Hometown Hero Set For Debut
Posted on October 7th, 2008
Only a couple of years ago Mick McGowan was the one player nobody wanted to draw. Climbing the rankings rapidly, having hit a rich vein of form, “The Magnet” was playing better than just about every other player on the circuit. With a world ranking outside the top 32 it meant he was often drawing one of the top ranked established “stars”…and beating them.
Consistent performances culminating in a Pro Tour title had put him firmly on the map and a 129 average in a win over Chris Mason in Scotland confirmed his undoubted pedigree. A debut defeat to Phil Taylor in the second round of the 2007 World Championship was much closer than the 4-1 scoreline suggests and the match saw McGowan finish with a 102 average and a new army of supporters. Only Taylor averaged higher during the entire tournament.
It seemed obvious to everybody watching that McGowan was on the cusp of something special, and that a rise to the top seemed inevitable.
And then…well not much really.
A rather average few months followed and the majority of 2008 has been a stark contrast to the previous couple of years. McGowan gives some frank reasoning for this - “Maybe I let the hype and the pressure get to me a little after that World Championship of 2007”. “I thought wins would perhaps come easier but you can’t underestimate this game. There are so many quality players and you have to earn your success”.
His world ranking has remained steady (31 at the time of writing) and although he has picked up a few wins here and there, there has been no major success and the feeling of treading water. Some bad luck hasn’t helped matters – for instance he missed out on a spot at the World Matchplay in Blackpool this year by just £25! However, McGowan accepts that there can be no excuses and its results on the oche that matter. “I lost out on that Blackpool spot by £25 and was gutted. But the very next day I cleared my mind and came back so determined that I qualified for the Las Vegas Desert Classic. I saw that day as a turning point”.
And now The Magnet is well and truly back. He’s followed up that Vegas appearance by qualifying for his “home town” tournament, the Sky Poker World Grand Prix in Dublin, for the first time, and can’t wait to get going. A first round battle with Terry Jenkins on night two lies in wait and McGowan is confident he can get past Jenkins to send his legion of local fans into raptures, and himself into round two. “I’m fairly even in head to heads with Terry but he got the better of me in Vegas earlier this year so I’m out for revenge”.
Living a mere darts throw away from the Citywest Hotel, where the tournament is being staged, means that not only is McGowan’s preparation much more relaxed, but also that we are guaranteed a raucous crowd of Irish fans willing on their local boy. “I’ve used up all my guest passes and called in loads of favours to get more for this…and it’s still not enough!” laughs McGowan. This undoubtedly adds pressure but this is what it’s all about when you play darts for a living. “Sure, I’ve been on the other end of that situation. When I played Phil in the World Championship the crowd was so loud and almost everybody was cheering for Phil. I know exactly how Terry is going to feel up there”.
So how far can he go this week? “Well let me just say, it is an honour to play in my home town tournament. It’s been a long time coming and I don’t intend to be leaving early”.
Follow Mick’s progress and all the action here with us all week.
FIRST ROUND AGONY
The fairytale was not to be and Mick McGowan’s Dublin Dream is over. A first round defeat to Terry Jenkins left the Irishman stunned, in unison with the partisan crowd. Always beware The Bull. The runner up of the last two years at the Citywest Hotel is in the mood to go one better this time.
A straightforward first set saw McGowan start shakily and Jenkins take it comfortably, 3 legs to 1. Set two saw McGowan find his rhythm, a 180, and his doubles. The pressure he began to exert even caused Jenkins to forget the rules and kick off a leg on the treble twenty, rather than a double.
Skulking back to the oche, Jenkins held an imaginary gun to his head and as McGowan checked out a stunning 125, there was a sense that this could be the turning point of the match. Two legs apiece, it seemed the impetus was now with the Irish number one.
But alas, twelve missed darts at the starting double in the set decider gave Jenkins a comfortable run through for victory, as McGowan could only ponder how his double hitting could desert him at such a crucial time.
A darts players life is full of ups and downs and the next challenge is always round the corner. This can sometimes help as McGowan will have little time to fret over this loss - there is the rather pressing matter of World Championship qualification looming on the horizon, and with a fair amount of money to defend he will need to be on his game to make the field of 64.
As for those Irish fans, they’ve still got Jacko Barry carrying the Tricolour.
Tags: Preview, World Grand Prix
Filed under General, PDC, World Grand Prix |
