"I just couldn't get close to him" - Top darters discuss their 'bogey player' opponents

No matter how good they are, every darter has their "bogey player," an opponent against whom he always struggles, absolutely hates to play and usually loses to.

On the youtube channel of MDA Events, some of the players under contract with this management agency discussed their least favourite opponent and gave reasonsas to just why they find said opponent such a struggle to deal with on the oche.

"It was Nathan Aspinall for me," begins the now retired former BDO world champion turned expert analyst Mark Webster. "This was before he was good and he used to batter me. I'm not saying he wasn't good but he's better now (laughs). I just couldn't get close to him the first sort of, six or seven times that I played him."

Former Masters champion Chris Dobey meanwhile explained how he put to bed once such bogey opponent. "It used to be Benito van de Pas until the last time that I played him," 'Hollywood' explains, with another Dutchman now giving the Englishman grief instead. "I'd probably say Michael van Gerwen. I just can't seem to get over the winning line against him."

For fellow former Masters champion, Joe Cullen it has always been a difficult relationship with Northern Irish players, when it comes to winning against them anyway. "Mickey Mansell and Brendan Dolan," he answers, referencing their slow pace as something that is a disadvantage to him. "I just find myself planning things in my head that aren't even to do with darts and then before you know it, I'm shaking hands for a 6-2 loss."

Aspinall meanwhile, goes for someone he thankfully doesn't have to play all that often anymore. "I don't particularly like playing Michael Smith, but for me it's Kevin Painter," he says. "When I first started playing, he ruined me on the oche."