What finer way to start the day than with breakfast in one of the most grotty depressing and most rundown dining rooms in all of the United Kingdom? In fairness to them, they had a wide range of cereals, including the two Weetabix biscuits that I availed of with milk, and decent orange juice and tea. The assortment of fried substances was eyed up and was rejected almost unanimously, especially the delicious-looking warm tinned tomatoes. The scrambled egg that I gamely attempted resembled blancmange in taste and texture, and was promptly pushed very much aside.
Bolstered by such quality nourishment, it was with sadness that I exited the building and headed for the bus station, where a £1.90 fare gave me passage on the 41 bus to the Moorways Sports Centre, epicentre of the darting world for the weekend, as it was playing host to a pair of Players Championship tournaments, each with £35,000 in prize-money. Let me immediately point out to those not yet in the know that despite my phenomenal darting ability, my participation in the tournaments here is as marker on one of the 16 boards in operation.
The magnificent sight of over 100 athletes gearing up for the battle ahead, throwing tungsten and enjoying barley-juice, greeted me upon entry and I instantly was reminded at how good it was to be a part of it all. I huddled with my fellow markers until our board assignments were announced, and off it was to Board 6 to mark the following games :
1st Round (Last 128)
Andy Hamilton 6 Mike Nott 3
Established Stoke pro Andy seemed a bit out of sorts, especially finishing, and didn't have it all his own way against Bristol painter, decorator and darts ace Mike Nott, who will surely impove further and catch a break in the weeks ahead.
John Henderson 6 Mark Stephenson 3
It was great to be marking the big Scotsman again, having been board-side for his successful Grand Slam of Darts qualifying run last year, and he was in devastating form from the get-go, hitting 180s for fun, and finishing well. Geordie Mark played very well too, to keep it a contest, and will have a good run soon I reckon.
Adam Hunt 6 Andy Smith 5
This game was an absolute cracker, pitting World Number Andy The Pieman Smith versus A-Level student Adam Hunt, and it was nip and tuck all the way, with high scoring throughout. Fair play to the kid who didn't crumble and prevailed in the 11th and deciding leg.
Chris Aubrey 6 Mark Lawrence 5
Not a particularly high-scoring affair, but another great contest that went all the way, with the Swindon teen pipping it.
2nd Round (Last 64)
John Henderson 6 Andy Hamilton 5
Fast forward to the 4th leg, which begins with John in a 2-1 lead, and he starts this leg very nicely, with a 180. Whenever a maximum is hit to start the game, wild thoughts of a 9-dart finish are entertained, usually briefly, but look at this!, the 4th dart is a treble 20, and the 5th, AND THE 6TH! Stood about a foot from the board, my sole concentration is now on keeping absolutely still, and my heart is racing - if I'm experiencing this, how must the actual player feel in these situations? Up steps John after Andy's throw and plants his seventh in the treble 20 - incredible! - his eighth in the treble 19 - unbelievable!, and after a pause that seems to last an age, his ninth plants dead centre of the double 12 for a superb 9-darter! The crowd who had gathered behind the barrier to watch the game erupt in cheers and applause, Andy shakes John's hand warmly and I join in the applause too - what a rush! The feat earns John a tasty £1,200, and it's the first time I have ever watched a 9-darter "live", so to be beside the board marking the game makes it a truly special moment. Thanks Hendo!
Back to the action and my number-writing on the whiteboard has deteriorated rapidly due to a hearty quiver, which lasts for the next two legs. As happens so often, the 9-darter went off his game and Andy wins the next two legs to draw level at 3-3. 4 legs later, it's 5-5, and Andy has darts to win the match, but misses and John takes the opportunity to win the match.
In comes one of the PDC "roadies" to remove the board, get it signed by the players and have it presented to me later as an amazing souvenir of John's achievement - what a fantastic bonus!
Chris Aubrey 6 Adam Hunt 2
In this battle of the successful youths, it looks as if Adam has been drained somewhat from his final leg victory over Andy, whilst Chris is unperturbed by his previous narrow victory, and cracks on to win this match easily.
3rd Round (Last 32)
John Henderson 6 Chris Aubrey 0
John has fully recovered from the excitement of the previous round, and gives Chris no chance, with phenomenal scoring, hitting 5 perfect darts in 1 of the legs, and in another, he hits the treble 20 with his 3rd dart, which knocks out the 2nd dart (which was in treble 20) and knocks the 3rd dart out as well, to score a grand total of 5!
4th Round (Last 16)
Dyson Parody 6 John Henderson 5
Dyson the Gibraltaran hoovered up the opposition to get to the last 16, and those who thought he would suck against Hendo were proved wrong, as he cleans up in the final leg, leaving a vacuum in the Quarter-Final without the 9-dart hero.
Time now to take a rest and enjoy some Carling barley-waters whilst watching the tournament reach its conclusion where local lad Jamie "Jabba" Caven deservedly triumphs to win the day's £6,000 first prize, beating World Champion Adrian Lewis 6-2 in the Final.
But the action is not over yet, as the inaugural PDC Unicorn Youths tournament is underway, where 125 14-21 year olds are battling for the title and a £600 first prize. Although the youths themselves are supposed to mark the boards, I am called into action when one lad takes 6 minutes to get a bottle of water, and another gets ejected for throwing his darts away in a losing temper tantrum. I also am given the honour of marking the Final, where Adam Hunt (claimant of the Pieman's scalp earlier, you'll remember) is playing Josh Jones. The hall which was noisy all day falls into an impeccable silence, and you can feel the tension of the players, as they struggle score-wise initially but then respond to the occasion to produce an excellent final between them. Adam prevails 4-2 and is absolutely chuffed - great things may well be ahead for him.
It's now 8.50pm, and Mr. Scott Gibling kindly drops me off at the luxuriant Heritage Hotel, where I sadly can only linger long enough to spruce up before heading by taxi to The Mallard tavern, to celebrate the birthday of PDC referee extraordinaire Mr. Paul Hinks, who is in decent but not effervescent form, as he is clearly missing Fanny, the love of his life, who is at home in Yorkshire.
We adjoin to the (superb) local Indian for an excellent midnight feast and some top-quality banter with Paul, Dave Allen, Gary Wood and Roger Unicorn, where I indulge in a few Cobras, a fantastic lamb shaslik and a top-notch Chicken Vindaloo with rice and chilli-pepper naan - scorchingly good! Having closed the place down, it is time to taxi it back to the resplendent Heritage, and although it's after 2am, I surf for a couple of hours, as there is a booming Polish disco in full swing outside, and attempts to sleep would be foolish until becoming absolutely jaded.
The Hunt Has Only Gone And Won It!
Contentment : 15 / 25
Excitement : 6 / 10
Memorability : 8 / 15
Total Score : 58% (1st out of 50)
