Poppies and Moustaches
With poppies players and officials on Sunday reminded of Remembrance Day which is celebrated every year in November throughout the Commonwealth. It is celebrated to remember all those people who on duty with the military were killed in wars. Here in Wolverhampton there is always a parade in which beside the veterans and active soldiers all people take part that have in some way to do with the army.
When the poppies started to be a symbol for the Remembrance Day I don't know, but they are a symbol for the poppy fields in Flanders which soon overgrew the blood on the battle fields.
A Canadian soldier and poet, John McCrae, who had to bury a lot of his friends there, worked up his experiences in his poems. In one of those, the poem "In Flanders Fields", he for the first time used poppy in this connection.
To be sure many of you noticed that players and officials not only wore poppies but looked somehow unshaven what had nothing to do with Remembrance Day and doesn't mean there is no electricity here in Wolverhampton for the shavers.
The moustaches result in an Australian fundraising idea which was developed in 1999 and spread all over the world.
Through this November is some kind of "male health month" in which one wants to call attention to prostate cancer and intends to explain the illness. Beside prostate cancer depression and bipolar disorder with men are a topic because those are often realized too late or not at all.
The raised funds go to organisations which explain and research the illnesses.
Should one intend to take part one can register over the web site and start on 1. November shaven to grow a moustache to once own liking. Friends and acquaintances are asked to donate. One can form teams as well as did some of the dart players among those Dennis Priestley, Paul Nicholson, Adrian Lewis and Phil Taylor. All over the world by now 1 Million people take part and it's getting more and more. Participants and teams who collected the most money are honoured.
So you should risk a look at player's faces - one can say in this case you'll recognise them by their moustaches.
Which brings us back to the Grand Slam!
The Sunday was quite an exhausting day with 16 darts matches; first the opening matches of groups E - H and after a not really long break the second matches of groups A - D.
The BDO players fared much better on the second day. World Champion Christian Kist looked quite confident; one couldn't say the same about his PDC colleague Adrian Lewis who lost a close match to Tony O'Shea.
Young Wesley Harms, who created quite an own style with his protective sheets, run down a completely surprised Terry Jenkins. Only Martin Phillips was defeated. And Gary Anderson wore his new shirt - one out of a few, which we could all admire in the press room.
The shirts seemed to be even more important then the match Anderson won with 5:4 and a little bit of luck against John Part. But Anderson quite unbiased answered all questions as usual with a cup of coffee in his hand.
Wesley Harms put his protective sleeves on again for his interview and was very cool. His English is fluent in contrary to Christian Kist's.
After the break the second group matches of groups A - D were played. Here the BDO players scored as well - both Scott Waites and Ted Hankey won their matches. James Wade played a lot better then the day before and afterwards said he finally enjoyed a match again.
I myself fougth through an interview with Mervyn King.
The results of those second group matches were like this that none of the players could be sure to stand in the second round and none was without a chance - it didn't happen very often in the Grand Slam. The tension will be high before the last group matches!