2.4.07

SLINGS AND ARROWS

The PDC World Darts Championship, promoted by Barry Hearn's Matchroom, is moving from the Circus Tavern in Purfleet to the Alexandra Palace in London because of demand for tickets.

Prize money will rise to £1m - £15,000 more than this year's 888.com World Snooker Championship.

One wonders where snooker could be now had Hearn been allowed to get hold of it.

Like almost everyone else with money and ideas, though, he was constantly rebuffed to the point that he ended up concentrating on other sports, with only the Premier League and managing Steve Davis his only snooker interests today.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't help thinking that with Hearn in the 80s and Doyle in the 90s, the WPBSA didn't want these people taking over Snooker entirely.

Hearn had every top snooker player you could think off under the Matchroom umbrella. Meanwhile, Doyle - sans John Higgins - continues to manage most of the top 16. Even O'Sullivan had two bites of the cherry and came back.

What a want to know is - was there a rivalry between Hearn and Doyle (did they get on?) Because these two were the big two of the game.

I can understand why Hearn wants nothing to do with the organisation now. Every premier league snooker/darts event i see on Sky looks packed and probably sold-out. Also, I knew it was only a matter of time he moved the Darts World Championship to somewhere bigger. La Tavern is smaller and Hearn being the businessman is always looking at the bigger picture....Maybe the WPBSA could get Alan Sugar in to spice things up?

Thanks, Joe

Dave H said...

There was a rivarly between Hearn and Doyle but they worked together on World Series and various other projects