As well as having some up and coming darts players, one of the foremost voices of the sport is also from these here parts. We spoke to Dan Dawson, the man who does live commentary on the arrows for various media outlets including ITV...
How does a bloke from Kirkby-in-Ashfield end up commentating on the darts?
My day job is as a journalist at a radio station in Birmingham. About seven years ago I got made redundant from a previous job and was freelancing around, and this darts gig came up. I just fell in love with the thing, and have managed to carry it on as much as possible. I do a few darts gigs on the radio each year, then in March I got my first gig on telly doing the UK Open for ITV. Eventually, I hope to get on Sky Sports as well.
What is it about darts that appeals?
In my career I’ve covered big football games; you’re in press conferences afterwards speaking to Ashley Cole or whoever, and that’s fine but they’re completely detached from the bloke on the street. With darts there’s more connection between the fan and the player. You end up seeing Adrian Lewis, a two-time champion of the world, just basically going, “Anybody fancy a game of Call of Duty this evening?” That’s quite refreshing, from a journalist’s perspective.
What have been the highlights of your time covering darts? Ever commentated on a nine-dart finish?
Yeah, a guy called Ross Smith who did it in Gibraltar. That felt like a big moment. But in terms of highlights, it’s generally just really weird things. Like when Aidy Lewis won his second world title at Ally Pally, the dopey sod got back to his hotel and realised he’d forgotten his trophy. I was still at Ally Pally and staying in the same hotel, so I brought it back for him. I walked into the hotel bar carrying his World Championship trophy and he’s like, “I think that belongs to me, duck!”
Kyle Anderson and Aden Kirk are two Nottingham-based players who have made their mark this year. Would you like to see them kick on and enable our city to challenge Stoke as the UK’s darts capital?
I’d love it, I’d absolutely love it. I’m all for Nottingham sport – even as a Notts County fan I still like Forest to do well. I know Kyle isn’t from Notts, but we’re going to claim him.
Have you seen much of Kyle and Aden in action?
I saw Aden in the UK Open this year. I don’t think anybody was expecting him to go and beat Phil Taylor, but then to follow it up and beat Peter Wright as well was an incredible display. From what we’ve seen from him, he’s got bottle and that’s half of this game. I’ve got high hopes for Kyle. I think he could be the real deal. But it’s a very big ask, because the standard in darts has never been tougher.
Given that you commentate on darts, you must get asked about the late Sid Waddell a lot. What were your thoughts on him?
Sid was not just the god of darts commentary – he was the god of commentary full stop. There was stuff that Sid said that will be remembered for decades, probably centuries. The man was brilliant. When I started out doing darts stuff he was still around and you’d see him in the press room, but I was always a bit timid – it was like going to work every day and seeing one of your heroes there. I mean, what was I going to say to him?! That’s a big regret really, that I never really had a great deal to do with Sid.
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