SCOTTISH hotshot Paul Gallagher upset the Prem big boys and Three Lions stars to be crowned football’s best darts thrower.
The Preston midfielder, 35, was unbeaten as he crushed Charlie Austin of West Brom and the England duo of Leicester’s James Maddison and West Ham’s Declan Rice in the inaugural PDC Darts at Home: Footballers Special yesterday.
Preston’s Paul Gallagher won the PDC Darts at Home: Footballers Special
West Ham’s Declan Rice was crushed after the defeat
Gallagher clinched top spot in this unique lockdown charity clash — which raised funds for NHS Charities Together — after starting off with a memorable 301 NINE-DARTER in the first leg of his first match against Austin.
The Deepdale veteran said: “This is a dream. I’ve wanted to do this since I was five.
“A few of the lads at Preston like the darts. I only got the board the other day and had two days’ practice.
“It’s all about the finishing. At times I made it hard work.
“But I’ll take my hat off to darts players. I was struggling to play with no one near me — and they make it look easy.”
To ensure they would not still be playing until real Premier League football hopefully starts again on June 12, the PDC capped the score at 301 and not the standard 501.
Maths was not exactly their strong point, with in-demand presenter Dan Dawson doing a brilliant job in the Carol Vorderman role.
Leicester’s James Maddison was also involved in the tournament
And, thankfully, the quartet’s shooting and passing on the pitch is more accurate than their throwing doubles on the oche.
It did not start well with Rice and ‘Bostin’ Austin scrapping it out in an opening leg involving 100 DARTS over more than TEN MINUTES.
England midfielder Rice, 21, who struggled with the camera equipment in that first match, blamed nerves for losing three times.
He joked: “Everyone must have thought ‘They could have got better players on here!’.
“It only makes me appreciate darts players and how easy they make it look.
“After my first match, I had a little check on Twitter and I was getting absolutely peppered!”
Albion’s 30-year-old striker Austin, who boasted he hit a maximum 180 last Tuesday, said: “Can you imagine what people must be saying at home?
“The stick will probably be worse than what we get in the stands.”
And West Brom’s Charlie Austin was also beaten by Gallagher
The standard improved considerably thanks to dominant Glaswegian Gallagher, who completed his nine-darter with a 108 finish against a shell-shocked Austin.
An impressed Rice added: “Gally should be on Sky Sports next given how well he played.”
Maddison, who joked the odds of beating Gallagher were 5,000-1 — the same as for Leicester to lift the Prem title in their triumphant 2015-16 season — almost pulled off a fairytale win but wasted his match darts in the pivotal fourth tie.
The star revealed the Leicester squad love their oche action and routinely play darts on away trips.
Speaking from his Coventry home, the 23-year-old said: “The gaffer normally sends us to bed the night before a match because it gets a bit late with the darts.
“Jamie Vardy is very good. I tried to reel him into doing this but he has a house full of dogs and kids and can’t get five minutes to himself.
“This defeat will be tough to break to the lads.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS – STAY IN THE KNOW
Don’t miss the latest news and figures – and essential advice for you and your family.
To receive The Sun’s Coronavirus newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here.
To follow us on Facebook, simply ‘Like’ our Coronavirus page.
Get Britain’s best-selling newspaper delivered to your smartphone or tablet each day – find out more.
“I hope they weren’t watching. I can only apologise for my bang-average throwing.
“Wasting those match darts — it’s like a dagger to the heart.
“But Gally was a deserved winner and showed his quality.”
Austin said he had to make a family roast at 4:30pm and he was only late to the dinner table by about ten minutes after coming from behind to win the final match 2-1 against Maddison.
The wayward darts were all for a great cause with lots of money raised for the NHS.
And Gally may end up playing the best cricketer or golfer in a Champions group.
Yet it is unlikely the four will be paying £450 and signing up for Q School next January.
Don’t give up the day jobs just yet, lads.
To donate please visit justgiving.com/fundraising/darts-at-home
PDC DARTS AT HOME: FOOTBALLERS SPECIAL
Declan Rice 0-2 Charlie Austin; Paul Gallagher 2-0 Charlie Austin; James Maddison 2-1 Declan Rice; James Maddison 1-2 Paul Gallagher; Paul Gallagher 2-0 Declan Rice; Charlie Austin 2-1 James Maddison.
Brits allowed to sunbathe in parks and play ‘unlimited sport’ from Wednesday in new lockdown rules
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
