Tagged: PDC

Fellow Players Allegedly Claim James Wade’s Mental Health Medication Is An Unfair Advantage

Sport in general, but especially darts, is still yet to get up to speed with some of the recent changes in society’s values. One of these values in particular is the growing acceptance and understanding of mental health. Sportsmen and women so often hide mental health issues because they feel they won’t be accepted despite their exceptional talents. These people have pushed themselves to be the best they can and yet because they have a mental health issue some sports fans choose not to support them based on this alone. The majority of people disregard mental health conditions because of the complexity. They fail to appreciate that every case is different and no one can be placed into a category or given a label.

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James Wade has battled with mental health conditions throughout his life. He has often spoke out about his low moments and has become a great ambassador for raising the awareness of mental health conditions in sport. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, clinical depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when he was admitted to The Priory Clinic in 2010 and as a result missed several tournaments in order to deal with his condition.

On stage his cool, calm persona hides most of his serious challenges. However, sometimes you can identify his problems which caused some darts fans have to take a dislike to Wade because he appeared grumpy. However, Wade himself, the pundits in the studio and darts fans have spread the word and now Wade is largely supported. He has always been a battler and, with the help of his girlfriend, he is back on his feet and playing arguably the best darts of his career right now. Last year he won the Masters and now he’s challenging for the top spots in the Premier League. As far as I saw it, every darts fan, player and pundit always supported Wade through his trials and tribulations and wanted him to get back to his best, which thankfully has happened. However, he has sent out this rather worrying tweet…

Darts is a professional sport. I shouldn’t have to remind people but I feel I have to. There are strict doping rules just like any other sport, see the PDC guide to drug restriction. But, players basically accusing someone of cheating because they’re on medication that can save their life is appalling. The treatment Wade goes through is absolutely necessary and it gets him feeling healthy or in other words, back to normal.

I recommend you read up on James’ mental health condition here 

 

Thankfully twitter responded in support of Wade;

Robbie Green and ITV4 pundit, Chris Mason also chipped in with their support;

I did find it disappointing that these were the only two public displays of support from fellow darts players but at least the PDC Chairman has James’ back;

However, Hearn is denying that he has been approached by Wade or any other player tweeting;

Any comments made have to be categorically dealt with. I just hope Hearn isn’t hiding behind the standard procedure of a complaints system because, as darts fans know, he would stop anything that would paint darts in a bad light and reduce the pounds flooding into his bank account. If the mainstream media get confirmation on this story however, then Hearn will be forced to act. He has to realise that darts come first and if darts wants to hold modern values and look after its players, this situation has to be dealt with.

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Barney’s Top Banter

Cast your mind back to the Masters earlier this year. Michael van Gerwen surfaced triumphant, beating fellow Dutchman Raymond van Berneveld 11-6.

The tournament, although a major, was treated as a warm up for the Premier League. The standard of the darts on day one in particular was disappointing.

The PDC also slipped up with regards to the runner up trophy, but Barney saw the funny side, holding up an invisible trophy.

The PDC resolved their embarrassing faux-par rather late, only gifting Barney the trophy yesterday, almost a full month after he should have received it.

It’s World Darts Championship Time But Who Will Be Crowned Champion, Taylor Or van Gerwen?

It’s that time of year again, no not Christmas, but the World Darts Championship, by far the most prestigious tournament on the darts calender. The 17 day darting event at the Alexandra Palace kicks off on the 18th of this month, and like every year, it becomes part of the darts fan’s Christmas experience. With the overall prize money increasing to a whopping £1.25 million, the stakes are high. Last year the tournament was built up as the new kid on the block, Michael van Gerwen, against the old champ, Phil Taylor. Van Gerwen was triumphant. Taylor has made clear that he wants his title back, however, this year it’s not a clear two horse race. Throughout the year, other players have stepped up to the oche to seize their share of success. James Wade, Gary Anderson, Raymond van Barneveld and Adrian Lewis have all won one PDC majors this year, with their form looking set to continue into the World Championship.

Of course you’ll have your favourite, but what everyone wants to see is an underdog topple the heavyweights. Cast your mind back to Kirk Shepherds unbelievable run in 2008. Ranked 142nd at the time he started the qualifying events, he somehow raced all the way, becoming the youngest player ever to reach the final, only losing out to John Part. Personally, I would love a repeat of Shepherds brilliance, but who could pull it off?

Form in sport is a funny thing. For a darts player it can come and go, then come back again in the space of a short match. Then again, it can totally go or totally stay throughout a whole tournament. Kirk Shepard rode his wave of form all the way showing the possibilities. On top form there’s many players who can match the prowess of van Gerwen and Taylor, but essentially it’s down to luck whether the form arrives and then stays. In the past few years the standard in darts has undoubtedly gone through the roof, meaning extraordinary feats are now performed by players that are low in the rankings. Remember Kyle Anderson’s 9 darter last year, a guy who was relatively unknown before his inspired excellence.

For the top players it must be frightening to know that a low ranked player could hit a nine darter against you in the first round. This pool of skilled lower ranked players is growing. A new batch of players burst into our consciousness this year: Keegan Brown, Rowby-John Rodriguez, Ricky Evans, Stephen Bunting. Could one of these show more than promise and go the distance? Your guess is as good as mine and I want to hear it.

The Grand Slam

It’s Grand Slam time this weekend. The only tournament where the PDC meets the BDO. The majority of darts fans, myself included, follow the PDC players far more than their BDO cousins. The tournament has only ever been won by a BDO member once, Scott Waites in 2010. Mr Phillip Taylor, unsurprisingly, has been dominant, winning it five times since its inception in 2007, the only other winner being Barneveld and Scott as already mentioned. The favourites heading into this weekend are, as always, van Gerwen and Taylor but could it be won by a BDO player? Let’s look at the prospects.

Scott Waites , having won the tournament previously, has to be a strong prospect. Winner of the BDO World Championship in 2013, there were many who thought he would make a move to the PDC, as he clearly showed he had the attributes to challenge the best. Currently ranked 10th in the BDO order of merit, his form has been indifferent in 2014. He has an aggressive style of play, a quick throw and a gutsy attitude. Hailing from my own home town of Halifax, I will be sure to cheer him on as the BDO’s strongest chance in this tournament.

Tony O’Shea has a decent shot at the title. Despite being a crowd favourite, he has never been as successful as he could have been, reaching the final of the BDO World Championships three times. He has had success previously in the Grand Slam, reaching the quarter finals in 2009 and 2013. His form in major championships seems to be going in the right direction, so lets hope he can go a few steps further this year.

Robbie Green is a beast of a darts player. Although he only has a BDO ranking of 17, I fancy him to do well in this tournament. He had a decent run in the BDO World Championship earlier this year, losing to Stephen Bunting in the semi final. He has had a successful 2014, winning the Isle of man open, Gwynedd open and the Scottish open. He’s showed this year that he can maintain high averages and win tournaments on the BDO circuit, the question now is, can he mix it with the best on the big stage. This tournament is a great chance for him to showcase his game.