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HOME!!! 1 Feb DARTS 2001 ante-post odds. Paul Dolan 11/8 Pat Kelly 10/3 John Joyce 7/2 AJ Heaney 5/1 Dave Doheny 6/1 John Heaney 6/1 Tom Henry 10/1 Paul McGettrick 10/1 Denis Reilly 12/1 Pa Ryan 12/1 Barry Conroy 16/1 Colm O'Donnell 16/1 Neil Corcoran 25/1 Colm Lynch 25/1 Digger Matthews 33/1 Dan Grennan 33/1 Gary Corcoran 40/1 Conor Guinan 40/1 James Henry 50/1 Barney Johnson 50/1 Vince Meyler 100/1 Dick Hanratty 200/1 Jimmy Styles 500/1 With the odds for Darts 2001 just published, it seems the bookies are taking no chances and naming reigning King of Darts Paul Dolan as a low-odds favourite. Dolan was in immaculate form in 2000 and the bookies see him as the man to beat with the return of Dave 'inter county' Heaney unlikely. The two main challengers on the board are the Ringsend pair of Pat 'Double Top' Kelly and John 'Dart Vader' Joyce. Kelly took the title in 99 and Joyce went close last year and there may be value in those odds if their pre-tournament form was well known. Dave 'The Monk' Doheny also looks a decent bet at 6-1. The possible return of former golden boy Al 'Stretch' Heaney, and former champs Tom 'The Truth' Henry and Johnny 'The Cat' Heaney has bookies perplexed. There is no doubting the talent of these legends but will they still have the old sparkle and hunger? The 10-1 on Henry could yet be the value bet of the year. McGettrick, Ryan, Reilly and Conroy are all on offer at decent odds but the feeling is they missed the boat in previous tournaments and there could be more success on keeping an eye on Colm 'Mad Dog' O'Donnell. O'Donnell could be a major force if he eliminates any signs of weakness. Neil 'Super Robot' Corcoran's fine showing last year has been dismissed as a fluke by the bookies as he is rated at 25-1 - the same odds as returning Cavan hardman Colm Lynch who has a point to prove. Keith 'Digger' Matthews may well be over-priced at 33s as he was unlucky last year and Dan 'The Madman 'Grennan could be another useful each-way bet. However, the 40-1 on offer for annual flops Conor 'The high priest' Guinan and Gary 'The Minister' Corcoran are ungenerous odds. Among the players rated as no-hopers are Meyler, Hanratty and 'The vindicator' - Jimmy Styles however there is a feeling that James 'The Druid' Henry and Barney 'Bad News' Johnson are overpriced at 50-1. Johnson cannot perform any worse than in previous years it remains to be seen whether Henry will ever use any of his undoubted talent or drift into darts obscurity. BETTING VERDICT - No bet, till the first round draw is made and a clearer analysis can be made. 6 February 2001 FURY AT SUPER ROBOT IN CAHILLS DEBACLE Neil 'Super Robot' Corcoran has been slammed by locals who attended a novel challenge match against his brother Gary 'The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs' Corcoran in Cahill's, West Offaly on Saturday last. It is alleged he did not give 100% in the three match contest and used it as experimentation. Mr. J Egan who was at the venue with his young sons told us 'I was disgusted as I attended the game between the Minister and Colm 'Mad Dog' O'Donnell two weeks ago and it was excellent entertainment. My sons were excited at seeing the Super Robot match as they are fascinated with automata. Well I won't be paying good money to look at him again.' In the event, Gary Corcoran recorded a facile 2-1 victory in a very poor contest. 'It was grim stuff,' observed Mr. J Kelly. Super Robot abandoned his traditional 'treble 14' tactic in favour of loosely aiming at random numbers with little success. After the event he was reflective. 'I am keen to expand on my game as although my tactics last year were very successful, a bit extra is needed to compete with the likes of Dolan, Pat Kelly and the Cat. I can assure fans that I will be back to playing to my traditional strengths in March.' Gary Corcoran dismissed suggestions that he is now an outside contender for the title. 'There's a big gap between beating a few lads in matches in pubs and the standard in the Trimleston arena. I played very poorly in Cahills and was quite fortunate to get the victory. I hope to give whoever I draw in Darts 2001 a tough challenge.' Credit was also paid to the organisers on Saturday for averting disaster when it transpired that the house darts were unavailable for the challenge. A set was acquired at short notice to save the evening. PA RYAN IN MORALE FUNCTION Pa 'the Collosus' Ryan was the guest of honour at a function held in his home town of Templemore last week to boost his morale for Darts 2001 and for the locals to show their support. The gifted Ryan who has yet to reach the latter stages of the tournament, attended the surprise function under the pretence of a romantic night out but was flabbergasted when he was greeted by 400 locals in a packed venue. There was music, rousing anthems and some fiery speeches from family members who have fully pledged their support to Ryan. Pa was later asked to make a speech and seemed reluctant to address the crowd. He was eventually persuaded and nervously told the crowd that the next time he hoped to see them would be as King of Darts, which caused wild whooping and roaring among the crowd. ROUNDUP Mad Al Heaney is reported to be undergoing a low key buildup in his new base in the South East and has focussed on 'steeling up' aspects of his lifestyle that were once considered brittle. Also gone underground this year is Keith 'Digger' Matthews. Matthews has quit the construction trade for a career in I.T. and hopes this will give him and edge in March. 'There's more to darts to jostling lads on the oche,' Digger pondered, 'If I were to play Conroy today I am confident I would not get my sums wrong.' Meanwhile Russian coach Serguei is reported to be close to despair with his role of coaching Barry Conroy and Barney Johnson. Insiders have revealed that he is making little progress in coping with Conroy's lack of concentration and Johnson's aggression. There are suggestions he will dump the pair and enter darts 2001 himself under the non-eu ruling. Doubts remain over Tom Henry's entry into the event also. The inaugaral King of Darts has taken up a job as a race track clerk who tests the going for major race festivals by plunging a car key into the turf. There is a possible clash for Henry with the forthcoming racing festival at Cheltenham and Darts 2001. 12 February 2001 BYRAN LAUNCHES DARTS 2001 CHALLENGE AT EMOTIONAL PRESS CONFERENCE German based man-mountain Ciaran 'The Bear' Byran launched his entry campaign for Darts 2001 at an emotional press conference in the Bavarian Alps on Friday night last. Byran, who qualified under the Trimleston EU-hardship fund as a late entrant made the following speech to a packed conference centre. 'My name is Ciaran Byran and my story is a sad one. Last year I was sitting at home reading the paper when I saw an ad for jobs and accomodation in Germany. I came over but when I got here my heart sank to the ground. You can hear the cockroaches going along the pipes. They laid me off and now I am stuck here wasting away. Now all I've ever wanted was to raise enough money to get home to my family. I applied for a grant under the hardship fund and am gambling it all on getting back to enter Darts 2001. Hopefully a good performance will allow me to get myself back on the rails.' Byran was given a standing ovation by the audience of Germans who chanted his name as he pledged not to let them down. The bookies are cautiously offering odds of between 10-1 and 14-1 on Byran who is a definite unknown quantity. CONROY LASHES WITHDRAWAL RUMOURS Barry Conroy has hit back at recent rumours that he is to be withdrawn from Darts 2001 by his Russian coach Serguei. Speaking at a function on Saturday night he lashed reports that he was to pull out. 'Ehhh, it's simply not true. Serguei is taking me to America for a few weeks to go on the demanding US tour. I will play a lot of competitive matches against American fellas. I hope to work on volume tolerance aswell over there.' Conroy is heading off to the US today however stable mate Barney 'Bad News' Johnson lashed the trip. 'Barry filling his fat face with weak lagers for two weeks will do him no favours. I will stuff him when we meet and then Doheny in revenge for 2000.' Pa Ryan and Dave Doheny also confirmed their Darts 2001 attendence at the fundraiser for Conroy's US trip. Doheny warned fans that it would be difficult for him to repeat his heroics of Darts 2000 but would not let himself down and hoped to dump out Barney Johnson again who he labelled 'a blight on the fine sport of darts'. Ryan was pensive and noted that the standards are always increasing and expects Darts 2001 to be no different. He stated that Paul Dolan is still the player to beat but agreed with Dolan that Gary Corcoran's recent performances must surely mark him as a dangerous threat. MAD DOG BITES MAD MAN Colm 'Mad Dog' O'Donnell obliterated Dan 'The Madman' Grennan in head to head stamina challenges over the weekend. O'Donnell has seen his darting form deteriorate in recent weeks and was keen to get in some stamina practice. As Grennan is refusing to have any meaningful darting practice in the run up to the event, he was happy to oblige with some stamina practice in a two-legged fixture on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Observers noted 'Mad dog destroyed Grennan. Grennan was left in a haze and lost his keys. Grennan is no slouch himself but I haven't seen a performance like O'Donnell's on years.' Grennan was unavailable for comment this morning as reporters camped outside his house, while O'Donnell was in fine form. However the exercise was slammed by housewives' favourite Jimmy 'The Vindicator' Styles. 'This sort of thing is not healthy and is a far cry from the charity work done by the Trimleston club in the past when you had the likes of Big Al Heaney there. It is the pigeons I feel sorry for in this debacle.' DOLAN'S PROMO SINGLE FLOPS AFTER LIVE RADIO PERFORMANCE. King of Darts Paul Dolan has been rocked by the flop of his promotional single for the buildup to Darts 2001. Advance copies of the single were a record high for Dolan's release which was launched on Radio Kerry yesterday when Dolan performed the track live. However Radio Kerry's switchboards were jammed with irate callers as local record shops were inundated with angry parents looking for their money back. 'It's rubbish,' said Mrs K. O'Sullivan of Sneem, 'it's just Dolan shouting 'I'll kick your ass' over and over followed by an indulgent drum solo for twenty minutes. I wasted no time in returning the copy I had bought for my two sons.' In total 10,000 copies of the single were returned from people just like Mrs. O'Sullivan. Dolan was reported to have said that he was disappointed that some of his audience failed to understand his work. DARTS DATE SET FOR SATURDAY MARCH 10th As above. 26 February 2001 TOM HENRY OUT OF DARTS 2001 Inaugaral King of Darts Tom 'The Truth' Henry has been forced to withdraw from Darts 2001 due to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in England. In an emotional press conference from his base in West London, Henry announced 'I am distraught to announce my withdrawal from Darts 2001. This is due to fears over the current foot and mouth outbreak which is ravaging England. I will not put livestock in Ireland at risk by travelling until we have been given the all-clear by the ministry of agriculture. As this is not forthcoming I will not be able to attend. Henry's forced withdrawal is a massive blow for the man who skipped 2000 to concentrate on 2001. Seen as a member of the old guard along with likes of Meyler, Guinan and the Heaneys, his abscence is much regretted. SUPER ROBOT SLAMMED OVER DECISION TO DEFY FOOT AND MOUTH Neil 'Super Robot' Corcoran has been slammed by Mad Al Heaney over his decision to travel from London for Darts 2001. Heaney, an agricultural advisor said 'I am sad that my old friend Tom cannot make it, but his decision is the sensible one. Super Robot on the otherhand is being reckless and wayward. The threat is immense. I still cannot confirm if I can attend darts 2001 as I will be returning to the farm afterwards'. Super Robot dismissed the claims as scaremongering. 'I have not been in the countryside or in contact with livestock. I am disappointed with Mad Al's comments. Hopefully he will appear on March 10 to be silenced.' CAT M.I.A 1998 King of Darts Johnny 'The Cat' Heaney has yet to return from his world tour and although his exact whereabouts are unknown, he is believed to be in Amsterdam. His participation in Darts 2001 looks unlikely. Colm Lynch criticised the Cat stating 'the Cat is fluting about long enough. Darts needs him to come back as the event is dominated now by faceless bores like Pat Kelly and the lad that won it last year. The Cat and Henry are like Wilson and Bristow'. MINISTER CLASHES WITH SOFT-TIPPERS Gary 'The Minister' Corcoran was involved with ugly clashes with soft tip darts players in 'le bar de chelsea' in Cannes, France which have seen him receive both a mixture of criticism and praise. Corcoran, was seen to boo, goad and ridicule the soft-tippers who were trying to play a game in the bar and then went on to drunkenly deride and mock the players by mimicing their actions and making noises. A confrontation developed and Corcoran was led away by colleagues taunting the soft-tippers who had to be restrained. The minister's actions were slammed by some locals who claimed he went too far and was disrespectful. However other saw the incedent as an excellent exercise in the hard stance taken against soft-tippers which looks to have been stepped up. Reports that the soft tips were stolen by Corcoran remain unconfirmed. FUGITIVE ENTERS THE FRAY Johnny 'the fugitive' Walsh heads the list of wildcard entries for Darts 2001. Walsh, a close associate of Dan 'the Madman' Grennan has been drafted into the club by Grennan to intensify the indurance battles against Colm 'Mad Dog' O'Donnell. The move has been seen as a success by local observers in contrast to the drubbings administered by O'Donnell to Grennan. Grennan still refuses to engage in any actual darting prior to the event. This will be a risky strategy if he is drawn to play early like last year when he lost against Pat 'Double Tops' Kelly in a gritty encounter. If his first round match is later in the draw, his endurance and stamina could be a key factor. ODDS UPDATE With the withdrawal of Tom Henry and the participation of some key challengers (Doheny, Al Heaney, The Cat Heaney and Reilly) in doubt, Paul Dolan's odds as favourite have shortened further and bookies looking no further than the big three of Dolan, Kelly and John 'Dart Vader' Joyce. Entrant Ciaran Bryan enters the betting at 10-1 but wildcard Johnny Walsh is on a shorter 9-2 as the bookies taking no chances with the dangerous fugitive if he does appear. O'Donnell and Grennan's recent stamina exercise have seen their odds cut, along with Gary and Neil Corcoran who have had a lot of each way backers. Overall, the feeling among punters is that there is very little value to be had in darts 2001 and still no big bets till the final week. Paul Dolan (11-8) 5-4 Pat Kelly (10-3) 3-1 John Joyce 7-2 John Walsh 9-2 AJ Heaney (5-1) 6-1 John Heaney (6-1) 8-1 Ciaran Bryan 10-1 Paul McGettrick 10-1 Pa Ryan (12-1) 10-1 Dave Doheny (6-1) 12-1 Gary Corcoran (40-1) (25-1) 12-1 Barry Conroy (16-1) 14-1 Colm O'Donnell (16-1) (20-1) 14-1 Neil Corcoran (25-1) 20-1 Dan Grennan (33-1) 25-1 Denis Reilly (12-1) (20-1) 33-1 Digger Matthews 33-1 Barney Johnson (50-1) 33-1 James Henry 50-1 Conor Guinan (40-1) 66-1 Vince Meyler 100-1 Dick Hanratty 200-1 Jimmy Styles (500-1) 200-1 |