I’ll begin by adapting an old Geordie folk song about a lass called Cushie Butterfield, a Tyneside fish seller who could out-drink most blokes:
‘He’s a slim lad and a bonnie lad
And he struts his stuff,
And they call him Paul Nicholson
On opponents he’s tough.’
I first met Paul at Ally Pally at the 2009 World Championships. I watched this slim dapper figure, brow knotted in concentration, earphones in place, banging in practice darts. He was a picture of what Taylor calls the biggest asset in darts – dedication. I’d seen him on telly at the Grand Slam doing his bad guy schtick and getting the crowd going.
But in conversation there was no edge or arrogance. He told me that he came from the Blyth area of East Northumberland, five miles from my old stomping ground of Ashington, a massive pit village. I used to have a Blyth girl friend in 1963 and Paul knew the pubs I took her to near the old shipyard. He also told me quietly but passionately of his high darting ambitions. He underlined this by beating Adrian Gray, Adrian Lewis and Dennis Priestley.
We next had a chat in the spring of 2009 in the Toon itself. I was leaving breakfast at around 8.30 after a Premier League night and a track-suited figure boned me. It was Nico, fresh – and I mean fresh – after a five –mile pre-breakfast run along the Tyne. He told that that this was very small beer; he often did twice that on the sand dunes between North Shields and Whitley Bay.
I heard that Paul hit a deep trough after losing a match on the players’ circuit to Mark Dudbridge last summer. He was boosted by a pep talk from Mervyn King. I’ll bet Merv might be regretting that after Paul’s performance at the Circus Tavern!
I was not surprised that this focused lad, who can mix show-biz and top darts, beat Phil Taylor and Mervyn King at Purfleet. Paul thinks hard about the game and puts in hard hours and hard yards to get pitch perfect for big games.
He’s credit to our sport and to Geordieland.
Canny hoying, kidda!