The PDC bandwagon rolls on to Den Bosch in the Netherlands this coming week for the usual pair of Player Championships scheduled before the World Grand Prix. Meanwhile the amateur side of the game heads to Bridlington for an event with a darts legacy that begins back in 1975 with Alan ‘The Arrow’ Evans.
25 Darts Years Ago
This month Darts World (Issue 346)was acknowledging how Phil Taylor was ramping up his dominance of the World Matchplay at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens. ‘The Power’ had just gone back-to-back and claimed a fourth title. To this day no one has matched that number.
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The cover had also foretold of the shake up headed the PDC’s way now Barry Hearn had taken over and looked ahead to the 2001 WDF World Cup.
Ten Darts Years Ago
This week in 2016 Michael van Gerwen was sweeping all before him. On that occasion there were three Players Championships in the run up to the World Grand Prix in Dublin. MVG added the first to his European Darts Grand Prix (Euro Tour) title from the previous weekend. More were to come in an outstanding run.
Cameron Menzies and Deta Hedman lifted the WDF affiliated British Open titles. Indeed a case can be made that the collection of this, his first significant title, was the turning point in Cammy’s career.
In Deta’s case it was a remarkable 4th crown in a row in this prestigious event. She had won the title multiple times even before this quadruple run.
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Fifteen Darts Years Ago
Something was stirring in 2011. The PDC had been invaded by a varied band of amateurs, in the final year before the more formal Tour Card system was introduced, and many were performing a over expectation.
The West Midlands and surrounding area was especially strong at that time and Birmingham’s mercutial Simon Jones was one who hit a rich vein of form, including winning the highly competitive Wolverhampton Open (Rileys) this week.
At then other end of the Open event circuit we saw MVG slipping off to continental Europe to try build some momentum at the Jagermeister Open. He won the event, one of a pair of senior level victories within a few weeks and after a two year drought, and was certainly nudging toward he tipping point which would come in Ireland a few weeks later.
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Images: Cover – Darts World Magazine
