Darts: Long road for Trina
TRINA Gulliver admits she will have to work hard to get back to the top of the world.
Gulliver’s defeat in the final of the BDO Lakeside women’s world championship against Francis Hoenselaar means ‘The Golden Girl’ from Southam has missed out on the sport’s biggest prize for the last two years following the loss to Anastasia Dobromylsova 12 months ago.
Gulliver had won the first seven world championships at Frimley Green and admitted: "I’ve got to put some more practice in and correct parts of my game.
"I was quite pleased with the way I played throughout the tournament, but I wasn’t as focused as I should have been in the final.
"I don’t know why that was and that is obviously something I need to look at."
Gulliver and Hoenselaar met for the sixth time in the final and the game went into a deciding third set.
Gulliver had the momentum with her after winning the second set 3-0 to level the match, but missed a chance to level the deciding set at 1-1 when three double attempts were off target and Hoenselaar made the most of the reprieve.
She went on to win the deciding set 3-0 and Gulliver said: "Francis played well and deserved to win the match. We’ve been in the final so many times before that I think she was more confident this time and it showed."
Gulliver added: "It wasn’t the start to the year I wanted, but there are lots of big tournaments to come and I’m determined to do well.
n Ted Hankey secured his second BDO World Championship with a nailbiting 7-6 victory over a battling Tony O’Shea in the final at the Lakeside Country Club this evening.
The Count missed missed a hatful of opportunities to close out the match as a valiant O’Shea refused to lie down and fought back from 6-4 to down level at 6-6.
Hankey wasted no fewer than seven darts for the championship in the 12th set, but finally took out double 10 at the second attempt to win the deciding set 3-1 and regain the title he last won in 2000.
Hankey said: "I had so many chances to win it. I missed double top and double 10 I think. I thought I ain’t going to win this.
"I kept missing and I thought that I’m done here. Tony played so well.
"I am over the moon, but this guy’s time will come. I am sorry I beat him, but I am glad as I am world champion."
O’Shea struggled for consistency after winning the first set and was always playing catch-up after going in 4-2 behind at the break.
He said: "I don’t know what was happening in the first six sets. Ted looked like he was going to romp it. I give it a good go after the break.
"I never give up. Even if I was 6-0 down I would never give up."
Story By: Coventry Telegraph
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/coventry-warwickshire-sport/other-sport/2009/01/12/long-road-for-trina-92746-22673596/