I would like Mardle to win, he was great last night once he turned it on, and he's not Painter.

John Part WINS

Classic Sidism tonight was "he's turning the screw, this is Henry James darts". Crap final, mind.

i just cried watching ted hankey hit the bull

Anyone watching this year? I'm sort of taking to this weirdly-haired Australian! Power's quarter and semi got boring from mad dominance, and although I suspect Whitlock may fare similarly, I have somewhat higher hopes for him than for Lewis or Webster (mainly based on facial expression).

I want chisnall to win; tuned in last night for his match and turned over dejected when he went 4-1 down, channel surfing 45 mins later and he was throwing for the match! great stuff

he is a man of refreshingly few words and yeah i am supporting him too. down with old ppl

astounding that he won - unbelievable stuff

i felt bad for hankey the hutt though; he is and will probably remain my all-time favorite darts thrower

as a relative neophyte, can someone explain to me why you have to hit a double in order to check out? somebody's got 18 to go, hits the single 9 instead of the double with their second dart - i always wonder why they don't just throw another 9.

because it's the rules! i can't expand any more than that. makes it more skillful and fair as well

27 darts and 155 left, reckon I could beat that.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/darts/8440534.stm

highlight of the tournament so far (other than the chisnall and wagner matches) was bobby george laughing at poor tony fleet after his collapse against adams: "came for a showcase, left with his suitcase."

I did feel sorry for the guy but he was talking himself up something rotten prior to the match

I thought the poor guy was going to fall over.

Chizzy likes his half time cuppa eh? Unbelievable second half once again. I think he won something like 12 out of 13 legs there.

oooh Taylor with a 107 checkout to go 2-0 up

cdn't face the pub tonight, thank fuck for streams

Barney pulls a set back, here we go

Fuckin' hell.

5-3 now.

quality match that, only hope the final can live up to it

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n601/gamalielratsey/C07F0EF6-8464-4BA9-BBC4-CA2A7F7FFB16-8851-0000066941468F47.jpg

Hi Fizzles,

Hi Fizzles,

Thank you for your enquiry.

Unfortunately MSC do not release their schedule of entertainment whilst on board prior to sailing. The ship do a daily programme of events the day prior and put this in your cabin the night before but I was aboard for a couple of nights in October and there were a variety of things going on in different areas of the ship to suit a variety of tastes.

The single supplement is 80% of the cabin price component, so depending on which grade of cabin you were interested in, it would vary and I can confirm once I know which grade you would be interested in.

I am currently offering a small discount for a group booking, but please be aware that we have priced this initial cruise very low as this is the first of what we hope to become an annual event.

Really not fond of the score announcers voice.

He's not even saying numbers, he's just making noises. Utterly brilliant final though.

Yeah, glad Anderson won as well.

They should play the BDO final first though, cannae stick turning over to watch that pish now.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/dec/14/gary-anderson-pdc-world-darts-championship-interview

Good interview.

Can anyone tell me where I can stream this?

bump

Only match I've seen has been Barney v MVG. Which wasn't a bad one to start with.

Bump. Cheerio then Taylor, you oafish classless dick. Coldplay fan an' all.

Lol didn't know that and yes, good riddance.

Never saw a more subdued darts crowd as when Cross won last night

Sounds great, I'll have to watch the highlights.

Cross destroyed him!

So Taylor was being a bit of a clown in his final defeat? Tried to get a stream but they all sucked. Shame, would have loved to see this nobhead lose one last time

really dislike Taylor. always came across as an unpleasant dick, and delighted to hear this even though i haven’t followed the darts properly for a few years.

he was always so petty and churlish in defeat as well.

And, y'know, a convicted sex offender.

jesus lol I always forget about that

Gary Anderson denying farting on stage is probs the best post-match interview you’ll ever see. pic.twitter.com/4cufh2rGK1

— Nozza_ (@Nozza_) November 17, 2018

lol

like how it's framed -ARTS there.

generally i abide by the widely accepted standard that whoever smelt it, dealt it. but in this case, given that he was so forthcoming about how he shits his pants if he farts on stage, i believe him when he says it was the other guy.

I suspect some suspiciously quiet turd party, situated close to the oche was involved in this incident, and they might not be feeling like talking about it. I thought that was a pretty erm.. solid testimony from Anderson!

did espn do much coverage?

https://nypost.com/2018/11/17/dart-championship-descends-into-madness-as-players-accuse-each-other-of-farting/