Darts to host living room spectacular
Top players compete in a live event from their own homes as football clubs discuss playing after July 1
IT LACKS the lustre of the Olympics, Wimbledon or a Premier League finale, but a living room-based darts competition launching this Friday will at least give Britain a long-awaited sporting fix.
Players going head-to-head at home on makeshift oches might yet become a highlight of a sporting calendar which has been all but obliterated by the lockdown. The popular pub sport has found a novel way to beat the restrictions, delighting fans starved of any competitive action to watch. The players will compete from their homes via video link in the Professional Darts Corporation’s first Home Tour A total of 32 consecutive nights streamed online will take place between the sport’s biggest stars.
“Let’s not kid ourselves, it won’t have the atmosphere of the real thing, but, in a starving world, the man with a sandwich is king,” Barry Hearn, the PDC chairman, told The Daily Telegraph. Live coverage of the tournament will be broadcast on PDCTV, the company’s online TV channel, which is expecting record subscriptions.
Bookmakers are also hoping for a bumper windfall from the tournament. Reigning world champion Peter Wright will launch the event on Friday, taking on Yorkshireman Peter Jacques in the opening game. Welshman Jamie Lewis, a former World Championship semi-finalist, and Dutch youngster Niels Zonneveld also line up in group one.
The tournament has been launched as most of Britain’s major sporting governing bodies remain locked in talks on how to resurrect their leading tournaments when lockdown measures are eventually eased. The Tokyo Olympics and Euro 2020 have both been postponed by a year, while, in the UK, the Grand National, international rugby and football, the Boat Race, and county cricket have all been called off. The suspension of almost all British sport – including Premier League Darts – could see the PDC Home Tour become a popular choice among a country desperate for its sporting fix. Bookmakers have hosted similar “at home” darts matches online in the past weeks, which featured players such as Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld. Mr Hearn, who is at home recovering from a minor heart attack sustained at the beginning of the month, added: “It gives me great excitement that we are able to deliver live darts to fans in these unprecedented times. We’ve spent the last few weeks planning and looking at what is possible, and I’m delighted to be able to present a concept which gives all Tour Card Holders the opportunity to take part.
“The PDC Home Tour will provide a regular supply of live sport to fans, showcasing the talent and unique characters of our players to both existing and new audiences.
“The event will also give players a chance to play competitive darts in this down period in preparation for the return to normal action, whenever that may be.”
Organisers hope the event will rival the success of the virtual Grand National, a computer-generated race watched by almost five million after the real race was cancelled because of the pandemic.
Suspensions have cost domestic sport billions, and the Premier League is among those to fear a major drop in revenue caused by the absence of televised matches. A number of clubs will voice their concerns over the season going beyond July 1 at this Friday’s Premier League meeting.
The Daily Telegraph understands that up to nine clubs want to begin the discussion over what one source said was the potential for “chaos” of allowing the season to be played beyond that date, which appears highly likely.
Also taking part in the PDC tournament is two-time Grand Slam of Darts champion Gerwyn Price, who meets Austria’s Rowby-john Rodriguez in group two’s opening match. Former Development Tour champion Ted Evetts, who was one of nine players to take part in the successful “Darts At Home” trial nights, will also play in group two along with 2019 breakthrough talent Luke Woodhouse.