Nerve battle at the World Cup: 66-year-old darts legend creates a sensation

Saturday 19th December 2020

Nerve battle at the World Cup
66-year-old darts legend creates a sensation

From Kevin Schulte

Cult player Paul Lim is sensationally in the second round of the Darts World Cup. The 66-year-old defeated Luke Humphries, who was 41 years his junior, after a crazy race to catch up. Today two Germans have to work. In addition, van Gerwen joins the tournament.

At the 1990 Darts World Cup, Paul Lim was the first player in the history of the tournament to throw a nine-darter, the perfect game. 30 years later, the now 66-year-old "Singapore Slinger" has the next sensation on the biggest stage in the darts world. In the first round of the World Cup, Lim surprisingly defeated Luke Humphries 3-2.

Although the 25-year-old Englishman quickly takes a 2-0 lead, darts legend Lim finds his way back into the game. Everything speaks for Humphries right up to the end. "Cool Hand Luke" is the better player until shortly before the end. He manages the "180" seven times, Lim only once. Because the Singaporean wins an epoch-making nerve battle in the decision sentence, these statistics remain a side note.

Luke Humphries throws an incredible twelve (!) Darts one after the other past the double field. Lim hits the eight millimeter narrow field on the seventh attempt. In the following leg, Humphries missed another dart on doubles, Lim did not allow himself to be asked twice, used his first match dart and completed his mega catch-up.

"I'm very happy that I played a good game. I spent a lot of time on the dartboard in this difficult year. This is a victory for the old boys," said Lim after his surprise triumph.

"Aubergenius" also makes a comeback

Dirk van Duijvenbode also made an impressive catch-up at the beginning of the evening. The Dutchman quickly falls 2-0 down against junior world champion Bradley Brooks. After the set break, "DvD" can't be stopped, wins nine of the next ten legs and thus still the game. In the next round, van Duijvenbode, known as "Aubergenius" because of his work on an eggplant farm, meets Rob Cross. The ex-world champion should be warned.

James Wade, seeded in seventh place, is already in lap three. "The Machine" made short work of Callan Rydz in the last game of the evening, uncompromisingly won 3-0. As the only top 32 player so far, however, Jamie Hughes has to say goodbye to the World Cup. The Englishman received a 3-0 swat in a duel with his compatriot Adam Hunt.

Two Germans on duty today

Today's fifth day of the World Cup is all about two German hopes. First of all, Max Hopp is allowed to board the last game of the afternoon session in the empty "Ally Pally" (from around 4 pm). In the second round match against Mervyn King, the "Maximiser" hopes for a similar result as six years ago. At the 2015 World Cup, when he was 18 at the time, Hopp had sensationally won against King. "I had my breakthrough at the World Cup against Mervyn. Maybe after an average year I will experience a kind of second breakthrough," said Hopp on Wednesday evening after his easy first round win over Gordon Mathers.

Nico Kurz also has good memories of the stage at Alexandra Palace, who meets veteran Andy Hamilton in the first part of the evening session. In the previous year, Kurz, who works full-time as an industrial mechanic, surprisingly stormed into the third round. This time the 23-year-old can qualify for a second-round duel with compatriot Gabriel Clemens with a win.

World number one at stake

After Nico Kurz's game, the 61-year-old Deta Hedman will celebrate her World Cup debut. The game against Andy Boulton is the late, but deserved culmination of an unfinished career. Hedman, who grew up in Jamaica, has been among the world's top women’s competition for years, but has never won a major title. Hardly anyone expected that she would qualify for the PDC World Championship for the first time in the late autumn of her career.

Mainly because Fallon Sherrock, who was the first woman ever to defeat two male opponents at the World Cup last year, had to be defeated in the qualifying event. But Hedman managed the surprise, she made it through the World Cup qualification. After the surprise coup, she "sobbed like a baby," said Hedman in a recent "BBC" interview. A win over Andy Boulton would be an even bigger sensation.

Michael van Gerwen wants to prevent a nasty surprise in the last evening game. Against the blatant outsider Ryan Murray, everyone expects a mandatory victory for the world's number one. For "MvG", however, it is about more than a sovereign opening success on the way to the fourth world title. A defeat would mean the end of an era: For the first time in seven years, the world's number one would not be Michael van Gerwen, but Peter Wright or Gerwyn Price.

In the podcast "Check out"Every morning you can listen to the most exciting stories from the Darts World Cup. You can also find the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.