Darts, Beers, & Cheers!

Archive for the ‘PDC Darts Players’ Category

Darts, Beers & Cheers! Brings you The Thunder! Par Riihonen

Par Riihonen – sponsorship opportunity

As part of my attempts to help players in the PDC, I was pleased to hear from the manager of Par Riihonen, also known as “The Thunder”.

You can find more info on Par on his website here, including image gallerys of Par playing across Europe.

Like many talented players in the PDC, Par’s game would benefit from a sponsor taking some of the financial pressure off him while he works his way up the world rankings and fights for a tour card for next year’s pro tour (when the rewards will be even greater for those in the top 96 who attain a tour card, or qualify through other means).

Par is currently 27th in the European order of merit, and I’ve seen many good reports about him on the darts forums (where hard core darts fans who know their stuff chat darts).

Par also has to make twice the effort of many darts pros on the tour, as he travels over from his native Sweden.  If someone out there could recognise that sort of dedication and help him cover the £200 a weekend entry fees and travel, I’m sure Par can reward you with improved results, invite(s) as his guest along to the behind closed doors tour events, and a deal  you will both be happy with.

If you feel that your company would enjoy the mutual benefit of putting your companies name on Par’s shirt (along with the other benefits that come from player sponsorship), please get in touch with Craig Wilson, Par’s manager.

Par plays in this weekends PDC Pro tour event in Crawley – and I wish him the best of luck!  I’ll hopefully get to watch him play (and win), and maybe say hello.

Par Riihonen - looking for a sponsor

Darts ace Dave Ladley is facing pro ‘heartbreak’ – Lets try and help him!

Dave Ladley (middle), fighting to get the help he needs to earn his tour card for 2011

UPDATE: There’s a growing facebook group here – where Dave Holland is organising the appeal for Ladders.  Dennis Priestly has kindly donated one of his actual match worn shirts, signed specially – which is being auctioned via the group… and Jamie Caven has also donated a set of his darts with a signed darts case.

I wrote a little while ago about my mate and friend to this site Dave ‘Ladders’ Ladley – he’s shared many funny and informative write-ups of what it’s like to be a pro on the PDC tour.

Well Dave is facing a tough decision… he needs more ranking points in the remaining player championships to ensure he makes the top 96 players in the PDC, so he will get his ‘tour card’ for next year.  The tour card is being introduced in 2011  and it will benefit those who qualify, giving them better shots and chances to make money on the tour.

The trouble is that Dave lost his main sponsor through no fault of his own, and now needs a sponsor (or sponsors) to come forward to help him ensure he can play in the remaining qualifiers of 2010, and then hopefully get those couple of places he needs to qualify for the tour card (Dave is 98th in line.. and needs to be at least 96th!).

With 13 events of the darts season still to be played there is still an awful lot of chopping and changing possible in those rankings, so Dave knows he has work to do…

I work very, very hard and I’m always trying to improve my game. To think I couldn’t carry on would be heartbreaking.  Gaining the Pro Tour Card is my number one goal and ambition at this present minute - Dave ‘Ladders’ Ladley.

I know I would be gutted for him and this website would lose out on a great source of stories from the tour (and some great photos!).

Dave has come up with a rescue solution, as he’s a bright lad!  “I would like to see if there are any companies or individuals in the area who would be interested in sponsoring me for the remainder of the year either as a consortium or an individual, with all of my winning prize funds for the remainder of 2010 going either back to the sponsor or to a nominated charity. If pubs or clubs are interested in having a darts exhibition night then I can provide this which will help me try and raise funds to carry on playing on the PDC circuit.”

Anybody that can help Ladders should contact him on 07827 292133 or via email at daviedarts@hotmail.com

IT WILL BE ALL WRIGHT ON THE NIGHT! Womens PDC WC News

Best of British luck to you Tricia! Rileys Qualifier to the Ladies World Darts final

Darts ace Tricia Wright, through to the Final of the Women’s World Championship, has had a ‘good luck’ call from top pro Anastasia Dobromyslova.

Tricia, 51, from Mitcham, Surrey, is one big game from collecting the £10,000 first prize.  She started on the road to the Final by winning an amateurs’ qualifying event at the Rileys Croydon Darts Zone.

Tricia, nicknamed The Wright Stuff, won through four more rounds to reach the Final at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, on Sunday July 25.

I really appreciate the phone call I got from Anastasia.  Anastasia’s call has really helped me get myself together for the big game.  She is a great player and an inspiration to me, and I have taken all her advice on board. - Tricia Wright

Former World Champion Anastasia went out of this inaugural PDC Unicorn Women’s World Championship to Stacy Bromberg – who Tricia now faces in the Final!

Anastasia said: “I phoned Tricia to wish her good luck and pass on some advice which I hope will help her do well.  It is great to see one of the Rileys’ qualifiers in the Final. I have my fingers crossed for Tricia to be named champion!”

Tricia is already guaranteed the £5,000 runner’s up prize if she falls to Bromberg.

Rileys, the UK’s largest pool and snooker operator, are opening Darts Zones across their clubs nationwide offering quality facilities for amateur players.  The Darts Zones feature championship-quality boards, hi-tech electronic scoring and specially-focused lighting. (Krispy: I’m chuffed to say that my local Rileys in Peterborough now a darts zone, so I better get there!)

Sponsoring professional darts players – Dave Ladley

I am starting a new series of articles in the hope of attracting new sponsors for the cream of up n coming darts professionals.  I would like to start by promoting a good friend to Darts, Beers & Cheers! – Dave ‘Ladders’ Ladley.  More about him in a bit…

Why do the players need sponsorship?

Unlike many professional sports, Darts pros on the PDC tour have to pay an entrance fee to take part in their ‘coal face’ events.  Those events take place throughout the year, two events a weekend, spread across the UK and also Europe (Holland, Austria and Germany), and even Las Vegas USA!  Entry fees alone come to some £4,000, and on top of that there’s travel and hotel accommodation.   Estimates put taking part in a full year coming to approx £12,000-£20,000!

By entering and winning money at those events, a darts pro earns ranking points, and the higher the ranking, the better TV tournaments they can enter.  Top prizes in TV events can rise to £200,000 for the World Championships!  There is some £5,000,000+ in total prize money within the PDC tour now.  Therefore you can see darts as a high risk, high reward sport – if you have the skill, determination, and BACKING (i.e. cash sponsorship), there may be no limit to your earnings potential and TV exposure.

What’s in it for me/my company?

If you are reading this and are looking to invest a relatively small amount of capital into a professional sportsman (and we are not talking pro golfer/footballer levels here!), then you should think about buying sponsorship of a professional in the PDC pro tour.  Darts is a sport which is on the up, regaining the TV coverage levels that it enjoyed in it’s prime.  Unlike many other sports, darts players who make TV events such at the World Championships can enjoy very prominent camera time (min 30 minutes – to many hours), where some 30% of the time YOUR ADVERT/PATCH will be in full view of the cameras (the players are hardly running around, so the text stays in focus for views to read).  Darts professionals are allowed to display up to 4 ‘patches’ on their shirts.

Standard sponsorship of a darts pro usually includes a clawback of a % of the players winnings, so any player benefiting and improving through your help will be able to put money back into your pocket – a win win for both of you.

Also if you are a darts fan (and these days, fans include England crickets, footballers, and TV stars such as Stephen Fry, even our Prime Minister!), players often invite their sponsors along to money can’t buy NON PUBLIC events, or to VIP areas of big TV events, so you could be rubbing shoulders with any number of stars.

Dave Ladley in Vegas

Why sponsor Dave Ladley?

Dave Ladley is a player on the cusp, who is totally dedicated to improving his game.  I’ve met Dave on many occasions, and am always impressed with his focus, intelligent analysis of the sport and psychology of sport, and of course his darts ability.   ‘Ladders’ as he is nicknamed also has a great rapport with darts fans, writing for this website, and taking an active part in other darts forums (such as ‘The Stars of Darts’).

With your companies logo/patch on his shirt, I’m sure Dave would do you proud at the many darts events he plays as your sponsored player.  As I’ve seen with other players, You can see examples of write-ups he has submitted for me here.

I’m interested, how do I have a chat about this?

Dave Ladley is looked after by the darts management team at “Dave Holland Management”.  You can just drop Dave Holland a line HERE, visit their website and get in touch there, or just use the contact form here and I will pass on your details and interest.

If you are a darts pro looking for a small feature such as this, please do get in touch with me (Krispy), and I will be happy to help.

A Player’s view of tour darts – Dave Ladley in Barnsley

Another write-up from Dave Ladley PDC Darts pro, about darts on the coal face of the pro tour. Dave is a good friend to me and Darts, Beers & Cheers!  and it’s great to have an view from the eyes of a pro.  I wish him the best of luck in the next couple of weeks, and I really hope his dedication to improving his darts pays dividends soon!  Dave’s official website can be found here, and he’s managed by Dave Holland Darts Management.

This time, his view of the weekend in Barnsley…

Barnsley Players Championship, Saturday 12^th June, 2010.

I travelled on the train to Mexborough with my son (Daniel) and met up with Darren Johnson for a practice at his house before going to the venue. We set off from his house at 10am and had plenty of time to get to the venue! I propose all Players Championships are to be played at Barnsley!!

In the first round I had drawn Paul Nicholson who was seeded 14 for the event and was the first game on. I have recently changed my mental attitude and approach to the game and was looking forward to trying it out against a top class player like Paul.

The game swung one way then the other and at 3-3 I was more than in the match but unfortunately it ended there with Paul taking some great finishes out to win the game 6-3. I was reasonably happy but still know I have a way to go yet but happy I had played half decent in my first test of the new attitude. My winning legs were 14,18,16 darts.

Darren Johnson won his first round against Tony Randell finishing the match on 170. Unfortunately he lost out in the next round to a very in-form Colin Lloyd.

The event was won by Gary Anderson who beat Mark Walsh in the final. Justin Pipe had a great run to the semi final before losing out to Gary Anderson.

Barnsley Players Championship, Sunday 13^th June, 2010.

I travelled with Darren and Daniel on Sunday and followed the same routine. I wish all these Players Championships could be closer!

In the first round I had drawn Vincent Van Der Voort and again was the first match on. I took the first leg in 15 darts and Vincent raised the level by taking the next 6 legs. I did not watch him throwing but know in the last 3 legs I had only thrown 9/12 darts so he must have been throwing well.

Looking at my weekend for positives I can surprisingly draw quite a few but I also know where I need to improve. My new approach to the game I feel is going to work for me however, I need to get more consistency in mid-game.

Looking forward to Holland and Las Vegas already!!

Thanks for reading,  Dave Ladley

Let’s see Dave in action – this video shows him at the 2007 World Championships, hitting a sweet 156 checkout against James Wade.  Dave only just lost that game to go into the last 16!

Justin Pipe wins TSoD forum sponsorship money

Justin on the pro tour, with Dave Ladley, both good friends of Darts, Beers & Cheers!

I’ve posted here before about how members of a darts forum; The Stars of Darts have come together to buy £25 shares to enable them to sponsor players on the PDC Pro tour.  I’ve even put my money where my mouth is and bought into the scheme, as I saw it as not only a really worthwhile thing to do as a darts fan, but also it made me feel closer to darts as a whole knowing that I’m putting something else back in, and maybe enabling a player to reach their full potential.

Well this year’s scheme has just finished voting, and the members have chosen Justin Pipe as their new sponsored player, who will be presented with approx £3,300 to help pay for his entries onto the pro tour (it costs £100 just to enter each floor tournament, and there are two a weekend, and over 30 in total!).  Justin was good enough to do an interview for me and this website, which you can find here.

Hopefully the money can help Justin ensure he can enter all the floor tournaments for the next year, which is extremely important to any player, as it’s where they not only earn a crust, but also those pounds turn into ranking points, which means they can enter the big TV tournaments, where they really can have an impact.

Well done to Justin (who has been very supportive of me and this site already), and bad luck to all the players who just missed out – including Jason Clarke who was in the final two vote off, who is giving 50% of his winnings to the Help for Heroes charity – an amazing gesture I’m sure you’d agree.

RICK LOWTHER RIP – a sad day for darts

Rick Lowther, RIP.

I’m sorry to have to bring darts fans bad news, yesterday darts lost one of it’s newest professionals, Rick Lowther, who passed away following a heart attack on Sunday.  I’d like to wish Rick’s family my condolences, and am sure all the darts fans who visit this site would like to do the same.

Rick, from Waterlooville in Hampshire, joined the PDPA in June 2009 and had been a regular on the PDC ProTour since last October.

He had reached the last 16 of a Players Championship in Crawley in March, his best result on the PDC circuit, and most recently played in April, although he had not won enough prize money to qualify for the Rileys Darts Zones UK Open next weekend.

“Rick only joined the PDPA last year after a highly successful county career with Hampshire,” said PDPA Director Andy Scott.

“He reached the last 16 of a recent Players Championship at Crawley and was steadily gaining prize money towards his goal of securing a tour card for 2011. Rick was just 46 and heartfelt condolences go to Sue and their young family.”

I know that many darts fans across Europe have been posting on the darts forums – including many darts players and pro’s who have played Rick over the years.

UK Open Day One Draw – Bolton gets serious!

THE draw for the opening night of the 2010 UK Open, on Thursday June 3, has been made.

The first two rounds of the tournament, plus a preliminary round featuring ten matches, will be played as the four-day event begins at the Reebok Stadium.

The Preliminary and First Rounds feature the players ranked from 65-96 in the UK Open Order of Merit, who are joined by the 32 Rileys Amateur Qualifiers and ten BDO County representatives.

The Second Round will feature the First Round’s 32 winners alongside the players ranked from 33-64 in the UK Open Order of Merit.  Tickets for the UK Open cost from £20 and are available by calling 0844 871 2932 or by visiting the Reebok Stadium Box Office.

UK Open Draw

Preliminary Round

Andy Hutchings v Darren Webster
Kevin Lowe v Jason Clark
Kevin Dowling v Jyhan Artut
Dean Stewart v Dylan Duo
Prakash Jiwa v John Lakeman
Andy Murray v Scott Rand
Par Riihonen v Steve Farmer
Reece Robinson v Hugh Ringland
Ashley Whisker v Gary Mawson
Peter Hudson v Paul Neate

First Round

Manley back on TV in the UK Open

Darren Sullivan v Tony Hutchings
Ryan Murray v Lowe/Clark
Alex Harrison v Jamie Green
Simon Cunningham v Jiwa/Lakeman
Matt Draper v Mark Harris
Tony Broughton v Mark Stephenson
Dowling/Artut v Murray/Rand
Robbie Newland v John Robertson
Sam Allen v Melvyn Johnston
Stuart Monaghan v William O’Connor
Mark Wilson v Paul Gibbs
Gary Eastwood v David Martin
Noel Grant v Ricky Evans
John Quantock v Matt Padgett
Louis Blundell v Richie Burnett
Michael Hammond v Henry O’Neill
Riihonen/Farmer v Dean Edlin
Paul Rowley v Anton Liscsey
Pete Fisher v Barrie Webb
Simon Jones v John Bowles
Nicky Bache v Martyn Turner
Whisker/Mawson v Stewart/Duo
Bradley Williams v Joe Palmer
Danny Pinhorne v Robinson/Ringland
Dave Honey v Mike Nott
Henry Murphy v Paul Warwick
Darren Latham v Joe Cullen
Dean Harris v Hutchings/Webster
Hudson/Neate v Dave Smith
Chris Loudon v Paul Whitworth
Steve Hine v Ian Gleeson
Jay Foreman v Barrie Knight

Second Round

Monaghan/O’Connor v Mark Frost
Justin Pipe v Chris Thompson
Colin Monk v Darren Johnson
Wayne Atwood v Steve Brown
Stuart Dutton v Cunningham/Jiwa/Lakeman
Sullivan/Hutchinson v Steve Evans
Rowley/Liscsey v Barrie Bates
Broughton/Stevenson v Dowling/Artut/A Murray/Rand
Honey/Nott v Latham/Cullen
Murphy/Warwick v Riihonen/Farmer/Edlin
R Murray/Lowe/Clark v Quantock/Padgett
Draper/M Harris v Bache/Turner
Kirk Shepherd v Adrian Gray
D Harris/Hutchings/Webster v Andy Smith
Grant/R Evans v Steve Beaton
Robert Thornton v Wilson/Gibbs
S Jones/Bowles v Michael Barnard
Mark Cox v Hammond/O’Neill
Hudson/Neate/Dave Smith v Paul Nicholson
Williams/Palmer v Roland Scholten
Eastwood/Martin v Whisker/Mawson/Stewart/Duo
Stephen Hardy v Foreman/Knight
Alex Roy v Mark Lawrence
Wayne Mardle v Mick McGowan
Kevin McDine v Harrison/Green
Michael Smith v Peter Manley
Nick Fullwell v Arron Monk
Tony Ayres v Loudon/Whitworth
Hine/Gleeson v Allen/Johnston
Blundell/Burnett v Pinhorne/Robinson/Ringland
Fisher/Webb v Chris Mason
Newland/Robertson v Dennis Smith

Barney awarded special whisky for his 9 darter

Barney has a lot of bottle (30 year old whisky bottle that is!) Pic Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Raymond van Barneveld has been presented with a commemorative bottle of Whyte & Mackay whisky to recognise his nine-dart finish in Aberdeen.

The achievement was his second nine-darter in the Premier League, matching his feat in the 2006 event against Peter Manley in Bournemouth, and the first on TV in Scotland.

Tournament sponsors Whyte & Mackay have recognised van Barneveld’s nine-darter by presenting the five-time World Championship with a commemorative bottle of their finest 30-year-old blend whisky.

“We offer our congratulations to Raymond for throwing an outstanding nine-darter in Aberdeen,” said Philip McTeer, Head of Brand for Whyte & Mackay.

“In recognition of his achievement we presented him with a bottle of Whyte & Mackay 30-year-old, as its only fitting that one of the world’s best darts players celebrates his successes with a dram of the world’s best blended whisky.

“Much like our whisky, Raymond is consistent in style, smooth under pressure and always a crowd pleaser.”

Well done Barney!  If you want some company drinking that find drop, you’re always welcome at my house!

Barney back to normal?  Will his darts do the talking now?

I thought I’d write up a few words about Raymond van Barneveld, as he’s always seemed a true gent and tungsten genius.   We all know how good he can play – his throw is liquid gold (I liken him to Erne Ells – another perfect movement in his sport).  A pumped up and firing Barney is a true joy, and pretty much no-one can touch him while looking so relaxed.

Can Barney get back to his best now? (courtesy Chris Sargeant, PDPA)

Recently though, Barney’s form hasn’t been there, and he’s seemed disinterested and bored with the darts.  Some of his decisions has appeared bizzare to say the least (not turning up to 3 UK Open qualifiers when he’d already reached the money required, so just appearances were needed to get into the Bolton event).

Many questioned his dedicatation to the sport, and a lot of fans felt let down – he has the talent of a darting god, but didn’t seem to want to use it.

There have been some rumours floating around the darts world, coming from Dutch newspapers I believe, of problems at home – Barney’s wife has followed him to nearly all his tournaments, and they’ve always seemed close…   Barney also split from his long time manager – was that a sign that all was not well?

Last night we heard from his own mouth why he’s not been concentrating on his darts;  he as been the victim of a blackmail plot!  He obviously did not share all the information – and who could blame him… but he did seem to indicate that the people responsible may have been caught by the police?   Whatever the reason for the blackmail, let’s hope that truely was Barney’s problem, and now he can relax and play as we all know he can.

It’s not been the real Barney in the last few weeks but the fans deserve to know that I’ve had personal problems and my private life was upside down. That’s in the past now I hope and I’m relieved – Raymond to his fans

Last night against Terry Jenkins we saw some one of his great performances – including a 9 darter in his second game!  (video and write up in previous article).  He did smile more, and appear more relaxed than for some time.  I know many people in the darting forums are now wishing him their best, and retracting earlier statements, as we really didn’t know what what happening in his life.  People will obviously continue to speculate – but I won’t go into any more details – this is a forum about darts after all – not heat magazine.

These people were phoning me and texting me and trying to extort money from me and threatening me in other ways.  It’s been almost impossible to see my family threatened and travel to matches and win games, I could hardly cope. I want to forget about it now and play darts.  It’s been the worst two months of my life.

Good luck Barney from all your fans, and lets hope you’re back where you belong – winning and competing against the best!  Krispy.