Darts icon John Part recalls oppressive World Matchplay conditions – ‘Lack of oxygen’

Ahead of the World Matchplay in Blackpool, which begins this weekend, former runner-up John Part recalls what made the tournament so special and beating Phil Taylor

John Part has done it all at the Winter Gardens – apart from actually winning the World Matchplay. The Canadian great’s first memories of the legendary venue are of its oppressively hot conditions, at times, during the days when fans could still smoke inside.

He has brought the house down with a nine-darter and is part of a tiny band of players to have beaten 16-time winner Phil Taylor. In more recent years, Part has been part of the Sky Sports commentary team, giving him a front-row seat as the greats of today chisel their place into the annals of one of darts’ most historic theatres.

While he may not have lifted the Matchplay trophy, Part’s memories of Blackpool are overwhelmingly positive. The three-time world champion recalled: “I always enjoyed it. It wasn’t always the most comfortable place to play in terms of climate. It could get quite hot and in the earliest days of the event, there was still smoking inside.

“There would be a lack of oxygen in high temperatures. It could be quite gruelling in those early days. It was quite a factor. A lot has changed since then.”

Part is one of just nine players in PDC Matchplay history to have nailed a nine-darter. He says his perfect leg felt extra special as it came in front of darts’ most knowledgeable fans, even if it was in a losing effort against Mark Webster in 2011.

“We always rated it the best venue with the best, most knowledgeable fans,” said Part, who is pondering a PDC Tour comeback. “On that side of things, you couldn’t ask for any more. It is a fantastic and historic darts venue now.

“I was very happy to get that nine-darter in front of that crowd. It was later in my career. It shocked everybody, maybe including myself! I wasn’t throwing that well when it happened and I kind of made a match out of it, even though I lost [10-8].”

In an era when it was rare to see anyone but P.Taylor on the winner’s roll of honour, Part was runner-up twice. His first final appearance, in 2002, saw him push the Power all the way before eventually losing 18-16.

“It really was breathtaking to play in finals there,” added Darth Marple. “The first final, against Phil, I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to what was going on in the audience.

“I trusted they weren’t going to be negative. I knew they liked watching good darts, and I was trying to deliver that.I came quite close in that final with Phil but he just sprung up at the end. I got to 16 [legs] first but not to 18.”

In 2005, Part knocked out Taylor, albeit in the quarter-finals. He admits the mental effort needed to defeat the sport’s GOAT took its toll. He said: “I was fortunate enough to beat him in a quarter-final a few years after that.

“My strengths, when it came to dealing with someone like Phil, actually came in the sets format, when I could afford to be a little more up and down in my game.

“But at my best in career, my standard was quite high. Although it wasn’t Phil’s standard, I could still compete with him and the best in the game.”

Despite beating Taylor, Part didn’t feel like he had one hand on the trophy. He added: “It was hard. I had a tough semi-final with Peter Manley. Prior to that [in 2003], in the Desert Classic, he benefited from me beating Phil in a semi [by winning the tournament]. It was like I had done the hard work [by beating Taylor] and Peter had reaped the benefits.

“I didn’t want that to happen again. He was ahead of me in the semi-finals of the Matchplay. I rallied [to win 18-16] but it was pretty draining, especially off the back of beating Phil, which was very draining.

“I never felt like it was mine because there were some very tricky opponents, even though I beat Phil. That’s why it was better to beat Phil in a final, then you couldn’t mess it up!”

After seeing off Manley, Part faced another top star of the era in Colin Lloyd, who prevailed 18-12. He said: “It wasn’t the best match we ever had but it reminds me of the calibre of the matches me and Colin would have. It was phenomenal at times.

“They didn’t have averages at every tournament back then but we’d have 110 [average] matches. There was no doubt in Colin’s abilities and how deserving he was to win major titles. It was appropriate that we had a major final against each other.

“People think darts is more competitive now but believe me, back in those days there weren’t a lot of easy games. You can’t trust averages all the time.”