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HOME!!! FULL PLAYER PROFILES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER NAME - Ciaran Bryan NICKNAME - The Bear, Malabar RANKED - 5 EVENTS - 2 RECORD - Runner up - 2002; First Round - 2001. STRENGTHS - Strong accuracy, fine checking out and excellent on units. WEAKNESSES - Doubts over woeful display in 2001 VERDICT - If Ciaran Bryan, the Bear, maintains his rate of improvement that he showed in 2002 from 2001, then he should win Darts 2003 easily. Darts 2001 saw Bryan make his debut, dressed oddly and feebly losing after a shocking display to Johnny "the fugitive" Walsh. The Bear showed massive self confidence in promising to win Darts 2002 and failed only at the final stage. His card is marked now as a leading contender who all competitors will want to avoid in the draw. The question is, which Bear will we see at Darts 2003? NAME - Barry Conroy NICKNAME - The leopard RANKING - 12 EVENTS - 4 RECORD - Quarter finals - 1999, 2000; First Round- 2001, 2002. STRENGTHS - Immune to all pressure, strong competitor and strong will to taunt. WEAKNESSES - Tends to lose concentration, needs good start to get going. VERDICT - Conroy is an established star on the circuit and would never struggle on units in the latter stages. His problem seems to be overcoming the early stages of the event as he was easily brushed aside in the last two events. He still remains a major attraction as he is a keen rival of most of the field through years of taunting and mocking. Needs some wins to maintain darts credibility however things look up as the only way is up. NAME - Gary Corcoran NICKNAME - The Minister RANKING - 3 EVENTS - 6 RECORD - Semi Finals 1999, 2001, 2002; First Round - 1997, 1998, 2000 STRENGTHS - Solid ability and firm competitor WEAKNESSES - Seeming inability to raise game at latter stages. Loses crunch games VERDICT - The Minister is the old dog on the circuit now and the most experienced head on show. One gets the feeling that he may have missed his chance to clinch a title by failing three times at the semi final stages. Has improved massively over the years and remains a sticky proposition for many players on the tour. However Corcoran has yet to prove he is capable of beating the very best and clinching the top prize. NAME - Neil Corcoran NICKNAME - Super Robot RANKING - 1 EVENTS - 4 RECORD - Champion 2001; Semi finals 2000; First Round 99, 2002 STRENGTHS - Accurate mathematical game, mechanical repetitiveness, massive focus, brilliant comebacks. WEAKNESSES - Very few but not a natural talent. VERDICT - Super Robot gave The Field Marshall his hardest game in Darts 2002 and despite suffering from illness, showed what he is capable of. Now back surprisingly after an alleged retirement, he is back as a major contender again. Corcoran's mechanical style and intelligent play have helped him to victory over more gifted individuals. He has shown legendary comeback skills over the years and his opponents must know he is never beaten till the final double. Must be respected again as a leading shortlist contender. NAME - Dave Doheny NICKNAME - Spaceman, The monk. RANKING - 6 EVENTS - 3 RECORD - Semi finals 2000; Quarter finals 2002; First round 2001. STRENGTHS - Natural scoring talent, mentally durable competitor. WEAKNESSES - Loses close games. VERDICT - There's a feeling 2003 could be Doheny's year. As he has lost close games in recent years to Joyce and Kelly, who have not entered Darts 2003, one gets the impression there are only a few in the field who can trouble the Spaceman. With a good draw and a bit of luck, there's no doubt that Doheny will go far in the event, and has shown he is a cut above his fierce rivals in the field. Whether he can pull off a win against the likes of the Marshall or Super Robot remains to be seen. NAME - Paul Dolan NICKNAME - "Dolan" RANKING - 4 EVENTS - 2 RECORD - Champion 2000; Quarter finals 2001 STRENGTHS - Supreme natural ability, gifted competitor. WEAKNESSES - Major doubts over availability. VERDICT - Dolan showed in Darts 2000 possibly the greatest ever performance in an event. Massive high scores and no difficulties in finishing legs as he clinched the event in second gear. Few would argue that Dolan would fail to come close to winning Darts 2003 if he arrives at the venue. The problem for Dolan is the gruelling trip from South Kerry coupled with extra family commitments put has participation in doubt. Has only entered as a wildcard so the odds may change dramatically on Saturday week. NAME - Mark Ellis NICKNAME - Smiley RANKING - =15 EVENTS - None RECORD - Debut 2003 STRENGTHS - Not known. WEAKNESSES - Not known. VERDICT - There's little that can be said about the popular Australian character as he has yet to compete in the event. Has shown strong unit tolerance in social events with the Marshall's crew and promises to be up for the event. Debutants are always dangerous in the draw and Ellis will prove no different. NAME - Brendan Fay NICKNAME - "I was asleep" RANKING - 19 EVENTS - 1 RECORD - First Round 2002 STRENGTHS - Strong brand of power darts. WEAKNESSES - Needs a win to kick-start darts career, possible risk of units burnout. VERDICT - Fay's clash with Colm Lynch last year was arguably the match of the tournament. His extremely quick brand of powerful, fast power darts proved popular with fans but it ultimately didn't bring him a victory. Fay's high octane style, coupled with his very quick rate of unit consumption have seen him "burnout" before and doubts remain as to whether he would be a threat in the latter stages of an event. NAME - Conor Guinan NICKNAME - The High Priest RANKING - 14 EVENTS - 2 RECORD - Quarter final 1997, 1998. STRENGTHS - Solid old pro, great units tolerance. WEAKNESSES - Lack of ability and unnatural style. VERDICT - Guinan has been off the darts scene since 1998 but has entered Darts 2003 as a wildcard. He vowed last year to return and the world of darts would rejoice to see the popular high priest back in action. Has little illusions about winning the event but did record wins in his previous events. However that was five years ago and there is a world of difference between the event now and then. An intriguing entry. NAME - Gregor Hall NICKNAME - "The Scot" RANKING - =15 EVENTS - None RECORD - Debut 2003 STRENGTHS - Not known. WEAKNESSES - Not known. VERDICT - Another unknown quantity, this stablemate of Sean "Two darts" Laphen has confirmed for Darts 2003. While in early years, debutants did superbly in the event, last year saw most of them limp out early. Hall will aim to make sure this is not the case for him. NAME - Brendan Hanratty NICKNAME - None RANKING - =20 EVENTS - 1 RECORD - Preliminary round 2002 STRENGTHS - Intelligent and able competitor WEAKNESSES - Inconsistent scorer. VERDICT - Hanratty has not yet confirmed for the event, but as one of the hosts will most likely compete. He showed some flashes of usefulness on his debut last year but when the tempo was raised by Tom Henry, he was found lacking. Unlikely to make a major impact this year although should not be taken lightly either. NAME - John Heaney NICKNAME - "The Cat" RANKING - 7 EVENTS - 1 RECORD - Champion 1998 STRENGTHS - Nerves of steel and consistent play. Master of psychological battles WEAKNESSES - Ring-rustiness and doubts over natural ability. VERDICT - John "the Cat" Heaney clinched the crown on his first attempt in darts 98 with a style of darts that would seem alien to today's players. Since that he has not lifted a dart, but had not beforehand either. There was nothing flashy about the Cat's win, but it was solid consistent darts all the way, with few high scores but even less poor ones. Heaney is proud of his "five year" unbeaten record and will be determined to keep it. The Cat is probably more of a contender than he is given credit for - big danger here. NAME - James Henry NICKNAME - The druid RANKING - 11 EVENTS - 5 RECORD - Semi Finals 1997; Quarter finals 1998, 2002; First Round 2000, 2001; STRENGTHS - Good technical ability and great enthusiasm. WEAKNESSES - Tendency to self destruct. VERDICT - Veteran James Henry's quarter final appearance last year was a good boost for the popular "druid". Henry showed tremendous ability in the early events, only to go off the boil with some shocking performances in the following years. His win over Conroy was a reminder of his superb talents however his unfocussed defeat to the Marshall proved a bridge too far for him. With a decent draw and a bit of luck, Henry could make another strong impression. The question is, which James Henry will show up? NAME - Barney Johnson NICKNAME - Bad news, Old man. RANKING - 9 EVENTS - 4 RECORD - Semi Finals 2001; First Round 1999, 2000, 2002. STRENGTHS - Aggression, poise and unit tolerance. WEAKNESSES - Self destruction and string of terrible performances. VERDICT - Johnson cuts an intimidating figure about the arena and showed in 2001 that he has the darts ability to go with it, being unlucky not to reach the final. However in his other performances observers have noted some shocking defeats to Doheny and Conroy, his fiercest rivals. Johnson played well despite losing last year and will be keen not to slip down the rankings. Overall victory is unlikely but if his brute force is allowed dominate the event then stranger things have happened. NAME - Sean Laphen NICKNAME - Two Darts RANKING - 13 EVENTS - 1 RECORD - Quarter finals 2002; STRENGTHS - Brash self confidence, good ability. WEAKNESSES - Over exuberance VERDICT - Laphen made an excellent debut in Darts 2002 brushing aside the top ranked John Joyce in a one sided affair. He met his match in the quarter finals against Ciaran Bryan where the tempo was played to the Bear's own pace. This year sees Laphen return and is regarded as a dangerous proposition who will unsettle anyone but the most experienced. A good run for "Two darts" could see him writing another popular new ballad. NAME - Colm O'Donnell NICKNAME - Mad Dog RANKING - =20 EVENTS - 1 RECORD - First round Darts 2001 STRENGTHS - Great ability, experience and units tolerance. WEAKNESSES - Question marks over availability for event. VERDICT - Mad Dog O'Donnell is lowly ranked due to his one appearance in the darts which was a first round defeat to Super Robot on the latter's way to the title. What the statistics don't show is O'Donnell's superb performance and the immense potential he showed when in the now defunct Trimleston darts club. Colm is a doubt due to work commitments, however if he does manage to attend he should be regarded as very dangerous. A live contender. NAME - Colm Reilly NICKNAME - None RANKING - =15 EVENTS - None RECORD - Debut 2003 STRENGTHS - Not known WEAKNESSES - Not known VERDICT - Colm Reilly is a brother of the King of darts and is thus regarded with more interest than some of the other debutantes. With personal mentoring from John the Cat, Reilly may have an edge over many of the field. Time will tell regarding this exciting prospect however most will be keen to avoid him in the draw. NAME - Denis Reilly NICKNAME - The Field Marshall RANKING - 2 EVENTS - 2 RECORD - Champion 2002; Quarter Finals 2000. STRENGTHS - Natural scoring and finishing excellence. Massive units tolerance under pressure. WEAKNESSES - None of note VERDICT - The Marshall clinched the King of Darts title in impressive fashion last year, and was the outstanding player on view. His fine performance in 2000 also leave him ranked number 2, only behind the brilliant Super Robot. It goes without saying he is a leading contender for this year's title, however, can he successfully do back to back titles, where the likes of T Henry, Kelly, Dolan, and Super Robot have failed? Reilly has the ability. NAME - Pa Ryan NICKNAME - The Rock RANKING - 10 EVENTS - 4 RECORD - Quarter finals 1999, 2000, 2001; First round 2002. STRENGTHS - Keen well motivated competitor WEAKNESSES - Loses too many close matches VERDICT - The popular Tipp hardman is a true veteran on the circuit. He is rightly regarded as a tricky draw who can put it up to anyone on his day. However there still remains a feeling he has underachieved in the events. Each year he has followed up a solid win with an unlucky defeat. Ryan will be keen to grind out his wins this year with no concerns about crowd pleasing. NAME - Serguei Semikhatov NICKNAME - none RANKING - =20 EVENTS - 1 RECORD - Preliminary round 2002 STRENGTHS - Capable of high scores. WEAKNESSES - Poor finishing technique, suspect units tolerance. VERDICT - Serguei burst onto the scene last year and impressed seasoned competitors with his display of high scores. However when it came down to checking out, Semikhatov struggled greatly against the experienced Ryan. The big Russian returns full of enthusiasm and is sure to have learned valuable lessons from last year. Another dangerous prospect. NAME - Jimmy Styles NICKNAME - "James Harty", the vindicator RANKING - 23 EVENTS - 4 RECORD - Quarter finals 1998; First Round 1997, 2000, 2002 STRENGTHS - Capable of solid scoring bursts. WEAKNESSES - Extreme lack of concentration VERDICT - Luckless Jimmy Styles has the unfortunate record of never winning a match in the darts events and lies bottom ranked of the players in the event. Statistics don't lie, but the Tipp legend has put in some great performances, and was most unlucky not to grab a win against highly rated former champ Pat Kelly last year. Styles may have developed a mental block with his ongoing obsession to gain his first win. Some observers feel if he let his darts do the talking, the vindicator could make a massive impact on the event soon. NAME - Chris Plockelmann NICKNAME - Topher RANKING - =15 EVENTS - None RECORD - Debut 2003 STRENGTHS - Not known WEAKNESSES - Not known VERDICT - Topher completes the entries for Darts 2003 as this well known American makes his debut at the Walsh road arena. Topher is well know as an associate of the Marshall's so will not lack in the unit's department. Jan 25th will tell us more about the man who is making the event truly intercontinental. |