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| |  Monday, 15 January, 2001, 18:17 GMT Frimley's dazzling darts Darts legend and BBC pundit Bobby George believes John 'Boy' Walton is a worthy champion in one of the best world championships in the history of the sport. I thought the entire tournament was fantastic - one of the best ever. The final was of such a high standard - both Ted Hankey and John 'Boy' Walton were averaging 97 to 100 every time they went to the board. I tipped John 'Boy' to do well in the championship, especially when he was given 50-1 odds by the bookies. I used to pair with him a while back and the guy has tremendous scoring ability. He takes his darts very seriously. I've beaten him a few times in the past because he could never finish properly. He used to play really well until it came to the doubles when he would suddenly choke.
So he spent a year going round the board concentrating on each of the doubles. And the time he invested has paid off brilliantly. As for the former champion, I thought he played really well in the final. I always say it takes two to make a good final and Ted Hankey obliged magnificently. 'The Count' will be disappointed at losing his world crown, but you can bet one thing - he'll come back fighting next year. One of the most memorable moments throughout the whole tournament was John "Boy" Walton's performance against Marko Pusa in the quarter-finals. He won 14 legs in a row - I have never seen that in the history of the sport. I also found out he is the first world champion to wear glasses. There was a lot of publicity about the tournament's first streaker. Alright, it was a bit of fun, but you've seen one, you've seen them all. We had a grin and a chuckle, but it did have serious implications for Shaun Greatbatch, who was playing Ted Hankey at the time.
They had to go off for 20 minutes to recompose themselves - just imagine if that had been the final on a double finish. It was also good to see Phil 'The Power' Taylor commentating alongside fellow PDC finalist John Part. It shows there is no hard feelings between the players, even if the sport is divided. The atmosphere at the Lakeside, as ever, was brilliant. I went on stage and I thought I was going to play in the final. The crowd fully appreciated the superb darts that was played and overall, the whole tournament was a resounding success. Until next time, gawd bless ya! | |
See also:  15 Jan 01 | World Darts Championship 11 Jan 01 | World Darts Championship 07 Jan 01 | World Darts Championship Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top World Darts Championship stories now: Links to more World Darts Championship stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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