2010 BDO World Darts.

[Tyrone Dreamer]

Chissie and Wolfie in what should be a novel final.

BDO is dead on it's knees. The comentary teams have been struggling to keep people watching. Bobby George looks bored/embarassed and O'Shea, Adams and Hankey looked bored up till later rounds. Adams (bar Phillips-ish) has had a piss walk to the final.  With most (ambitious) Players going to PDO, BDO deend on young talent coming up and there was no signs of it this year.

Look, as a terrestrial TV person and a romantic it saddens me to see its demise.

Wouldnt be a huge fan of the BDO but caught a bit of both semi's today and thought they were decent. A lot better than the Taylor Webster semi on sky for example which was a non event. I didn't see the final averages but I think all four players averaged higher today than Webster did v Taylor (and that was with little missed doubles). Both winners averaged above what Barney threw in nearly all his matches.

The players might not be as good but at least there is a genuine competition. In the PDC it was obvious from the outset that Taylor would win the title and at no point was he in trouble (although Whitlock did throw well in final). The BDO tournament is a lot more open which makes it exciting.

[AZOffaly]

I dunno, I'm not a big Darts fan, although I have watched a bit of both tournaments. It seems to me that a bad throw in the PDC is 60 or 81 kind of thing. A bad throw in the BDO can be 25, 43, 11 any sort of mad number. Also the finishing seems to be a lot worse on BDO. You could be on 221 and know you'll still get a shot at an out even if the opponent is on 100 or less. That doesn't happen a lot on the PDC.

[Istabraq]

I dunno, I'm not a big Darts fan, although I have watched a bit of both tournaments. It seems to me that a bad throw in the PDC is 60 or 81 kind of thing. A bad throw in the BDO can be 25, 43, 11 any sort of mad number. Also the finishing seems to be a lot worse on BDO. You could be on 221 and know you'll still get a shot at an out even if the opponent is on 100 or less. That doesn't happen a lot on the PDC.

Chisnell took ot 164 in the second last leg and then won the game on the bull in the last leg

[AZOffaly]

I dunno, I'm not a big Darts fan, although I have watched a bit of both tournaments. It seems to me that a bad throw in the PDC is 60 or 81 kind of thing. A bad throw in the BDO can be 25, 43, 11 any sort of mad number. Also the finishing seems to be a lot worse on BDO. You could be on 221 and know you'll still get a shot at an out even if the opponent is on 100 or less. That doesn't happen a lot on the PDC.

Chisnell took ot 164 in the second last leg and then won the game on the bull in the last leg

There are exceptions of course. I'm not emotionally invested in either one to be honest, it's just my impression from watching it. I think the good lads are probably as good as many of the PDC ones, Adams, Chisnell, Hankey (maybe) and a few others could play in the PDC, like Whitlock and indeed Taylor and Barneveld. But there are more poor players in the BDO and as a result the tournament suffers.

[Archie Mitchell]

The overall standard in the BDO is poor. Yes there are a few good players, but you would like to think they would be if they have been playing for 10/15 years. I have only seen a few matches, and as AZOffaly has said, the scoring is poor and the checkouts are also poor. I think it was in the Hankey/Chisnall game the other night, they must have had 12 darts each to try and finish a low enough double and kept missing and going bust. YVery rarely would you see that in the PDC.

I also seen someone mentioning that the semi-finals from both organistations were no different and the BDO boys would be ahead of Webster who was humiliated by Taylor in the PDC. I'll ask you this though, where did Webster come from last year? If it had of been any of the other BDO boys, Taylor would have done the same to them, if they even would have gotten that far.

[Hoof Hearted]

wasnt whitlock in the BDO not that long ago ?

[Archie Mitchell]

wasnt whitlock in the BDO not that long ago ?

I know, but there are exceptions. Like Barney in his 1st year in the PDC won it, and Whitlock and Webster in their 1st year got to the semi finals and final this year. If say Adams, Hankey, O'Shea, Chisnal etc had of been playing instead of Whitlock and Webster, would they have gotten to the semi-finals and final of the PDC this year? Going by the way they have been playing in the BDO, they wouldn't have had a chance. O'Shea probably would have got the furthest. Look at the others who were ranked so highly in the BDO and see how they have done since moved across - Klassen, Van Gerwen, etc.

[upmonaghansayswe]

Chissie and Wolfie in what should be a novel final.

BDO is dead on it's knees. The comentary teams have been struggling to keep people watching. Bobby George looks bored/embarassed and O'Shea, Adams and Hankey looked bored up till later rounds. Adams (bar Phillips-ish) has had a piss walk to the final.  With most (ambitious) Players going to PDO, BDO deend on young talent coming up and there was no signs of it this year.

Look, as a terrestrial TV person and a romantic it saddens me to see its demise.

I agree with some of your sentiments, the atmosphere and the last few characters that are at the lakeside paint over what is (bar about 4 players) a poor field. It is sad to see it falling from its former glory as it is the home of darts and it takes one hell of a romantic to paint a positive future for it. Once the last few English stalwarts (Hankey, Adams and O Shea) finish along Bobby and Martin Fitzmaurice I can't see who is going to take over.

But its still seems to be hanging in there for the time being. Full houses all week and still a big viewing figures. For 08 "BBC viewing figures for the Lakeside Men's final peaked at 4.1 million, which represented a 15% share of the overall audience." Yes I can't see them figures happening this year but its still held with a high esteem in the U.K. That "Peoples Darts" competition has a lot of appeal to the U.K. dart players and it shows the respect that the Lakeside holds for them.

Yes as long as the PDC keep tapping into the BDO well (and its near dry for the time being), the overall standard is only going south but where are the likes of Whitlock, Webster and even Chisnell going to get their break?? PDC won't be taking a punt on any unaccomplished player so thats where the BDO come in. It may only be a means to bigger things but any regular pub/county player first goal is to throw at the Lakeside and this is the corner stone of its survival.  And even though the standard mightn`t be to your liking and any one with the means to watch PDC will, the Lakeside still has a market and following in the UK
Now come on Chizzy!!!!

[Archie Mitchell]

Why then if the BDO is on it's knee's, did they reject a £1m buyout from the PDC, as well as a further promise of £1m to inject into the game?

[bennydorano]

The overall standard in the BDO is poor. Yes there are a few good players, but you would like to think they would be if they have been playing for 10/15 years. I have only seen a few matches, and as AZOffaly has said, the scoring is poor and the checkouts are also poor. I think it was in the Hankey/Chisnall game the other night, they must have had 12 darts each to try and finish a low enough double and kept missing and going bust. YVery rarely would you see that in the PDC.

Shit happens, doesn't mean it's endemic in the BDO for christs sake. 

There's little doubt the PDC is a higher standard, as someone who watches a fair bit of darts, I think there's as much dross in the PDC as there is in the BDO.  Taylor is such a phenomenom that his averages etc..mask a lot of the average players there are.  The premier league being a prime example, only Taylor, Wade, Barney & Jenkins (Lewis at a push) are worth watching.

The PDC semis this year were contested by 2 recent BDO defectees - Webster & Whitlock.  The biggest concern the BDO must have is that it is in effect acting as a nursery for the PDC

[Tots]

The BDO is the Tommy Murphy Cup


Let them have their day in the sun

[thewobbler]

This is the weakest BDO tournament yet, but we've still got in prospect an excellent final between two guys capable of throwing 100 averages - enough to take out anyone in the PDC bar Taylor. This is kind of proven in the fact that Taylor almost always meets a BDO graduate in the PDC final each year.

As mentioned above, Phil Taylor's presence kind of skews all statistics for the PDC tournament. It's worth noting that for years the BDO have been quite happy to release statistics for averages and checkouts for every match, and overall figures for their tournament. The PDC were not always quite so forthcoming.


The biggest problem the BDO has had this year is the lack of big finishes. Up until Chisnall's 164 yesterday, the biggest out was 131. Most pub premier leagues would have better checkouts than 131 on a weekly basis.

[upmonaghansayswe]

Up until Chisnall's 164 yesterday, the biggest out was 131.

Bit wobbly on the old statistics there 

[upmonaghansayswe]

"The fox" Martin McCloskey is back!! Just through to the semis of the World Masters on bbc..God bless the BDO!!   

[Archie Mitchell]

Absolute ball of dung! Cudnt look at it!