Only a few days and the PDC World Championship will begin! Another year with a lot of darting highlights
in defiance of Corona lies behind us. It is not easy for me to decide which darting achievments stood out
most but at the first view the year for me was mainly shaped by Jonny Clayton. I am not quite sure whether
I back him to win the World Championship, it will not be easy for him to even reach the quarterfinals where
once again he would meet his fellow country man and reigning champion Gerwyn Price - but didn't Clayton
surprise us this year again and again? Clayton is the fourth favorite with the book makers behind Gerwyn
Price, Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright. But it will not be an easy progress for all four top favorites
who all have to overcome some high hurdles on their way. Rarely did we see such an evenly matched field of
participants where beside the mentioned Top Four players like Michael Smith, Rob Cross, Ryan Searle, James
Wade, Dimitri van den Bergh and Gary Anderson - and whoever else - will lie in wait to take their chances.
This year's World Championship will be played from 15. December till 3. January 2022 - that's a long time
and a lot could happen. The PDC has wrapped up for us all in all 95 sparkling parcels which fit the season.
Of course - what with one thing and another - not all will be to our taste. Some will be boring like the
unimaginativly ties or socks we sometimes get for Christmas. Some will be showy but without substance. Some
will be outright poor. But I am sure some will suprise us, some will be thrilling and some will be just
spectacular.
Once again we will see players from around the world - of course from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland,
from a lot of European countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Russia or Poland, some from North
America, from Australia, from Asia. There will be players we already know for a long time and some we have
never seen before though those are rare this year. The age of the players will range between 16 years
(young German Fabian Schmutzler) and 67 (that's of course Paul Lim who once again managed to qualify).Once
again two women qualified as well - Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton. Perhaps Sherrock again will be able
to be a threat for her male colleagues as she is first and foremost a really good dartplayer, undaunted and
with a clinical finishing more than a few will envy her.
Hopefully this ongoing pandemic will not put a spoke in the wheel so that more players will have to withdraw
as already did Charles Losper and Juan Francisco Rodriguez. Or that in the end we'll have to return to a
tournament played behind closed doors.
I will not travel to London - it is difficult with all those all the time changing travel regulations. I
don't want to be stranded in a British quarantine hotel over Christmas. And beside better don't forget the
Brexit. wouldn't it be horrible would I have to starve looking at empty shelves in the supermarket while
here at home I can sit on my cosy sofa munching chicken and Christmas cookies? Probably I am getting lazy ...
Dead honest - I really miss all the buzz, all that meeting people, even the noise in the venue, seeing
something new, beeing in the middle of and beeing part of the action . And as a lot of people I am sick
and tired of corona.
So I really look forward to the World Championship and as all the other tournaments this year - this one
again will be entertaining I am sure. And that it is not really possible to predict or even pick a favorite
makes it even more interesting. Though - I hope you will not help me liable for that - at the moment I
would set my money either on Gerwyn Price or at Peter Wright as the potential winner.