#darts Chris Mason says he will retire...

Today at the Grand Slam of Darts Mason said he had lost his love of the game and the will to put in the long hours of practice required to compete at the top levels of the game. He spoke of the enjoyment he's had competing against an outstanding crop of players in both the BOD and the PDC. He lament the miss opportunities in key matches during his career. In the end he believes his final matches will be in the World Championships qualifier, or the World Championships if he qualifies for them. When Stuart Pyke asked what he would do after darts, Chris Mason joke; "I may go after your job..." Pyke retorts after pause... "I'm at a loss for words."

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.

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

DARTS ON TRIAL?

Threats, counter-threats, legal action…….it must be another week in the wide world of darts!

I watched again the documentary about the ‘Big Split’ back in 1993. ‘Blood on the Carpet’ certainly brought back a lot of memories and at times, it mirrored what is going on right now.

We have seen threats of legal action against 2006 BDO World Champion Jelle Klaasen, which smacks of more bad blood and sour grapes. BDO spokesman Robert Holmes has been quoted as saying: “In the case of Jelle Klaasen it is our duty to remind them of their contractual obligations.” He said they are consulting lawyers and that: “We mean business over this.” DARTS ON TRIAL?

Stuart Pyke - THE FUTURE OF DARTS

You may have read in some of the newspapers that PDC supremo Barry Hearn would be prepared to offer a million quid to take over the BDO.

I understand that at this stage, no offer is imminent - but the PDC Chairman does want to invest funds (money that the PDC has) into grass roots darts and would be happy to make an offer to the much-maligned British Darts Organisation.
THE FUTURE OF DARTS