Let it snow, hail, thunder, earthquake or rain locusts - the show at Ally Pally went on and gave us one of the best PDC World Championships we’ve had….by my reckoning the VERY best.
For starters, everyone from Desmond Lynam, Giles Smith and Ronnie O’Sullivan got completely hooked on the Sky coverage. Des approved in the main my OTT blast on the final and quoted my line on Phil Taylor ‘He’s the Captain Bligh of cruise control.’ Giles did five pieces on the 13-day action and dug my description of Simon Whitlock as ‘the fourth member of ZZ Top’. Ronnie said in the Daily Mail what I’ve been ranting for years: ‘Phil is like Maradona, born to play his sport.’
MAGIC MOMENTS
Highlights of the run-up to a super final….
We saw Adrian Lewis smacking a 108 average and fulfilling his promise in style and with composure. Co Stompe played his arrers with a toothy grin and surged like Blanco to the last eight. Tony Webster overcame his acute nerves and looked the business. Barney bashed a nine-darter with a dodgy Double 12, that Brissy criticised, ‘Last dart should have been in the middle, mate!’ Perfection is now not enough, we are on a planet of Theoretically Perfect Darts!
FINAL OF FIERCE FINESSE
I have just come off the phone after talking to Radio Sports Melbourne about The Power versus The Wizard. My dulcet tones went out live in Oz to thousands of pubs opened specially at 6 a.m for our final. Imagine all that Fosters being raised to Whitlock as he battled against the greatest ever.
Simon did what he had to do, get some action off Phil in the first four sets. At 2-1 to the Aussie; I settled into mid-holler as the class darts bubbled forth…magic tungsten ensued.
As the denouement came, I compared Phil’s darting to ‘Caesar sacking Gaul on his way to becoming Emperor of all the Romans and their world.’
You must give it context and tell it like it is.
Sid Waddell. Pudsey, Jan 6, 2010.