The Ups and Downs of The Worlds

Posted: 03.01.12 in Tournament Analysis Blog category

We look at what was hot and what was not at "The Worlds"!

What a tournament! Adrian Lewis retained his crown last night in what was a lacklustre performance by both players. We should have expected it I suppose as we had already been served in the previous few days the ten best ever darts matches in the whole wide world of darts matches! Alright I am exaggerating but Sky felt compelled to offer each match (or so it seemed) as the best we will ever see.  There were some crackers but do they really need to be ranked?

Another reason we may have expected a lacklustre performance (from Jackpot anyway) was that we were informed Lewis had been “drug tested” after his semi final win and he hadn’t got back to his hotel until 5am. We of course recognise the need to ensure no players are gaining an advantage outside the laws of the game but it seems strange to choose the end of the semi final as the ideal opportunity for Lewis to be checked.

Overall though it was a stunning tournament, there were some fantastic matches and some brilliant players on display. Apart from the “ill wind” the tournament ran like clockwork and Sky Sports coverage was excellent. The commentators even started using the words “mental toughness” instead of “bottle Dave”, how thrilling!

We take a look at the highs and the lows!

Going up

Jackpot

Booed by the crowd (baffled by that) but Adrian Lewis retains his crown. Well done to him!

The Underdogs

No tournament is complete without a few underdogs upsetting or nearly upsetting the odds, hats off to: Artut, Pipe, Rand, Scholten, Burnett, Farmer, Klassen, Petersen ,Huybrechts and of course Hamilton, who all (bar Artut) proved the bookies wrong at least once!

The Skill

Are dart players becoming more skilled? After the last few weeks the answer is an emphatic yes!

Going Down

The Crowd

The mindless footballesque chanting especially the songs mocking the darts fans in the “cheaper” seats added a sinister edge to the atmosphere.

The Wind

The semi final was held up as the source of the breeze was located, highly entertaining mind and thought provoking!

Unlucky

There was a serious overuse of the word “unlucky” when a dart missed its intended target, “unlucky”, was it? Did the board spin slightly, did the floor move as the player threw? I don’t think so, it missed! Is that luck or is that a technique issue?

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