UK Darts Issue 15 - June 2014 | Page 40

H ere To Why The World Cup Of Darts Has Fast Becom The PDC World Cup of Darts has fast become a firm favourite amongst darts fans around the world since its inaugural running at the Rainton Meadows Arena in the North East of England in 2010. This year, like in that first running it was an impressive Dutch pair who took the title. But at the risk of sounding cliche it was the sport of darts that was the real winner. The competition featured 32 teams for the first time this year, with representation from four continents and it was televised across the globe. many of the stars who have not been in action since the World Championships and provides fans with an opportunity to get behind some of their favourite stars once more. Then there is the fascination of the so called ‘giant killing’ and the potential for an upset. It is a widely known phenomenon in sport that people always seem to root for the underdog and the World Cup provides a perfect opportunity for this. The PDC have also got the format just about perfect now. There were some issues early on in the tournaments history but the right mix of pairs and singles has been achieved, with the matches long enough to be worthwhile but still short enough to keep things interesting. Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig Why Does It Work As A Competition? Well firstly it gives the fans an opportunity to see some of the so called ‘lesser players’ from the smaller darting nations in action. It also combines this with the thrill of watching a lot of the PDC’s elite players. Coming immediately after the Premier League it provides a fantastic opportunity to watch This balance of match length also serves to provide an opportunity for upsets, whitewashes and last leg deciders which all come thick and fast with the short format. There are 31 matches crammed in to three days of non-stop action and I think that this appeals to fans everywhere. The competition also throws up something different by introducing pairs to the world of televised darts, something which had slipped away until the formation