Following an exciting start, the newly founded Australian Darts Association (ADA) returned for another weekend batch of events. This time, it was off to Adelaide.
Last time out in Brisbane, Raymond Smith picked up all four tournaments – quite as astonishing achievement. So shortly after that, the rest of the field had a whip round – rasied a few quid and packed The Guru off halfway around the world and out of harms way.
Of course that is a fib. In reality, Smith had a MODUS Super Series week booked back in March, even before the new ADA enterprise existed. However, it probably come as pleasing news to everyone heading to South Australia – glad the fella who won the lot was a few thousand miles away.
Brody Klinge – winner of back to back DPA events in June – was the first name on the honours roll that didn’t list Raymond Smith. The Melbourne man saved his best performance for the final, defeating Kiwi Ben Robb in a high quality last leg deciding classic where both throwers averaged in the high 90s – the two highest registered throughout the entire event.
And a few hours later, the Victorian – not because he is from the 19th century, that’s the Australian state of his birth – was at it again. This time he overcame compatriot Robbie King in the final 6-3 shortly after he frustrated Ben Robb in the semi-final with a magnificent ton plus display.
With Raymond Smith sat in a Portsmouth hotel, the new voodoo dolls began to resemble Klinge. Surely he couldn’t repeat The Guru’s feat and grab all four?
Well the answer is no. Onto the penultimate event of the weekend and it was Tim Pusey who claimed his first ADA title, defeating Robbie King 6-4 leaving the Gold Coast arrow-smith with consecutive silver medals. If you are wondering what happened to Klinge this time, King saw him off in the sem-final bringing an impressing winning run to a halt.
The final tournament of the bunch – number eight for the year – and finally Robbie King managed to get over the line with an emphatic 6-1 triumph over countryman Harley Kemp. As expected, Ben Rob was the last non Aussie flying the flag in this event but the Kiwi chucker fell in the quarter-finals to Peter Machin.
Brody Klinge was perhaps the star of the Adelaide show – not only did he bag half the weekend’s events, but his tournament average on event six of 91.83 was the highest over the couple of days making him arguably the happiest of the lot that Raymond Smith was in England.
It all comes down to Melbourne now for the final four events at the start of September. Maybe the lads will try and ship Mr Kling off somewhere now.
—–ENDS—-
Images: ADA
