Paddy Power World Darts Championship: 8 of the most memorable walk-ons in history

We all love 180s, big checkouts and dramatic finishes, but there'd be none of those without great walk-ons first!

By / Darts / 1 year ago

Sporting prowess is as much about what’s between your ears as it is the flexibility or resilience of your bodily extremities.

To be able to keep your head when all around you are losing theirs – someone ought to write a poem about that – that’s the real test of a champion.

And perhaps a scribbling clever clogs could recite their musings as one of the Ally Pally gladiators lumber their way towards the oche at this year’s Paddy Power World Darts Championship because these dartboard bruisers love a dramatic entrance – not just to rouse the crowd, but to break the psychological defences of their opponent before an arrow’s been flung in anger.

Here are some of our favourite pre-match performances in darting history….

John Henderson

The Highlander was on home turf as he took on the might of Michael van Gerwen in his Premier League debut in 2019, and we’d be surprised if even the Dutch dartist extraordinaire wasn’t left shaking in his boots when Henderson made his way to the oche behind a bagpipe-led serenade of Flower of Scotland lustily sung by 7,000 wannabe extras from Braveheart.

Seriously, if your spine isn’t tingling watching that, check your pulse.

The less said about the sudden cut into the ‘Quo’s ‘Rocking All Over the World’, the better – we haven’t seen a more incongruous segue since… well…

Devon Petersen

Okay, it’s a hoverboard, not Segway but that’s close enough for the purposes of this transition!

In case you don’t know, The African Warrior’s known for breaking out his dance moves to Shakira’s “Waka Waka” before his matches, but took that routine stratospheric in the 2015 PDC World Series by incorporating a hoverboard into the act.

Now, we’re not saying this was unwise, but the bloke who invented the Segway whirred off a cliff never to be seen again, so spinning around on one of these – while dancing!?! – on a stage 6-foot off the ground is asking for trouble.

Ted Hankey

As is getting within biting distance of the The Count.

While the PDC World Championship had the biggest stars in the game, the BDO had Ted Hankey in a Halloween costume wrapped up like your gran walking to the shops on a cold day.

Though we’d wager your gran was less likely to call random strangers *insert something very naughty here* on the way.

 

Phil Taylor

We couldn’t leave him out, could we? Cos he’d definitely remember it.

The Power’s walk-on was always about more than just the performance  – it was a statement. The opening blast of Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” heralded the presence of darting greatest before Snap!’s “The Power” sent the fans wild and let opponent’s know they were in for it.

Even in his final match, Stoke’s finest carried an air of invincibility when he set foot on the stage.

Bob Anderson

The Limestone Cowboy infamously lived up to his nickname in 1995 before taking on The Power when he led in his trusty steed before their quarter final showdown.

@slcrannie

Bob Anderson was scared stiff of this horse hence he was nowhere near it .. someone somewhere thought it was a good idea …😊.. #darts #worldchampionship #bobanderson #1990s #walkons #walkon #horse #horses #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #fun #humour #why

♬ original sound – DeanosVersion

As you may note, these were the days before the splendour of the  Alexandra Palace, so that this ever made it past the Health and Safety officer on duty is a real wonder.

Raymond van Barneveld

As much in recognition of how Barney sent the Netherlands darts mad with his World Championship performances in the nineties and early noughties as for any other reason, it’s only proper that the man who put tungsten-twiddling up there with speed-skating, defying international legal norms with regard to widely prohibited substances and, of course, falling out with your teammates at major international football tournaments in terms of popular Dutch national pastimes.

So it was only right that when the Premier League of Darts paid a first trip to Rotterdam in 2016, the Dutch master’s entrance almost brought the house down.

Almost perfect – but they could’ve played The Flintstones theme, couldn’t they?

Maybe not.

Wayne Mardle

The Essex arrer-thrower could lay claim to being the new voice of darts after his epic commentary stint on last year’s World Championship final went around the world, but he could also beat the very, very best back in the day, as evidenced by his quarter-final take down of Phil Taylor in the 2008 quarter-finals at the Ally Pally.

Though perhaps more impressive was Hawaii 501’s all-action hula-hula hullabaloo walk-on before the match.

I mean, you go out there like that, there’s no way you can lose.

Mardle’s performance meant Taylor missed his first world title final since 1993.

Peter Wright

Okay, so we all know the routine by now, but this rundown wouldn’t be complete without Snakebite’s notorious presence.

Here he is reminding us what Christmas is really all about –  the darts.

Of course it’s helped by the former World Champion’s flamboyant outfits and hairstyle, which somehow manages to make Pitbull tolerable.

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