Paul Lim : My Super Darts 2013 experience

Paul Lim talks about his participation in Super Darts 2013.

Super Darts, the invite-only annual tournament conceived and organised by Dartslive have been around since 2007. However it has always been a Japanese-only event held in Japan. For the first time this year, Dartslive decided to open up the invitation and internationalize the tournament, moving the the venue to Hong Kong.

Paul Lim,  "The World" Grand Final 2011 Champion and the "Singapore Slinger", explains about the purpose for the Super Darts, "When it first started in Japan, the concept was to create a Grand Finale for players to say - this is the stage I want to go to. And I think in any sports, we need that."

Paul is familiar with Super Darts, being the referee in some of earlier Super Darts tournaments in Japan. "It is a big deal for a lot of players especially the good players. It is almost like becoming a film star. You get placed into a movie and you are the main character and people look up to you and you are their hero and you have fans." Indeed there were fans running around the hall for their favourite player's autograph or pictures. And some of these autographs on Super Darts memento turn up later on Facebook with their owners sharing it out proudly.

Paul Lim being interviewed at the start of the Super Darts event

Paul shared, "I believe Super Darts is a great tournament because it is like a showcase event for the best of the best. Of course, The World Grand Final is a big deal too but for Super Darts because it is an invitational-only, it makes it much more important when you are invited. To be invited, you got to be special. Once you are invited, you will feel honoured."

This year's Super Darts was opened up to include top players from USA, France, UK, Spain, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore and of course Japan. As a result, the playing field became more competitive and there were more audience worldwide watching the live telecast over the net.

"As Super Darts is now open to all international players including Japanese, it actually opens up the door for players in many other countries", says Paul. "Everyone can look forward to the next Super Darts. I like it, I think its great."

Paul Lim playing against Cyril Blot

Paul was drawn to play against French Cyril Blot in the first round. Initially, Paul took some time to settle down - he lost the first bulls up and continue to miss a few more important bulls, losing the first game to Cyril. The next cricket game, Paul's usual pet favourite, was also a game of misses but Cyril could not capitalise on it and Paul struggled to win the next cricket game in 15 rounds and finally went on to beat Cyril 3-1 to proceed into the second round.

In his next game, Paul was faced with Super Darts defending champion, Morihiro Hashimoto, who won the first 01 game with a 15-dart checkout but Paul Lim was soon back in his elements again, steadily hitting his targets. Hashimoto also put up a good performance dragging the game into the decider game. In the last cricket game, Paul Lim played defensively to score ahead maintaining a safe lead ahead until he was ready to finally close the game at round 13, thus ending the Japanese player's bid to keep his Super Darts crown.

So, it was Paul Lim vs Benjamin Dersch in the semi-finals. Ben took the first game then Paul squandered away the next cricket game and had to fight hard to win the 3rd game to stay in the running. The 4th game of 01 was fought hard with stress as Paul needed to win it although Ben started first. In the end, a bounced-out dart from Paul Lim cost him the game, losing 3-1 to Ben, who went on to lose to Scott Kirchner in the finals.

Paul Lim wins Joint 3rd place, after losing to Ben Dersch in the semi-finals

"During the games, everyone is tense," shared Paul. "Trust me, no matter how we look at it , our hearts are really pumping and we try to settle down in every way we can. Actually, in the backstage, we have TV coverage of the game, so we were watching the games that were going on. While warming up, while sitting down having a drink, we are watching the game." 

Paul shared that every player have their own way of dealing with stress in the backstage, "some are pounding on the boards, some are just talking to each other, trying to get their minds off darts. For me, I have a drink in my hand and just watch the game on TV and try to get into the atmosphere. Everyone have their own way of settling down, so we were just waiting for the moment to be called to go to the practice board or to go up on stage."

Being the best-of-the-best showcase tournament, Super Darts invites only the top 16 players from around the world. It serves to inspire every talented player to practice hard to be at the top of the game.

So how does one get the invitation to participate? Paul shared these tips to get into the Super Darts, "You have to perform very well in tournaments and be recognised. And the best tournament to play in is "The World", because The World is like a platform, especially for players in Asia, to be recognised. If you do well in The World, and it shows your flair and sportsmanship and you play very well, I think this is one of the gateway to be accepted. So I think, for Singapore players or anyone who wants to have a chance, bottom line is to go participate in The World. You need to put in a lot of effort, practice and determination. It is not easy. You have to be very good, otherwise, you would have no chance at Super Darts."

Related article : Scott Kirchner wins Super Darts 2013