And the Power, Thorn and Artist lay down markers, too
By Dan Green
Not since 2007 had Purfleet, Essex seen a night like this. The Circus Tavern was poised for arrows from the Gods, but with this being the inaugral World Seniors Darts Championship, would they get their wish?
That’s not to play down the talents of the over-50s, but they’re all quite rusty these days – or so we thought.
And seriously, what would be the point of entering this event if you didn’t feel like you could win it? First up to prove his worth was a colourful-looking Kevin Painter, who was apparently jaded from the night before, but looked far from it as he whitewashed former Lakeside champion Wayne Warren. No sign of the jitters for the Artist a la the previous evening; as for the Welshman, maybe that’s what comes of treating darts as a hobby.
Next was another Essex boy in Richie Howson, who was up against genuine legend of the oche and all-round gent, Martin Adams. The match was significant in that it was Wolfie’s first-ever appearance at the Tavern, and for a while that looked to be the only thing worth talking about. That was until Adams checked out 156 in set two, before a 157 forced a decider, in which the three-time world champion shocked everyone with a 153 for victory.
So what could possibly follow that? A tussle between the best of enemies, Phil Taylor and Peter Manley, perhaps? As the tension mounted, the atmosphere could’ve blown the roof off Ally Pally, let alone the Circus Tavern. To be fair to the two rivals, it looked like old wounds had healed, but although the game was played in good spirits, the Power was in no mood to compromise, and once he found his rhythm he always had the upper-hand. 3-1 the scoreline.
Unfortunately, the final chapter of a highly entertaining evening was somewhat of a mis-match. Still, Trina Gulliver managed to succeed where Wayne Warren had failed, as she did at least win one leg against a ruthless Robert Thornton. A 92.63 average is easily good enough at this level.
And incidentally, good enough to win this brand-new addition to the darting calendar. We shall see.
The Early Whistle 