Tim Pusey snatched two of the three titles on offer at the latest DPA ProTour weekend. The venue? None other than the Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club in New South Wales – because if there’s one thing Australian darts insists on, it’s staging elite-level tungsten battles in places that also offer pensioner lawn bowls. Yes, it’s another entry in the long and growing list of darts events being held in venues that seem to specialise in everything except darts. But did it matter? Not one bit.
Known as The Magnet – a moniker which we’ll allow the uninitiated to puzzle out in their own sweet time – Pusey kicked off the weekend by being repelled rather than drawn in. Saturday’s opening salvo, Event 13, saw the Perth-based thrower edged out by Joe Comito, who drew first blood with the kind of calm efficiency that suggests his sights are already firmly set on the bright lights of Alexandra Palace.
But Tim had no intention of letting Joe run off with the weekend. In the next outing, Pusey turned the tables – and quite possibly some heads – as he made short work of James Bailey in the semi-finals, thumping the number two seed 6-1 while averaging a sizzling 98.42. He then found himself 5-3 down in the final to Brandon Weening – but if there’s one thing magnets do well, it’s pulling things back. Two back-to-back 14-darters later, and the Perth powerhouse had flipped the script with a thrilling 6-5 win.
By Sunday’s final event of the weeekend, Pusey was fully warmed up. He repeated his victory over Brody Klinge in the quarters, then swept past Gordon Mathers in the semis with a sharp 94.12 average. That left one final showdown – a rematch with Comito, who’d beaten him 48 hours earlier. Not this time. Pusey delivered a ruthless 3-0 whitewash, barely giving Comito room to breathe, let alone throw.
With two titles added to his trophy cabinet, Pusey has now cranked the heat up in the race for World Championship spots. Comito still holds the number one position, but The Magnet is closing fast – and with only one ProTour weekend left in August, the business end of the season is looking delightfully tense.
Event 13
Quarter-Finals
Joe Comito 6-5 Bill Aitken
Stuart Coburn 6-5 Brandon Weening
Tim Pusey 6-2 James Bailey
Brody Klinge 6-5 David Luckwell
Semi-Finals
Joe Comito 6-2 Stuart Coburn
Tim Pusey 6-5 Brody Klinge
Final
Joe Comito 6-4 Tim Pusey
Event 14
Quarter-Finals
Joe Comito 6-1 Bill Aitken
Brandon Weening 6-5 Andrew Eagers
James Bailey 6-3 Gordon-Glen Marthers
Tim Pusey 6-3 Brody Klinge
Semi-Finals
Brandon Weening 6-4 Joe Comito
Tim Pusey 6-1 James Bailey
Final
Tim Pusey 6-5 Brandon Weening
Event 15
Quarter-Finals
Joe Comito 2-0 Bill Aitken
Stuart Coburn 2-1 Brandon Weening
Gordon-Glen Marthers 2-1 James Bailey
Tim Pusey 2-0 Brody Klinge
Semi-Finals
Joe Comito 3-1 Stuart Coburn
Tim Pusey 3-1 Gordon Glen Marthers
Final
Tim Pusey 3-0 Joe Comito
——ENDS—–
Images:PDC
