Harith Lim wins Joint 3rd in The World Stage 1

Harith Lim, Singapore's Dartslive Official Player, reached the top 4 in The World Stage 1 tournament held at i Darts Club, Hong Kong recently on 28 April, 2013. This was his best performance so far at The World and it was also one where he beat some of the biggest names in the soft darts tournament circuit.


Steve Ngu presenting Harith Lim (right) with his Joint 3rd place HKD$12,000 prize winnings

In the zone...

Harith started his climb for Stage 1 playing against 3 Japanese opponents. In the first round, he won  3-0 against Yu Nakata. In the second round, he played 3-0 against with Kei Usami, who was the 2012 Soft Darts Japan 16 Stage 1 Champion. Harith shared, "Maybe Kei was nervous or wasn't comfortable on stage, I felt he didn't actually play his normal game." After that game, Harith went on to beat T. Kawamura, one of Japan 16 top player, 3-2 to proceed into the Top 16.

In his Top 16 game, Harith was matched against Watanyu, one of Thailand's top player. Harith lamented, "During the game with Watanyu, I missed a perfect 701 game by just one dart and I also lost the leg. So it was like HKD$3000 gone and the leg gone too!" Harith was refering to "The World 14" , where a prize money of HKD$3000 was given out to any player who achieve a 14-darts out on a game of 701.

Despite the initial setback in the 01 game, Harith went on to beat Watanyu 3-2 in a challenging game. Harith explained, "He played very well. We were neck to neck and finally in a tight moment on the last Cricket game, I overtook him, winning 3-2".

Harith felt confident and had the feeling he was going far. He explained, "I was in the zone. I was doing good and feeling good all day, and the darts felt so smooth. Its like when the dart left the hand, you know its going to hit."

Playing against Paul Lim

In his next game, the Top 8 game, he was matched against Paul Lim, the first champion of The World 2011. Although Harith and Paul had played together many times before, the match was keenly watched as only one of them could proceed on.

"Paul's game was really challenging and thrilling," explained Harith. "It was in the last decider leg of cricket. I was leading and hanging on to the small lead. Paul needed to turn the table around and was going for a miracle shot of 2 black bulls and a double 20. He could have shot all bulls to maintain the point lead and made me work another round. If he were to do the usual way to stay on the bull, I would need a 6 marks on the 20 and a bull. Because his first dart was a black bull, he could try for another black or 3 in the black. If he hit the sides, I would need 4 marks on the 20 and a bull but I still have to work."

Harith explains, "After the game, I asked Paul why he chose to hit those numbers. Paul says, "I have seen the way you were playing the whole day, I'm not going to give you that opportunity. You were definitely going to hit that! So I had to try that shot".

Harith said, "You got to see how your opponent is playing. If your opponent is struggling, make him struggle. If your opponent is not struggling and you know he's going to hit triple easily, then you try to end the game as fast as possible. So that was what he had in mind actually. On that game, I was throwing like 7 marks then 9 marks then 7,7,7,7 on the cricket. If he were to bang on the bull and let me have a shot on triple 20, triple 20 and a bull, the chances of me hitting that was pretty high. So that's the reason why he had to try that the magic shot to kill me off so I didn't have the chance. If his bull was blocking I think he would have gone for another round."

"That's why Paul hesitated so much before the throw. He went up to line and went back. He was thinking about the throw. We talked after the match, I told him if I were in the same position as you, I would have done the same thing because if you were playing so well, I wouldn't have given you another opportunity," explained Harith.

Harith walking down the finalists' red carpet 

 

My day finally ended

In his Semi-finals game, Harith lost against last year's The World 2012 Champion, Takehiro Suzuki, with a score of 3-1. Harith shared, "Stats wise, I didn't play too badly against him. However he managed to hit the right shots at the right time and I didn't control the game. I may be disappointed this time round but I hope to play him again soon one day."

"We all want to win. Everyone has the capability to win that day. It just depends on how you play that day, how you maintain your form. My day had to end there while Ronald Briones (Champion of Stage 1) was the one who went all the way."

Go play The World!

Harith will be attending the next few The World Stages. He plans to travel to France (Stage 3), South Korea (Stage 4), Stage 5 and Las Vegas (Stage 6). He shared, "For Stage 8, I will go again to Hong Kong. I want to go for Stage 8 because there are some of my friends and team mates who are also planning to go for Stage 8. Just like in Stage 1, there were 5 other Singaporeans playing (Jin Kuang, Max Ong, John Chee, Johnny Tan and Nelson Wong). They were all nervous but they had a good experience playing. All of them got knockout in the first round but they played well to their capability, especially Jin Kuang and Max Ong. I want to commend them on that. I encouraged them to go there, play it, feel it and see it with your own eyes. Don't tell me what you are doing here is good enough."

"For them to make the trip there and play, I really respect them!", exclaimed Harith. "They had the courage to go there and play. They want to go there and see where they stand and what is the standard of The World. They said it was really tough and really scary! But they want to do it again in Stage 8! So that's a good thing and I support them!"

There were players from many countries all over the world playing in The World. So, we had to ask Harith the all important question: Who do you think will win this year's The World title? Harith laughed, "Definitely an Asian will win the Grand Final, I'm sure of it!"

Harith's pictures featured above are Copyright © 2013 WSDA

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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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From Dragon to The WORLD

After winning champion in the Singapore leg of the Dragon tournament, Zac Hong flew to Hong Kong to participate in THE WORLD Grand Final 2012 and came home flushed with HKD $6000 prize money for reaching the top 32.

As the reigning champion of the Dragon tournament in Singapore, Zac Hong was automatically qualified for THE WORLD Grand Final 2012. Zac did not initially have high hopes and was just targeting to play a few good games and hopefully get through the first round. So, when he found out that he was drawn into the same group as one of France's Dartslive Official Player, he needed all the luck he can get and remained positive, telling himself, "You can do it".

"The game with France's F. Guillermont was my most memorable game in the tournament", shared Zac.  "Initially, I didn't play well as I was still nervous. It was my first time here at this tournament hall and it took a bit of time for me to adapt to it," he said. Luckily for Zac, his first few games were with the other 2 players in the group and it gave him a little time to settle down and get used to the environment before playing against Guillermont. By then, the points between Zac and Guillermont were tied and only one person could qualify from the group.

Zac Hong with his winnings

"Before the game started, I thought that if I can match him to a 2-2 score, I will have a real chance", said Zac. He won the first and 3rd legs of 01, confident in his bulls, and Guillermont was clearly the stronger player in cricket, taking the 2nd and 4th legs of cricket. "When the score was 2-2, I felt it was already an achievement for me. I believed I can do it",  said Zac.
After throwing all 3 darts for the very tight bulls-up of the decider leg, Zac was nearer by just one hole. "Whoever goes first, gets a very big advantage," Zac shared, "That is why, in the bulls-up, I must try to hit nearer the center. I must aim for it. It is just one dot to aim for and his darts were not blocking."  After winning the bulls-up, Zac chose to go first for the game of cricket. He manage to secure 7 marks on the 20 and used that advantage to maintain a pressure on Guillermont for the rest of the game. "Whenever I hit the triple 20, it added more pressure on him and allowed me to keep the lead. In my mind, I was thinking, as long as I hit accurately, it is enough." Although Zac had an early strong lead, he missed a few darts and allowed Guillermont to catch up. Soon, there were some tense moments as both were very close to finishing the game but both missed. In the last round, Guillermont needed just 3 single bulls to win but could only hit one bull, then Zac scored 2 bulls for points and hit double-15 to close the house and win the game. "We both made some mistakes and luckily, I managed to convert those chances and made a come-back. Darts are like that, it depends on how fast you can recover from your mistakes and never give up your hope."

Zac knew his opponent's standard was much higher, "When Guillermont played his rhythm and hit the targets, I don't stand a chance." Most of the other players at THE WORLD were at the top of their standard and they threw consistently well. But like everyone else, they are also human and not perfect. "I notice they have weak points, no one is perfect. So if you believe you can do it, one day you can play with them and be on par with them"

Zac Hong gives an interview to the official press

Zac have been playing darts since 1995, having picked up the sport from his colleagues during his company's inter-company sports activity. From there, he went out and mixed with other national darters and starting playing in local leagues as well as tournaments in Malaysia. Zac have won a few tournaments both individual as well as team events in Malaysia and Singapore. THE WORLD was quite an eye-opener tournament for him as he got to meet and play with skilled darters from various countries. Zac shared, "Overall I don't think I played very well but this event has been a good experience for me. I was lucky that I managed to grab the chance when presented."

Zac had qualified for The World Grand Final by winning champion in Singapore's Dragon event. The Dragon gives the chance to a talented player in the country who may not have the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong to compete in the WORLD's various stages. "Of course, I want to thank  Dartslive Singapore for organizing the Dragon tournament. It is a very good chance for a Singapore player to go straight into THE WORLD final and have the opportunity to challenge the other players here." shared Zac.  "However, I am quite disappointed that the response for the "Dragon" qualifying events was not so good. I myself tried 3 times to enter the Dragon finals. I hope more people will come and participate in it. Don't be scared of losing, don't only play well with handicap, you should challenge yourself without handicap and come to THE WORLD event. I hope in future, more good players will come forward and support the event"

After proceeding into the next round, for his top-32 game, Zac was unfortunately drawn with Paul Lim and lost in a straight 3-0 game.  "Wahhh.. I really wanted to beat him," exclaimed Zac, "Early morning games are a bit difficult for me. It takes a bit of time to warm up. I knew he was already very well prepared for the Grand Finals. His mind, body and soul were all very well prepared compared to me. I can say, I could not match him in terms of experience or skill"

Zac Hong shooting on the line in his second game

Zac have met and played with Paul Lim before this and knew the amount of hard work and practice to maintain his skill and rating. "It doesn't happen overnight, the rating is just a gauge of your average play." Zac was quite disappointed with the handicap culture in Singapore and hope it can change for the better. "I would suggest to other players in Singapore - Do not care too much about your rating. If you play well, your rating will automatically go up, there is no need to track your rating very closely."   Zac also implored the younger players not to control their rating. "Be natural. Play each game to win and always play your best. Look forward to challenge the good players rather than be scared to play with them or give them too much respect. Ultimately, darts is an equal game, everyone throws the same number of darts"

When asked if he will come back for The World next year, Zac replied, "Definitely yes, but, of course I have to prepare for it. I am planning to go for 1 or 2 stages. I believe darts is an equal game. It all depends on whether you believe in yourself and how much you want to challenge yourself and your skill. No doubt I can say that they (the other finalists) are much better but if you believe you can do it, you can. It is like buying 4D (local lottery), you believe you can strike the top prizes but the chances are very slim, but you must take the first step to believe in yourself, believe that you want to move forward and advance."

Good advice that all darters, experienced or otherwise, can put into practice. Congratulations and Good Darts, Zac!

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