View from the Oche

 

I will soon be looking on from afar at the darts scene in Saigon ,no more humid nights ,spent drinking Asian larger in smokey bars , spending an inordinate amount of time trying to get a Madhouse finish. I have to return to the cold, wet and windy shores of my Newcastle home for the next ten months. It has been good fun and the friendship and camaraderie found in such innocent pleasures should not be underestimated to an expats lifestyle. Hopefully after what I would call some rather unsavory episodes in the first half of the season, our league can get back to what it should provide and build upon the strengths that have been such highlights to me.

In this edition of View From the Oche we see the return of Who Are Ya?, featuring the very talented Thuy Tran, the female player from The Prixx team. Pikey Pete tries his luck again with some detailed predictions. We have the long awaited Where Are they Now? We continue our venues review, this time with The Tavern and we review last week’s games and a return of You’re a Star ,the weekly look at who is topping the stats.

The darts photos around the venues are taken by Hoang Khanh and I nicked them off his Facebook page, but I hope you agree they are great and he has a real eye for a good photo,especially with what he has to work with sometimes [please see above!!]

The second installment of WHERE ARE THEY NOW? sees us once again return to Bangkok to catch up with an old player. Gary Dale Cearley was one of the pioneers of darts competitions in Vietnam and indeed we have people such as him, Charles and Marc Armstrong to thank for giving us the foundations for the League we all play in presently. They were very different days then and it was interesting to read his responses as they brought back memories for myself of long forgotten players like Mr Singh and venues like the Africa Bar.

 

1] Gary Dale you are what I consider to be one of the founding fathers of what we call The SIDL now. What was it like in the early days? For example the amount of teams ,the venues etc

In the very early days there wasn’t a league at all. There was only Ice Blue and the Gecko Bar. They played every Tuesday. They didn’t keep scores or records – other than at the Gecko Bar they kept records on the wall of 180’s and high finishes. In 1999 I was spending at least half of my time in Saigon (I was based in Hanoi at the time) and so I arranged for a Saigon vs. Hanoi battle in April of 2000. The darts were played over two days; the first at Fat Jack’s in Hanoi Towers and the final day at the Hanoi Club on West Lake. Fat Jack’s is now Jaspa’s I believe. This match was one of the ones that I will never forget, not just because it was the first Hanoi – Saigon match, but because I drew the first match against Emile Ho Bao Loc. Emile at that time was one of the better players in Saigon and I thought he’d embarrass me in front of the home crowd. Luckily I took that one 2-1. The first night Hanoi and Saigon played tightly I remember. But then the Saigon team he a big, big night on the town. Showed up to play hung over the next day and Hanoi proceeded to smash them. That’s the only time I ever played for Hanoi and I was the team captain. The very next year I was captain for the Saigon side!

As I mentioned, there had been only two unofficial teams in Saigon. Hanoi had a fairly developed league going when I left to move down. And Saigon’s unofficial league was to even be taking a break as well as the Gecko was closing its doors. They were going to open The Underground so their team was lain fallow. I’ll never forget the big party they had when the Gecko closed. It is another one of my great darts memories as Ice Blue won and I got to be in the very last match ever played there. I beat Anthony Dowden 2-1 by hitting a double twenty. After that there were rounds for the house over and over until all the hooch was gone then we all swarmed out into the street yelling and singing. It was a real darts party!

I met with Tom Cummins, Michael Keung, Tran Thai Dung, Charles Czarnecki and a few others and we agreed to form a league along the lines of what I’d been doing up in Hanoi. By that I mean a similar structure to what the Hanoi International Darts League (HIDL) was doing. Thus, the Gecko split into two teams, which eventually became TUG1 and TUG2 (which in turn eventually became the Young Guns). Both these teams played at The Underground when it opened for business. Ice Blue split into four teams: Ice Blue, which played at Ice Blue; the Really Rottens, which played at the Blue Gecko. There were two other teams as well which were run by Charles Czarnecki and Ajmir Singh. Charles’s team played at No. 5 Bar and Ajmir’s team also played at Ice Blue until they later moved to the African Bar and got the name, the African Bar Spear Chuckers. Not very politically correct but I think it was the only team with a name that might be better than the Really Rottens! I was the first league chair, which lasted from 2000 until mid-2002, when Patrick Aston shortly took over. The next year Marc Armstrong took it over. He was later replaced by Blaine Karst in 2005. And in turn I later replaced Blaine Karst in late 2005, but not in title – I was Vice Chair, but Blaine was out of the country for all this time so I was the de facto chair for about a year. Stephen Guess took it over after that if I remember correctly.

2] What were you doing that made you come to live in Vietnam?

Prior to Vietnam I lived in Korea for a while doing various consulting work. Except for my stint in the US Navy I have always been in or around the logistics industry. I came to Vietnam to work for a company run by an Orange County based Viet kieu who didn’t pay his bills so I after a few months of that I quickly left that group and went to work for Danzas, which at that time was the largest freight forwarder in the world. I worked for them in sales in Saigon for some time then got transferred to Hanoi where I opened their official office and was branch manager there.

On a side note, it was during that time in Hanoi I got lassoed into playing darts. I’d never played before. However I frequented a bar in the old quarter that was called The Emerald. It was a ‘Celtic’ bar, meaning it was an Irish pub owned by a Scotsman. Some of the locals in the pub had a darts team. There were the three Alans (Alan Sweeney, Alan “Ossie” Mathews and Alan Bulmer) and another Brit, Andy Farrimond. I was “invited” to play by the captain, Ossie Mathews. And being the taffy Welshman that he was, refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. He came to the part of the bar where I was sitting in conversation, grabbed my beer, a Kilkenny, and said “I’m taking this back to the darts board. If you want to drink this beer here in this pub you’re going to have to drink it with the team.” To be quite honest I was ticked off by the whole thing. I went back to get my beer when they informed me that I was up, my time on the board! Well, to make a long story short, I caved. For the first time in my life I played a match of darts. And I played terrible darts. Absolutely terrible. But I had reluctantly joined the team. I remained the worst player by far on the team for at least the next two seasons. Then I gradually improved. In fact, when Ossie convinced me finally to learn how to count the darts and not rely on the charts that’s when the real improvement came.

When I got involved in the league it was run by a guy named Phil Jornlin. Phil was definitely involved for the love of the game. But then there came a time that Phil had to leave Hanoi and he nominated me to take over. That was my first time to lead a league. I really got a lesson on politics at that point.

3] Who were the real characters in your day?

There were the guys who were heads and tails above most of the rest of the leagues. Blaine Karst and Tom Cummins in Saigon. Vince Gibbons and Stuart Osgood in Hanoi… (I hear all the way over here in Bangkok that these days the man to beat might be Rick Horton?) And who could forget my little buddy, Than Duc “Guppy” Liem. My brother, the old goat, Tran Thai Dung at Ice Blue, who has historically been one of the biggest supporters of darts while I was around. I really miss a Hanoi darter, Ben Puglisi, for his antics. I think my team, the Really Rottens, were a character in and of themselves. Patrick George “Stone Cold” Aston was in many ways my nemesis because whenever I did anything, either as captain of the Really Rottens or as chair of the league he’d do his best to remind me how flawed a human being I am. (And I say that in all humility.) Then there was Geert Van Doorslaer, who was the Really Rottens team mascot. I miss Kanjana “Na” Hathor as she was one of the most gung ho lady darters. And of course I really miss Michael Keung, everyone’s best friend.

4] One of the things which has sadly gone by the wayside despite the success of The SIDL , are the Hanoi v Vietnam matches. How often did they used to take place and were they very competitive?

From 2000 to 2004 this was twice per year. They’d visit once and we’d visit once. Like I mentioned before, Hanoi won the first bout but after that Saigon creamed the Hanoi team whether at home or away. Hanoi never won again. Because of this they gradually lost interest. The last time they traveled to Saigon they were two players shy of a team so Stone Cold Aston and John Eyres (aka “Dr. John Shorthair; aka Farmer John) volunteered to play for the Hanoi side. Hanoi would neither field a team to come South nor even put on an event for us to travel North for nearly another two years. However, when they finally did. They put on one hell of a two day event at the Hanoi Hilton Opera and it was the closest, best match ever.

Any of the Saigon players who were there will never forget this match because after two days it came down to the final double and I was lucky enough to have been playing in that duo with my team partner Kanjana “Na” Hathor (Ewers). What happened that day will live on in the annals of Vietnam darts history forever. (Just ask Lee Dunton if you don’t want to take my word for it.)

The Saigon team won the first day of the competition and we felt we had a comfortable lead. However on the second day Hanoi came in very, very strong. Much stronger than we expected. They kicked us around and we were caught on the hind foot for it. Coming to the end of the competition in the final eight matches we still had a lead. It should have been insurmountable but Hanoi wouldn’t die this time. Saigon took the first match but then Hanoi surprisingly and inexplicably won six in a row. I had gone into this round feeling very comfortable that Saigon would breeze through and win the day. Really, could they actually take all those matches from us? They’d have to play perfect matches and we’d have to drop to the basement for this to happen. However, I was paying close attention to this nonetheless and heard the scores going down. Every time I heard a Hanoi win they cheered louder and louder. And the wins kept coming in rapid succession. By the time Na and I were up against the Hanoi duo, Gunther and Eric, though it seemed to me that even as Hanoi was gaining we still somehow had the upper hand. Na and I were the last to play. We’d been staged that way because the team captain wanted to put the sure wins up front so we’d get it over with quickly. That strategy backfired when our ‘certain to win’ doubles teams all were losing. Our other doubles team was up 1-0 when Na and I started so in my mind we still had a back up life. We really should have been still in the driver’s seat. I checked for our team on our first leg but during that leg our other Saigon doubles lost their leg. They were now 1-1. During our second leg I heard the Hanoi team took out our other remaining doubles team, beating them 2-1. A pit grew in my stomach. We then lost that leg. It was 1-1. I was more and more worried with every toss of the arrow, whether it was them tossing or us.

Because we were now the last match going everyone from both teams was huddled around our board. All eyes were on us. And somehow, on a 701 match (the games were 501 but the tie breaking matches were 701), we’d fallen behind embarrassingly far our opponents. It was my turn to throw and the score favored the Hanoians 268 – 32. Yikes! Then as if by a grand stroke of luck I hit a 140. Gunther from the Hanoi duo was up next. His first shot was close. He hit a 16, barely missing his double. His second toss was an eight, again barely missing his double. His third shot went wild and hit an eighteen. Busted! The good news was that Na was up. The bad news was that she needed 128 and Eric would only still be on a 32 close. That said, Na still had no clue that the entire contest hinged on our outcome. I never told her. The reality that we could actually lose this thing was slowly taking over my mind but then, BAM! Na’s first shot hit dead center in the triple twenty! She looked at me and I said ever so lightly “Eighteen. Don’t worry. Just take your shot”. She barely hit a very sloppy eighteen that was hanging like it would drop out of the board at the slightest breeze. But it was still in there and as long as it was still in there it meant she had fifty left. She turned to me again and asked “What do you want me to leave you?” Firstly, I know in this situation you always go for it, but I was really sweating because I also had in mind they were still on 32 and they wanted it as much as we did, if not more. Their 32 would erase a lot of Hanoi angst over the years. We couldn’t risk letting them have another go at 32. I looked at Na and said “Go for the bull, Sweetheart.” She lined back up, drew back her arm, let her last dart fly and it hit the bull dead on, smack down the middle. The finish couldn’t have been scripted better in a Hollywood movie! There was pandemonium in the place. Na shot probably the best hand of darts ever in Saigon history if you ask me. And to me the best thing about her finish was at that point in time she hadn’t any idea what she’d just done. She thought that she hit a lucky shot and that we’d just won a leg and that everyone was cheering her good darts. She hadn’t a clue that her last three arrows won the day for the whole team. That may have been my favorite darts moment of any match I have been associated with in Hanoi, Saigon or Bangkok.

Another favorite moment in the meetings was the last time Saigon traveled to Hanoi before the aforementioned match. After the match Guppy got his head shaved. And even though I was there for all of it I still have no idea how it came about! I saw it happen. I saw who did it. But I have no clue why it happened. It as a hilarious moment though.

Lots of good fun was had in these Hanoi vs. Saigon matches. What a shame they came to an end. But I bet if the match was called today, you’d have more than one team of Saigon’s best ready to go. (Hanoi, will you ever be up to the challenge again?)

I am proud though that I was involved in Saigon’s first two international meets: with Singapore in 2005 and with Bangkok in 2008. Unfortunately, neither the Singapore nor the Bangkok events were repeated. I wasn’t around for the trip to China trip that came after that, and I am sure that was a blast like the other events, maybe even more so. That said, though I’d like to take part in a Saigon or Vietnam vs. Bangkok again, I believe that the Hanoi vs. Saigon matches are a natural. Have vs. Saigon is special. That Hanoi should play Saigon is a no brainer. These competitions should continue if the HIDL ever reforms and becomes a solid league again.

5] What do think the reasons are for the demise of darts in Hanoi but its success in Ho Chi Minh?

Any time you see the success of a darts league you are seeing the same thing that leads to a success in business. There is a vision for the group. The end product is good. You listen to your customers, the players. There is stability at the head. There is involvement from the players. Hanoi used to have this but then they seem to have lost it on the vision side. In the discussions I have had with Hanoi darters throughout the years it seems that no one there can agree on how the league should go. If I was there and was going to do it again I’d do it the same way it was set up in Saigon. I basically took exactly Hanoi’s old format and rules and applied them in Saigon. I took this wholesale, fait accompli. Then gradually we changed them in Saigon to match what the players, the bar owners and everyone else involved wanted. But in Saigon we never stopped planning nice, interesting things for the future. I think maybe Hanoi lacked that as well. But again, that is part of the vision that I was talking about. Just get the league started. Someone needs to step up in Hanoi or it will never happen. Period.

6] What are the main things you miss about living in Vietnam?

I have some lifelong friends there. And since I came to Vietnam in 1991 I felt somewhat like a pioneer. There weren’t many expatriates then, especially from my country as there was still an embargo on there. I saw both Saigon and Hanoi go from sleepy cities to boom towns of sorts. I do miss the camaraderie that was in the community. I am missing the next stage of growth there. I have no regrets though. I see my life as a journey and don’t really see myself tied to any one place. I don’t like to be defined that way. In fact, though I have lived in Bangkok more than seven years now I don’t feel I am a part of this place either. Who knows what is on the horizon?

That said, I also miss the cuisine. Vietnamese and Thai are both way up at the top of my list. Oddly enough as well, I kinda miss Colin Johnston’s pub golf nights. But then again, I don’t miss late night rides to Vũng Tàu.

7] Have you played much darts since being in Thailand and how would you describe the darts scene over there?

I was captain of the mid-Sukhumvit team, the D’Pelican Saints. Like my teams of the past, The Emerald in Hanoi and the Really Rottens in Saigon, we started out at the bottom of the rung and then clawed our way to the top. We won several championships in a row. Then it all ended. I kinda got ‘handed’ this role as D’Pelican wanted two teams and Matthew Posadas was captain of one team already. In a way I took this on reluctantly because I said when I started playing in Bangkok that I would play as long as politics didn’t weigh into it. Well, a while back it did. There was a league level issue that took over the psyche of the league regarding who “owns” the league so I quit the entire league. I don’t really play anymore except for the occasional pick up game. The last time I played was Sunday last week. Vladimir Pustokhin was in town and he goaded me into a match at the Moonshine Pub in Queen’s Plaza. We both used house darts. He beat me 2-1 then I returned the favor, beating him 2-1. It was for fun and that’s what we had. No politics.

8] What are you up to these days?

I have been focused on business quite a bit. It is growing quite well for me now. Over the past few years this has meant lots of travel. One of the old darts hands has been quietly rumbling about a new, non-political darts league here in Saigon and asked me to take part. The jury is still out on that one.

9] And finally – Pad Thai or Pho?

Hmmm… I wonder if you could make a phở out of pad thai? I bet that would be better than squirrel head stew! Hard to pick so what I’ll say is this: Pad thai in the day. Phở is for the night!

 

Review of Tuesday 7th October matches

Division 1

IB Viet blew away the Pinoy Patriots early on but in the end were thankful for a narrow 2-1 victory from Dung in the final Singles. The Patriots applied some pressure in the Singles with three straight victories but fell short in the end ,the final score being 8-4. The undoubted star of match was Mike ,who managed 12 tons, 4 checks and a high 110 finish. In a high quality game he was not alone as Jeorge [87] and Xu [86] got high finishes too for their respective sides. Xu topped the tons scoring for IB Viet ,with 8 and also 5 checks. Rick was missing the game with illness ,so hope he is making a speedy recovery. The victory means that IB Viet now hold a three point advantage over the Pinoys in the race for the title.

Mabuhay messed up the chance of a victory over Really Rottens ,losing the last three matches when they seemed poised for victory. The Rottens fightback ,ensured they gained a well deserved but unlikley point.  Matt and Alex claimed the last two Singles and then Roch got the all important team game check. Zarggie’s win over Tom in the third match had seemed to ensure a winning night ,but such is the fighting spirit of this Rottens side you can never count them out.Three Mabuhains managed 5 tons ,Jonel,Zarggie and Adrian, while Mario and Jonel shared the checking honours with 3 each. Roch was the top performer on the night for the Rottens and despite losing his Singles ,he claimed 5 tons and four checks.

In  one of the other two matches Alayah‘s woes continued ,where despite taking a 2-0 lead over Those Guys ,they eventually went down 8-4. It was a match of ‘so nearly’ as they lost all three doubles 2-1. Only Tommy San and Zach could,manage a Singles win and there is a a peculair Forfeit loss to them too, despite seemingly having eight players???? For Those Guys , Matt had a good night but Big Boy fell to a suprise loss.Both managed four tons and four of the team contributed three checks. Alan for Alayah , had a great 91 high check and topped the tons chart with 5.

Finally Nomads overcame The Prixx 7 -5, where a pretty strong Singles and Triples were key to their victory. After a brief absence ,Chad returned with no ill effects, getting 9 tons and 4 tons for his team , whilst Woz for The Prixx scored 4 tons and 4 checks to give his team some chance of gaining some points, however he lacked support from his team mates with only Thuy Tran really causing any trouble to the Nomads . It was a great team performance for the boys from Chilli Bar, with all six scoring tons and only Jeff failing to register a check.
Division 2

BnB moved above the Buddha Bar with a pretty comfortable 8-4 victory. They were always in control of the game and made sure of victory with two Singles games to go. Buddha made a fight of it taking those last two games but could not make it closer and lost the team game. Rex for BnB, had the perfect checking game on the night ,helping himself to 6.It was a night with not too many tons with four player getting two each for BnB and Brendan topping the charts with 3 for Buddha. Tun had a solid night and got 4 checks for the losers

Madhouse’s miserable season continued against NSW. They had started so brightly taking the first three games, however after that they lost the two remaining doubles and only Graeme managed a Singles victory. They did add some respectablility to the score line with a team game win but the damage had already been done. For NSW the win continued their surge up the table. Only two players registered tons for Madhouse ,with Markus getting three and Graeme one. NSW fared little better with Mike G,Tony and Ed scoring a solitary ton. Markus led the way in checks ,with three for Madhouse ,and it was a real team effort for NSW where everyone got at least two checks.

The Vinyls continued their unbeaten season with a good win over Bernies Best, who must be concerned about their league position. They found themselves struggling after the winning the first triples and had a disasterous doubles, losing all three and despite a good perfromance in the Singles, where they shared the games three a piece ,they had given themselves too much to do. I am sure Mark against Lee in the last match would have been interesting. Matt was hitting the triple 20 on a regular basis ,managing six tons for his victorious side and helped himself to a 91 high check. he also topped the checking charts with four. For a disappointed Bernies , other than three for Thanh Tiger ,tons were very thin on the ground, whilst Thang managed three checks.

In the final match we saw the Dirty Harrys continue their fine season with a hard fought win over Charmed Assassins. The match earlier in the season had been awarded to the Dirty Harrys after an unfortunate incident ,which was a shame as these two teams produced a good match. Mark from the Harrys will be wondering exactly how he maanged to score five tons but was unable to get a single check. The key to the game was the Triples and Doubles ,in which the Assassins could only manage one win.Tons were flowing not just for Mark ,but for three Assassins ,with Paul getting six and Russell and Andy five each. Aussie Russell topped the checks ,with four for the gallant losers. For the Harrys , Dan and Devon got four each too.

 

Division 3

The Tavern are looking favourites even at this early stage to take the title after a pretty convincing 9-3 home win over Black Magic on Tuesday night. Black Magic went into the Singles 3 -2 up and looking good, only for a rather spectacular collapse and lost all the remaining games. It wasn’t all one sided though with four of those defeats being 2-1. For the Tavern, Karl once again had an impressive night with 5 tons and 3 checks. Drama managed 3 tons and a couple of checks for the Magic.

Second placed The Udder Team lost a bit of ground on the leaders only managing a draw against understrength Phattys Phukkers. The Udders held a 6 -3 lead at one stage but a battling rearguard action snatched a point for the boys from Phattys. In Matty’s absence, Cathal was the top performer for the home team with a couple of tons and 4 checks and Thuong contributed 4 checks also. For the Phukkers Jimish continued his good form and managed 4 tons and 4 checks in his teams’ fight back and the improving Ben also managed 4 checks.

Dreamtime and Tequila Toros also shared the points at M52 Bar. The point helped move Dreamtime further away from the bottom and kept Toros in the race for second place. A strong end to the Singles had put Dreamtime in the lead but a check from Neil in the team game ensured that Toros did not go home too disappointed. That topped off a great night for Neil with 6 tons and 4 checks and Marc as usual performed well for the boys from Tequila Bar. For Dreamtime, Dan topped the tons chart with 4, whilst Thuy and John helped their team with 4 checks each.

In the final game of the night we saw BIA gain revenge for their opening day defeat against ACDC. Like their previous game against Phattys, the girls just left themselves too much to do after the Triples and Doubles. They once again outperformed the opposition in the Singles, taking four of the games which gave them a great chance to snatch a draw in the team game. Unfortunately for them BIA Captain, Ken, checked it and ensured that the girls remain in last place. Not many tons for the girls but Gigi was the best checker with three. For BIA who surprisingly sat out Donald in the Singles, they too did not manage a lot of tons, with Dale getting the most with 2 and in the checking department Bala managed 4.

Division 1

Singles Wins

1. Chad [NMDS] 7-0

2. Adrian [MBH], Mike [PIN] and Nhan [IBV] 7-1

3.Rick and Dung [IBV] 6-0

 

Tons

1. Xu [IBV] 58

2.Mike [PIN] 49

3. Adrian [MBH] 47

 

Checks

1. Xu [IBV] 33

2. Big Boy [THG]  27

3. Thuy Tran [PRIX] and Adrian [MBH] 26

 

Overall Points

1. Xu [IBV] 158

2. Adrian [MBH] 134

3. Chad [NMDS]

 

Division 2

Singles Wins

1.Tun [BUD] 7-1

2. Sam [BNB] and Andy [CHA] 6-1

3. JayR [BNB] 6-2

 

Tons

1. Mario [VIN] 29

2.Thanh Tiger [ BERN] 28

3.Lee and Matt [VIN] 25

 

Checks

1.Tun [BUD] 27

2. Mario [VIN] 24

3. Brendan [BUD] and Rex [BNB] 22

 

Overall Points

1. Mario [VIN] 100

2. Tun [BUD] 91

3.Andy [CHA] 88

 

Division 3

Singles Wins

1 Matty [Udder]  7-0

2 Karl [Tav] ,Rab [Tav] and Jimish [Phukk] 7-1

3 Ken [BIA] 6-0

 

Tons

1 Karl [Tav] 29

2 Cris and Marc [ Teq] 25

3 Rab [Tav] and Jimish [ Phukk] 22

 

Checks

1 Karl [Tav] and Cris [Teq] 27

2 Rab and Johnny [Tav] and Cathal [Udder] 24

3 Jimish [Phukk] 23

 

Overall Points

1 Karl [Tav] 108

2 Rab [Tav] and Cris [Teq] 91

3 Jimish [Phukk] 89

 

Pikey Pete’s Predictions

Division 1

The Prixx v Alayah

The bottom two meet at Harry Casuals this Tuesday and an outright victory is needed by both to help them try and catch The Really Rottens. Alayah have had a hard season and have just one point to show for their efforts. Last week they probably did not expect to overturn Those Guys but they really need their form to take an upturn and if they cannot gain a win here I think they are doomed in all honesty. The Prixx have had difficulty finding their feet in the league so far but are usually quite competitive and last week narrowly lost to The Nomads. In the previous game between these two, The Prixx ran out quite comfortable 8-4 winners. Given their position it is not too surprising to see that Alayah have not really had anyone sit up in Singles, with Zack the only player to claim more than two wins. Two players, Alan and Willy who previously had quite impressive records will need to play and win regularly and if these two and Sinh can get going on Tuesday they have a chance of a result. The Prixx have the impressive Thuy Tran and Woz having good seasons but they need a little more support from their team mates. I am going for a 7-5 win to The Prixx in this one.

Really Rottens v Pinoy Patriots

The Patriots can claim to have the form player of the Division going into this game against the Rottens , Mike’s awesome performance last week however was not enough to save them from a defeat against Ice Blue Viet. It was costly defeat in terms of them trying to get the title and this week they come up against the draw specialists Really Rottens. Five draws show that this team, if on form, can beat anyone and last week the draw against the reigning champs, Mabuhay, was evidence of this. For the Rottens Matt, Guppy and Alex have had four wins a piece and others such as Tom and Trang have given able support. A blast from the past made an appearance last week too in the shape of Emile! The Patriots also have some strong players in the shape of Mike [of course] ,Rey ,Jeorge and Mariel so it could be an interesting game. The previous game saw a narrow 7-5 win to the Patriots and I predict a repeat of the score line this time around.

IB Viet v Nomads

In the previous match earlier in the season the Nomads grabbed a useful point against IB Viet ,so will not be totally apprehensive facing the leaders and they welcomed Chad back last week too. The team from Ice Blue remain unbeaten and their form in recent weeks has been impressive but as the three draws this season testify you can get at them ,despite their strong lineup. Nomads can field a pretty strong front five though and they have fared well in the Singles this year ,with Chad the outstanding player ,with Brett and Logan not far behind. For IB Viet their strong first five have been the foundation to this seasons success Rick and Dung are undefeated and Xu, Nhan and to a lesser extent Hai ,have ensured strong performances in the Singles with tons a plenty. I expect a close game and am actually going to say the same as my last prediction ,with a repeat result from earlier in the season, as I can see Nomads getting a 6-6 draw.

Those Guys v Mabuhay All-Stars

Mabuhay probably occupy their lowest league position for quite a few years as they sit presently in fourth place. It means they probably have lost their title, barring a spectacular collapse from IB Viet. Too many of their games have ended in a draw this year and last week against Really Rottens was a perfect example of how they are failing to kill off teams from a winning position. With Those Guys you you never know what you are going to get ,though only two defeats so far suggest that the Filipinos should be very wary of them and indeed in the previous match Those Guys only fell to a narrow 7-5 defeat. Adrian has shown excellent form and whilst all the others have made contributions they have lacked consistency in the Singles. For Those Guys, Big Boy, Odilicious and B-LO have proved the most dangerous players, whilst the King brothers have found life a little more hard going this season. I am going to sit on the fence with this one and say a 6-6 draw .

Division 2

Charmed Assassins v The Vinyls

The Assassins remain rooted to the bottom of the table and still winless [a feeling I know too well after the Phukkers last year], however will take some confidence from a close match last week against the high flying Dirty Harrys. Their cause has been helped by new player Paul [3-0] and the returning Russell. Last time around this match was a close 7-5 to The Vinyls and I cannot see anything but a victory for the table toppers. They had a comfortable 8-4 win over Bernies Best last week and are still to lose a match. They have a strong close knit squad where a majority of Matt, Huck, Mario, Lee [YES LEE!] and Paul are more than likely to pick up a Singles win. Andy for the Charmed Assassins has had a very useful season and seems a sensible choice to play in the anchor game. As I said I am going for a Vinyls win here but if Paul and Russell turn up it will strengthen the Assassins squad and it could be as close as the previous game between the two. I am going for a 7-5 win to The Vinyls.

Bernies Best v BnB Saigon Retro

Unfortunately I can only see a similar outcome in this game to the earlier meeting between these two, when BnB ran out winners 9-3. Bernies have struggled for most of the season to get that all important win and were well beaten last week. They can battle as their four draws show but BnB will be just too strong. Thanh Tiger is their best player stats wise and has had some good support from Yuki, Mike and Xuan but they lack the depth of players who regularly win their Singles games. BnB on the other hand have JayR, Rex, Roden and Sam all gaining five or more Singles victories and contributing the most checks in the other games. Not going to make Shrini a happy chap here but I see another 8-4 win loss for Bernies Best this week.

Buddha Bar v Madhouse

In a Division that really is split in to two halves at this stage ,it is perhaps surprising to see the team that came down from the top Division in the lower bit and the team promoted sitting comfortably in the top half. But Buddha have taken to life in Division 2 quite well and Madhouse have struggled. Buddha will be looking to bounce back from a heavy defeat against BnB last week and are looking for a repeat of their 8-4 victory earlier in the season . To no-one’s surprise Tun has shown excellent form and has a 7-1 record but he has had some good support from quite a few of his other team members, especially Brendan and Adam , whilst Scotty is always capable of having a good night at the oche. For Madhouse it has been a frustratingly poor season with their only victory coming from a walkover. Only Luke and Markus have shown any real form in Singles and Colin has been absent too much. I see a 8-4 win for Buddha Bar here and Madhouse will finds themselves stuck in the relegation battle.

No Star Where v Dirty Harrys

NSW’s renaissance continues and a good result here will consolidate a mid-table position but they may find it difficult against Dirty Harrys small but battling squad. We have no reference in regards to an earlier match as NSW had to forfeit due to lack of players. Ex- Assassin, Brian has been an excellent addition and has proven, with Fudgie ,to be a top performer for his season .Lee and El Tel have given good support but they have missed Mike G’s regular attendance. Dirty Harrys had a good win last week and see themselves sitting in second place. Paul and Dan have four wins a piece and Dixie has proven pretty solid but for these guys it is very much an all round team effort. I am going for a hard fought draw 6-6.

Division 3

Tequila Toros v Tavern

Whilst Toros have stuttered a little in the last couple of matches against Black Magic and Dreamtime ,they will be hoping that the comforts of their home venue will improve their luck. They could not have asked for a harder task as they try to bounce back ,entertaining the unbeaten leaders Tavern. The leaders confidence will be high after an impressive victory over Balck Magic last week. They have a very settled team and Karl, Johnny and Rab continue to dominate the stats tables and have good support from fellow team members. Toros’s Neil had a crackers last week and Marc still continues to look good ,however I can only see another victory for the Tavern and am going for an 8-4 win for the visiting side. The corresponding fixture earlier in the season was an extremely close 7-5 win for Tavern ,so I may be well off here in the nature of this predicted victory.

Phattys v BIA

In the match earlier in the season BIA claimed a 7-5 win against an understrength Phattys side though they gained a good point last week against The Udder Team, the Phukkers were again struggling for numbers so they may not be fancied this week. However I have inside information that they may well welcome back a few players for this game so it could be interesting. BIA got a 7-5 win over ACDC last week but nearly threw the game away with a poor Singles performance and one where Donald sat out –I don’t think they can afford to do this against what could be a strong Phukkers side. Ken continues to play well and he and Donald are the dangerous players in the side ,though Keith and recently Bala have been supporting well so far. For the Phukkers ,Jimish is the form player and Ben’s recent run of games have seen him look good. They will also hope to have Geordie and Niall returning for this fixture. I see a 7-5 win here for the home side.

Black Magic v The Udder Team

Black Magic’s three game unbeaten streak came to an abrupt halt last week against the Tavern. They were missing Manniken Pis and had looked good in the triples and doubles but failed to get anyone dominating a Singles game and this proved very costly. They return to Voodoo and a game against the second placed Udders.The Udders, admittedly missing top man Matty last week ,will probably feel they should have got more than a point against a weakened Phukkers last week , but some good individual performances from Thuong and Cathal in particular will give them confidence going into this fixture ,especially if Matty returns. For the Magic they really need Captain Rob1 to show his true form in this game ,if he does so they have a fair chance of upsetting the guys from The Spotted Cow and making the race for second that bit more interesting. I will predict a 6-6 draw here as the unknown key factors for me are if Matty returns for The Udders and if Rob1 can get his Singles form back. A hard one to call.Last time around the Magic claimed a 7-5 win ,with impressive Triples and Doubles being the main factor to the victory.

ACDC V Dreamtime

In the last two weeks ACDC have had ‘if only’ matches against the Phukkers and BIA. They performed brilliantly in the Singles after slow starts in the Triples and Doubles and lost both Team Games ,when a point in both matches was probably justified. Dreamtime are proving very stubborn opposition this season and not giving anyone an easy victory. Recent draws against Udder Team and Tequila Toros ,have shown a true battling spirit in their small squad. We have seen great contributions from Dan and Thuy in recent weeks. For ACDC ,the form of Solo has been the highlight ,but Gigi,Piki and Bebe have shown good recent form too. The result last time saw a victory for Dreamtime and I expect a very competitive game this time around and am actually going to predict an upset given the Singles form of the ACDC. A 7-5 win for the girls from Red Bar.

Thuy Tran -The Prixx

This week we have our second female player for this section in the shape of Thuy Tran ,who has taken both her team and the league by storm ,since joining the league a few seasons back. Her form has made many sit up and take notice as she has  claimed victory after victory ,whilst regularly finding the triple 60 and that all important check.  In the last few years The Prixx have had to say adios to their top players in Bourney and then Donald but they seem to have unearthed  another gem of a player in Thuy Tran !!!

1. So Thuy you are relatively new to playing darts. How did you start and how did youend up with the merry bunch known as The Prixx?

Actually It was by chance that I got into darts. Back in 2011- 2012, I was working in Peaches in Phu My Hung and on every Saturday when the Prixxx had their training sessions I used to watch them and just wondered what was the thrill with darts. Then when the team invited to throw a few darts, I started beating the boys.

2.Your form over the last two seasons has been really impressive , especially for someone new to the game .Do you practice much?

Ask the staff at Ice Blue, they will vouch about my commitment to training.

3.The Prixx are having their first time in the top Division. In your view how is it going?

It’s a learning curve for the team. We need more time, will improve and get stronger.

4. What has been your enjoyable victory so far in your darts career?

Clearly when the team wins. As for my darts career, I’m still new to the game. Let’s wait and see. But beating the big boys like Xu and Rick Horton in friendly’s and league matches must be the highlight!

5.What is your favourite away venue?

Of course, Ice Blue

6.We have ACDC and a few Vietnamese girls playing for other teams but how do you think we could get more female players to turn up and join teams?

The question is what made me pick up darts. Exposure. We are naturally quite competitive. Teach us and watch us go at it.

And more guys could bring their gf’s 😉

7. What bit of playing on Tuesday nights do you enjoy the most?

The camaraderie amongst fellow teammates and the opposing team. The nod of acknowledgement before battle begins… ^^.

8.Favourite team to play against.

I don’t one have favourite team to play against. Because I enjoy playing with all the teams.

9.Who do you like paying doubles with most in The Prixx and why?

I have been playing doubles with Melvin mostly. We practice with each other a lot. He understands my game as I do his.

10.Burger King or McDonalds?

Burger King

11.What darts do you play with?

A 23g Harrow Fire

12.What do you do for work in Saigon?

I’m working for a worldwide logistics company.

13.Are you originally from Saigon?

I’m from Lam Dong province. If you know Da Lat city

14.And finally! Many of us drink too much on a Tuesday, do you have a favourite beverage on darts nights ?

Tiger draught with a slice of lime.

 

Venues Review

This edition Rob 1, Captain of Black Magic gives us the rundown on The Tavern in Phu My Hung.

The Tavern

The Tavern

It has been a while since I ventured out to The Tavern due to our teams travelling in opposite directions for a few seasons.

The darts area here is one of the better ones in the league as it is spacious with plenty of alleyway between the 2 boards. The seating area is comfortable and conducive to watching the other matches.

Lighting and AC are both good. It’s certainly not the lack of light that causes me to miss what I’m aiming for so often!

The ambiance is what you choose to make it as there were no other punters in the darts area. The music was a fine selection of hits from the 90s. I am not ashamed to say that I knew every single one of them!

The food was hot and plentiful with the standard fare of deep fried goodness and pizza. Service on the whole was very good with minimal wait time for drinks to be delivered and prices were pretty standard for beer with wine significantly less than the bars in D1 are charging these days. Bills came quickly and change was also delivered promptly.

The Tavern has been doing this for a while and does it all pretty well. I’d like it more if it was closer to D1 or D2!

Overall ratings: Playing area : 9/10 (lost a mark because you couldn’t see the laptop with the score on Board 1) Service: 9/10 Ambience : 6/10 for the lack of atmosphere beyond what the teams provided, but up to 7/10 due to the 90s awesomeness! Prices : 8/10 Snacks : 8/10

Location: 1/10 (it scores 1 for being in HCMC!)

 

And finally !!!!!!

 

Some great news for SIDLer and Mabuhay team member Zarggie . Congratulations on his recent marraige and here’s hoping for good health and fortune to Mr and Mrs Zarggie Elloso in the future.