INTERVIEW: Landman 'fully committed' to BDO World Championship but has PDC switch in his sights
BDOFriday, 03 January 2020 at 14:30
Chris Landman begins his third BDO World Championship this Saturday when he takes on one of the top seeds in Dave Parletti.
Landman admits that he hasn't had the best year but the fact he succeeded in his main goal to get to the O2 he is happy.
“In the last tournaments some points had to be gained. I succeeded and I am very happy with that," said the Dutchman in a recent interview with DartsNews.com .
For Landman it is the third consecutive participation in the World Championship. In 2018 he lost in the preliminary round to Derk Telnekes; last year he narrowly lost against Kyle McKinstry after a thriller.
“Last year was very nice indeed. Unfortunately I fell short, but the throwing felt good. I have every confidence in it this year. Throwing has been going well lately. But it must also happen on stage and that is always different than on the floor. "
The 38-year-old Dutchman made the point though that it will always be that way because of the exposure that the BDO gets on TV which sees players like Landman clamour for TV time.
“True, it is only sporadically that there are television cameras are on our tournaments. This is already my third World Championship, so I get used to being active on such a big stage. "
Naturally, Landman was looking forward with interest to the draw; which eventually saw him confirm a tie with fourth seeded Englishman Dave Parletti.
“That's right, sometimes you can be lucky with a draw. With luck I mean that you are playing against someone who is playing the same tempo as yourself. However, I think you have to do it all yourself, because they can all play darts, otherwise they won't be there! I am happy with the draw against Parletti. In terms of style and speed, I like it. He is not a very fast darter, but not really slow either. We're going to see it on Saturday in the last game of the afternoon session. "
Landman has extra motivation with him in England; namely his wife. “I am very happy with that because she cannot always join up due to work and our family. My parents, my two brothers, my sister-in-law and some friends are also coming to London. It is always nice if there are supporters who come to encourage you. "
Q-School and Ally Pally dream
With the uncertainty within the BDO, more and more top players from the BDO are opting to take their chance at the PDC Q-School later this month, and so is Landman. “I have indeed registered for Q-School. The intention was to wait another year, but now that it is all so uncertain at the BDO I thought, why not ?! I can still throw tournaments at the BDO all year round, but for what? With all this uncertainty, you don't know if there is still a World Championship next year. Moreover, I think it would be cool to play in Ally Pally once, but then my level will have to rise a little bit first. ”
At the moment, however, Landman is still focusing entirely on the BDO World Championship and the challenges that poses. “I now have the chance to play in the Indigo @ O2 Arena and hopefully the chance to become a World Champion. I am now fully committed to that. ”
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- The pundits glossing over the other factor at play in that match. They appear to be somewhat constrained in what they can say publicly.
UndartedWaters16-11-2024 - 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
- Was watching an old World Masters final the other day between Eric Bristow and John Lowe, the crowd respect for both players on throw was first class, not a sound. You can imagine now the idiots who were whistling on De Deckers throw proudly boasting about it on social media. I blame the PDC to a certain extent though doubt they really care as they win regardless of which player wins or loses.Mysstree16-11-2024
- @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