I watched it back on Sky Sports on Saturday afternoon and it was simply sensational. The defeat just about sums up Colin Lloyd’s year……in January, he will lose his World No.1 tag when the PDC switches to an order of merit.
He must be wondering what he has to do to beat Barney! Lloyd has never tasted victory over the Dutch star and he will be dreaming about those four darts he had to win. I firmly believe that Colin Lloyd will be back with a bang in 2007.
This year he has endured a difficult time on and off the oche but on Friday night, we saw the fighter, the sparkle and the determination back in his eyes. I for one can’t wait to see the new Lloyd – vintage 2007.
So, what about the rest of this intriguing World Championships?
One of the stars of the show has been Unicorn Global’s Wynand Havenga……what a character. He has lit up the Tavern with his darts and his personality. It is incredible to think that outside Unicorn circles, nobody had heard of him just ten days ago.
But here he is, on the verge of a place in the quarter-finals of the World Championships. If the South African can shoot down ‘The Sniper’ Darren Webster on Thursday afternoon, he will be through to the last eight.
Havenga’s victory over Peter Manley (see picture) was a nail-biter. ‘The Cape Crusader’ was three sets up, before the Manley fightback. But the South African held his nerve and earned the right to take his place in the last 16.
There will be at least two Christmas Crackers on Boxing Day. Phil Taylor will face a tough test against Irishman Mick McGowan, who beat ‘The Power’ only a month or so ago, when the pair clashed in Holland.
And Unicorn Contender Andy Hamilton takes on former World Championship runner-up Mark Dudbridge. This will be a quality game and expect a stack of 180s!
James Wade plays qualifier Dave Ladley on Wednesday. Wade will play a lot better than he did against Kiwi Warren French. I still believe an all-Unicorn quarter-final between Wade and Hamilton looks a good bet.
Also on Wednesday, Wes Newton will have his hands full against Colin Osborne….The Wizard dumped Kevin Painter out of the tournament and will be a real threat to the man from Lancashire.
So, a lot of the big names have already fallen….. Lloyd, Part, Mardle and Baxter the highest profile casualties. What more shocks are in store between now and New Year’s Day.
Before the tournament, all the talk and all the hype surrounded the prospect of a Taylor/Barney Final. The tournament sponsors were offering odds of only 2/1 on that happening…… we’re about to find out over the next five or six days!
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BY STUART PYKE
Photo : Lawrence Lustig/PDC
