Paul Lim wins Super Darts 2015!

After participating in Super Darts 2015 for the second time running, Singapore professional darts player, Paul Lim finally achieved his dream goal of clinching the Super Darts Champion trophy. He defeated top Croatian darter, Boris Krcmar, in an amazing finals game to win the title - Super Darts Champion 2015 as well as a big cash prize money of 10 million Yen (around S$110,000).

Super Darts is the world's top premier tournament for professional Soft-tip darts players. Only 16 of the best players in the world are invited to the tournament. Organised by Dartslive, Super Darts is considered as the biggest and most prestigious of them all.

Paul Lim - Super Darts 2015 Champion

2 years ago, at the last Super Darts 2013 tournament in Hong Kong, Paul was stopped during the semi-finals by Benjamin Dersch. Paul recalled, "That was a big disappointment for me, but I try to learn from each loss and use that as a strength to get better and better. Every time I lose, I remember. How did it happen, why and so on. As calm as I look on the outside, I am burning up inside because of the disappointment...but I will never show it. I use it as a motivation to improve for the future."

Going into this year's tournament, Paul prepared himself by practising almost every day.
"I was well-prepared for Super Darts 2015. From the trip to Japan, the routine and preparation for that day, everything was smooth. I try to go into every tournament with a positive attitude. The feelings inside me, getting myself excited from the hype and wanting to play and face the challenge... these are all positive signs that I was ready to play."

On the day of the tournament, the 16 players were separated into two practice rooms with 8 players and 1 board in each room and the players took turns to warm up. "I never once sat down and relax," shared Paul. "I paced myself and didn't throw too much. Just enough to loosen up. I drank very little and slowly build up the feeling and desire. From that moment, I knew I was ready to play."

In the first round of the tournament, Paul was drawn against American Scott Kirchner, the winner of the previous Super Darts 2013.  Despite the straight forward score of 3-0 win, Paul did not feel it was a simple win. "For any player, the first match is always the hardest. But once I was on stage and threw my first 3 darts, I somehow knew, I was stroking well and with confidence. That is the biggest asset any player could have, just before kicking off the first game. After winning 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, I felt such a big relief that the first round is over. You see, players hate first round matches. All the tournament jitters, and not wanting to lose early in the first round."

Paul Lim wins Super Darts 2015

For his top 8 game, Paul was up against flamboyant Takehiro Suzuki, also THE WORLD 2012 champion and a person whom Paul had played with quite a few times.  Paul played consistently well, winning 3-1 and finishing with a perfect BULL game.  Paul shared, "Having played with him a number of times, I knew his style. When he is ahead and confident, he flows, throws and smile, like it was so easy. So I needed to stay with him and keep on pressuring him. Just play my 3 darts the best I could each time. That's my strategy, give myself that comfort zone and take the lead at all times. It felt good."

Paul's next semi final match was against Shunpei Noge, a Cosmo-sponsored Japanese player who had put up a strong challenge and won against Lourence Illagan in the quarter-finals. Shunpei won 3-2 against the Filipino THE WORLD 2013 champion, with a high 121 checkout on the last choice 701 game. Paul remarked, "I knew Shunpei was a rising star in Japan. He was leading towards the end of the Japan Tour being the champion or runners-up for a few stages. I watched his stroke and knew he could play well." Paul also had compliments for the Filipino player, "We all knew Illagan is a nightmare to play with at all times. But then again, who isn't at this stage of the tournament. In fact, everyone is a nightmare, haha...".

Shunpei was Paul's strongest opponent during the tournament based on the score of 3-2. Paul explained, "At our level of play, I feel all matches should go to the final leg. It's similar to tennis matches where it's played to the end because of the serve. The same thing for this format - most of the time, the person that goes first, wins. So, it now boils down to two simple strategies - win the cork if it goes to the last leg and don't let it drag to the last leg, simple, isn't it?" laughed Paul.

After beating Adrian Gray in the other semi-finals match, Croatian player Boris Krcmar reached the finals to set up a showdown with Paul Lim. The towering 6.5 feet tall player had a reputation for his quick and deadly accurate throws and have won a few THE WORLD stages before.  Paul shared, "Boris is a tough guy to play against at any time. He is very consistent and good. So, I had to keep the pressure on him and to make every shot count."

Darts is not only a physical game requiring hand-eye coordination and accuracy of the body, but also the mental strength to withstand the pressure of the game while on stage during an important match. Paul explained, "The mental part is the most important element especially during the finals. You need to build up your confidence. You need to start the game well and keep at it. "

During his final match with Boris, the game started either way leg for leg. It was best of 7 legs. Paul recalled, "All I remember was, 3 darts each round and just THROW. No hesitation, just 3 good darts at a time. We all knew how to do it. It was just a matter of doing it with ease or under pressure. You know, sometimes, pressure is a good thing. It makes your concentration level go up to the next zone.  We like to be in that zone for a confidence booster."

Paul Lim in the zone during the finals

Finally, after winning a great 701 on the 5th leg, Paul was leading 3-2. He just needed to win the next cricket game to avoid the last choice game, which he did, finishing the game with an average of 9.0 marks per round. Paul shared, "All I remember was just throw my best shot, every 3 darts.  I was in the zone and I didn't realized I had thrown 3 back-to-back 9 counts. That means I was really in the zone. It wasn't until late that night, while looking through Facebook that I realised what I did. It was very satisfying."

Paul was jumping with joy on stage when he won the last cricket game. "I felt joy and contentment. It felt like a huge load had been lifted off my shoulders." Paul also shared his motto about darts, "Darts is not just a game. It is about the heart and soul and it's simply magic. That's what darts is!"

Winning the Super Darts trophy was something Paul had yearned and trained hard for. "Obviously, I was very happy to have won the title. I felt very satisfied and accomplished. But it doesn't stop here. I just got to keep working hard for the next one. Winning one is always easier than two, so, that's my next aim - to win 2 Super Darts, in a row! Don't win Once only, cannot win it just twice, keep on defending!"

Congratulations to Paul Lim for his spectacular win at Super Darts 2015 and all Singapore darters will surely cheer you on for the next Super Darts tournament!

** Super Darts photos are Copyright @ DARTSLIVE

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Interview with Lourence Ilagan, Dartslive Official Player

With a thousand eyes following his moves on stage in the cavernous Hong Kong KITEC hall and tens of thousands more online, Lourence Ilagan walked to the throwline, threw two bulls, readjusted himself and then shot the final checkout dart of triple 11. Everyone cheered and shouted loudly. Lourence was jumping, overjoyed. Lights went up, confetti rained down, and the soft tip champion darter of the year was crowned with the biggest HKD$ 100,000 pay cheque.

That was in 2013 when Lourence Ilagan defeated Christian Perez 4-1 to win The World Soft tip darts champion. Since then, life has changed a lot better for him. Recently he was able to visit Singapore for a tour of some of Singapore's darts bar, organized by Monster Barrel Design and DartsSingapore. Lourence feels at home in Singapore and considers it to be his second home because it is very clean and organised and he has quite a few Filipino friends in Singapore. During the tour, he played some friendlies with local darters. However, he showed why he is still at the top of his form, closing down most of the opponents within 3-4 rounds of the game!

Lourence have been playing darts since his teenage years and he has been accumulating a long list of titles, trophies and accolades over the period. He is a two-time quarter-finalist (2000 and 2006) in the WDF Asia-Pacific Cup, finalist at the Philippines Open in 2006 and 2007 and Malaysian Open, 2008. He also won the National Darts Federation of the Philippines qualifier to earn a place in the 2009 PDC World Darts Championship.  Lourence reached the semi-finals of the 2009 Winmau World Masters and represented the Philippines with Christian Perez in the 2012 PDC World Cup of Darts. He also won the 2013 Hong Kong Open champion title.

Lourence Ilagan, at iDarts Fame

Lourence started playing darts during his high-school days. How he got started into darts was quite unusual. On his way back from school, he passed by a shop where a game of darts was going on. As is typical of small towns in Philippines, darts was played at small stalls or pubs along the streets. His leg was accidentally hit slightly by a dart that bounced out. He picked it up and threw it on the dart board and it hit the bull ! Amazed, his friend asked " Oh, can you play darts?" and passed him 3 darts and he hit 3 bulls with the darts! "OK, let's play darts!" said his friend and they started playing and making friendly bets amongst each other. A week later, he joined a local tournament and got second place!

"During my school days, I couldn't enter the local pub with my school uniform after classes. So I had to bring an extra shirt and pants to school and change into them before going into the pubs for darts!" explained Lourence. At that time, he was around 16 and was obsessed with darts. "When I woke up in the mornings, I wasn't holding my pen or my books. I was holding my darts in my fingers!"

Hailing from Cainta, near Manila in Philippines, the darts scene there is getting more vibrant with many good players. However, Lourence lamented, "Unfortunately, there is still a lack of sponsors to help the players."   Lourence helped set up a Darts Development Youth Squad Charity - for the youth darters and for players affected by natural calamities like Typhoon Yolanda. "There are a lot of darters who are affected by these natural disasters that occurred in Philippines, so we would like to give them our support either financially or through some darts accessories."

"Right now, I try to encourage the youth players. I have a darts clinic at my house to teach them basic things like how to hold darts. The darts scene in Philippines is getting better now because of soft tip. Now they are learning to play soft tip using the Dartslive 100s home board although we still don't have big soft tip machines like Dartslive2 in Philippines. I hope someday, we will have it, " shared Lourence.

Despite the challenges in Philippines, there are some darters who practise hard, day and night, in the hopes of making it big one day. Lourence explained, "Actually, I heard one of the reasons why they want to play darts full-time is because they want to follow my footsteps. I am happy about that. They are also full-time darters like me. We share the dream of being a champion and of course, they know there is big money in soft tip tournaments which will be a big incentive for them to support their families."

The Filipino legend who has made it big in sports is World Boxing champion, Manny Pacquiao. "Actually, Manny Pacquiao is also playing darts. I was so surprised by the way he threw darts. He can throw triple 20, triple 20 using his right hand, and then switch to left hand for another triple 20!, " remarked Lourence. "He likes playing darts and has steel tip board and 2 soft tip boards in his house. Manny also has his own signature darts by Target. He is a good player but seldom joins darts tournament."

The inspiration to be the best in darts came from his mentor, the late Freddie Deen III. Freddie was once the highest ranked Filipino in Worlds Darts Federation (1993) and former World number 3 player. Freddie also had his own signature darts set made by Unicorn and was the first Asian to sign a contract with Unicorn as one of their signature players. Lourence shared, "He had taught me me a lot of things, not only darts related. He taught me how to discipline myself and believe in myself especially during tournaments. He also taught me how to prepare myself before the game.  For example: how many hours of training, sleeping or resting is needed."

Winning The World 2013 Championship had changed Lourence's life drastically. He shared, "I used the winnings to complete building my house. I am the sole bread-winner for my family and I don't have a regular job. I only depend on darts. I'm a full time darter. So when I get this opportunity, I don't want to waste the money. I put the money in the bank and invested it into my own house. Before that, I could only rent and it's so hard to rent in Philippines as I had to pay for electricity, water and everything for the house. Now, my life is better because of darts."

Lourence Ilagan, happy with his achievements so far

Lourence has a practice routine that he sticks to. "When you practice darts, make sure you practice with the right frame of mind. Don't practice when you're tired or just back from a long day at work. Make sure you are serious because in a tournament or game, you need to be serious." Lourence himself practices for 8 hours a day, every other day. He shared his practice routine, "When I wake up, I hold my darts and practice for an hour just on the bull or triple 20, it doesn't matter. 1 hour in the morning, 3 hours in the afternoon and 4 hours before bed-time. However, even if you practice 8 hours, it doesn't mean you will get better. It also depends on how you apply it during the game because darts is also a mental game."

After sparing with some of the Singapore darters, Lourence feels there are quite a lot of good players in Singapore. He shared this advice, "To all Singapore youth darters who are still studying, you have to finish your study first because darts will always be there. The most important thing at your point in life, is to finish your school before you play darts. To the rest of Singapore darters, if you want to reach your goal or be a world champion, keep practising and always believe in yourself!". True words spoken by a champion.

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Interview with Cathy Leung, Dartslive Official Player (Part 2)

This is a continuation from Part 1 of the interview. Read the first part of the interview.

Cathy plays in the Hong Kong Super League Premier division and recently won the Season 8's Female MVP Award. She felt that winning the MVP award was a lot harder than winning champion in a single tournament as the league games was spread out over the whole season. “When you are in the team, you have to play well in the singles game as well as in the doubles. Frankly speaking, I don't have a lot of experience in big tournaments since I just started playing darts actively about a year ago." Before the MVP award, she had also won 2nd runner-up Females Singles in another local tournament.

Cathy knows that as a relatively new darts player, she still need a lot of tournament experience. "I have not played in a lot of tournaments so I don't dare to have big goals yet. In the next few years, I plan to play in more big tournaments around the region to get some experience and hope to establish myself as a good lady darter in Asia and in future, the world."

Cathy Leung, at Singapore's Super Knockout Tournament, 2014

As with many other countries, there are not many Hong Kong lady darters especially when compared with lady darters from Japan or South Korea. Cathy wished the standard of the HK lady darters can be further improved. "I hope there will be more lady darters to rise up together with me so that we can stand on a level ground with players from around the region."

However, even if you train darts for 10 or 100 hours, it doesn't automatically make you a top player. Cathy shared, "When I first started playing darts, I knew this sport demands your whole mind, body and spirit to be in sync. The 'body' refers to the darts technique, the 'mind' refers to your attitude and most importantly, your 'spirit' - your self-confidence and ability to control yourself and thrive under pressure. If you can master all the 3 aspects, then you can be a top player."

So how can we introduce more ladies to darts? Being an artiste working in Hong Kong's entertainment industry, Cathy felt she can use media to her advantage to introduce soft tip darts to more ladies whether it is through TV coverage, magazine or news articles. Cathy shared, "I am one of the few lady darts player in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry who also plays in darts tournaments or leagues. A lot of reporters, DJs, or my friends, find it interesting and ask me out to talk about darts so I have the opportunity to introduce darts to them or teach them how to play darts. That is what I can do. I tell my friends that this is a cool game and besides, in the game of darts, it doesn't mean that guys will always be better than girls. If we were playing basketball or swimming, it would be difficult or impossible for us to beat the guys!"

Cathy feels darts is an ideal game to be played fair and square between guys or girls alike. "In some tournaments, there are no separation between the guy or girl, so sometimes I may play against a guy. I feel very happy playing in an event that is played fair and square. Although sometimes I lose, but sometimes I win too. I tell the other girls, ‘It’s a very good game. You can enjoy and play with your girlfriends or your boyfriends . That is how I introduce the game to other girls.’”

When it comes to improving darts skill, Cathy have a little unconventional tip, "You have to love the game. When you love the game, you will develop the passion to improve yourself further. Paul Lim taught me that the best inspiration is to have strong passion and love for the game. If you encounter some deadlock or become stagnant in your game and you need a breakthrough, then you have to increase the love and passion for the game. So, my suggestion for you to improve your darts is to love your darts. You will soon be able to play better!"

Cathy Leung at the Dartslive Singapore's Super League Season 7 Fiesta

During her first trip to Singapore, Cathy appreciated the warm welcome from all the local darters and Dartslive staff. "I love the food and atmosphere in Singapore. I would definitely visit again for some food, darts and sightseeing." Her most memorable experience had been the Super League Season 7 Fiesta party. "It was a crazy celebration night. I enjoyed it so much and I surely cannot forget the surprise birthday cake and birthday song that everyone sang for me. Thank you for giving me a warm birthday surprise!"

She also had a lot of fun interacting with the local darters during the Super Knockout Tournament and Super League Fiesta. "I think the Singapore players are a group of fast-growing players. I see young players who have great potential to grow as top players in Asia. And you guys are so blessed to be able to play in leagues and tournaments that are so well arranged. I love playing with Singapore players because you are all so nice and passionate for darts!"

Cathy have this encouragement to share with all the darters, "No matter what you are going through in life, your peaks or your valleys, never give up! Be humble and simple for your darts. Seek true friends who support and love you not because of how good you play but because of you are inside. Walk with them and grow with them. Love your darts, love your team. And most importantly, love yourself! Bless you all Singapore players and I hope to see you soon!"

Read the first part of the interview here

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Interview with Cathy Leung, Dartslive Official Player (Part 1)

Recently, I had the privilege to spend some one-on-one time with the prettiest Dartslive Official Player, Cathy Leung, who flew down from Hong Kong to attend the Dartslive Singapore's League Season 7 Fiesta. She had attracted quite a lot of attention during her two days here in Singapore, spending some time doing darts promotion with the local darters as well as taking pictures and signing autographs for the enthusiastic and star-struck players.

OK, to settle the first basic question you are probably having on your mind, the answer is Yes, she is indeed a pretty lady with a humble down-to-earth personality. In case you don't already know, she is an entertainment artiste in Hong Kong who have won singing awards, made her first commercial music album, "Under the Sun" in 2007 and went on to do show hostings, stage performances, etc. As such, she is very media savvy, dealing with the infamous Hong Kong “entertainment news” reporters and is open to answering any questions that I can think of, in detail! But alas, I am not going into personal questions about the types of boyfriends she likes. And oh, the answer to other question you probably have is, Yes, she is still single!

Back to darts... Cathy's first started playing darts not at a bar or even a dojo (as is typical in Hong Kong), but at a church just about 2 years ago. Well, not really the holy chapel in a church, but rather, a youth civic center that belongs to a church. At the center, there were 4 dart boards that were under-utilised. "One day, a thought suddenly strike me. Since this place has dart boards and no one seems to be playing it or even know how to play, maybe I should give it a try", said Cathy when she first felt the urge to try darts.

Cathy Leung at Singapore's Super Knockout Tournament, 2014

"In the beginning, I don't know even how to throw darts that sticks on the board but I wanted to get my own darts. So, I went to one of Hong Kong darts dojo, Pro Darts, to buy my own set of darts. On the boards there, I remember seeing the game "Out on a Lim", where you see the animation of Paul Lim falling out of a tree. I had this silly dream where I would get to know Paul Lim and he would teach me how to play properly. And my dream did come true as I got to know Paul Lim one year later and he taught me a lot,” said Cathy delightfully. "I felt very blessed. I knew I receive a lot of care, blessings and good fortunes from many people in the darts industry within this short time.”

Cathy, who was also active in church activities, found a new inspiration to motivate herself on darts. "Initially, when i first started playing darts, the game itself was interesting. But the real motivation to improve came when I realised there was this feature on the Dartslive 2 board where you can flash your own custom message whenever an award, such as low ton or hat trick, was hit. At that time, I love to read the Bible a lot and I started putting bible verses as my custom messages. So, in order to get the verses to show up on the screen, I was very motivated to train and improve myself to get at least a low ton on every round!"

Cathy's determination to improve soon caught the eye of the owner of Pro Darts shop in Hong Kong. She explained, "One day, I went up to Pro Darts to buy some cute accessories to decorate my darts pouch. I met the Pro Darts boss and we talked and he offered me a sponsorship! I thought I needed the accessories anyway and he was willing to support me, so I agreed to sign on. He then introduced me to Paul Lim who then led me to Dartslive. Paul felt I have potential as a good female darter and gave me a a good start in the darts industry. I am also an artiste, working in the Hong Kong's entertainment industry on movie productions, CD productions, show hostings, so they felt I would be suitable to assist them in the promotion of Dartslive soft tip darts especially as a female darter and invited me to be their Official Player. I knew I was lucky to be signed up as an Official Player although I did not win many darts tournaments or awards or trophies.  Later on, I was signed up as a Target sponsored player and you know what, my first darts set was actually from Target too! I feel I am blessed and lucky to meet many people who helped open the right doors and gave me a lot of opportunities in this industry. Isn't it funny?"

Cathy Leung, at Dartslive Singapore's Super League Season 7 Fiesta

Cathy's darts mentor is Paul Lim. "Over the past 30 years, he has always been a top player, a champion. To me, I feel he is the best player. He taught me a lot more than just playing the game. He taught me how to analyse the psychological side of the game, the competitive spirit. At the elementary level, it is your technique, your stroke, your release that is important but when you go up to the master level, it is no longer the technical ability that matters any more but your attitude, your confidence, your spirit, your ability to thrive under pressure that becomes very important. That is what Paul's champion mentality is all about. That's the difference between a good player and a top player."

Cathy shares a tip on how to improve your darts, and it doesn't entail training for 100 hours! Read on in Part 2 of the interview

View Part 2 of the article here

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Team Singapore is ready for IDF 2014

On June 8, 2014, Dartslive Singapore held a selection tournament to determine who will be representing Singapore in the IDF World Cup 2014. The best male and female player will be selected to join Paul Lim and Harith Lim to form Team Singapore. The talented players who won the selection were Alan Chau and Goh Xue Er. Both were first timers to the IDF event.

The International Darts Federation have been holding their soft tip darts World Cup series in Shanghai since 2010. This year, it will be held at the Pullman Shanghai South Hotel, from Aug 14 to Aug 17, 2014. THE WORLD Stage 3 will also be held at the same place on Aug 17.

Alan Chau and Xue Er

This is the first time Alan Chau tried for the IDF selection and he feels lucky to be able to qualify. "Although this is not the first time that I play for Singapore in an overseas darts event, the feeling is different because I have 2 pro players playing alongside me. So I will just try my best, " said Alan.

"Before joining the selection, I felt I stand a chance. Everyone stands a chance. I just want to see if I can qualify. In fact, there were also other equally qualified players like Bernard Chong, who came in 2nd, Jin Kuang and Vinson Heng."

Playing in the IDF national team event is not easy as the game format demands for the best performance of all the members. A single strong player is not enough to carry the team to victory. Alan understood this, "There is a certain pressure to perform because this is a team event. It is not like playing individually where I do not have any issue with, but now, playing alongside them, there is some pressure to perform. I will just try my best and see how well I can support them."

When asked what were our chances of winning, Alan shared, "I got two Pro players beside me so its up to us. Of course, if we play well, we will stand a chance. "

As for his training plan, Alan had already been preparing for the IDF, "I've been playing day in day out because I love this game, so I've been playing consistently." Alan also shared how to improve your playing standards by participating in the Count Up Club 1000 (CC1K) event. The event only qualifies those players who managed to hit at least 1000 points on a game of Count Up. "Based on this event, I can see that the standard of the players is getting better and better. It is a very good event."

Alan have travelled overseas many times for darts tournaments but often he did not get the chance to see the sights of the host countries. He shared, "While in Shanghai, I would like to visit some of the places there and enjoy the local food. All along, when I go overseas for tournament, many times I don't have chance to enjoy as I have to go all out for the tournament and prepare myself for the tournament. This time round, I hope I can find the time to enjoy the food down there and see some of the the scenery."

As for the ladies champion, Xue Er, this is the first time that she was selected to represent Singapore to go to an overseas tournament. She shared, "Of course, I feel great to be able to represent Singapore in an overseas tournament and to get this kind of international exposure. I feel really very fantastic."

"Before the selection event, I didn't have high hope of winning," confided Xue Er. "I just told myself to just go and do my best. I try to treat the event as a training and get more exposure for myself. There were other equally qualified lady players like Cindy Wong, but honestly speaking there are not many good lady players out there and I hope to see more lady players join the darts scene"

In order to help develop more lady players, we need to have more ladies in-house games or ladies tournaments. "Actually I do see a lot of lady players out there but they don't have the courage to participate in events. We should have a bit more ladies-only games because you see a lot of mens tournament like CC1K but there is always a gap when the ladies have to fight with the mens. I think there should be a separation of the mens and ladies in tournaments."

Although Xue Er have played with Harith and Paul on casual basis, playing on the same team with them in a high level tournament is a different thing altogether. "Of course, I feel stressed but excited at same time. I hope I can just do my best for the team"

The lady player plays a crucial role in the IDF national team event. This is because of the game format which requires the lady player to be as equally talented as the mens. Xue Er shared her training plans, "I have to train more with my partners. Intensive training and exposure is most important but at the same time, do not get too overstress."

Finally, Xue Er had already decided what she will be doing after the darts tournament is over in Shanghai: "I wanna party and drink!"

Good darts to Team Singapore at IDF 2014!

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