The weekly darts competition continued in its new virtual domain, with the audience members growing by the week, as players, pundits, and spectators flock to the online forum to watch some of the best-known names in the game battle it out in the surreal comfort of their living rooms, with all their scores being carefully scrutinised and totted up by Governor Gus in his custom-built cyber hut, tucked up neatly on the sound cloud.
The two men who served it up in the latest instalment, which took place on Sunday, May 10, were Paddy “Boom Boom” Breheny and The Duke Divilly and it was a match to savour. Both men produced some scintillating darts, with the trebles and doubles beds peppered with unerring accuracy.
Boom Boom has adapted well to the virtual world and has been a model of consistency, winning twice and coming close on several other occasions. The Duke, on the other hand, has taken some time to find his niche, as he struggles to get pumped up for a game that has little or no crowd interaction, in terms of cheering and atmosphere.
Boom Boom was in the groove from the start and raced into a two-set lead, thanks to some terrific scoring and finishing, as he hit every double with his first or second dart. The Duke was all at sea and looked on course to be whitewashed, such was the errant nature of his darts, as he hit every nook and corner of his beautifully designed living room, with the board just a casual participant. He had to be reprimanded by a stern and authoritative Governor Gus, who was unhappy at some of the expletives being picked up on the sound cloud.
Things looked grim for the Duke, but he remained a feisty and cussed competitor and, from nowhere, his game caught fire in the third and fourth sets, as he squared the match with a trademark double-18 finish. Boom Boom was flattened by the Duke’s surge, as his game plummeted from its previous lofty heights heading into a fifth and deciding set. The Duke was on a roll, as he assumed control by winning the first two legs in decisive fashion. Boom Boom responded to win the third leg, but the Duke put paid to any notions of a cliffhanger, as he strode to the ochie in leg four and banged in two maximums to leave Boom Boom floundering in his wake.
He wrapped it up with a neat 120 finish, as his final dart landed plum in the middle of double top to complete a sweet victory for the number-two seed, his second victory since the competition reverted to the virtual domain. A real smash and grab by the Duke, with Boom Boom still reeling, as he struggled to figure out where it all went wrong.