Deadly doubling is Bristow’s key
Eric Bristow
has revealed the key to his stunning success over Bobby George on the opening night of the Betfred.com League of Legends.The five-time former world champion upset the odds with a 7-5 victory over his long-time rival at Purfleet’s Circus Tavern and will aim to maintain his perfect start against ‘Big’ Cliff Lazarenko when the competition resumes in Blackburn on Friday.
It was a superb return to the big time for the ‘Crafty Cockney’, who was more clinical on the all-important doubles than ‘Bobby Dazzler’ as he gave his quest to qualify for finals night on August 22 a major boost.
"I prepared for the tournament by practising my finishing," said 51-year-old Bristow. "It has been the old routine on the checkouts between 80 and 130. I’ve always said it’s the finishing that counts.
"We can all score 140s and 100s, but there will always be a few missed doubles that cost people matches and the 80-130 finishes when your opponent is ready to check out are the ones you have to clean up.
"I knew that if I prepared the right way I would be competitive. All the players in the League of Legends have beaten each other lots of times but nobody wants to lose on TV."
Bristow’s opponent this week, Lazarenko, began with a 7-5 loss to Keith Deller in the first ever Betfred.com League of Legends match but it was one of the higher-quality contests on the inaugural night of action.
The 56-year-old Northamptonshire heavyweight finds himself as the rank outsider for the title but admits he is driven on by the memory of some painful losses against his rivals.
"Sometimes when you are on stage against a particular player, something kicks in and you recall a defeat from the past and think ‘I remember that day and it hurt…it’s not going to hurt today’," warned Lazarenko.
"We all get on well away from the oche, but once we get up there we go into our own little world of playing the game hard, fair and with the aim of coming out on top.
"There is a lot of determination among us all and although some might be a bit sharper than others towards the end of matches because they have been competing more recently, we are all very experienced and we are all trying our hardest."
A clash of two former world champions is another highlight of this week’s Betfred.com League of Legends schedule. Bob Anderson, the 1988 world champion, takes on the only man to have captured the game’s most prized title in three different decades, John Lowe.
Early table-topper Dave Whitcombe, a 7-3 winner against Lowe on night one, faces Bobby George, while Keith Deller bids to preserve his 100% record when he meets Peter Evison.
There will also be a celebrity angle to the night as Craig Phillips, winner of the first series of Big Brother, is to go on stage to throw nine darts on a pounds-for-points basis with proceeds donated to UCARE, a urological cancer charity supported by the Legends.
Schedule of play on night two of the Betfred.com League of Legends at King George Hall, Blackburn (all matches to be screened live on Setanta Sports):
Bobby George v Dave Whitcombe
Eric Bristow v Cliff Lazarenko
Keith Deller v Peter Evison
Bob Anderson v John Lowe
For further information on the Betfred.com League of Legends and how to purchase tickets for the events, please visit www.leagueoflegends.tv
Note to Editors
If you require an image of any of the participants in the Betfred.com League of Legends, or would like to arrange an interview, please contact:
Jon Wilde at Betfred on 01925 288598 / 07794 395356
Or
Vikki McCrindle at Bird Consultancy on 0161 839 4846