Tungsten history was made in Australasia as Kiwi thrower Jonny Tata etched his name into the darting archives, claiming victory on night one of the inaugural ANZ Premier League.
Tata toppled Australia’s Raymond Smith 5–3 in Melbourne to become the very first to triumph and claim continental bragging rights.After months of build-up, the curtain finally lifted inside a buzzing John Cain Arena. The crowd was loud, the atmosphere electric, and eight of the best Antipodean arrow-smiths marched out for what promised to be a ground-breaking night of darts Down Under.
Tata wasted absolutely no time announcing himself. He steamrolled James Bailey 5–0 in his opener – a whitewash so brutal it could have doubled as an R-rated movie. That’s a bit like making your international debut and scoring an own goal before being substituted. Still, Bailey’s there on merit and has plenty of time to bounce back over the next few weeks.In the semis, things got tighter.
Tata faced Joe Comito – the Waterboy himself – who’d just edged the legendary Simon Whitlock in his opener. But the Kiwi cool head held firm, pinching the all-important decider to book his place in the final.
Meanwhile, over in the other half of the draw, Raymond “The Guru” Smith was meditating his way to victory. He first dispatched Tim Pusey – better known as The Magnet, which probably unwise to explain why to younger fans.
Then came a comfortable 5–2 win over Brody Klinge, who had prematurely ended Ben Robb evening and national hopes of an all-Kiwi final.So, it was set: a mouth-watering Australia vs New Zealand showdown to cap off the first-ever ANZ Premier League night.
A bit of sporting déjà vu, but with fewer scrums. Smith drew first blood, nicking the opening leg, but Tata soon found his rhythm and rattled off three on the spin. The Guru clawed his way back to 3–2, but the truck-driving Kiwi kept both hands firmly on the wheel and powered home for a famous 5–3 win – cementing a little slice of history for himself and his country.
Bragging rights to New Zealand, then. But make no mistake – this is only week one of a long road trip, and the Aussies will be desperate to strike back when the tour rolls into Newcastle next.
No, not the one which Chris Dobey hails from – that would be ridiculous. The ANZ version is warmer, sunnier, and contains 100% fewer Greggs and a more coherent accent.So, take a bow, ANZ Darts – the launch was a roaring success. The darts were sharp, the crowd was rowdy, and for one night only, the darting world had a brand-new capital: Melbourne.
Quarter-Finals
Jonny Tata 5-0 James Bailey
Joe Comito 5-4 Simon Whitlock
Raymond Smith 5-3 Tim Pusey
Brody Klinge 5-2 Ben Robb
Semi-Finals
Jonny Tata 5-4 Joe Comito
Raymond Smith 5-2 Brody Klinge
Final
Jonny Tata 5-3 Raymond Smith
—–Ends—–
Images: PDC
