Darting glances

THEY are in Ireland next week, the big men with big bellies and big beer drinking capacities, giving Irish people a little taste of what Sid Waddell, the voice of darts who laces his eloquence with Shakespearean allusions, calls “the sound of the tungsten .... the smell of the crowd.”

Buoyed by its success on these shores last year, the Professional Darts circus has returned with all the big names in tow - Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, who some call the greatest player ever to draw breath, Bob Anderson, Richie Burnett. There are even two Irish competitors, Jack McKenna and Paul Dillon.

Big time darts in Ireland. For those who are enthralled by the alcohol-fuelled shenanigans in Frimley Green every January, this is your chance to brush shoulders with the top arrowsmen in the game. But don’t come to CityWest looking for Andy Forham or Bobby George, because you won’t find them.