The final quartet of first-round matches featured a good old-fashioned England versus Germany clash – and judging by the crowd’s reaction during the walk-ons, it was crystal clear whose side they were on. Hint: it wasn’t the one born in Berlin.
The opening exchanges felt more like a chess match than your typical oche shootout. Not visually, of course – there were far fewer suits and considerably more shouting – but metaphorically, both players were clearly testing the waters.
It led to a scrappy first session, which Ricardo somehow edged 3-2. The German’s euphoria – or more accurately, a reserved nod of satisfaction – didn’t last long. By the next ad break, he was 6-4 down. It really should’ve been 5-5, but Pikachu squandered a small pile of darts at double to keep things level. At 8-5, it felt like Dobey’s to lose.
Fast forward a few minutes to 9-5, and any hope of a German comeback began to feel like fantasy. Even with his recent World Cup semi-final run, this wasn’t going to be a great escape. Houdini he is not – and let’s be honest, even the great escapologist might’ve struggled if he’d ever picked up a set of darts.
Dobey eventually staggered over the line and exhaled like a man more relieved than triumphant. Finishing – or rather, not finishing – was the biggest flaw for both. It’s something the Newcastle ace will be eager to sort out heading into the next round.
Despite both players struggling on the outer ring, Dobey at least gave himself twice as many chances – even if his success rate won’t be making any highlight reels.
Afterwards DW chatted with the victor, Chris Dobey who reflected on his hard-fought win and what he draws upon when the games go down to the wire:
“In scrappy games like that, you’ve got to believe in your own ability and give 100% right to the end.
That’s always been my mindset from the start – I never think I’m down and out.”
Having the crowd on your side is always nice – but does come with a few ticks on the cons column too, as Chris explained:
“They definitely help – it’s a great atmosphere – but it adds a bit of pressure too. You don’t want them booing or whistling when you’re throwing. But you can’t tell them to be quiet either… they might just turn on you!”
With finishing like a poor striker, will you be looking to sharpen up on the outer ring for the next outing?
“You can’t really practise doubles under pressure. Tonight, I got away with it a bit, to be honest – he missed some chances and I got lucky at the right time.”
Finally, I was interested to know if Chris’ Premier League experience help to close it out. So I asked him. Turns out it did:
“Yeah, definitely. You’re playing in big arenas, week in and week out, against the elite. That’s where I want to be every year.
Hopefully, I can keep climbing the rankings and push into the top four.”
—–Ends—–
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