Well, yet again the speed at which our beloved game raises you up and then dumps you back down again takes the breath away.
Back down to the fantastic MODUS Live Lounge in Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago for another go at Champions Week. Despite holding several records at the Super Series I have never quite done my record justice on these weeks.
Starting on Thursday in Group B seemed to suit me well although I had struggled a little for fluency in the period just beforehand.
It’ll surprise no one that Luke Littler was the dominant force in our group! The young man has a remarkable talent, focus and all the fearless advantages of youth.
However, the rest of the group was very nip and tuck and it was important not to panic after an average performance. I have played this game a long time and had begun to feel a little more comfortable.
Night two saw me playing strong stuff, in patches, and I produced at the right time in order to leapfrog the excellent Danny Lauby to claim the last finals night spot.
The finals night MSS format is a little odd and throws up the possibility of playing the same person more than once. Just my luck that it was The Nuke!
In our first encounter I was a little slow off the mark and was easily brushed aside. I regrouped quickly and benefitted from that first game.
Anyone watching my encounter with Chirstian Kist a few weeks ago may remember that when you’re playing someone in such superb form you have to let them know early that they will not have it easy and that you will be with them all the way. It was the same here. I started with a smooth 12 darter and ran out a 4-0 winner with a 103 average.
Steve West had been playing superbly all week and proved a popular addition to boot.Most folk expected a West vs Littler finale. But I am not a fan of scripts.
The final did not go my way as sometimes you try a little bit hard, you think you have to do more than you do and as a result you go slightly over the top and things don’t happen.
Luke dispatched me comfortably after I missed an early chance to get a lead. Fair play to him, it’s not easy to win one of these MSS phases and going back-to-back at 16-years-of-age is outstanding.
Overall though I had to be pleased with my best ever champions week result and looked forward to the Challenge Tour with relish. But that, dear reader, proved a different story!
—–ENDS—–
Images: Colin Osborne and Darts World Magazine
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