Many of you will be aware that we recently had our ADO Masters Nationals, but I wonder just how many of you actually know what that means?
We have four National Playoffs annually; the Masters, the East-West All-stars, the U.S. Team, and the National Cricket Championship.
The latter is self-explanatory, and is the only one of the four that doesn't utilize the universal game of 501.
The All-stars can really be considered a qualifying round for the National 501 Championship, which again, is self-explanatory.
The U.S. Team Playoffs qualify players for either the World Cup or Americas Cup teams, and these events are staged in alternating years.
That leaves just one...
The World Masters is the oldest of all the World Championships, having been introduced way back in 1974, and plays host to the
largest - and most diverse - field of all such events. Sanctioned by the World Darts Federation (WDF), the World Masters is actually
organized by the BDO, and has always been held in England. However, it is open to players from all WDF member nations, but there are
certain restrictions on eligibility, as it is not an "open" event.
There are many different ways to qualify from the BDO, but I will concentrate here on the International qualification.
As a WDF member nation, the U.S. (via the ADO) can send :
A maximum of four qualifiers (each for men and women) from a National Playoff.
Top 3 players from National Rankings.
In addition, there are a number of places available for players as a result of individual achievement, which are :
Former Singles Champions from World Cup/Pacific Cup/Americas Cup.
National Champions (from the National 501 and Cricket Championships)
Finally, singles champions (501 only) from a number of "open" events around the world receive invitations. Currently,
there are six of these in the United States, namely the Las Vegas Open, Virginia Beach Classic, Charlotte Open, Houston Open,
USA Dart Classic, and Colorado Open. Of course, should an American win the Dutch Open, England Open, Japan Open etc, that also counts.
When a player qualifies/receives an invitation, that is all they get. There is no expense money, free accommodation etc; it is up to the
individual to get there. Having said that, a number of the National Associations (ADO included) pay for the trip for those qualifying from
the National Playoffs.
So, if the World Masters has been around since 1974, surely the Americans have a pretty good history? Sadly not. For some reason, we have
never made much of a showing over there. Despite the fact that our friends from "north of the border" have provided two finalists
(Allan Hogg in 1979, and Bob Sinnaeve seven years later), none of our boys have made it past the semis. What's worse is that the last
time that happened was back in 1991 when Dave Kelly succumbed to eventual champion Rod Harrington.
Previous semi-finalists were Javier Gopar (1976), Nicky Virackul (1980), and Tony Payne (1985). Nicky also made it to the quarter-finals in
1975 and 1982, while similar finishes were achieved by Conrad Daniels (1978), and Dick McGinnis the following year.
We have done better on the distaff side, even though the women didn't get an event until 1982. Sandy Reitan (now Green) lifted the trophy
in 1991, while Kathy Maloney (1993), Stacy Bromberg (1995), and Marilyn Popp (2001) all fell at the final hurdle. Kathy made Top 4 in 1992
(and Top 8 in 1986) and Lori Branthwaite (now Verrier) did likewise in 1987. Stacy has lost in the quarters on four occasions (1999, 2000,
2002, and 2006), with Connie Sroka doing the same in 1987.
Our youth qualifiers have fared even worse than the men, with B.J. Preston reaching the semi-final in 1987, and Kevin Holden repeating that
feat a decade later.
Still, for me, attending the World Masters is the highlight of the year. Aside from the playing, the atmosphere is wonderful, and it's
great to meet up with everyone. What is very disappointing this year is that it has moved down the road from Bridlington to Hull.
Even if it is out of season (it's a cute little seaside resort on the North Sea), Brid is a lovely place to visit, while
Hull (Kingston-upon-Hull is its official name) is simply known as an industrial metropolis on the Humber River.
Maybe, just maybe, a change of venue will bring a change of luck for the Americans.