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First Words
The sport of darts is enjoying a fantastic resurgence in the early 21st century, having slipped off the radar by the end of the last century. The advent of satellite television has clearly spurred the sport back into the mainstream arena.
The epic success story and charisma of Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor – probably the greatest darts player the world has ever seen - has also done a great deal to grow the popularity of darts in the UK. Four years ago I was gathering opinions on who sports people considered to be the greatest sports person in the world at the time. The debate hinged around Tiger Woods and Roger Federer, with Michael Schumacher on the fringes of the argument in his racing prime with Ferrari’s F1 team. When I put the question to South African golfer Retief Goosen I was expecting to note another shining tribute paid to the overall athleticism and mental strength of Woods, but instead, Goosen brought Taylor into the debate, so dominant has the Englishman been in the World Darts Championships. Taylor has extended his incredible record in 2010, having now won 15 PDC World titles since 1990. Goosen has a point.
The growing popularity of darts prompted us to include the sport in our series of product showcases for the first time, in this issue. On pages 16-17 you will find an array of darts, boards, flights and other related items from Unicorn, Harrows, Winmau and Datadart, covering a range of price points, and we hope you find the feature of use.
Robin Barwick, Editor
