Bar to success

TWO important sporting lessons to learn from the past 24 hours: 1) Britain will never be the best in the world at a sport you can’t play in the rain. 2) Britain can still rule the world at any sport you can play in a pub.

Go and clap in the car park

WHENEVER I’ve been to a gig at, say, the Manchester Academy, it’s always taken a while for my ears to readjust to normal sound levels again. Even a busy city centre street can sound incredibly quiet by comparison. If the recent PDC World Darts Championship was a noisy, sweaty gig, then the BDO’s version is the street outside.

Against the throw

AT least Bob Anderson, aka The Limestone Cowboy, spoke from some position of authority last week when he called for darts to be included in the Olympics. Anderson once had a chance to go to the Games with the Great Britain javelin team, but then broke his arm.

‘The Power’ of the mind

HE had a bit of a ropey start to 2007, but I’m backing Phil Taylor to kick off 2008 by lifting the PDC Darts World Championship trophy at Alexandra Palace on January 1 . . . especially after speaking to the Salford University sports psychologist who has helped him regain his form.