In a world starved of sporting action, the Professional Darts Corporation have produced the best we can hope for in these troubled times: Darts At Home.
Darts is just about the only sport on the planet that allows the world’s best to play against each other from their own houses and PDC bosses were never going to let the opportunity slip to showcase their talents when other games are on hold.
Five pro players set up their webcams and took each other on in a round robin format, under the watchful eye of commentator, referee, scorer and interviewer for the evening Dan Dawson, as it was broadcast on the PDC YouTube channel.
This was a long way from the World Championship, but it was very entertaining as we were welcomed into the players’ homes and treated to ongoing chirping, banter and antics that wouldn’t be seen in any normal darts tournament.
Chris Dobey, Devon Petersen, Luke Humphries, Ted Evetts and Matt Edgar were involved and they all contributed to the brilliant atmosphere, and some cracking darts on display.
At one point Humphries had to disappear to charge his phone for a while, Petersen booted over his camera during one match, Evetts’ lighting gave him an air of Nosferatu and Edgar blamed one defeat on his dog running across the oche.
It was DIY darts but it was superb.
There were some huge averages thrown, 9-darters were threatened, and there were a few pretty shoddy legs in there, but the circumstances were unusual to say the least.
Petersen came out on top with three wins from four, edging out Dobey on leg difference with Hollywood also picking up three wins.
Throughout the games the players could not only throw darts, but throw verbal barbs at their opponents, while there were challenges thrown down as well.
Humphries and Edgar shared a bet for their final game, with the loser having to wear the winner’s shirt at the next Pro Tour event. Cool Hand Luke prevailed and promptly presented Prime Time with a wooden spoon.
This came after Edgar had appeared on screen sporting a WWE belt on his shoulder and promising to ‘pull Humphries’ pants down.’
Edgar tweeted after the tournament: ‘Guys tonight was all about fun and bringing a smile. From the feedback it looks like we managed that. Had a great time with 5 top guys. Hope you enjoyed it ! Stay positive and see you all on the other side.’
It certainly was fun and scratched an itch for darts fans wanting to see some live tungsten, but also offered a whole new angle on the game.
The player interaction, the off the cuff interviews between, and even during, games – it felt like when T20 cricket first burst on the scene.
This is undoubtedly only a stop-gap while we wait for the proper darts to return, but hopefully we will see plenty more Darts At Home during the coronavirus hiatus, and it sounds like we will get just that, with PDC chief executive Matt Porter tweeting: ‘Well done to everyone in our team who has worked hard to put this together. We’ll keep developing the concept and production to keep you entertained at home.’
Somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 people were watching the action at any one point on Wednesday night, but there could be much bigger audiences than that if it keeps going.
MORE: Devon Petersen: The modern-day darts player with business, brand and global domination on his mind
MORE: Chris Dobey prepared for solo lockdown after ‘devastating’ Premier League postponement
Follow Metro Sport across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8291209 https://ift.tt/2yszavt
No comments:
Post a Comment