UniBoffin 25th January 2010 in UniBlog: Lowe Resolution

Now the New Year is traditionally a time for resolutions, so I guess it’s appropriate I begin this one by resolving some issues left over from my last uniBlog of 2009. Future offerings can then happily revert to my more customary fare of new darts technology, old flight dynamic theory, and appalling puns. Bet you can’t wait! (click to read more...)

LEVEL BEST - uniBoffin - uniBlog 21/05/2009

Now you might disagree, but I reckon I’ve been giving my readers a bit too easy a time of late. My last few uniBlogs have tended to be fairly benevolent offerings, discussing comparatively straightforward topics like barrel and shaft materials. OK, the last time I did sneak in a mention of yaw nodes, but by and large the complexities of flight dynamics have taken a back seat to more engineeringy aspects of dart design. (full blog post...)

Blinking Scientist-uniBoffin - uniBlog 12/03/2009

So, apologies that it’s been a while since I’ve been with you, but sometimes we research scientists have to lock ourselves away in the vaults of Minas Tirith to study ancient scrolls (OK, do some research!). This time, however, as I emerged blinking into the sunlight, I noticed that more time had passed than usual. So much so, in fact, that Spring is now here and it’s thus the time of year when a not-so-young flight dynamicist’s thoughts should turn to designing new darts for the winter catalogue.

Of course, as I try to explain to the Big Boss, the problem with designing scientifically optimised darts is that it’s hard to come up with improvements based on theory alone. (full blog post...)

There are new uniblog entries 1-6-08

Malice at the Palace
Posted by Paul Seigel	04/01/2009 20:00:00
Last night, between re-reading and my mortification at all the typographical errors in yesterday’s furiously written column about the semi-finals and trying to find a good kebab, I had a chance to do more than just admire the photographs of Helen Chamberlain and Juicy Lucy in the first issue of the ...... Read full uniBlog Comments (0)
The 2009 World Championship – Semi Finals
Posted by Paul Seigel	04/01/2009
There is a scene in David Nobbs’ Cupid’s Dart (Arrow Books, 2008) where Oxford philosophy professor Alan Calcutt happens upon the World Darts Championship on television. He’s recently hooked up with darts groupie, Angie Bedwell, half his age and is anticipating an upcoming date where together they w...... Read full uniBlog

uniBlog updates - December, '08

Monk awarded ultimate Academy prize
Posted by Glen Dawkins	15/12/2008 21:00:00
The Academy celebrated it’s 3rd presentation evening in grand style at the Entertainer last Saturday with Arron Monk receiving the top award of 32 presented on the night. At the busiest time of year the organisers were delighted to welcome representatives of their sponsors and partners including ...... Read full uniBlog Comments (0)
Petersfield Academy Opening Night
Posted by Chris Skinner	03/12/2008 11:00:00
Well Last night was our academy's open evening and the response was much better than i could have hoped, 19 youngsters arrived last night and paid their membership to the academy. It proves that everyone's hard work and dedication over the last 5 or 6 months has been worthwhile as i wasn't expecting...... Read full uniBlog Comments (0)
Nose for a Bargain
Posted by uniBoffin	21/11/2008 17:00:00
Stop Press! In an uncharacteristic fit of astounding generosity, I have decided to commence this my second year of uniBlogging by offering a small but truly unique prize to an attentive reader. And that could mean you, so hopefully you’ll see that as a good reason to keep reading even if you’re not ...... Read full uniBlog Comments (11)

(previous uniblog posts...)

recent uniblogs....

• Petersfield Academy Opening Night - 5 days agoWell Last night was our academy's open evening and the response was much better than i could have hoped, 19 youngsters arrived last night and paid their membership to the academy. It proves that e...
• Nose for a Bargain - 2 weeks agoStop Press! In an uncharacteristic fit of astounding generosity, I have decided to commence this my second year of uniBlogging by offering a small but truly unique prize to an attentive reader. And th...
• The Unicorn Petersfield Darts Academy - 2 weeks agoOver the last few years the Petersfield Darts League has slowly been dropping in teams entering the league and as a consequence the number of players has begun to dwindle to. So when I took over as Le...
• Cometh the hour.... Cometh the Russians - 2 weeks agoFor each of the last nine years Trina Gulliver has established a formidable record by finishing number 1 in the WDF world rankings. This year there is a possibility that she will not make it ten. Uni...
• UNICORN DARTS PUB OF THE YEAR 2009 - 3 weeks ago

uniBoffin - blog post

Posted by Glen Robert Huff	29/10/2008 10:45:00
If I could answer some previous readers questions to my past UniBlogs (with apologies to all for not replying sooner as home computer had been out of commission for a long while) hope the below is helpful: 1) To Jerry who had asked about some old Nicky Virachkul (apologies if I misspelled Nick...... Read full uniBlog

uniBoffin - blog post

Well, Happy Birthday to me! I shall be/am/was one year old on 23 October! Don’t let me stop you if you want to send an expensive present!

OK, it may not exactly be my genuine first birthday (I wish!), but it is the uniBoffin’s. It’s just a year since that particular Creature arose from the Big Boss’s Black Lagoon of dubious nom-de-plumes so that yours truly could avoid the personal reprisals that might otherwise have resulted from burdening the darting public with unasked-for dissertations on static margins and moments of inertia. (Full post)

Unicorn - Arron Monk Chosen For England - Glen Dawkins: uniBlog

In the week that Colin Lloyd the world’s former number one spent two nights playing darts in Andover, The Unicorn Darts Youth Academy is delighted to announce that Arron Monk has been selected to represent the England Youth Team in next months European Championships in Folkestone.
Unicorn - Arron Monk Chosen For England - Glen Dawkins: uniBlog

REMINISCING ABOUT THE REEBOK - Sid Waddell - uniBlog

Phew!!! I am sitting in my Pudsey garden in 78 degrees of balmy heat just shaking my head in wonder at the great darts fest we had at Bolton.

Keeping tabs on 170 plus darters was difficult and doing 26 hours of live telly was invigorating but it was hour by hour a pure gas.

Looking through my tatty water-spotted notes, here’s what jumps out off the pages…
Unicorn - REMINISCING ABOUT THE REEBOK - Sid Waddell - uniBlog

FUN AND FLAIR AT BOLTON Sid Waddell uniBlog

I’ll start with a joke…

Have you heard the one about the undertaker, the karaoke DJ and the bloke who packs David Beckham’s toiletries?

Punch line: They all reckon they can beat Barney, Taylor, Lloyd, Mason and Wade and Co and win the UK Open at Bolton. They are Nigel Heydon, alias Deadly of Leamington Spa, Disco Ian Walters of Manchester and Fragrant Dave Ladley of Scunthorpe. And therein lies the appeal of this weekend’s Open – the FA Cup of darts, where the minnows meet the sharks.

Since its inception in 2003 the Open has produced some remarkable darts. Phil Taylor did a nine-darter in 2004 and 2005. Adrian Lewis and Chris Mason, both currently in cracking form, had a belter of a match a couple of year’s back in which 19 180s were thrown. Last year bullet-headed Barrie Bates of Wales crushed his way to the final against Barney.

Unicorn - FUN AND FLAIR AT BOLTON Sid Waddell uniBlog

Unicorn - Stuart Pyke uniBlog

It is the hardest market in the world to crack – whether it be business, sport or entertainment but darts is giving it a real go on the other side of ‘The Pond”.

The PDC US Open has been terrific and Barry Hearn remains absolutely determined that he will crack darts in America. Several big tournaments could be set to hit the USA in the coming years and as a sport, darts continues to grow.

Team Unicorn’s Ray Carver, John Kuczynski, Brad Wethington, Jim Widmayer, Roger Carter, Darrin Young and the rest continue to lead the way but there is no doubt that standards are improving all the time.

Unicorn - Sid Waddell - uniBlog: ONWARD AND UPWARD

Once upon a time darts was played in a corner of a pub with a top whack audience of two dozen and the chuckers sometimes had to ask if the missile was in the right bed. Spectator sport? Don’t make me smile. For the past three months we have had upwards of 5000 punters riveted on ‘pomp darts’, as in ‘pomp rock’, played in massive arenas for the Premier Darts League and big audiences every Thursday night on Sky. Why are the modern masses hooked? In no particular order, here are a few reasons. Unicorn - Sid Waddell - uniBlog: ONWARD AND UPWARD

Unicorn: NOSTALGIA TIME AT CARDIFF Sid Waddell uniBlog

The Premier League swept into Cardiff last week and I was swept through with great memories.

I recalled, happily, for several Welsh newspapers the great days of Alan Evans and Leighton Rees, the two men who really put darts on the map in the late 1970s and early 80s. Their flamboyance, character and skill at the Indoor League and on other telly darts grabbed the public imagination. So I was delighted to get a warm letter from Alan’s daughter Claire and her husband Mark thanking me for keeping his name alive. Take it from me, if there had been a Premier League in 1980 Evans and Rees would have been in it – along with Brissy and Lobo. Who do you reckon would have been the other four?
Unicorn: NOSTALGIA TIME AT CARDIFF Sid Waddell uniBlog

Unicorn uniBlog - SCOT NOSH AND BRILLIANT BLACKPOOL - Sid Waddell

It has been a few days of pure nostalgia for the Geordie Lip. I have waxed lyrical in the land of Sir Walter Scott and Country and Western in the old stomping ground of George Formby.

Last Wednesday saw me striding along Princes Street in Edinburgh thinking up Celtic witticisms and breathing in pure air from the hills round Lammermuir. I was getting ready to MC a bonding night for investing customers of a big German bank. The lads and lasses played darts on eight boards, supped steadily and were coached by Bob Anderson and Peter Manley. Above us twinkled delicate bratiches, and one could well imagine Robert Lewis Stevenson himself dancing a gavotte on the elegant boards of the Assembly Rooms.
Unicorn uniBlog - SCOT NOSH AND BRILLIANT BLACKPOOL - Sid Waddell

RAISING THE BAR

How much bigger and better will it get?

The darts revolution shows no sign of slowing down and if I was a better man (which I am!) I reckon the Barry Hearn bandwagon will just keep on rolling.

The standard set by the eight players in the Premier League in Aberdeen was simply sensational and if my information is correct, the PDC is set to keep on growing and growing, as darts continues to reach new heights.

In 2007, there will be 50 days of ‘live’ darts on Sky Sports……it seems the Grand Slam of Darts in November will be screened on terrestrial television and the PDC expansion around the darting world continues to flourish with every passing year.
Stuart Pyke uniBlog - RAISING THE BAR

Unicorn - This weekend Irina went off to the Finnish Open

This weekend Irina went off to the Finnish Open. After about 13 hours travelling to get there on Friday she entered the blind draw couples.
She was drawn to play with a guy from Tilburg in Holland called Rob Tielman. Every round they drew an all male team, but this didnt prevent them from going all the way and winning the final.
Unicorn - This weekend Irina went off to the Finnish Open

Unicorn - uniBlog - Gordon Shumway

Gordon Shumway
uniBlog

Seems like Michael Rosenauer is unstopable at the moment. The team "Unicorn Global" member won the first ranking tournament of the new founded GDC(German darts Corporation) last saturday. Rosenauer defeated Jyhan Artut in the final 3-2(2-1, 2-1, 0-2, 0-2, 2-1) and booked his ticket for the first GDC Pro ranking tournament at the end of march.
Unicorn - uniBlog - Gordon Shumway

Unicorn - Sid Waddell: uniBlog

TOON LOONEYS
21/02/2007
I must admit that I am trembling with anticipation at the prospect of ‘playing’ the Metro Arena in Newcastle with the Holsten Premier Darts League. I last commentated in the Toon in the summer of 1994 at the Samson Classic and the fan mania – all waving bottle and banners – was led by my 80 year old mum Martha! What will 4000-plus darts-daft Geordies do this Thursday? There’ll be Grog on the Tyne all right. Unicorn - Sid Waddell: uniBlog

Unicorn: uniBlog - Michael Rosenauer won the "WDF Dortmund Open 2007

by Gordon Shumway
20/02/2007 Last Saturday team "Unicorn Global" member Michael Rosenauer won the WDF World ranking tournament in Dortmund. After his "Dortmund Open" victory in 2006 he now defended his title. On his way to the final he defeated players like Mikel van Maastrig from Holland. In the semi-final he won against Geert de Vos with 2-1(1-2, 2-1, 2-1) before he played against Germany´s no. 2 Marko Puls in the final. At the end of the day Michael won 3-1(0-2, 2-1, 2-0, 2-1), which was his 3rd WDF ranking tournament win since he joined team Unicorn.