Richardson to pay tribute to heroes
JAMES RICHARDSON will step on to the Ally Pally stage this afternoon with more on his mind than just a place in the third round of the William Hill World Championship.
Richardson meets Alan Norris in an all-English clash that he hopes will send a message beyond a series of 180s.
He is a major campaigner for the charity Darts for Heroes, raising money for veterans and anybody who has been injured in military service, and in August they stage a darts competition.
Around his neck, this year Richardson is wearing a photo of serviceman Marc Birch, who paid the ultimate price in 2008.
Richardson, 43, a bricklayer from Rushden, said: “This guy is from Northampton, near to where I live.
“His family comes our annual event every year, they have been there since day one.
“Marc died by an IED in Afghanistan. It was all internal. No mark on him, bless him. He touched the lives of many people to around the Northampton area. His mum Geraldine might be crying her eyes out, watching the match at home, when she sees this. She will be in bits. “I dedicate my wins to the families and all the people in the Forces. It’s all for those boys. “I am good friends with the family now. They gave me this necklace. They didn’t know I was wearing it until my second round and saw it on TV for the first time against Kim Huybrechts. It means a lot to me. I support everybody in the forces.” Richardson made a name for himself when he knocked out Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld in the first round of the 2012 World Championship. He has never reached the third round and it should be a close match with Norris, 45.
But there is no hiding when curry-lover Richardson enters the arena to the song Vindaloo by Fat Les.
Richardson’s preparations for Norris included a turkey curry yesterday and he said: “I just love the spices on it. My wife has told me to cut down on them, probably once every two weeks.”
The third round also starts this evening, with defending champion Michael van Gerwen meeting Gerwyn Price.
And though Dutchman MVG has been winning tournaments for fun and sending his rivals reeling, he said: “People say I am a robot on the oche. I am not. I might look like one but I have to work hard.”
Van Gerwen is unbeaten since October in the big events, with six television majors to his name in 2017, and in his 4-0 secondround defeat of James Wilson, he produced an average of 108.65 – the eighth highest in the tournament’s history.
Van Gerwen said: “It’s all about not making mistakes and I’ve not been making them for some time now. When you are in the zone, it is maybe the best feeling in darts you can have.”