'I'm over the moon, honestly' - Justin Pipe speaks after surviving scare from Bernie Smith in first round
NewsThursday, 21 December 2017 at 11:00
Justin Pipe survived a scare last night from Kiwi qualifier Bernie Smith. 'The Force'' came through a last set decider with the Oceanic Masters champion to set up a clash with Phil Taylor in his final ever World Championship and he admits playing Taylor was on his mind which put him close to another shock exit. He admitted he is over the moon though to be through to Round 2.
"I'm over the moon, honestly," said Pipe. "At two sets up I was cruising and thinking about playing Phil Taylor in his last ever World Championship - but that's no good, you can't think ahead, you have to focus.
"Playing Phil, I'm going to just relax and throw. I'm going to absolutely love playing him in his last ever World Championship.
"I can relax now playing against Phil, I was so tense tonight, all I wanted to do was win and that's what I've done.
"I didn't think I'd go 2-0 up and I just took my foot off the gas, but I won't be doing that on Saturday."
https://twitter.com/OfficialPDC/status/943624079248101376
"I'm over the moon, honestly," said Pipe. "At two sets up I was cruising and thinking about playing Phil Taylor in his last ever World Championship - but that's no good, you can't think ahead, you have to focus.
"Playing Phil, I'm going to just relax and throw. I'm going to absolutely love playing him in his last ever World Championship.
"I can relax now playing against Phil, I was so tense tonight, all I wanted to do was win and that's what I've done.
"I didn't think I'd go 2-0 up and I just took my foot off the gas, but I won't be doing that on Saturday."
https://twitter.com/OfficialPDC/status/943624079248101376
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- So, you don't like Littler, then? I was cheering him on, being a fellow Englishman. Honestly, some of us get far too offended nowadays. If you want to see crowd passion... watch a match when German and Dutch players face off... that can be just as bad if not worse for crowd noises. It happens, I have watched and heard Littler being jeered - Dirk van Duijvenbode in Holland, January this year. Where was your outrage then? Yes, I can clearly see what is going on here.MrYnyslas197116-11-2024
- It happens. Remember, anyone who has watched German and Dutch players in matches - their respective countries will have seen/heard just as bad jeering (if not worse). Taylor and MVG are two prime examples of professionals who are able to cope with the crowds mentally and not take it personally. This is not just an English crowd problem, FFS.MrYnyslas197116-11-2024
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- @UndartedWaters I totally agree with your thoughts! I totally respect Kirk but in this instance I was disappointed with his lack of crowd control. I even turned to my husband and said "Could you imagine this happening if Russ Bray was the referee tonight? At least there would have been a crowd admonishment- Ladies and Gentleman please." I so felt for Mike DeDecker...MamaVenus15-11-2024
- Many fans had a sour taste in their mouth by the end of this match. Mike was cruising to victory, playing beautiful darts, when the whistling started in earnest, particularly on his doubles. You could see in Mike's face that it was really affecting his concentration. The referee should have asked for order, just to show that the whistling is unacceptable, and Luke Littler could also have done his part to quieten down the crowd instead of "taking full advantage.:" I put that down to his age though. He needs some good advice on this from his management team and/or more seasoned players. It's got to be about who's best on the night, not who is being harassed by the crowd. Luke Littler played well to get back into the game and win, but it was a hollow victory. If he goes on to win the tournament, that triumph too will be tainted because of this match.
UndartedWaters15-11-2024