Darts news Feb - Dec 2003

HOME!!! 6 Feb ALLIES OF "MAD DOG" FLEE TO GOREY By Alex Cullen, GOREY (Reuters) - Family and friends of notorious Darts guerilla Colm "Mad Dog" O'Donnell have fled his Booterstown stronghold after a night of darts violence, in the apparent denouement of a deadly feud between former comrades. According to local sources on Thursday, O'Donnell's mate Dan Grennan and closest ally Johnny "the fugitive" Walsh were among a group of up to 50 people who fled the district and boarded a train to Gorey during the night. The dramatic events came ahead of what is expected to be the biggest darts celebration in five years when the man who once was attacked in the Punchbowl brings his King of Darts trophy back to Wexford. Gardai said that shortly before midnight they had been called to the Punchbowl, a mural-decked bar near where O'Donnell has a heavily fortified home, after several carloads of men drove into the area and began attacking houses. "There were reports a number of darts were fired, and gardai fired one dart after challenging a drunk," said a spokeswoman. "It is understood a number of people from the Punchbowl have left their homes." The flight of O'Donnell's already growing band of supporters suggests the feud between Wexford's most notorious darts legend and his former comrades in the outlawed Trimleston Darts club is effectively over. "There may well be certain people who will want to settle some scores, but I think...the ongoing feud is now finished," local resident Victor told BBC radio. The bloody spat, which security sources say is linked to control of Philo and Rory Gallagher cds, erupted in 2000 when the Trimleston's ruling "inner council" expelled Shannonbridge commander Dan Grennan from the organisation. Grennan himself was returned to Johnny Walsh's mobile home last year after the committee said his role in stoking the violence amounted to a breach of his parole licence. 30 October MAMMOTH EXCITEMENT AS MINISTER EXPECTED TO LAUNCH DARTS SEASON Massive excitement is abounding in the various European darts strongholds as the reigning supremo of the Darts events and franchise, Gary Corcoran is expected to announce the start of the Darts 2004 season this week. A crescendo of excitement was reported in diverse areas such as Dublin, London, Canterbury in Kent, Mullingar Co.Westmeath, West Offaly, Killorglan Co. Kerry and other grassroots areas as anticipation grows for the announcement. But arguably nowhere is the excitement as great as in Gorey, Co Wexford, the homeplace of reigning King of Darts Colm "Mad Dog" O'Donnell, where the atmosphere is electric. "Colm's win was the best thing to happen in years," said John Walsh, a respected Darts analyst and former player, "it has shaken up the event and taken it to new levels. His performance in Darts 2003 was simply fantastic and he remains the player to beat." While no final date has been set for Darts 2004, it is agreed that the fourth weekend in January provided a winning format to players and fans alike in 2003 and a similar date looks likely. One thing is for sure, you can catch all the latest updates here on this email bulletin, or the Darts 2004 website. DARTS 2004 WEBSITE RELAUNCHED A major overhaul has taken place of the Darts website with the new site now released. The address is http://www.maxpages.com/darts2004 "We found that much of the recent content, reports, ratings etc needed to be put on the site," said Gary Corcoran. "We hope to keep it updated more frequently to make it the primary resource for fans of the series. However I would like to apologise to users about the amount of pop-up ads and the like which occur. This is unavoidable until we get funding for a new site" Nov 7th CONROY VICTIM OF VICIOUS MARSHALL ATTACK Popular darts star Barry "the head that rocked the cradle" Conroy was the victim of an unprovoked and vicious attack last weekend in Dublin's city centre that has left the Louth man's right arm in a sling. And to add insult to injury, it is widely alleged the attack was perpetrated by Conroy's fierce rival and stable mate Denis "the Field Marshall" Reilly. While both parties are remaining quiet about the incident, eyewitnesses say that Conroy was eating a kebab on Dublin's popular Dame St, when he was set upon from behind by the 2002 King of Darts, knocking the burly figure of Conroy to the ground. Conroy spilled his kebab in an effort to stop himself from falling, but was unable to block his fall and ended up banging his right arm off the pavement. Since the attack Conroy has been unable to drive, write or throw darts. Walsh Road spokesman Barney Johnson said, "this was a particularly callous attack on one of our club members. Barry had been in fantastic form recently on the oche and this is a terrible setback for us." When Johnson was asked whether the Marshall was responsible for the attack he refused to comment replying "look buster, this is just pub talk, and any more of it will have to be dealt with by me." Then, on Monday night, sensational allegations came to light from the 1998 King of Darts Johnny "the Cat" Heaney. The Cat alleged that prior to the attack, Conroy had engaged in "a sustained taunting attack" on Reilly, which was "personal and unpleasant". Heaney said "I was standing outside a convenience store on Dame St, enjoying a fat frog with Mr Reilly when along came Conroy with his kebab. Conroy started pointing at Reilly laughing, and commenced a sustained taunting attack, which was personal and unpleasant." When Heaney was asked if Reilly had struck Conroy, he refused to answer, and sulked. When we called to the AOL offices in Citywest, looking for Mr Conroy, he refused to come to reception and would not comment on the case when we called him. We were lucky enough to catch up with Russian darts legend Serguei Semikhatov who was passing through, with a sandwich. Semikhatov told us "Barry is in great pain and it is a terrible thing that happened. He cannot write or drive his car. He is also embarrassed, but the truth will come to light in time" Finally when we visited Graingers’ bar in Dublin 1 looking for Mr Reilly for a comment, he was happy to serve our reporters with drinks and engage in small talk, but when he was asked about the attack on Conroy he replied "no, sorry no, I'm not going to talk about that," and walked away grinning. HENRY TO JET IN TO HELP RESOLVE CONROY IMPASSE 1997 King of Darts Tom "the truth" Henry will be arriving in Dublin this Friday evening in an attempt to broker talks between the parties involved in the Conroy incident and end the bitter stalemate which has cast a cloud over the start of the darts season. In a telephone conversation with Darts News, Henry told us "when I heard the stories of what is supposed to have happened in Dame St last weekend, I felt compelled to act. I am heading to Dublin in an attempt to sort this out. As I am "the truth" I must get to the bottom of this and find "the truth"", Henry said. When asked if he felt a settlement could be found, Henry's eyes welled up with tears and he replied, "a settlement MUST be found". MINISTER URGES CALM AMONGST DARTS COMMUNITY Darts genre Supremo Gary Corcoran has called for calm amongst the darts community following what he called "the tempestuous scenes" that occurred last weekend. Speaking from his midlands office, the Minister said, "look, whatever about the rights and wrongs of the situation, this was all just a bit of rough and tumble. There will be no bans, no disciplinary situations and it is unlikely we will be following up the incident. Barry has not made any citation or allegation and the whole case reeks of media tittle-tattle." The Minister added, "I applaud Tom Henry's decision to visit Dublin and will attend the capital myself for his visit. I would imagine this whole sordid case will be forgotten about next week, and we wish Barry a full recovery in advance of Darts 2004". THE CIARAN BRYAN INTERVIEW Every week or so on Darts News, we will be conducting exclusive interviews with some of the leading stars of the genre. This week we decided it was time to catch up with the one man who had lit up the darts scene over the past three or four years, a man who had seen it all and done virtually it all. No sooner was the Audi parked up outside Kavanaghs than I could see this man stepping across the car park to me, wearing the green tweed teacher's jacket, brown cords and the steel toe capped boots. He shot out the hand in front of me and said, "Howya doing big fella? Ciaran Bryan!" No sooner had we found a nice seat by the bar in Kavanaghs than talk turned to more pressing matters. REPORTER - Ciaran, with your brilliant but ultimately agonisingly unsuccessful performance in Darts 2002 now just a memory, how do you rate yourself now? CIARAN - Well to be honest big fella, I see myself as starting at square one now, like back in late 2000 when I was new to the genre. But it's a great place to start as my superb performance in Darts 2001 proved. REPORTER - But in 2001 you lost your match embarrassingly if I recall, to Johnny "the fugitive" Walsh?! CIARAN - Well it meant the same to me, to step out into the arena, in front of all those players and lovely people and compete with all those legends, in the greatest competition of them all. REPORTER - Tell us all about how you transformed yourself from a joke figure in 2001 to a man capable of one of the greatest series of performances in the genre's history in 2002. CIARAN - Well it wasn't that big of a transformation really. I was agonisingly close to toppling John Walsh in 2001. It was just a case of maintaining my level of performance in 2002 and I knew things would turn out right. REPORTER - But you must have been devastated losing the final narrowly to Denis Reilly that year. CIARAN - Well no doubt big fella, I probably should have taken home the title, but as Big Steve Corcoran once said "what's done is done, and what's gone is lost forever" REPORTER - Is it true to say you've let your darts take a back seat to your lifestyle Ciaran? You really should have put up a better performance to the Marshall this year, and were patently out of sorts. CIARAN - Well I'm one of only two men still on the scene to have the ability to come back after losing a final. REPORTER - What about this year then, what sort of Bear will we see at the oche? (Ciaran laughs in to his pint before eating the full pint in 1 mouthful) CIARAN - Well that remains to be seen. It's an exceptionally tough competition but you have to be on the oche in Jan 2004 to be in the hunt, and that's where I intend to be. I've only ever lost to the Marshall, who is the best player I have ever seen. REPORTER - Well after a statement like that I think you've had enough to drink and it's time to head home Ciaran, one final question, what’s been your biggest highlight throughout your playing career? CIARAN - I suppose runner up in 2002 was a great achievement, as was my high speed drive from Galway for the 2003 event, or my spectacular debut in 2001, but on a personal level the highlight of my career was playing with some of the greats of the game, Reilly, Johnson, Styles, Two-Darts and of course Johnny Walsh, a legend!!! REPORTER - Ciaran, I've heard enough, good luck!! Ciaran - Big Fella. Always a pleasure!!! Slan!!! 18 November CONROY ARM BACK IN ACTION Barry Conroy gave a defiant response to critics who wrote him off after his recent injury and attack trauma with a blistering display of arrows in Walsh Road warm ups. Conroy, who it was feared may not be able to play again gave a "chilling display of metronomic accuracy" in the beginning of warm ups matches. According to Bad News Johnson "Barry has had to teach his right arm how to hold and throw a dart again, which is a good thing. He's had a chance to start from scratch with a new arm and the fact he was terrible before does not hinder him" Conroy destroyed Johnson and Brendan Hanratty before a venomous encounter with the 2002 King of Darts Denis Reilly, which ended a draw. Johnson added "there was clearly an edge between the two men, which is good for competition in the club. It goes to show how far he has come that he can now compete on a level basis with the Marshall". When Conroy was asked about his injury and attack, the slimline star refused to be drawn on the issue and said "I prefer to let my darts do the talking now". MINISTER TRAVELS TO KERRY FOR DOLAN SUMMIT Outgoing Darts Supremo Gary Corcoran travelled to Kerry last weekend and took time off his busy itinerary to meet with the 2000 King of Darts Paul Dolan in his rented Killorglan home. Dolan, one of the greatest talents on the circuit at present has missed the last two darts events, and insiders believe he will not be back for the 2004 event. However the Minister confirmed, that Dolan's appetite for the game is as strong as ever. Speaking after the summit, Corcoran said "Paul's desire to reclaim his title is a strong as ever. Suggestions that he is washed up are ludicrous! He had genuine reasons to miss the 2002 and 2003 events but I'm sure he'll be part of the line up for Darts 2004." The return of Dolan to the fold would be a massive boost for the event. Dolan won Darts 2000 at a canter and his return would provide the major contenders with a massive headache. SUPER ROBOT DROPS RETIREMENT HINT While the imminent return of Dolan to the fold has boosted the event massively, it seems unlikely now that the 2001 King of Darts Neil "Super Robot" Corcoran will be part of the line up at Darts 2004. Super Robot, one of the most recognisable and popular Darts icons of this era has hinted that he is set to retire from the sport. "I've had a great career," Corcoran told Darts News, "I have my title and I'm still at the top of my game. However it's getting harder to face into a bleak winter of practice and warm up. I don't know if I will compete for 2004, or if I will hang up my arrows". Insiders say Super Robot has been badly affected by the withdrawal of his sponsorship from congolmerates General National Robots, in favour of the Anglo-Serb automaton "Serbitron". While it looks unlikely he will attend Darts 2004, it must be noted that the canny star staged a fake-withdrawal type scenario last year before competing in the Darts 2003 event. REILLY HITS OUT AT "UNREALISTIC" RANKING SYSTEM Denis "the Field Marshall" Reilly has hit out at the current ranking system used for the darts events claiming it is "skewed and unrealistic". The 2002 King of Darts hit out at the rankings system at the recent summit held in Dublin, saying, "It's ridiculous that Mad Dog is ranked only number seven in the rankings! He is clearly the best player on the circuit at the minute and as the champion he is the top player to beat. I should not be number one. Also, no disrespect to the Minister or Tom Henry, but I don't think anyone will agree that they should be ranked higher than Mad Dog." In reply, Gary Corcoran said "I take on board the criticisms of the Marshall and respect his opinions. The rankings system used is based on performances in previous events coupled with results against other players. As Mad Dog has only played in two events, it sees him down the rankings a bit, but I'm sure that might well change after Darts 2004. It's great though that the rankings serve to open up debate and create further good publicity for the event". Nov 27 TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR SUPER ROBOT Tributes poured in from all sections of the darts community for the 2001 King of Darts Neil "Super Robot" Corcoran, who announced his retirement at the weekend. Corcoran, speaking from his new base in Canterbury said "it's time to bow out. I've had a great darts career playing in five Darts events, with the 2001 win the obvious highlight. I wish the best of luck to all competitors in Darts 2004. Gary Corcoran led the tributes to his brother, the 2001 champ. "Neil is a true giant of the game and helped to ensure the genre's popularity. He's an example to players everywhere that good guys can come out on top." Inaugaral champ Tom Henry said "I'm sad to see the big man bow out. He's one of the alltime greats. I remember sitting with him during some of the ugly scenes at Darts 99. I could hardly bear to watch and I reckoned the genre was finished. But he turned to me and said "never give up the quest Tom, never." I have always remembered these words." A glowing tribute came from the reigning King of Darts Colm "Mad Dog" O'Donnell. Speaking backstage at the recent David Bowie gig, Mad Dog said "I am sorry to hear about Neil's retirement and hopefully he will come back for one last tussle. He beat me in 2001 on the way to his title. I knew then the sort of standard I had to aspire to. We had a great tussle this year also, my hardest game in the event" Paul Dolan, the 2000 King of Darts and long time friend said "Neil retiring? Is he? Jaysus, that's savage altogether!" Denis Reilly, the genre number one ranked player had the final word saying "Super Robot's a great player and a great sportsman. He will be sadly missed from Walsh Road in January." CAT AND MARSHALL IN PUBLIC ROW Two former Kings of Darts and leading contenders for Darts 2004 have been involved in a bitter street confrontation during the darts warm up season the other day. 2002 King of Darts, Denis Reilly and veteran 1998 winner John Heaney were present at the incident in central Dublin on Tuesday. It took place after the Heaney and supporters unveiled a mobile billboard outside Reilly's workplace. A short time later, Mr Reilly and other senior barmen emerged from Graingers to confront the Stags Head delegation. They became involved in a row with Stags Head barmen from various parts of Cavan. Reilly again challenged Heaney to a warm up match. Both sides engaged in a stand-off and attempted to shout each other down. Heaney said Reilly was "yesterday's man", while the Marshall accused the Cat of "hiding" during darts warm ups. The Stags Head barmen said Reilly was unable to play warm ups in Walsh Road, in his own club, as a result of fall out from the Conroy incident, some weeks earlier. "You can't even play in your own club," taunted Heaney. However, the 2002 champ said he had played warm ups in the Walsh Road venue. The Stags Head barmen began shouting: "Where is Barry?" - in reference to rebel star Barry Conroy. Reilly replied: "Barry is actively taking part in warm ups - he issued a statement to that effect today." He accused the Stags Head group of shielding Heaney. However, Heaney denied he was "hiding". Both sides exchanged insults for up to 10 minutes before Reilly was driven away. The Stags Head entourage later left in the pub's 'battle bus'. At the weekend, the Stags Head dismissed a challenge for The Cat to participate in a warm up event against Denis Reilly. Reilly had accused the Cat of "running away" from the oche during darts season. The Marshall said Heaney needed to show his ability on the oche and to put up or shut up. Nov 27 THE PA RYAN INTERVIEW This week we headed to the tranquil setting of the Black Lion Inn bar in Inchicore to catch up with one of the most popular men on the darts circuit, Pa Ryan. The Tipp hardman is an instantly recognisable figure and our reporter found him at the bar on his third pint munching into some savoury bacon fries. Ryan shoots out his hand and roars "Howya! do ya want a pint? I'm Pa Ryan!!" slightly disturbing some of the local regulars swilling away at the bar. As Ryan bought a mineral water for our man, and a pint for himself, the talk turned to more pressing matters. Reporter - Pa, as another year is drawing to a close, how are you set for 2004? PA - Not too bad now there. I'm kept fairly busy but I'm in good shape and happy with my form. Reporter - What about the reported change of management? No more burgers or snack boxes with Ormonde the night before a match?! PA (laughing) - You could say that's true. As you probably know I'm getting married, but I don't think it will affect my form, possibly even improve it. Reporter - It's fair to say Pa, your game needs a lift? PA - Well that's debatable, but although I haven't set the world alight, it takes a good player to beat me. Reporter - Who has been your toughest opponent Pa? PA (ordering another pint) - I've gotten tough draws every year, having to face the likes of Byran, Gregor Hall, John Joyce, but I'd say the toughest opponent has been Dick Hanratty. Reporter (coughing with disbelief) - But your dour clashes with Hanratty over the years have been recognised as some of the lowest points in the darts genre. PA - Rubbish!! Anyone could see they were some of the best games of the decade. Reporter - Moving on Pa, what are your aspirations for Darts 2004? PA - Well I think all players harbour a wish to win the event, and I'm no different. In reality there's only a handful I can see lifting it. I am to play ultra competitively and at such a level that I win games, rather than being hard to beat. If I can do that I will go a long way. Reporter - And who are the players you see winning it? PA - Not Barry or Dave anyways!! Reporter - But seriously Pa PA - Well Mad Dog and Denis are obvious choices; they have shown their class. Dolan would be another too, and I'd still not write off Super Robot, in fact I'd give him every chance. Reporter - Super Robot has retired there Pa. PA - Really? I never heard that. One for the road? Reporter - To finish up Pa, as i don't want to keep you, who would you most like to defeat on the oche next year? PA - Des Cahill or Michael Owen! Reporter - But seriously Pa? PA - I'd like to get a clash against one of my main rivals, like Conroy, Corcoran, Johnson or Doheny, I'd make them feel like Kirk Douglas afterwards!! Reporter - Pa, thanks, that's been great! PA - Any time, and best wishes out there to all our fans!! Dec 1 DARTS 2004 BETTING ODDS RELEASED The bookies have looked no further than Denis "The Field Marshall" Reilly to head the odds for the mammoth darts 2004 event. The Marshall's impressive performance in Darts 2003 where he did everything bar win the event, has made him the bookies favourite. Closely behind is the actual champ, Colm "Mad Dog" O'Donnell. No king of darts has ever retained their crown, but Mad Dog is a class act and the man to beat. With the retirement of Neil "Super Robot" Corcoran, Darts 2000 champ Paul Dolan is next. No one disputes Dolan's class, but doubts remain over his ability to turn up, and if he were a single man there's no doubt his odds would be shorter. Gregor Hall's fine 2003 showing leave him at 9-2, ahead of fellow semi-finalist John "The Cat" Heaney. An interesting mover in the betting is the rejuvenated Barry Conroy. Conroy, usually ranked amongst the outsiders has been cut from 25-1 to 13-2 as his practice form has been described as "frightening". Ciaran Bryan and Gary Corcoran head up the rest of the pack, with both Henry brothers available at 16-1 and Sean Two Darts Laphen available at 20-1. Denis Reilly 9-4 Colm Mad Dog O'Donnell 11-4 Paul Dolan 4-1 Gregor Hall 9-2 John Heaney 6-1 Barry Conroy 13-2 Ciaran Bryan 15-2 Gary Corcoran 10-1 Dave Doheny 12-1 Tom Henry 16-1 James Henry 16-1 Barney Johnson 20-1 Sean Laphen 20-1 Pa Ryan 25-1 Colm Reilly 28-1 Conor Guinan 33-1 Brendan Fay 33-1 Serguei Semikhatov 50-1 Chris Plockelman 66-1 Jimmy Styles 100-1 Brendan Hanratty 200-1 THE JIMMY STYLES INTERVIEW We headed off to affluent Dublin 2, to catch up with one of the genre's greatest ever stars. Despite never winning a match, Styles' appeal crosses all ages barriers and we were eager to seek out his views on the state of the nation. After spending for an hour looking for "John of Keatings" bar, we finally tracked the superstar down in Doyles bar, on College Green. Styles immediately sticks out a hand and crushes it - "Hello lads! are ye here for the interview?" Once refreshments were ordered, talk turned to more pressing matters. REPORTER - James, you're one of the darts veterans, on the scene since the early days, but never having won a match. Where do you stand in the run up to 2004? JIMMY - Well Paul, to be honest, I think I'm in the peak of my career. I haven't felt this good about my form and preparation since the inaugaral event, where my performance in Darts 97 is still talked about. REPORTER - But Jim, your match against Guinan in 97, is still regarded as one of the worst ever sporting contests of all time! JIMMY - Well I would have to disagree there, it was a classic. The High Priest played some of the greatest darts ever, and I feel priveleged to say I gave him a good game. REPORTER - Tell us how you came back from that setback, to establish yourself as a darting figurehead, an icon for the new millenium. JIMMY - Well it wasn't easy let me tell you. But when I heard about the antics of Karl Heaney throwing darts into lads' legs, I decided the people needed a role model they could look up to, and that I was that man. REPORTER - But what about all the new men? It must have grieved you to see the likes of Super Robot, Dolan, Mad Dog and the Marshall all clinch the King of Darts crown, while you struggle to win your first ever match? JIMMY - Well no doubt good luck to all those fellas, but it's time to move on. As Ciaran Bryan once said "what’s done is done, and what’s gone is lost forever”. REPORTER - You're something of a celebrity on the darts circuit Jimmy. JIMMY - Not at all! Although I am one of the original men remaining from Darts 97, along with the Minister, the great High Priest, and of course the brilliant Henry brothers - Tom and James! REPORTER - Looking back Jimmy, what would you say was the greatest highlight of your darts career. JIMMY - Well there's been so many, the classic battle against Guinan, my great performance against Karl Heaney in 98, the massive scare I gave Dolan in 2000, but I think the greatest of them all was my checkout on the bull in Darts 2002 against Pat Kelly. If only I could take that sort of one dart consistency across a whole tournament. REPORTER - Well it's time to finish up Jimmy, but what are your hopes for 2004? JIMMY - I'd like to see a good clean contest, plenty of good honest darts, but at the end of the day, my money will always be on the Mexicans - horrid nice people. REPORTER - Jimmy, I've heard enough, good luck! JIMMY - Always a pleasure! Dec 8 HEYTESBURY CLASSIC DOWN FOR DECISION Sean "Two darts" Laphen was delighted last week to announce the relaunch of the Heytesbury classic, which will take place in the run up to Christmas. Laphen, the Heytesbury club figurehead announced the event will be a chance for darts competitors to give themselves a good warm up for the annual Darts event in Walsh Road, in January. Laphen told press "I'm excited! Gregor won the classic last year! We're gonna try to get the board up at head height this year! Barney's sh1te!" Laphen also denied that this is a breakaway event from the main darts genre. "We're gonna have the competition! But we're gonna play for the big one in January!" Laphen explained. Darts Supremo Gary Corcoran said "It's useful to have such events and competitive play during the season. This event will be invaluable in ascertaining form in the run up to the big event on January 24th. I'm sure the Heytesbury classic will be a massive success." The Heytesbury classic will take place on December 20th and interested competitors should contact Sean. REILLY'S FORM HITS THE DOLDRUMS Walsh Road spokesman Barney "Bad News" Johnson has confirmed rumours that the 2002 King of Darts Denis Reilly's form has collapsed. Johnson told press in Eastpoint "Denis looks to be suffering from burn out. His form is gone and he's beaten by all other members in club warm ups, even Hanratty. I hope his form can improve or it will be a disappointing 2004 for him." However Tom Henry, the inaugaral King of Darts hit out and defended Reilly. Henry said "Form means nothing coming into the event every year, I mean what is form? If you look back, nearly every year the formbook has been ripped up and thrown out the window. Denis is a darts giant. He's capable of the big games on the big occasion when the pressure is on. He has nothing to worry about." MAD DOG SPEAKS OF HOPES FOR 2004 Speaking during an impromptu phonecall from the Thin Lizzy concert in the ambassador, Colm "Mad Dog" O'Donnell outlined his hopes for 2004. The King of Darts told press "well they say the pressure's on me - personally I don't feel it. I'm greatly enjoying my time as champ". When asked if he felt extra pressure to try to add a second title "not at all," he replied, "I'm looking at 2004 like I never won 2003. I'm going to enter, enjoy myself, play my darts and take it from there. Talk of winning back to back titles is madness." THE SUPER ROBOT COLUMN Great news in that the recently retired 2001 King of Darts Neil "Super Robot" Corcoran has joined Darts News as a columnist, and this week he assesses the contenders for Darts 2004. "Hi there, Neil here, I'm delighted to have the chance to write for Darts News! Well I'm enjoying my retirement, catching up on a few of my old hobbies that I had left behind before darts engulfed my life. People said I wouldn't amount to anything when I entered Darts 99, but I think I had a good career overall. As for Darts 2004, well it's the eighth Darts event, and it's true that nobody has ever won more than one title. Could this be the year that someone grabs a second title? Well we'll see. I always had the impression that in 2000 and 2001, when i was just another contender, I'd play someone and be on a level footing with them. If I played better darts I'd win. But when I was champion, or former champion, it was ten times harder, as the opponents would play ten times better. The first player people will look at when drawing up a shortlist, is DENIS REILLY. He's arguably the best competitor we've seen in years, winning it in 2002 and coming darned close last year! Denis is a big match player, and it would be foolish to suggest he won't come close. But can he sustain three years of big challenges? Well it won't be easy. COLM O'DONNELL won the event last year. People are slightly writing him off, just because he won last year - well i think that's silly! He was pure class last year, let no amount of drink affect his game, and he'll be damned close again. I would opt for Colm as my choice, except that it is just so hard to win two events. But if anyone can, Colm can. PAUL DOLAN is another former champ, who has taken a couple of years out. Paul was class in 2000 when he won it. People are saying he probably won't show but my sources whisper he is planning a big assault. One thing that will trip Paul up is that the game has improved since he left the scene. If Paul thinks he can come back and have it easy, well I have news for him - he won't! JOHN HEANEY is another man who has a title under his belt. People are looking past John, due to his bizarre mindgames he played with Denis before the semi final last year. Well John's a major threat I can tell you. I always wondered what he would be like as I had only heard stories, and I have to say I was most impressed, as he's a great battler. He doesn't win pretty, but he knows how to win. But one tip I would give John, free of charge is - lay off the mindgames John! TOM HENRY is the only other former champ left in the field, following my retirement, and Pat Kelly drifting off the scene last year. Tom came back in 2002 but didn't impress too much. Tom's the first ever champ, and probably the most famous darts figure ever. It's fair to say he enjoys the high life, (and who can blame him!) and probably lacks a little hunger. Well once you get a taste of winning, you never want to stop - it's like a drug, and I know Tom will be the same. He's not an obvious choice, but remember hurricane Higgins took years between world titles and who is to say Tom won't do the same. Next we have a look at players who don't have a title but are contenders. My brother GARY CORCORAN has been on the scene forever and is capable of some good darts. I don't know if he has it to win the event at this stage. He had enough chances in 2002, 2000 and 99 (which was glaringly obvious) to get to the final and win the event. Gary will probably do the same as the last few years again, win some games well, but flop out when the going is tough. CIARAN BRYAN has to prove this year, whether he was a flash in the pan in 2002 or if he really has it. He played blinding stuff that year, sandwiched between shocking stuff in 2001 and 2003. Now is his chance in 2004, but it's hard to see him win the event. I'm hearing great things about BARRY CONROY. Word his he's destroying his rivals in warm ups. Barry needs to take this form into the event, and lay down a marker. He may be the man to beat on form, but too often the man to beat gets beat. I am expecting great things and I expect him to deliver. DAVE DOHENY is another contender people mention. It's strange that Dave, along with Barry, Barney Johnson and others, have only interest in getting one over their fiercest rivals. Dave's shown before he can play, but unless it's a grudge match against one of "the lads" it's hard to see him motivating himself to win the event. The dark horses, well BARNEY JOHNSON I have just mentioned. He had a great run in 2001 and I was very lucky to beat him. Since Darts moved to Walsh Road, I don't think he has won a match. Barney needs a big event, or it's curtains. SEAN LAPHEN played brilliantly in 2002 when he destroyed John Joyce. You have to ask now, was it that Laphen was a new young contender exploding onto the scene, or was it that Joyce was burned out, and was found out in the end? Only Sean can answer this, but he's one of the game's great characters. JAMES HENRY is another great character. I've seen him turn in some brilliant performances down the years, but also some awful mud. It's time for consistency. If Tom is Alex Higgins, then James could be Kirk Stevens. But I'd love to see Tom and James Henry in a crunch match in Walsh Road. MARK ELLIS was the most promising of the newcomers last year. He played super stuff, and I had to call on all my reserves to over come him. I hope the experience stands to him, and he could feature strongly during the later rounds. COLM REILLY is another who can improve. I believe he's ended his association with the Cat this year, which I think was a distraction for him last year. BRENDAN FAY was great in 2002 when he played. I hope he can get back this year. He won't win it, but he's the most exciting player on the oche and can cause some surprises. CONOR GUINAN returned last year after a lay off. I haven't heard too much about his preparations, but remember Conor has won more matches over the years than most players. And he was very close to putting out the Cat last year. I wouldn't write Conor off. SERGUEI SEMIKHATOV is another dark horse. The man can really hit the scores but can't finish. You'ld see him start well but then crumble. Well he knows his limitations so can work on them. The big Russian can go well this year. PA RYAN seems to be around since the year dot! I just can't see Pa winning the event. But he is capable of a good run, he just needs a good draw, which could bring the best out of him. BRENDAN HANRATTY is in an interesting position. He has the benefit of playing in the Walsh Road club, where all the pressure and focus is on Reilly and Conroy. With the limelight off him and all the experience he'll pick up in practice, I think he can start to go well. JIMMY STYLES is back I'm told for 2004. Jimmy needs to get self-belief. He had Pat Kelly for the taking last time out. He can do it, and get this monkey off his back. CHRIS PLOCKELMANN didn't impress too much last year. Well the only way is up for Chris, and I reckon it's time he starts. It's a hard road ahead though. It's time to sign off now. You might have noticed I have left out one player. Well I haven't. GREGOR HALL played superbly last year, and I think fits the photofit image of a champion. He came in last year as a rookie and stormed his way to the semis. Mad Dog played his best stuff in that second leg then against Gregor, and I think the canny Scot has what it takes. He will have learnt from Darts 2003 and with his ability and hunger can go all the way to win Darts 2004. SELECTION - GREGOR HALL, DANGER - BARRY CONROY