re: Sportspeople whose age surprises you

quote:

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woah you follow darts? I am a huge MVG fan. Do you play any in any local leagues or tourneys?

Bottle is just nerves in general.

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Been playing darts since the late 80's and played in various leagues over the years but stopped in 2013 when I needed rotator cuff surgery on my throwing arm.

I'm now 71 and my days of hitting bars, drinking and playing darts well into the night are done. I do head out to play still, but generally on league night to get some pick-up games with the league players to warm them up.

I still love to play and follow the darts on PDC Live that streams about 500 hours a year of live tournaments, both stage and floor events.

I loved to watch Eric Bristow when he played and then Phil Taylor, his protege who went on to win 16 World Titles in his career before retiring.

I like to watch a lot of players and really have no favorite, but do have some I really don't like to watch.


Edited to add this: MVG is a hell of a player but his style of play is now catching up with him and that was something I eluded to many years ago.

When he first came into the PDC tour he was a skinny kid and over the years he's likely packed on 50+ lbs. Also, that pronounced lean and the extreme wrist snap at the end of this throw has started coming back to haunt him a bit with back, leg and wrist issues for the past few years.

He's now got 3 World Titles to his name and I can't see him even matching Raymond van Barneveld and Eric Bristow who both are in 2nd place behind Taylor with 5 World Titles each.

I really can't see anyone breaking Taylors run at World Titles. He was a freak of nature on the dart board in his day and so far ahead of the competition at the time, he made winning look easy.