Within the PDC, there are plenty of examples of what I’d consider underrated players. Or, if you prefer, the Unsung Heroes of the circuit.
These are the lads who have been around longer than the average corner shop’s entire stock of Pot Noodles. They’re winners too. They may not possess the glittering CVs of some of their more celebrated colleagues, but they’ve got titles to their names, they’re always hovering around the latter stages of tournaments, and they’re exceptionally good darts players. That last bit tends to help when your profession involves throwing tungsten at a board for a living.
It’s also largely the reason why I write about them rather than attempt to beat them on the oche myself.
So let’s take a look at the first two inductees into the BANG ON TARGET: UNSUNG HEROES HALL OF FAME.
Sorry lads, there’s no trophy, no prize money and certainly no commemorative dinner. Just my eternal admiration and an opportunity for me to take the piss out of you a little.
WILLIE O’CONNOR
Hailing from Limerick, a city which has unfairly acquired a reputation for the occasional stabbing, Willie O’Connor has somehow managed to emerge as one of the nicest blokes on the professional circuit.
Before the angry emails arrive, I’m kidding. I’ve visited Limerick several times and each occasion concluded successfully. I returned home alive, uninjured and with the same number of holes in my body that I arrived with.
The 39-year-old has been a fixture on the PDC Pro Tour since 2017 and walks on to Zombie by The Cranberries, which feels entirely appropriate given that if social media is to be believed, half the internet thinks everybody north, south, east and west of Dublin lives in some sort of post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Nicknamed The Magpie, Willie has developed a reputation for being attracted to shiny things. When he’s not smashing in treble twenties, you’ll supposedly find him circling tables in tournament venues looking for loose coins, cufflinks and anything else that catches the light. Rumour has it his house resembles the storage room of a particularly eccentric recycling centre. Thousands of milk bottle tops are displayed with pride. Semi-skimmed appears to be his preferred vintage.
Now here’s the thing. Willie looks like the sort of bloke you’d ask for directions in a supermarket. He does not look like somebody capable of dismantling a grown man in under thirty seconds. Yet tour folklore suggests otherwise.
According to various players, O’Connor possesses a very particular set of skills. Skills that make him a nightmare for people who enjoy starting arguments in pubs. In short, he’s apparently hard as nails. Think of his as Liam Neeson’s character from ‘Taken’ with subtitles.
The haircut, meanwhile, remains one of professional darts’ great unsolved mysteries. It’s less a hairstyle and more an ongoing police investigation. Combined with the Magpie nickname, it creates a package rather confusing.
Yet underneath all of that is a seriously talented darts player and one of the funniest men on tour. His wit is drier than Prince Andrew’s forehead under oath and he’s immensely popular among his fellow professionals. Unless, of course, he’s just beaten them.
All he needs now is to win a major and source a good barber.
CAMERON MENZIES
Ah, Cammy. Where do we even begin? Actually, I know exactly where. Ally Pally. Last year. Tablegate. After losing to Charlie Manby at the World Championship, Cameron briefly entered into a disagreement with a piece of furniture. The furniture lost – as did Menzies’ hand. Ever since Christmas, every IKEA employee hides in fear whenever he enters one of their shops.
To be fair, we’ve all lost our temper. Most of us just aren’t unfortunate enough to do it on national television during the biggest tournament in darts while several million people are watching.
Had Cameron launched an attack on his garden patio set at home, nobody would have cared. Kick seven shades of shit out of things in your own yard, and you’re just considered eccentric. Do it at Alexandra Palace and suddenly you’re a viral video.
Was it foolish? Absolutely. Was it funny? Also absolutely. Thankfully, Cammy has moved on, learned from the experience and can now walk past a coffee table without entering a state of uncontrollable rage. Progress. Furniture retailers across Scotland have collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
The thing is, beneath the occasional outburst lies a genuinely elite darts player. On his day, Menzies is capable of mixing it with absolutely anyone on the planet. What’s perhaps even more astonishing is that despite being ginger, Scottish and possessing a documented history of violence towards innocent wooden objects, he does remarkably well with women.
Frankly, science should study it. Cameron is currently in a relationship with another stunning partner, proving that when it comes to punching above his weight, he’s significantly better in the dating department than he is in the table department.
All jokes aside, Cam is one of my favourite lads on tour. Friendly, approachable, brilliant with fans and about as genuine as they come. And when he focuses solely on the darts and stops pulling more facial expressions than Jim Carrey auditioning for seventeen films simultaneously, he’s one of the finest players in the sport. In a darts sense, obviously. Not in a carpentry loving one.
So, William O’Connor and Cameron Menzies … Welcome to the club. One that you’re the only current members of. Two outstanding players, two top blokes and two men who have provided darts fans with far more entertainment than their ranking positions sometimes receive credit for.
As soon as I can think of some more very good players deserving of recognition and mild public ridicule, you’ll have company. Until then, enjoy your place in the Hall of Fame.
It’s the closest thing either of you are getting to a knighthood. Although I am sure neither of you would ever want one!
