Part out to silence Painter at World Seniors Darts Masters: "I’d like to be able to have that smile at the end of the match"

This weekend, the World Seniors Darts Masters is back on the programme. John Part is one of the participants. After the title for David Cameron in 2022, 'Darth Maple' is hoping for more Canadian success at this senior tournament.

“I’m just trying to get my game to happen when I want it to happen. I think I’m capable, if I get one win, I feel I can get a bunch of wins," he tells Darts World. "That didn’t happen last year when I beat Paul Lim and I had to play Phil Taylor in the same session, the doubling vapourised even though I still had the edge on scoring. I was 1 for 16 on the doubles or something and you’re not going to win doing that.”

Last year, Part won 4-0 in sets over Lim in the preliminary round before going down 4-0 in sets against Taylor in the first round. The bar has been raised this year for the 56-year-old Canadian.

“I’m trying to get the chemistry right; I fell off from practising at the end of last year more into just playing so I feel fresh, and the arm feels good," he explains. "Just a few weeks before the Jenningsbet Masters this year, I will be putting an hour or two in a day just to get the stamina up a little.”

The hunger for success is still with the three-time world champion. He knows the game like no other and knows how to use his experience to beat his rivals.

His first opponent at the World Seniors Darts Masters is Kevin Painter. A player with whom Part has a long history. “Of course I want to win, I don’t like losing. I’ve got a particular history with Kevin Painter that’s positive in my direction. I don’t want to lose that, and I’d like to be able to have that smile at the end of the match. Kevin gives lots of great reactions and I want to get that out of him.”

“It’s funny that we met twice in the Semi’s, (World Championship 2003 and 2008) of course the first time was in 2003 before I beat Phil, so it was very significant for me as I eventually did win," Part continues. "For Kevin he played well the following year coming back and just losing out on that last leg decider with Phil in the Final, so I guess there was no flukes about either of us there.”