With an incredible comeback on Thursday night at the European Championship, Peter Wright managed to avoid being eliminated early. After tremendous effort and hardship, the two-time world champion defeated Gabriel Clemens in the opening round.
The Scot was behind 1-4 against ‘The German Giant,’ but a substitution of batsmanship brought about a turnaround. Wright rallied to 5-5 with a further round of darts, but ‘Snakebite’ hit an 11-darter to seal the victory. “MVG’s darts function fairly well under duress, don’t they?” I figured we should pull out MVG’s darts as he usually wins the final legs. To be honest, I was just chasing the entire time I was playing the game. I only needed to get out MVG’s darts because I tried out a setup that I plan to throw with in the future, but I’m not sure if I was aiming too much.”
Wright could have made good use of the victory. The third-ranked player in the world has struggled with form the whole season, and in the upcoming months, he will have a sizable prize fund to protect in the world rankings. ‘Snakebite’, though, is certain he has reestablished the lineup.
I’m only now beginning to have faith in my skills. “I’m not prepared to retire,” he says. “I can still encourage these young people that are emerging. As long as my life permits it, I will continue to play the game.”
Wright considered giving up the arrows for a short while earlier in the year. Yes, you know, I’ve watched a lot of players fall so fast in the rankings—all of them are excellent dart players—and some of them don’t even have a Tour Card. You’re wondering in the back of your mind, “Am I going to be one of those players?”
Wright will return to action in the European Darts Championship in Dortmund on Saturday. He will take on the world champion Michael Smith in the second round. Smith outlasted Raymond van Barneveld 6-1.
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