Darts...

[tigerton]

i honestly think part might struggle against droblomyslova, hes been poor of late (sadly). Why does taylor vs nixon interest you, if only to c nixon get whitewashed it might be worthwhile i suppose. Tabern vs whitlock should be quality, really interested to see how whitlock and webster play against these guys.

Hoping thornton gives a good account of himself again this week, but as he has said, its not worth ranking points, so the world championship is much bigger for him.

Also hope andy hamilton can thrash that smarmy brian woods!

[DomDom]

Nixon will step it up like he did last year. Nixon was not bad at all, and even in his tougher games, looked good in defeat. He might not exactly give Taylor a scare or anything, but he'll do his best to make it close and he'll relish the oppertunity.

[Guest blue ayr]

On the topic of playing the game again I've developed a new throwing style which I have been playing lights out with the last week, and my consistency level has went way up, and I've hit 4 180's since last Thursday. I've also decided to enter the Scottish Youth Masters in Bannockburn a week on Saturday, a wee bit nervous about possibly looking really out of my depth or getting embarrassed but looking forward to it to playing competitively.

Best of luck mate. I admire your bottle I really do, pretty keen player myself but share your fear of making a t*t of myself. I go through spells where I'll play for a few hours a day and I get pretty decent, good on the doubles. But if I leave it a few days and go back tend to struggle to find rhythm.

[tigerton]

On the topic of playing the game again I've developed a new throwing style which I have been playing lights out with the last week, and my consistency level has went way up, and I've hit 4 180's since last Thursday. I've also decided to enter the Scottish Youth Masters in Bannockburn a week on Saturday, a wee bit nervous about possibly looking really out of my depth or getting embarrassed but looking forward to it to playing competitively.

I played at Bannockburn for the first time last year in the scottish singles, its a huge place, luckily when i went, it was so busy, that nobody was really able to watch me or put pressure on me, still got humped in my first game right enough

[tigerton]

Nixon will step it up like he did last year. Nixon was not bad at all, and even in his tougher games, looked good in defeat. He might not exactly give Taylor a scare or anything, but he'll do his best to make it close and he'll relish the oppertunity.

im still going to consider sticking a quid on a whitewash everybody relishes the oppertunity to play taylor, but generally bottle it, Thornton was the only player to give him a game at the euros

[DomDom]

everybody relishes the oppertunity to play taylor, but generally bottle it

Nixon has already proved that he can play well when the pressure is on. He's probably better with a bit of pressure on him.

Anastacia has the same problem that she had in the UK Open. She seems to have a dip in form in the middle of a game. She probably would have beaten Thornton at the UK if it never happened there, and it has to be a worry for this coming week.

This Celebrity stuff is pretty bad. Entertaining at times though.

[Guest blue ayr]

The celebrity darts is rank, roll on tomorrow for the real deal.

[The Real Zippy]

Cannae throw for toffee but watching guys like Taylor at the oche is an education. Makes things look so fucking easy.

I'm a fan of the darts of yesteryear. Have a look at YouTube, there is some classic Bristow v Wilson footage on there, in particular where the wee man fae Kirkcaldy claimed his second world title. Absolutely brilliant. Some terrific players in those days like Bob Anderson, Mike Gregory, Bristow, Lowe, Big Cliff etc. Contrary to the belief that Bristow was the man us Scots loved to hate, he showed our wee Jocky the greatest respect whenever the two met, and were good mates. He always said he and Wilson were the two ambassadors for the game. Their battles on the oche were the stuff of legends.

My favourite darts story? Wee Jocky was playing a world semi-final against Dave Whitcombe and was well in command. However, the wee man was hitting his doubles hard, well the vodka variety, and the more pissed he became, the less control he had over his throwing. So much so, he threw away his lead and Whitcombe won through. Tony Green went to interview Jocky and he had his back to him when he heard this thud. Tony turned round and it transpired Jocky had fell off the stage completely pissed out his brains

Thats when darts was a real man's game. f**k this athletic look and mineral water lark. Bring back the beer and fags tae the darts. I demand a petition

[MTJ]

Nixon has already proved that he can play well when the pressure is on. He's probably better with a bit of pressure on him.

Anastacia has the same problem that she had in the UK Open. She seems to have a dip in form in the middle of a game. She probably would have beaten Thornton at the UK if it never happened there, and it has to be a worry for this coming week.

This Celebrity stuff is pretty bad. Entertaining at times though.

Taylor's group is pretty guff. I expect him to get through with barely a hiccup.

Good luck to Robert Thornton and Gary Anderson.

[DomDom]

I'll be shoving updates in this post at advert breaks during the Grand Slam. That's untill I head to the wrestling. Should be able to watch the first few matches with any luck.

We're opening the event with Adrian Lewis and Denis Ovens, which should be an interesting wee match. I should point out before this gets going that I really have a dislike for Lewis. Denis Ovens doesn't have much in the way of excitement factor, does he ?

Denis Ovens vs. Adrian Lewis

12:28 - There was a great checkout of 94 from Ovens to make it 1-0. The standard hasn't exactly been great, but Ovens is as steady as you like and Lewis is absolutely shocking which makes me smile. Adrian Lewis HAS shown we glimpses at times, and seems to throw better when he's frustrated. A solid checkout of 78 makes the score 3-1 to Ovens as we head into the break and Lewis is in a spot of bother.

12:40 - YAHOO ! Denis Ovens wins 5-2 because Lewis can't take his doubles at the end. I have no idea how Ovens was allowed a chance after getting a score of five at one point. Lewis couldn't take his doubles and that allowed Ovens the chance to come in. Not exactly the best opening match, but we know that the standard will improve as the day goes on.

We have Andy Hamilton taking on Brian Woods next, which I'm looking forward to, mainly to see how Hamilton does this year after looking damn near unstoppable last year in the Grand Slam untill he came up against The Power. Hamilton has the same philosophy as me. Don't play the player. Play your own game and you won't be distracted.

Brian Woods vs. Andy Hamilton

13:05 - We're in BDO vs. PDC territory right here with this match. Woods is diabolical in the first leg. Doesn't look like a semi finalist. Seen a flash in the second leg, but he's simply not doing the business. Shanghai from Woods to make it 1-1. Where did he pull that one from ? That will help to settle him down. There's a clear improvement, but it's still not mind blowing darts. Andy Hamilton is looking like his usual consistant self, and that should be enough to deal with Woods here. 130 finish to make it 3-1 Hamilton going into the break, and it's business as usual for Hamilton in Wolverhampton.

13:20 - You're right. Woods DOES look like a prize p***k. 11 darter from Woods and that's much better from him. Hamilton DID let him in a bit though, which shows the standard on show here. You KNOW Woods is better than he showed before the break. Woods wins my heart by celebrating his score of 25. 136 finish from Hamilton and that is absolutely brilliant stuff. Two double tops from Woods. This is a brilliant match actually. Apparently Hamilton's finishing is just as impressive as Woods. No it isn't. You just seen the stats you cretin. Hamilton wins 5-3, but Woods did show glimpses, and Tabern and Whitlock will have a tough time with him.

Mawson crushed his toe with a Harley Davidson. Won't get many cooler injuries than that from a dart player.

Gary Mawson vs. Robert Thornton

GO THORNTON !!!

13:43 - Thornton needs to find some sort of rhythm here. He just can't seem to find a treble here. Trebles beginning to go in for both men now, even if they're not always the ones that they're looking for. Thornton will feel like a lucky man after that second leg. Big improvement from Thornton in the third, but Mawson has allowed too much room for error here. 124 from Thornton to take us into the break with a 3-1 score. Should point out more commentary idiocy, as apparently Mawson has only just started to limp, even though he was even limping when he was walking out. I can tell that I'm going to have fun with these morons.

13:57 - 152 finish from Mawson to make it 3-3 in a pretty crappy darts match. I have nothing to say because there's been nothing of note going on. 104 from Thornton to reply from that. Pretty bad scoring, but the finishing has been pretty good from these guys, apart from in the second leg. More quality finishing of 65 wins the match for Thornton at a score of 5-3. Not exactly the best darts match you'll ever see. I expected much better from those two guys, but it's a big match next.

John Part vs. Anastacia Dobromyslova

14:23 - The crowd are expectedly right behind Anastacia. I've never seen a clearer show of nerves than I seen there from Anastacia and she'll know she should have been up 1-0 there. The last darts from the Women's Champ has been short all of the time because of her awkward stance. Part is not playing well, but he really doesn't have to because of the finishing from Anastacia. This is NOT the same Anastacia that appeared in the UK Open. If Part can improve his scoring, this COULD be a whitewash. Part is clinical here, and Anastacia can't even score high anymore. 3-1 going into the break, and that is crucial. The break has come at the right time. She's still looking shifty, but that's better finishing.

14:33 - Part remains clinical and he's now getting some scoring going. Anastacia has just completely disappeared off of the radar and Part is not taking advantage in the second set. 5-1 to Part, and that just wasn't what was on the script, but it was deserved really. You can't expect to make mistakes and not be punished for them at this level. It's not gonna happen. She's capable of better and will have to show that otherwise she's going to be going out on her arse pretty early. Part looked good when he was finishing and that bodes well for his chances in the tournament.

Phill Nixon vs. Phil Taylor

14:56 - Nixon isn't looking bad here, but Taylor is looking pretty good here. I don't think many players can match Taylor when he's playing like this. What else can Nixon do here ? He's playing just as well as I thought he would and he's not even had a shot at a double yet. Unbelievable. That fourth leg was the first time that I've really thought Nixon has been disappointing. We go into the break at 4-0, and that's a mark of how good Taylor has been in this match.

It's a whitewash and a well earned one at that. The last two legs were disappointing, but for the first three, there was nothing that Nixon could do and Taylor just decimated him.

Anyways, it's time for you people to be left alone by me. So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Edited November 15, 2008 by DomDom

[The Naitch]

Why the dislike for Lewis?

Nice Shanghai finish from Brian Woods to settle him into his match against Hamilton.

Edited November 15, 2008 by The Naitch

[H_B]

that smarmy brian woods!

He does look like a prize p***k.

[DomDom]

I'll take replies to me in seperate posts. Lewis just has a weird attitude that I have taken a dislike to. His petulance, which actually HELPS him on there, rubs me the wrong way.

[MTJ]

I'll take replies to me in seperate posts. Lewis just has a weird attitude that I have taken a dislike to. His petulance, which actually HELPS him on there, rubs me the wrong way.

I actually really like Lewis fabulous to watch. Along with him my favourites are Thornton, Klaasen and MVG.

Gary Anderson I find pretty ignorant. For someone with such ability some of the stuff he comes out with is ridiculous and his I couldn't give a f**k attitude I'm not a fan of, which he always brings up when he loses. He is Scottish though I suppose....

Edited November 15, 2008 by MTJ

[The Naitch]

I actually really like Lewis fabulous to watch. Along with him my favourites are Thornton, Klaasen and MVG.

Gary Anderson I find pretty ignorant. For someone with such ability some of the stuff he comes out with is ridiculous and his I couldn't give a f**k attitude I'm not a fan of, which he always brings up when he loses. He is Scottish though I suppose....

Agree with all in bold. He's one of the most naturally talented players going at the moment, and really could go from strength to strength, great to watch as well.

Not a fan of Klassen and for some reason (can't put my finger on it) Thornton rubs me up the wrong way as well. I want to like him, but just can't.

As for Gary Anderson, he is a frustrating talent. If only he did give a f**k then he would have switched to the PDC 2 years ago and could really push himself on. As it is, he's happy slumming it in the BDO and being the big fish in a little pond.

[tigerton]

He does look like a prize p***k.

hes a total twat! glad i was out getting pumped at darts today so i didnt have to watch him!

also glad to be proved correct about nixon v taylor

[Sideshow]

McDine 4 Mardle 0.

Tigerton, were you playing counties by any chance?

[tigerton]

McDine 4 Mardle 0.

Tigerton, were you playing counties by any chance?

if only

i was at an open in Liberton, Edinburgh, i would play county B darts, but 1. id get pumped and 2. id miss the ton getting pumped

renfrewshire wer playin west lothian i think? but ther wer still 5 scottish internationals at liberton

[Sideshow]

if only

i was at an open in Liberton, Edinburgh, i would play county B darts, but 1. id get pumped and 2. id miss the ton getting pumped

renfrewshire wer playin west lothian i think? but ther wer still 5 scottish internationals at liberton

Your quite right, as the missus is there playing for Renfrewshire. I don't expect her back till about 2-3am.

McDine wins 5-0.

[Sideshow]

Wade 3 de Ruiter 1.