Dubai is out of this world for darts players

Dubai: The world’s number one darts player has led the chorus of approval for Dubai staging its first ever professional darts tournament, saying only ‘Mars or Jupiter’ would be better venues.

He may be a well-travelled millionaire, but 16-time world champion Phil Taylor was more akin to a wide-eyed schoolboy when asked about taking part in the inaugural two-day Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters, taking place on Thursday and Friday nights at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.

Taylor is among the world’s top-eight darts players competing for a top prize of $50,000 (Dh183,659), with the semi-finals and final being held between 8pm and midnight on Friday.

The 52-year-old, who was drawn to play Andy Hamilton in the quarter-finals on Thursday, said: “This [holding the tournament in Dubai] is Las Vegas times 100 for me. Only holding the tournament on Mars or Jupiter would be better.”

Taylor’s domination of the sport over the past 20 years and his working-class-hero charm — he is proud of his council house beginnings and used to earn only £75 a week as a factory worker — has been central to darts becoming a British and European sporting phenomenon, attracting bumper television ratings.

Indeed, as one of the other players showcasing his skills in Dubai, five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld, pointed out to Gulf News: “Darts maybe is a game that came from pubs, but we don’t play in pubs. We play in arenas where the likes of Robbie Williams and Beyonce play.”

Taylor added: “This [playing in Dubai] to me is as big as the world championships, if not bigger. I don’t think you can go anywhere else in the world bigger than this. The amount of interest from my family and friends in the tournament has been amazing.

“From playing in a little backstreet club in Burslem [in Stoke-on-Trent, England] when I first started, to now playing in Dubai is a massive stepping stone. Never in a million years did I think darts would take off like this.”

His main rival for the Dubai trophy, world number two Michael van Gerwen, was also quick to sing the Emirate’s praises.

He said: “It’s my first time here and I think it’s brilliant. I have been to Las Vegas before and Tokyo, but it’s a bit special over here. Everyone should come here once — it’s a lovely city and very clean.”

Van Gerwen’s fellow Dutchman, Van Barneveld, said he was happier the weather is better than it was during his previous time here.

“I came here in 2008 or 2009 with my wife and we stayed in the Madinat Jumeirah hotel in front of the Burj Al Arab, but unfortunately it was January and it rained a lot, so we had a bit of a so-so feeling about Dubai,” he said. “But now the weather is fine and I feel happier here. It’s a real honour to play here.”