The Ally Pally Rally!

There is a certain charm about the darts, which I had not fully come to appreciate until recently. I made a trip to the ‘Ally Pally’ last week and availed of the venues VIP offerings. I must say that the food was sub-par and the executive experience was nothing to write home about. In a way
though, that was part of the appeal. The pre-show chicken curry that could easily have come out of the microwave and the half-time pizzas were both decidedly unexciting, but it was of little consequence in terms of the overall entertainment that the night had to offer.

We kicked off with a 180, which was well received by the room full of punters who were mostly well oiled, warmed up and ready for a big night of drinking, shouting and sporadic chanting. After all who can resist joining in with the sing-along music that has become such an integral part of
the darts experience? Everyone loves the old: de de de de de de de de de ……. OI OI OI etc etc! Though the first two games were of a distinctly poor standard, things picked up considerably when Jhyan Artut went to war with Gary Anderson. The German underdog was a man on a mission and he went two sets up against the flying Scotsman, which led the crowd to start believing the impossible was in fact possible. Gary Anderson regained his composure however and ended up winning a closely fought match that went all the way to the wire. It truly was a superbly entertaining match that had us all on the edge of our seats, apart from when we were jumping about in response to a crucial dart or to sing along
to the epic ‘Oi Oi Oi’ darts anthem.

One of the most striking observations that I took away from my night at the ‘Ally Pally’ was the sheer classlessness of the sport. At any point during the night I could have been standing next to a multi-millionaire, east London gangster, sporting celebrity or member of the royal family. All are welcome and the atmosphere was not at all threatening. In spite of a great deal of drinking, tense pressure situations during the matches, sexy girls strutting their stuff and loud thumping music scattered throughout, there was never a sniff of violence or foul-play. The crowd were enjoying themselves in a peaceful, respectful and amicable fashion, which was a credit to both the fans and the event organisers.

All in all – I could not have enjoyed my evening more. It was well worth the money and time spent travelling to the venue. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.