Team Singapore powers to 3rd place in IDF National Team event 2013!

Team Singapore had arrived home after a successful outing at the International Darts Federation (IDF) World Championship 2013 in Shanghai, China recently. Represented by Harith Lim, Kristine Lim, Yinn Cheng, Paul Lim, Pau Jin Kuang and Tony Teo, the team performed much better than last year, reaching a new peak of Joint 3rd place. Read about our previous chat with the team members during their preparation.

1. Team Singapore in IDF 2013, Shanghai

This year's World Championship attracted more than 400 dart players from around the world as well as the host country, China. The hall at Shanghai East Asia Exhibition Hall was huge and there were many many boards available. The event was played over 4 days, Aug 22-25 culminating with THE WORLD Stage 5 on the last day. The champion of The World was The Gunner, Lourence Illagan, while our own Paul Lim narrowly missed the chance, coming in as the runners up.

2. Paul Lim giving a pep talk to the team

In the IDF Team event, Singapore was pitted in Group D with powerhouse Team USA and Team UK, along with our regional neighbours, Team Malaysia and Team Thailand.

3. Team Singapore with Team Malaysia

In the first Round Robin game, Team Singapore beat Team Malaysia 9 - 4. The quartet of Paul Lim, Harith, Tony Teo and Kristine was put to task straight away with the first hurdle against our neighbour. Kristine showed that she was no rookie as she held her nerves grabbing a couple of crucial points for a sweet victory.

Thailand was next as Captain Paul Lim led the Spore Lions to 5-3 only for the stubborn Thais to level the game to 6 games all! The final gallon game (4-some) was running neck-to-neck with the Thais grabbing the lead n sitting at what seems to be a formality balance of 22. Captain Paul Lim’s bull balance would have been useless if not for Tony Teo, whose only option was to freeze the Thais. And that he did with a last dart at triple 19 to allow Captain Paul to a 2 darts finish ( single 18 then double 16 ) for a rousing victory ! Team Singapore wins 7 -  6 against Team Thailand!

On the next day of the Team Event, with Dartslive Official and seasoned campaigner Harith Lim down and out with fever, team reserve Pau Jin Kuang was put on the ‘oche’ for the first time. Team USA, with The World 2012 Champion, Scott Kirchner was too much to handle as Team S’pore bowed out gracefully but not after securing 3 vital points ! Team Singapore loses 3 - 10 to the Americans.

Next up, was the British Team. A short pep talk by Captain Paul Lim was all that was needed as Team Singapore faced a British Team made up of 2 PDC players in Tony Martin and Mark Webster. They shot great. However, the freeze rule in the 01’s did not really complement the lads as Singapore took an early 2-0 lead. Then, belief sets in as we raced ahead to 6-2 when doubles pair of Tony / Kristine, Paul / Jin Kuang both won in the fourth round of cricket. Paul and Tony held the next 2 points before the four combined to complete a sensational victory in the final 701 gallon with a final score of 9-4. And so with 3 wins in the Round Robin, a beaming Team Singapore marched through to the next stage - the Knock Out rounds.

4. Team Singapore with Team Britain

5. IDF 2013 Team event - Round robin scores

In the first Single Knockout game, Team Singapore was faced with Team Mongolia. The game format was race to 7 legs. In the earlier events, the Mongolian players were performing exceptionally well especially the Ladies,  who grabbed second spots both in the singles and doubles finals ! However, that was not to be with Paul Lim at the helm of Team Singapore. Our boys and girls played well to wrap up the game with a quick and decisive 7-0 victory to proceed into the Quarter finals round!

A sense of achievement and confidence filled the air as Team Singapore warmed up for the first time in IDF history for a spot in the top 4 knowing the Koreans were just as determined. There was no letting up now and the game started one all, then two all. Paul and Harith went one gear up and Singapore soon led 4-2 ! It was Paul Lim again for the next point in the cricket. At 5-3, history was in the making with the doubles pair Tony / Harith , Paul / Kristine sealing the result which will be remembered for a long long time ! Team Singapore beats Team Korea 7-3 to gain a spot in the Top 4 teams, its best ranking spot in IDF history!

6. Team Singapore with Team Korea

In the semi-finals, an opportunity to level the first game went astray when Captain Paul Lim narrowly missed the double 18 for a 156 finish. Very quickly, the team went down 4-0 after that. Although, we made a gallant effort to hold the next 2 points and took another 2 from the 5th game cricket to trail 4-6, there was no stopping the reliable Filipino number 1 player, Lourence Illagan, as he finished with a black bull, to put an end to what would have been a marvelous run by the Singapore Team !  Semi finals results : Team Singapore 4 – Philippines 7.

For the record, Team Philippines went on to beat Team USA in the final to win the IDF Team Event. Congratulations to all players of the Team Singapore 2013! This was the best achievement for the team in the IDF events. We are all proud of you guys!

7. Team Singapore with Team Philippines

Related story : Team Singapore prepares for IDF 2013
Content contributed by Roger Liu

Pictures 1,5 are Copyright © International Dart Federation & DARTSLIVE

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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

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Scott Kirchner wins Super Darts 2013

I was recently invited to the Super Darts 2013 tournament staged at the Hong Kong Kitec Centre. It was held in a huge expo hall with high ceiling and a freezing air-condition. It was also the same hall used by many other Dartslive events such as The World Grand Finals and the Hong Kong Super League Fiesta parties too, so I knew what to expect of the place.

But still, the way it was done up was quite an amazing shock to me. The entrance was plastered with a huge poster of the 16 Super Darts players, all looking like they had just hit their most amazing checkout! And when you walk in and see the stage, it is huge! Patterned like an Ancient Greek temple (perhaps of Zeus!) and painted in gold, there were a pair of monolithic columns adorning each side of the two doorways and the Dartslive board right in the middle of the stage, with two huge screens on either side of the stage.

Super Darts 2013 Stage

The games soon got underway around noon time with all the players being introduced one by one on stage. Most of the time, you only get to see them playing on dartslive.tv or youtube . So seeing these top players in the flesh and up close was a real treat!

Interviewing the Super Darts players

The first round of 8 games soon started and the clash was brutal with many Asian players being eliminated in the first round. These include charismatic Japanese player, Takehiro Suzuki with his trademark grin as well as Haruki Muramatsu, Sho Katsumi and Royden Lam.

Suzuki's game with Spanish player, Antonio Alcinas was the most "interesting". Their game was the only one in the whole tournament where both players used up all their darts for the bulls-up and for both bulls-up too, during the start and the 5th leg (choice game). Suzuki won both of the bulls-up. However, he failed to take a strong lead and took some unusual risks in the last cricket game and ended up losing the game 3-2 to the consistently strong (and charmingly suave) Antonio.

Favourite Hong Kong player, Royden Lam, also lost in the first round to eventual 2nd place Benjamin Dersch. Royden had a slow start, losing the first game but came back strongly after that. Ben played a very careful game, looking anxious and nervous and taking his time to setup his throws, a pattern set to be repeated through the night. In the decider cricket game, Royden missed a few important darts and Ben kept up the pressure by scoring to maintain the lead. Royden failed to capitalise on a few misses from Ben and finally Ben closed the bull to wrap up the game 3-2.

Royden Lam in action

The only Japanese player to go into the second round was the previous Super Darts champion 2012, Morihiro Hashimoto, wearing his trademark green "Annie" jersey. His 1st round game against Ray Carver, USA was the most thrilling game in the first round. The last choice game (cricket) was the most exciting as Hashimoto led from the start and manage to shake off Ray Carver's assault and held on to the lead right till the end.

Paul Lim's first game against Cyril Blot almost cost the crowd favourite "Slinger" the game. He had a slow start - he lost the first bulls up and continue to miss a few important bulls, losing the first game to Cyril. The 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, finally beating Cyril 3-1 to proceed into the second round.

Cyril Blot, in his game against Paul Lim

The player with the most robotic arm has got to be Haruki Muramatsu ! He throws with the trademark Japanese mechanical arm slingshot, keeping the shoulder and arm in a straight plane. However, he was playing against PDC player Mark Webster, who had an awfully good game. Mark hit a 3 in the black and came from the back to win the first 01 game with a high checkout. In the second cricket game, Haruki needed 4 simple bulls to win while Mark only needed 2 bulls. Haruki hit the first 2 red bulls and needed a black bull to win. Blocked by the first 2 darts on the red bull, Haruki rammed his darts into the crowded field and hit the black bull to win the cricket game! In the next cricket game, Mark recovered quickly from the stunning throw and came back to hit a Ton 80 and a White Horse and wrapped up the game in just 6 rounds. In the choice game, Mark played an almost perfect game with a White Horse and finished the game in just a few rounds and wrapped up the game in double time.

In the second round game between Scott Kirchner vs Antonio Alcinas, Scott won the first 01 leg but started missing darts for the next cricket game and Antonio took over the lead. Antonio made the tactical move to close houses instead of scoring even though he was leading by just a few points. Scott came back with a 3-in-the bed on 17 to turn the tables and gave him a comfortable lead to finish the game. In the next 01 game, Scott wrapped up the game with an almost perfect 01 game but just missed on the last dart, which he promptly finish in the next round.

In the Quarterfinals game between Mark Webster and Ben Dersch, it was again all-darts-used for the bulls-up with Mark finally winning the cork. During the decider game of cricket, Ben displayed amazing mastery of number 19 to maintain control over Mark but a strong, sustained challenge from Mark made their cricket game the most exciting (though slow) game to watch. Ben shot triple-19 after triple-19 to maintain the lead and finally breaking Mark in Round 14 with a score of 1100+!

Hashimoto's quarter-finals game was against Paul Lim. Hashimoto won the first 01 game with a 15-dart checkout but Paul Lim was 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 Ben Dersch and Scott Kirchner vs Lourence Illagain in the semi finals. Lourence lost 3-2 to Scott, who shot an amazing game especially in the last decider leg, hitting a "White Horse" to secure his spot in the finals. In the Paul Lim vs Ben Dersch game, Ben took the first game then Paul squandered away the next cricket game and had to fight hard to win the 3rd game. The 4th game of 01 was fought hard with stress as Paul had to win it although Ben started first. Towards the end, Paul Lim's dart bounced out near the bull when he could have checkout spoiling Paul's chances and losing the game 3-1 to Ben.

Super Darts 2013 Bracket

Scott Kirchner and Benjamin Dersch, before the start of the finals

Scott Kircher, preparing for the final game

That set up an all - American finals between Ben and Scott. Scott had the upper hand in the game, maintaining a steady rhythm and consistency against Ben and quickly enough, Scott won the finals 3-1 and became the first foreigner to hold the Super Darts championship title!

Scott Kirchner, crowned Super Darts 2013 Champion

All Super Darts 2013 players

Although the games started around noon and only finished after 10pm, with various breaks in between games, it was an amazing and entertaining game to watch through it all. There were also some opportunities for photo takings with the various top players and some people were running around chasing the players for their autographs too! Being physically there , soaking in the atmosphere with everyone and watching the players twiddle their darts off camera sure beats watching it over the internet. Truly, the Dartslive team put up an amazing top-notch tournament and a good quality show to boot, exciting for the players (we can tell!) and exciting for the audience too. Now, can I get another invitation for next year's Super Darts!?

Related article : Paul Lim on Super Darts 2013

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