The unluckiest man in darts?
I sat down to watch the start of the Las Vegas Desert Classic hoping it would provide more excitement than watching England get thumped in the cricket again. It was in all honesty big on excitment with most matches in the short race to 6 format with no tie break going down to the wire. But what a lack of atmosphere provided by the normally loud and brash Yanks. After the exctiment of the PDC Premiership darts league this year, we are now used to a roudy loud and noisy atmosphere with each decent score or miss greeted with a cheer or groan. There is more life in a tramps vest than there is at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Strange for nation that don’t observe such calm on other sports where such etiquette is the norm. For example Golf, where every shot is greeted with “get in the hole” and a large whoop, and who can forget the scenes when they won last the Ryder Cup, walking all over the green before the European team had actually putted out.
Anyway the real reason for this comment is for a quiet word about Colin Lloyd. He has to be currently the most unlucky person in darts. He has struggled for form in the televised tournaments for a couple of years but in the last 3 months or so has finally knuckled down, put the work in and hit some form. But when he does he comes up against a player who in just for the occasion plays out of skin.
In the Premier League earlier this year he lost to Terry Jenkins despite hitting an average of 104. Last night he face the little know (comparitively) Wes Newton, who just happens to feel most at home in Vegas. Lloyd finished with a respectable average of 97 and checkout stats of over 60%, stats which on the night would have beaten pretty much everybody else, including Dudbridge, who beat World number one Phil Taylor. Unfortunatley for Lloyd though Newton was in inspired form and ran out a 6-3 winner. It said it all when in the 7th leg, Newton shooting for 90 made a mess with his first dart and hit a single 1, but then hit treble 19 and double 16 to finish. Lloyd just turned away and afforded himself a wry smile.
I am now looking forward to seeing how it might pan out, with some big names falling at the first hurdle and an open draw. There are bound to be some great matches over the next few days, lets just hope the American crowd join in.