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HOME!!! 2 Jan MARSHALL AND MINISTER SET DATE FOR 2003 EXTRAVAGANZA The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs Gary Corcoran and The Field Marshall and 2002 King of Darts Denis Reilly announced the date for the 2003 Darts tournament. "Darts 2003 will be held on January 18th," announced Corcoran, "I thank the hosts and look forward to another bonanza of darts, our seventh event." Reilly added "I look forward to the darts and the defence of my title, it promises to be a great event". A sixteen strong field are poised to battle for the Darts 2003 title. The announcement made before Christmas leaves just over two weeks for competitors to complete their preparations. SUPER ROBOT DENIES RETIREMENT BUT CONFIRMS 2003 WITHDRAWAL Neil "Super Robot" Corcoran has denied ever retiring from the darts genre, however confirmed he would be taking a break from the sport for the 2003 event. Speaking at a Christmas function, Corcoran confirmed "I never retired from Darts. This story was completely unfounded. I will not be competing at darts 2003. It is two early in the year for me and I am disappointed at the event being moved from Spring to Winter." The Minister Gary Corcoran responded, "I am disappointed Neil will not be at Darts 2003 however his decision not to retire is good for the game. I must also add that the original Darts events were held in early in the year and were only moved to late Spring for Darts 99. The committee are correct in adhering to original policy." Ciaran "the Bear" Bryan was less forgiving - "This is a clear cop out from the Robot. Why are Phil Taylor and his rivals on telly every January? It's the darts season that's why. In fact the committee shouldn't have him back." MASS HYSTERIA AS "TWO-DARTS" SET TO RETURN Massively entertaining star Sean "Two Darts" Laphen has delighted fans by announcing he plans to return for Darts 2003 to build on his success in darts 2002. Laphen, who it is reputed only need "Two Darts" to post a high score, exploded onto the scene with a shock victory over top ranked John Joyce, before pluckily losing to Ciaran "The Bear" Bryan. In fact the star plans to perform his own song he has written about his exploits at the event. "Two darts is a phenomenon, we are delighted to have him as part of the lineup," said Barney "bad news" Johnson. ODDS FOR DARTS 2003 RELEASED The intriguing "bookies odds" have been released for Darts 2003 as follows. Denis Reilly 11-4F - Defending champion and favourite - has set the standard. Ciaran Bryan 7-2 - Has shown massive ability and a fearsome presence. John Joyce 4-1 - Gifted individual who should have won title by now. Paul Dolan 4-1 - Talented and brilliant, but doubters question his hunger. Pat Kelly 11-2 - Kelly showed his ability and potential last year Gary Corcoran 6-1 - Has established himself as a durable competitor. John Heaney 8-1 - A dangerous threat after years in wilderness Sean Laphen 10-1 - Few would relish a crack against the charismatic showman Dave Doheny 10-1 - A menacing darter who has one good event in him before fatherhood. Barney Johnson 12-1 - Mister inconsistent but a threat on home ground. Smiler 14-1 - An unknown threat from down under Colm O'Donnell 16-1 - Dark horse mad dog could cause a massive upset Colm Lynch 16-1 - Lynch is a solid presence on the oche. James Henry 20-1 - Showed his old form last year Tom Henry 20-1 - Can improve after his successful comeback Pa Ryan 25-1 - Needs to discover consistency Jimmy Styles 25-1 - Super battling last year from Styles. Serguei Semikhatov - The big Russian struggled with the units. Conor Guinan 33-1 - Another dark darts horse on the comeback trail. Barry Conroy 40-1 - Needs to improve after poor showings Brendan Hanratty 50-1 - Not regarded as a major contender. IN BRIEF CAT SET FOR 2003 RETURN John the Cat Heaney announced he is looking forward to returning to the darts genre for the first time since his legendary Darts 98 triumph. "I like darts", announced the Cat at Christmas. COMPETITORS INVITED TO CONFIRM THEIR ATTENDANCE Competitors on this list are asked to confirm either way their attendance to the committee by emailing The Minister. 10 Jan DARTS 2003 RESCHEDULED FOR JAN 25 Due to the unavailability of the venue on the original Darts date, Darts 2003 has been fixed for Saturday January 25th, in Walsh Road. Gary Corcoran explained "due to renovation work which will not be completed till the day of the 18th, we have put back the event until the 25th. As it turns out, this suits our competitors better". King of Darts Denis Reilly and Barney "Bad News" Johnson are set to host another exquisite event and darts mania is in full swing. SUPER ROBOT IN AMAZING DARTS U-TURN 2001 King of Darts Neil "Super Robot" Corcoran has executed a staggering u-turn with his decision to now attend Darts 2003. Corcoran, who it was reported had "retired" from darts recently announced that the decision to postpone darts 2003 till the last weekend of January has given him enough time to prepare for the competition on the tough London East End pub circuit. The Robot explained, "January 18th was a poor choice of date by the committee. It is too early in the darts season for players to have prepared properly. I will not attend unless my preparations are complete and my form is of the top standard. The extra week makes all the difference." Corcoran is regarded among the favourites for the event as he bids along with the Marshall and Johnny the Cat to become the first man to clinch two darts titles. RYAN LASHES CRITICS AGAIN Underfire star Pa Ryan hit back at critics at a public appearance in Templemore last weekend. Ryan, was appearing in a local tavern with some of the most trusted members of his entourage, for a units and accuracy practice session. Unbeknownst to the Tipp hardman, members of the local press descended on the venue, keen for a quick story. Ryan was quizzed about his quarter final defeats and it was suggested to them that he had lost his love for the sport of darts. Ryan responded, ""What is love? Oh baby, don't hurt me; Don't hurt me no more"." While the stunned press stood in silence, Ryan's supporters brought the house down roaring and cheering and Ryan was carried out aloft on the shoulders (of 37 lads). CAT SPONSORS MARSHALL'S BROTHER John the Cat Heaney, the Darts 98 champ unveiled a new protege, Colm Reilly to compete in Darts 2003. Reilly, is a brother of the King of Darts Denis "The Field Marshall" Reilly, and Heaney is confident that Reilly will enjoy a promising debut. "He is a nice man", Heaney enthused. Inaugaral King of Darts Tom Henry commented "this is similar to the situation with Eric Bristow and Phil Taylor in the world of darts. I see the Cat as Brissie, who took Taylor under his wing and gave him money to give up his job in the power station. It remains to be seen if Reilly jnr will have an impact like Taylor's". SHORTS DOLAN 50-50 FOR DARTS 2003 RETURN No decision to be made till week before event. BYRAN IN HIGH SPEED ALPINE CAR SMASH Star denies stealing car en route to Bavaria. O'DONNELL PARTICIPATION UNCERTAIN Briefing to press made at the "vibe for Philo" indicates possible absence. MARSHALL CLEAR FAVOURITE IN BETTING 13 Jan STRONG LINEUP CONFIRMED FOR DARTS 2003 Entries have closed for Darts 2003 with a very competitive line up of 22 players announced. The list sees former champions John Heaney, Neil Corcoran and Paul Dolan along with the holder, Denis Reilly and a strong chasing pack of challengers. Darts 2003 goes truly intercontinental this year, with Chris Topher from USA, and Mark "Smiley" Ellis from Australia adding to the great Russian Semikhatov who all add a cosmopolitan feel to the event. The full list of entrants is as follows. Ciaran Bryan Barry Conroy Gary Corcoran Neil Corcoran Dave Doheny Paul Dolan * Mark Ellis Brendan Fay * Conor Guinan * Gregor Hall Brendan Hanratty * John Heaney James Henry Barney Johnson Sean Laphen Colm O'Donnell * Colm Reilly Denis Reilly Pa Ryan * Serguei Semikhatov* Jimmy Styles Chris Topher * denotes - to be confirmed. MINISTER FORMS RULES ADMINISTRATION SUB-COMMITTEE The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, Gary Corcoran has formed a sub-committee to deal with proposals for rules changes for the Darts 2003 format. Corcoran has co-opted Tom Henry, Pat Ryan and Neil Corcoran to the Rules administration sub-committee herewith and the group will conference to discuss the potential rule changes. Among the proposed changes are - Increase in number of legs in final. - Increase in number of legs in semi-finals. - Increase in number of legs in quarter-finals. - Abolition of "no bust on double one rule" - Abolition of shootout rule. Neil Corcoran and Tom Henry are former champions with a wealth of experience at all levels in the competition while Ryan is respected as one of the most forwarding thinking, logical and rational men on the circuit. The Sub-committee will report their findings later this week. ODDS UPDATE No major moves in the betting markets. Super Robot is lodged as a dangerous second favourite to the Marshall, while Ellis, Topher, Hall and Colm Reilly are all respected by the bookies. Denis Reilly 11-4 5-2 Neil Corcoran 3-1 Ciaran Bryan 7-2 7-2 Paul Dolan 4-1 7-2 Colm Reilly 5-1 Gary Corcoran 6-1 7-1 John Heaney 8-1 7-1 Chris Topher 8-1 Mark Ellis 14-1 10-1 Sean Laphen 10-1 Dave Doheny 10-1 12-1 Gregor Hall 12-1 Barney Johnson 12-1 14-1 Brendan Fay 16-1 Colm O'Donnell 16-1 20-1 James Henry 20-1 Pa Ryan 25-1 Serguei Semikhatov 28-1 Jimmy Styles 25-1 33-1 Conor Guinan 33-1 40-1 Barry Conroy 40-1 Brendan Hanratty 50-1 DARTS 2003 JANUARY RANKINGS Here are the pre-tournament rankings of the current players on the tour prior to the Darts 2003 event. 1. Neil Corcoran 65 2. Denis Reilly 63 3. Gary Corcoran 62 4. Paul Dolan 52 5. Ciaran Bryan 43 6. Dave Doheny 40 7. John Heaney 39 8. Tom Henry 38 9. Barney Johnson 36 10 Pa Ryan 35 11 James Henry 31 12 Barry Conroy 27 13 Sean Laphen 20 14 Conor Guinan 19 15 Gregor Hall 0 15 Colm Reilly 0 15 Mark Ellis 0 15 Chris Topher 0 19 Brendan Fay 0 20 Serguei Semikhatov 0 20 Colm O'Donnell 0 20 Brendan Hanratty 0 23 Jimmy Styles 0 14 Jan RULES ADMINISTRATION SUB-COMMITTEE REPORT FINDINGS The rules administration sub-committee of Ryan, Henry and the Corcoran brothers released their findings today after a day of passionate and sometimes heated debate. Out of a total of five proposed rule amendments, the only change was the abolition of the "no burst on double one" rule. This proposal was passed unaminiously. Here follows the minister's statement. "The no burst on double one rule has now been scrapped. It is felt this rule is no longer relevant today with the generally high standard of play. While this will inconvenience players who use the tactic of reducing their score to "2" before attempting to check out, it is felt the removal of this tactic will not overall inconvenience the game. The shootout rule has been retained, as due to the nature of playing a mass knockout tournament within a one day timeframe, some sort of sudden death scenario is required. The criteria for a shootout will remain the same. While some members feared that the shootout will occur more quickly due to the abolition of the double one rule, it has been seen from previous events that this is not the case. The proposals to lengthen the semifinals and finals were narrowly defeated. They will be reviewed again prior to Darts 2005. The proposal to lengthen the quarter finals was unanimously defeated." Also the Minister has increased the units rule from 10 to 12 units. RULES IN FULL TOURNAMENT RULES 2001 1. All legs 501 (single in, double out (+ see rules 6)) 2. Closest to bull ON ONE DART throws first in first leg. Throw alternates every leg. 3. Final, best of five legs, all others best of three legs. 4. Before a player removes their darts from the board after throwing they should state their score to the referee/scorekeeper who will verify the score. Any disputes involving scoring should be resolved prior to the throw of the opponent. Any disputes after play has resumed will not be entertained and the score marked on the card by the scorekeeper is final. 5. If both players have failed to score or burst on each of their last five consecutive throws, then the leg is decided by the highest score on six darts each. 6. Players may not compete in the tournament unless they have consumed or are in the process of consuming a minimum of 12 units. 7. Any player whose toe encroaches over the line of the oche scores 0 for any darts thrown whilst encroaching. 8. Silence is requested in the arena while players are at the oche. 9. Players or spectators engaging in boorish, unruly, disruptive or ungentlemanly conduct whilst a player is at the oche will be cautioned. Such ungentlemanly conduct includes deliberate slow play, assault and sledging of a tawdry and gutter based nature. Repeated cautioning may lead to expulsion from the arena and/or disqualification from the event. 10. Mobile phones or pagers are not permitted in the arena. 11. The decision of the Committee is final in all matters. BYRAN IN ANKLE AGONY Ciaran "the bear" Bryan's participation in Darts 2003 is in doubt due to the talented star suffering an ankle break during a "soccer" match, designed to improve his fitness. "I just felt it go when i was lunging for the ball, it swelled up like a balloon". While Byran is on crutches and incapacitated, he vowed to compete in the tournament. 17 Jan "THE TRUTH ABOUT WITHDRAWALS AND RETIREMENTS" Neil Super Robot Corcoran has been accused of being a "dishonest shamster" by rivals following some new information leaked to Darts news. Corcoran perpetrated a long running "will he/won't he" style farce regarding his rumoured retirement, followed by a flat denial that he ever retired. This was in spite of a leading number of well-respected players testifying that Corcoran had told them he retired in the dying hours of the 2002 event. Then Corcoran withdrew from Darts 2003 at Christmas, citing that it was too early in the year for him to be prepared properly. However sources in London's East End close to the 2001 King of Darts have revealed that the star has spent "a substansial sum" on installing a multichannel satellite TV system in his house to be ready for the screening of "The truth about Cats and Dogs" on RTE1, this Saturday night, which was the original darts 2003 date. Conincedentally, when the Darts 2003 date was pushed back one week due to the Walsh Road renovations, Corcoran declared he would compete. Rivals and critics have wasted no time in slamming Corcoran, stating that "the truth about cats and dogs" is out on video and DVD and can be seen at any time. However Super Robot has received backing from Darts 98 champ Johnny "The Cat" Heaney who said "there's no comparison between a TV station screening a film and watching it on video. You never get the same buzz as when it's on TV". HENRY JOINS DARTS NEWS Darts News was boosted by the signing of the inaugaral King of Darts Tom "the truth" Henry as a guest columnist. Henry is well known for his hard hitting views and vows to "give it to the darts public straight". A veteran of four tournaments and the champion of the first ever Darts event, Henry has a wealth of experience and has done it all at the very top level. Henry's betting previews are also sure to be of much interest to keen punters. CAT VOWS TO PROTECT PROTEGEE John The Cat Heaney has vowed that he will protect his protegee Colm Reilly from the pressures and intrusions of the darts media and the world at large. "I will protect Colm from the media, just like Alex Ferguson did with Ryan Giggs, mrrrmrr." Heaney's claims that he is acting as mentor for Colm Reilly have been dismissed by insiders who claim that Heaney hardly knows Reilly and has only met him in the pub a couple of times. DELANEY LATE ENTRY FOR DARTS 2003 Conor Delaney, an associate of TwoDarts Laphen and Gregor Hall has been accepted as a late entry for Darts 2003. This leaves the field at 23 for the event, although it is accepted that some wildcards will most likely be unable to show up. STARTING MONDAY - "DARTS WEEK" - the final run in to the massive event. 20 January CAT DEMANDS MID-EVENT INTERVAL Darts 98 champ Johnny "The Cat" Heaney who is returning to the event after five years out of the game, has demanded the committee provide a "mid event interval" for two hours during Darts 2003. Heaney stated that players' welfare and maintaining the standard of play was of utmost concern. "I think there should be a break, for two hours, after the second round, at about six o'clock. It is important." The Committee dismissed immediately the Cat's demands as unworkable. Darts News called to the Stags Head to seek further comment from Heaney, but his colleagues said he was out on a break. When asked for their views, they were dismissive and said that The Cat was only interested in having the two hour breaks as the film "Fly Away Home" is being screened on TV3 at six. "It's one of the Cat's favourites with all the geese and that," added "Frank". FINAL COMPETITORS CONFIRM MASSIVE FIELD With the confirmation of Conor "The High Priest" Guinan on Friday, two more names were added to the final list. John Looby and Declan O'Regan, close associates of the Marshall will debut on Saturday, leaving a total field of 25. This figure includes the two doubtful wildcards, Dolan and Mad Dog O'Donnell. "This is a massive field," said Gary Corcoran, "bigger than even 1999. Whoever wins the event will truly be a great King of Darts. The Walsh Road arena has everything we need. There will be a great event of darts. I am massively looking forward to it." Denis "The Field Marshall" Reilly added "we are moving the start date back to 1pm to accomodate the numbers and have the event finished in a timely fashion. I request everyone's cooperation in this matter". MINISTER AND HIGH PRIEST IN "DESPERATE AFFAIR" Gary "The Minister" Corcoran and Conor "The High Priest" Guinan played a darts warm up in Cahills, Belmont last Saturday night, which the Minister won 5-4, after being 4-2 down. The display did not impress locals, who described it as "a desperate, turgid affair". "Neither player could shoot consistently. They were at nothing. Nobody in Dublin should be worried about these two," said Mr T. Kenny. Mr J. Egan added "they cannot score or finish. this was bad bad stuff." However, the Minister defended the match as a "useful workout". |