Checkout Finish - Tony O’Shea


Evergreen O’Shea still eyeing up World Crown


Alex Fordham was granted an exclusive interview with darts legend Tony O’Shea. He speaks to SGB about the games growing legion of fans and the potential this has for the sports retail industry


O 38 | SGB-SPORTS.COM


nce seen as the most unfashionable of sports, darts has now reached box office status largely thanks to Barry Hearn’s Matchroom Sports


empire. After taking control of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in 2001, Hearn has grown the game into a glamorous, showbiz extravaganza with healthy prize money and in depth television coverage on offer. Despite this, there are still some hardy souls continuing to reject the PDC and instead favouring the British Darts Organisation (BDO) who claim to offer a purer, more traditional form of the game. Among those is BDO stalwart the ‘Silverback’ Tony O’Shea. Seen as one of the most popular players on the BDO circuit, O’Shea is undoubtedly the bridesmaid of British darts with five final


appearances in BDO major tournaments. However that major title continues to elude the man from Stockport. With victories against PDC stars in the 2010 World Series of Darts including Vincent van der Voort and James Wade, there is no doubt that O’Shea has the ability to compete on the PDC circuit. So why does he continue to ply his trade in the BDO when other players such as Ted Hankey have turned their back on the organisation? “I don’t blame any player for leaving the BDO when considering the prize money on offer in the PDC”, said O’Shea. “Naturally I have thought about leaving loads of times, particularly after losing the final to Ted (Hankey) in 2009. However I still think I have unfinished business in the BDO and until I win the World title, I certainly won’t consider leaving.” Darts may have always had a certain popularity within pubs and social clubs but it is only recently that many sports retailers


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