Darts 2002 Report

HOME!!! Darts 2002, with the subtitle "the show must go on" was a make or break year for Darts. Darts was in a phase of transition. The curtain had come down on the classic Trimleston venue and many observers were bitterly sorry to see it lie in tatters. Some speculated that Darts would not survive in 2002 and that the event would not take place. But due to the brilliance of men like Reilly, Johnson and the Minister, the show did indeed go on, on April 27th, moving to the massive new modern arena at Walsh Road to host an explosive tournament with fireworks, thrills, - a fitting setting for some classic darts. First Round Tom Henry 2 - Brendan Hanratty 0 Inaugaral champion Tom "The Truth" Henry was given a rousing welcome on his return to the sport after a three year absence, and faced a sticky tie against Brendan Hanratty, debuting with home advantage. Despite Hanratty throwing some good scores, Henry having nothing to prove used his guile and experience to grind out an unimpressive win, but his first since Darts 97. "A win is a win," Tom Henry said after, "it's great to be back in the tournament. Brendan Hanratty remained poignant, "I played reasonably well but didn't get the breaks. It is a tough arena to compete in". Pa Ryan 2 - Serguei Semikhatov 0 A novel pairing as the giant Russian was an imposing force on the oche and was unfazed by the pressure and crowd. Semikhatov hit some big scores and impressed the neutrals but suffered greatly when it came to checking out. The wily and experienced Scorpion King Ryan swooped in the first leg to checkout and snatch victory. Ryan controlled the second leg and finished as Semikhatov tried in vain to get a checkout. Ryan was delighted with his win and booked a meeting with Ciaran Bryan in the first round. Semikhatov was very disappointed and expressed a wish to set the record straight. John Joyce 2 - Brian Murphy 0 The favourite John Joyce threw well in the first leg in a delayed clash against the rank outsider Murphy. Murphy appearing for the first time in four years found the going tough and failed to score a good number of times. However in the second leg the bout slowed down to an almost standstill and a shootout was required to decide the leg. Murphy scored well in the shootout leaving Joyce to pull out a massive last gasp treble 20 to clinch an unimpressive victory and spare his blushes. Second Round Dave Doheny 2 - Barney Johnson 1 Bad News Johnson's dream of going one further than in 2001 were shattered by Doheny who was playing some smooth darts. In a high quality clash, Spaceman Doheny skipped ahead in the first but Johnson's brute force saw him right back in contention by clinching the second. However Doheny stepped up a gear in the third to clinch victory and continue his dominance over Rathkeale action man Johnson. Johnson was gracious in defeat and overall this bout contains little of the nastiness of their 2000 battle. Colm Lynch 2 - Brendan Fay 1 This novel Cavan derby was a superb high octane bout between experienced hardman Colm Lynch and hard living barman Brendan Fay. Lynch returned after missing Darts 2001 with a point to prove after his flop to Super Robot in 2000, and kicked off playing some good shots. However the main talking point was the explosive speed and power of Fay. Lynch came from behind to take the first leg and Fay's critics wrote him off as a man who couldn't finish. However in the second leg Fay proved them wrong as the Baileboro hardman stormed in with a great check out. The third leg was nip and tuck but it was the Virginia hardman's experience which steered Lynch home. A great match. James Henry 2 - Barry Conroy 0 The Druid James Henry was stinging in the face of derision from his critics after his miserable performances in previous tournaments and began throwing some super darts. Henry, unrecognisable from his 2000 and 2001 form was like a man possessed on the oche and never allowed Conroy to get an edge in this match. Conroy battled gamely to get into contention but the game was up as Henry romped home in fine fashion for his first win since Darts 99. Pat Kelly 2 - Jimmy Styles 1 On paper this looked like an easy assignment for Kelly, the Darts 99 champion and Styles was unfocussed and sloppy allowing Kelly to secure easily the first leg. With Kelly looking to find his form to retain his title, Styles was lagging behind in the second and with Kelly poised to check out, produced arguably the greatest moment in Darts history. Requiring 50 to finish, Styles was prompted by the crowd to try for the bull. "Bull! Where's that?" replied Styles and was told the red dot in the middle. The Tipp legend's next dart finished plum in the centre of the board bringing the roof down on the venue with the rapturous celebrations of amazed neutrals. With the scores set at 1-1, a thrilling third leg followed, with Styles playing the darts of his life and Big Pat pulling out some amazing shots to stay above water. In the end, Kelly's class was too much and his fine checkout saw him through to the last 8. A superb display from Styles which belied his low ranking. Gary Corcoran 2 - Tom Henry 0 The two old survivors from the inaugaral tournament clashing on the oche was a novel sight and a throwback to a golden age. The contest itself did not live up to the spectacle as the triumph of Tom Henry's return to darts as he was brought back to earth by a fine show by the progressive Minister Gary Corcoran. Corcoran controlled the opening leg staying ahead as Henry stuttered to a slow start and finishing with a solid checkout. In the second leg, Corcoran piled home his advantage, with Henry just not getting going. A nostalgic event for the two old timers. Ciaran Byran 2 - Pa Ryan 0 Despite Ciaran "The Bear" Bryan's pre-tournament predictions, very few were expecting any level of success for the giant hardman. Bryan faced a tough assignment against the experienced Scorpion King Ryan who is one of the grittiest players on the circuit, and was widely expected to advance. Despite the difficulty Ryan gave players in the past he was never allowed to get a foothold in this match. Bryan turned the tables in a low key affair with some accurate shooting and solid finishing. A minor shock, but the Bear's good form raised some eyebrows. Sean Laphen 2 - John Joyce 0 Two Darts Lappin was the newcomer all the neutrals wanted to see and the arena was packed to see how the brash youngster would cope against the finest player on the circuit. Lappin showed no fear of his great opponent and adapted well to the conditions, while Joyce, jaded from his recent preliminary was looking very shaky. With Lappin firing in some great scores and Joyce struggling to keep in touch, an amazing incedent occurred. As the third of John Joyce's darts unluckily bounced out of the board, he angrily volley kicked it against the wall, causing Lappin declare that he had "him on the ropes now". With derision ringing in John's ears, his game fell to pieces leaving the charismatic Two darts to romp home. Joyce was inconsolable at the finish and refused to blame his punishing match schedule. Denis Reilly 2 - Super Robot 1 In a delayed first round match, Reigning champion Neil "Super Robot" Corcoran and The Field Marshall Denis Reilly served up a feast of darts that will live long in the memory. Corcoran was bravely playing despite being debilitated with a substansial illness. His sickness didn't affect his form as he fired in some blistering scored, only matched by the superb form of Reilly. Reilly clinched the first with a handsome checkout, but the Robot tied the match with some of his best darts the big man has ever played at the events. However, Reilly's hunger and steely desire gave him the vital edge to clinch the final set in a match of true championship quality and revenge for Super Robot's 2000 victory. Afterwards, Corcoran dropped a retirement hint, but fans are hoping this was a comment made in the heat of the moment. Quarter finals Gary Corcoran 2 - Colm Lynch 0 Corcoran's strong form continued against Cavan hardman Lynch who was jaded from his battle with Fay. Some consistent throwing by the Minister coupled with effective checkouts allowed him to gain the edge over his former Trimleston clubmate. Lynch did have some good moments but in the end it was the Minister to who finished the bout off quickly to reach a record third semi final. Denis Reilly 2 - James Henry 0 Another impressive victory for the Marshall with Henry trying bravely but having no response to the Marshall's accuracy and consistency. The bout was over as a contest early in the first leg as the Druid was simply unable to match the Louth legend's steel and seemed resigned to defeat. The match petered out as a contest however Henry had done enough in the tournament to heal his wounded pride. Pat Kelly 2 - Dave Doheny 1 Another repeat of a Darts 2000 clash with again the tables being reversed. In probably the pick of the quarter finals, Doheny served up another high quality show which would have defeated most opponents on the circuit. Kelly is made of stronger stuff and his desire to retain his title was still obvious. In a pulsating match, it was Kelly who came up with the goods in the third leg with a trademark checkout after three top notch legs to secure his semi final berth. Ciaran Byran 2 - Sean Laphen 0 After his high profile demolition of Joyce, Lappin was being touted by many as a possible contender for the title, until he ran up against the brick wall of Ciaran Bryan, who ground out another impressive win. Those who had derided Bryan's pre-tournament claims of success were left feeling foolish as the Bear dominated the game from start to finish, staying ahead of the dangerous youngster and piling in some good scores. No shame for Lappin in defeat, as Byran ripped up the so-called experts' predictions. Semi finals Denis Reilly 2 - Gary Corcoran 1 After disposing of the elder Corcoran, The Marshall found his path to the final blocked by The Minister, who was fiercely determined to reach his first final. This was a pulsating if scrappy battle where the players battled each others' wits as well as their own units. Reilly dominated the first leg and checked out with Corcoran snapping at his heels. In the second, Reilly ate into the Minister's lead before Corcoran checked out just in time. The third leg saw the Marshall squeeze his control and check his way into the final leaving the Minister devastated. Ciaran Byran 2 - Pat Kelly 0 An intruiging clash between the two big men, most neutrals had Kelly down as tournament favourite at this stage. The Bear had again torn up the script and proceeded to grind out the Ringsend hard man in the first leg and take an impressive checkout. Double Tops Kelly responded strongly in the second but Bryan's vice like grip could not be relinquished. Bryan's shocking performance against Johnny the Fugitive last year seemed like a distant memory as the huge man-mountain rolled into the final. The popular Kelly could have had few regrets on the night. Final Denis Reilly 3 - Ciaran Bryan 1 A great final was served up with another powerful display by Reilly. Reilly shot ahead in the first leg and managed to check out with Byran snapping at his heels. The second leg was a more straight forward victory for Reilly as he looked to finish off the event early. The Bear had other ideas and put in a storming third leg display to come back into contention. However the giant grinder could only look on in admiration as Reilly went up a gear, came up with the shots to finish the final a three one winner and was crowned 2002 King of Darts.