Lim still so chipper
PAUL LIM is ready to raise the Ally Pally roof again after showing age means nothing with an amazing performance at the William Hill World Darts Championship.
Now 63, Lim, one of the legends of the sport, beat Mark Webster, 34, to book a second-round clash with former world champion Gary Anderson on Friday night at the Alexandra Palace – the Scotsman’s 47th birthday.
“I will enjoy it,” said Lim. “I need to be prepared. I’ll have a few days’ rest, a walk around London. I will have some fish and chips. It will be OK.”
Twenty-seven years ago Lim, the Singapore-born American, made history when he became the first player to hit a nine-darter in the world championship, banking £52,000 for the perfect leg in the BDO event at Lakeside.
On Monday in an incredible atmosphere, Lim – a one-time chef – beat 2008 BDO world champion Webster 3-2 and revealed one of the secrets of his success was playing darts through the night.
Lim said: “I’d play darts when I can’t sleep because it helps me. When I wake up at 2am I would rather throw darts than watch TV.
“It’s motivation because I believe that if I am to be involved in darts tournaments, I have to do what I need to do. So I spend a lot of time on it. How many more years can I THE SCOUT REPORTS play? I don’t know. But until the day I don’t feel excited about darts, I’ll keep going.
“At the back of my mind, what do I have to lose? One day it will stop.
“Until that day, as long as I still feel excited about my darts… after moments like this I wish I was 20 years old and starting out again.”
Lim smashed in six 180s as he beat Webster but nothing will ever replace his amazing leg in 1990 in the era of Eric Bristow, Cliff Lazarenko, John Lowe and Jocky Wilson.
He recalled: “I watch the nine-darter when people post it on Facebook but I don’t want to watch it all the time. If someone posts it, then I’ll watch it again.
“There are a lot of times when I come to England and people say ‘the legend’. They remember that nine-dart game.
“Of course, they were kids back then. That is part of what motivates me. That was history and people remember me. I want to do well and keep the memory going that way.”
California remains his home but Lim is based in Hong Kong, where he works for Darts Live, an electronic darts firm.
His first world championship appearance was in 1982 and he said: “I wouldn’t have believed it then if someone had said you would still be playing in 2018.”
Now it is all about Anderson, one of the favourites and a two-time champion. Lim will take it all in his stride.
“When I walk up to the stage against Gary I must have that feeling that I can play well,” he said.
“I’m not playing Gary but my own darts and I’m hitting my 180s.
“That’s how you get the crowd going. I need to do something that drives on the crowd.
“I’m supposed to go back to Hong Kong this week so I will have to change my flights.
“If I beat Gary, then I will send my whole family over for Christmas, for sure.
“I’ve known Gary a long time. He is a gentleman. I just want to play well and hopefully I will beat him.”
If that happens, it will be one of the biggest stories in darts.
But then Paul Lim knows all about making history.
When I wake at 2am, I play darts not watch TV