Darts star Justin Pipe wants to buy Ally Pally crowd a beer – two years after they threw pints at him
JUSTIN PIPE wants to buy the Ally Pally crowd a drink — two years after they threatened to throw pints at him.
The Somerset lumberjack has had “two years of mental torture” after the infamous ‘Coughgate’ saga.
Yesterday, the world No56 was sick with worry, thinking he was going to be “crucified” on his return.
And he even took the measure of wearing earplugs to block out abuse he expected from the punters.
Pipe, 48, was accused of coughing deliberately to put off New Zealander Bernie Smith in the first round of the 2018 William Hill PDC World Darts Championships.
Though he has always denied the claim, he was called a “cheat” by some in the crowd in his next match.
As it transpired, though, he received a positive reception yesterday — not the expected catcalls and jeers — as he survived three match darts to beat Slovenian Benjamin Pratnemer 3-2.
Pipe said: “I couldn’t have had a better crowd. I might go out and buy them all a drink. They were fantastic.
“Nothing makes up for the two years I’ve had to go through but winning is sweet.
“It’s proved to me I can dig deep, walk down through that walk-on with my head held high and put on a battle.
“Everybody knows me in darts and not one would say I’d do what I was supposed to have done.
“You don’t see a cough or hear it and there was never any sound produced.”
I’ve taken my punishment, kept my mouth shut and got on with it. It’s been two years of real hard slog really. It’s put those demons to bed.
Justin Pipe
Pipe says he has not yet been in the same room as Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle, who was most critical of him during the incident.
He said: “I’ve taken my punishment, kept my mouth shut and got on with it. It’s been two years of real hard slog really. It’s put those demons to bed.”
This match was tungsten torture as two of the sport’s slowest players went to five sets.
One fan summed up the slowness by writing on his board: “This match will take longer than Brexit!”
To be fair Pipe has quickened up his throwing action but in the past he did not feel his “face fitted” within the elite ranks.
In a US radio interview, he claimed he was told years ago he would not be welcome on the Premier League circuit if he qualified.
He refused to reveal his source but admitted: “Nobody wants a slow dart player.
“From a businessman’s point of view I whole-heartedly understand why I’d never have been in the Premier League.
“From a player’s point of view, I deserved it. But I don’t even watch my games back. So I wouldn’t put me in the Premier League either.”
In the second round, Big Scot John Henderson battered James Richardson 3-0, dropping just three legs. No 25 seed Steve Beaton hit a 170 checkout as he beat Kyle Anderson 3-1. Lucky Chris Dobey survived two match darts as he progressed to the third round for the second year in a row.
Latest darts news
The former motorway worker remains on the road to glory after his 3-2 win over Dutchman Ron Meulenkamp.
In the final set, he drew level after falling 2-0 legs down, and then pointed to his family and friends and said: “I’m staying in here.”
The No22 seed, who could play lady of the moment Fallon Sherrock next, said: “I made hard work of that. I was going nowhere. I’m ready to go. There is pressure on me as a seed and I have had to wait a long time to play.”