Just wondered if anyone followed this and saw the final? And any thoughts?

Martin Adams (seeded 1) beat Phil Nixon (qualifier and bookies' least likely to win the tournie at the satrt at 150:1!!) 7-6. Adams was coasting with Nixon hardly able to win a leg because Adams was so consitent. At 3-0 it looked like an early end to the match, and then at 6-0 it was looking even mor einevitabel that Nixon woudl face a heavy defeat. until he came back form nowhere to level at 6-6. :o I tell you, I had gone to the pub for a game of darts and decided to watch this, and it was a great match. I was on the edge of my seat! I was cheering for Nixon but sadly he didnt; quite make it and lost the deciding set. Some bloke who I cant; stand cam ein the bar and started asking when it was finsihing during crucial points and woudl nto shut up. he told us we'd be watching it at home because he was going to turn it off during the final set and play his guitar. I was so annoyed I told him he might be watching it in hospital if he dared do that and he shut up! Some people roflmao


I thought the start of the tourhie was defintiely Phil Nixon, a 50 year old form the North East who started to take darts seriously when he was made redundant a few years ago. He became house husband to his wife and eight kids and practiced hsi darts at home whilst doing the housework and cooking. :D He's never played a tournie at pro level I think, and he qualified for the BDO World on hsi first attempt and made it to the final. I twas no fluke, he put in a great perfromance and came back form 6-0 down onyl to lose 7-6 in the decider! :o Shows what you can achieve through dedication and application and that you are never too old to achieve your dreams and your full potential. :bow: :bow: :bow: And he played liek he really enjoyed it and had nothign to lose. And is 30k better off too. Well done Phil. :clap: :clap: :clap:

I say well done to Woolfie Adams, he is quality and consitent but I have never thought he was that special kind of player that wins - and he wins very few despite being world number one. I guess it was about due that he won (he's 50 too) but I cant; help but think that he was helped by Van Barneveld's absence this year. Barny reallly is a true champion and ha swon this several times, but he's now gone to the tournie in the US which took place before this one and he won it. :ok:

Overall the tournie was good but I think it lacked due to Barny not playing and all the young guns that they were sayign were faves like Klassen and Van Gerwen fell at the first hurdle. It was amazing that the final had the two oldest players in the draw in it. :)

I watched the majority of that when I should have been working, and it was enthralling. I got into darts last year when Klaasen won it, and was disappointed he lost in the first round to Co Stompe, who might have a wonderful name, but doesn't really have a lot else.

When Adams was 6-0 up, in the next leg it looked like he was gonna win 7-0 and that'd have been awful for Nixon, who everyone must have taken to their hearts. But 'Wolfy' choked badly, and after a couple of sets, Nixy actually got onto a huge roll. Full credit to Adams for producing such a big performance in the final set - the sign of a true champion. Having said that, I remember van Barneveld used to beat Adams really quite easily before he moved to the other championship, so that'll probably cloud his win a bit. Sadly I don't think we'll see much of Nixy again :(

Darts is the latest 'sport' I've got into after originally thinking it was a load of old cat jizz. I used to think the same of snooker, but have been a huge fan for about 10 years now. At this rate, in 10 years I may even have time for horse racing!

Glad you got into darts. I think it's a great gmae and very much maligned. Thing is though, all those who say it's a load of crap cant; actually play so they can't moan. Unlike tennis where most people can't run fast enough to keep up or hit hard enough to prodcue a winner, in darts alsmost anyoen can throw one but can they hit the trebles and checkouts? No or they'd be playign for 70k in the BDO so it is much harder than it looks. I play for fun, have doen for ages but I dont; have the patience to get really good. When I throw badly I prefer to quit and cant; do much about it, I find it most frustrating - you need iron will adn concentration to suceed in that game. We have a round robin regularly, best of none and 3 players - thanksfully for the last two weeks I haven't lost and we;ve had some fun. And it's a sociable game for the pub too. :)

Yes it was dissappointing to see Klassen bomb out early. I hear he feels he's been too busy with the press and stuff since winning and hes found it tiring and his practice has suffered. Darts is oen game where you have to keep practicing, and also a game where you can lose form for no reason - and Klassen is very young so needs to get hsi head down, practice and focus or he'll never win again. It's tough for youngsters as they lack the experience of the older players like Adams and that experience helps them cope with the demands of the schedule and balance priorites. I think Adams had a good tournie, but he did not totally 100%convince but he won fair and square so well done. I hope it is not the last fo Nixy, and if it is I doubt it will eb through lack of trying on his part. he must surely build on this, but a lot cna change in a year of darts.

I think the only reason it's maligned is cos it's classed as a sport, when in reality, most of them would take just over 10 minutes to run the 100m.

I think it's similar to snooker in that it can be terribly frustrating. I play snooker a lot and sometimes I just won't be able to pot a ball, even if it's over the pocket. I only really play darts when I'm drunk and I'm surprisingly decent, but I can't imagine how difficult making a double for the match must be. (I normally play killer... sometimes, quite literally).

That's the great thing about darts, you HAVE to win it yourself. In tennis, your opponent could just play a shite shot on match point, and even in snooker they could leave an easy pot, but in darts you're not gonna win until you've hit that double. In that respect, whoever wins the tournament deserves it.

I'd compare Adams winning the BDO to Davydenko winning the Paris Masters. He did it fair and square, but only cos his nearest rivals weren't playing. From what I've heard he's a really good bloke though, and I'm glad he managed it, even if I hope someone new gets it next year. Is it true King's the most talented in practice but often chokes on the big stage?

I watched this final last night SB, it was unbelieveable that Adams nearly managed to choke from 6-0 up!

I'm so pleased he won, had he lost from that far ahead he would never have recovered, and I think his wife would have left him looking at her body language roflmao


Anyway, a bit of information about what happened to Barneveld. He joined the rival organisation, the PDC, who also run their own darts world championship in Purfleet at the Circus Tavern. That organisation is professional and has lured the best players from the BDO over the years.

The PDC darts is of a slightly higher standard than the BDO darts, it is shown on sky in it's entireity every year and often creates some thrilling match-ups. Over the years the dominant player has been Phil "the Power" Taylor, who is undoubtedly the greatest darts player in history have won 13 world titles.

Barney joined the PDC in february for their "premier league" competition, and has since been affliated to that instead of the BDO.

He won the PDC title on new years day anyway, beating Taylor 7-6 having been 3-0 down, and only then after being taken to 5 legs all in the final set! They had to have a sudden death leg to decide it!

If you though Adams vs. Nixon was good, you should have seen Taylor-Barneveld. Undoubtedly the greatest darts match of all time, both players played brilliantly, with three-dart averages over 100 (Adams and Nixon averaged around 90). Barneveld had to hit an amazing 21 180's!

It is such a shame that this split has happened, they need one organisation and one world championship. Taylor is the GOAT and would have beaten Nixon or Adams 7-0 in all probability, he's that good. And it shows how much barney has improved that he beat him!

I mean, could you imagine tennis haveing two tours, one with all the best players like fed, nadal etc., and the other one with journeymen? We'd have two wimbledon champs!

I personally rate King higher than Adams, he's one who should have won before IMO. I woudlnt; say he chokes (well not my impression) but he is very temperamental and it can backfire. OMg though, when he gets annoyed he can turn on the other player and id a bit of a w*nker - he complains about everything and he's made them measure the ockey before in the middle of a match and said that the air con was interfering with the trajectory of his darts! roflmao

You are right though that you do have to win it yourself in darts. Of course it's easier of your opponent plays badly but you still need to get that double in and cant; win on your opponent's errors like tennis. The best approach is to just play the board and try and ignore your opponent if you can and stay calm. I knwo what you mean botu beign pissed. i entered a tournie once and came runner up when I'd never played in oen before, I was totally wasted on about 8 pints of Guiness soem years back - woudl not be abel to stand up now after that let alone throw a dart straight! roflmao

I have tried snooker and I am crap! I prefer pool, so much easier. Great game snooker though. :)

I watched it and it became very intense from 63 to 66. It turned out to be a great matched.

I like your comparison of Adams to Davydenko. Personally I think they are both great players when on form and certainly capable of beating the best ....well maybe not adams...Davy however can be extremely efficient out there.

I think you are a bit tough on Adams. He was not missing any double for the first 6 sets. It was simply amazing. I think he only missed 1 out of 12 or something like that. Then when Nixon was coming back, obviously the pressure was such that he started to miss but did very well to compose and win the last one as he did against King.

I was for Nixon...he seems a nice chap. Adams too but I found his wife a bit of a diva and over confident her man would win.....untill 6-0 that is. She was in no state afterwards. Still I am surprised how pretty she is compared to Adams. Don't you think?

Quite a lot of the darts players are throwing above their average when it comes to their partners. Andy Fordham (the guy who weighs 250 stone) has a relatively attractive wife too!

I guess where the Davy vs Adams comparison falls apart is in the difference in the format of the game. Davydenko could force errors off the very best and maybe beat them that way, whereas Adams simply has to throw better darts. If they're better than him, he's probably not going to be able to.

Darts possesses some real legends - the aforementioned Fordham, and Bobby George! I couldn't believe he's 61 - I'm reading his autobiography and his life is amazing. He worked building the London Underground, and also apparently beat the Canadian arm wrestling champion in an arm wrestle! It lasted 20 minutes :yikes:

Yeah Bobby George was a builder from Essex. he didn;t start playing darts until he was I think 31, or is it 34?, - he beat a load of Irish darts players who were quite good one day and decided to take the sport up. He is OTT but he does make me laugh and thank God for characters in sports. :D

On Wolfies' wife - Sharon - she actually left the room becasue she coudl nto take any more when Nixon made a come back. She always looks like she's going through agony and th eups and downs whatever the match. You think she'd be used to it by now, but I suppose a match of this status is a bit different. I think she shoudl have just stayed in the bar and got pissed - I think I would have if it was so bad I could not watch. Anyway there was 40k at stake if Wolfie lost that match roflmao

King is one nasty piece of work though - I just want to rip his head off and s*** down his neck roflmao

the best players are in the PDC - Phil Taylor and Ray Barneveld! Both men would have destroyed Adams had they played him, it's so farcical that there are two world governing bodies, so we have two "world champions" :angry: