# WHSP DECEMBER 2015 - ISSUE 02 WILLIAM HILL SPORTING PREVIEW

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE GREATS WIN THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE CONTENT

03 Message from the Editor

GARY ANDERSON – William Hill 2015 World Darts Champion 04 The current World Darts Champion speaks to us about his win and expectations for this year’s competition. BARRY HEARN – Exclusive 06 The PDC Chairman speaks exclusively to us about himself and the 2015/2016 William Hill World Darts Championship.

THE WALK ON GIRLS – World Champion Sweethearts 08 Daniella & Charlotte give us a glimpse into the world of a walk-on girl.

Talk to ROD 10 We speak to and get an inside peak into his world and find out his fancies for this year’s competition.

The Social Circle 12 Never miss a second of this year’s tournament with all the social media you can handle in one convenient place. Competition Corner Don’t miss out on your chance to win the Ultimate Darts experience for two at the final of this year’s 14 William Hill World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. WELCOME.WELCOME...

In the blink of an eye the first round of the William Hill World WELCOME Darts Championship has been and gone. We’ve already seen some great action on the oche and some big shocks. The TO THE standard of play has been exceptional and it’s great to see so many new faces performing so well on the hallowed stage at SECOND Ally Pally.

EDITION OF In this edition of #WHSP - we speak to the defending champion Gary Anderson about his major rivals for this year’s tournament #WHSP and about how winning the title has affected his life. He’s a 6/1 shot to win the tournament but does he think he’s value?

Rod Harrington is one of the best tipsters in the game and we ask the ‘Prince of Style’ about the potential winners of this year’s event – and also where the value is for punters?

We also speak to Barry Hearn, the man behind the popularity surge in darts. The darts impresario talks about this year’s tournament and who he fancies to lift the Sid Waddell trophy on the 3rd of January.

One thing that Barry has brought to the darts is glitz and glamour. And who are more glamorous than the darlings of darts Miss Daniella Allfree and Miss Charlotte Wood. We speak to the top walk-on girls about their job, darts and much more.

Finally, since it is Christmas we give you the reader the chance to win The Ultimate Darts Experience at the William Hill World Darts Championship Final.

We hope you enjoy the magazine and we’d like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

#WHSP 03 2015 WDC HIGHLIGHTS. 180!!! BARRY NINE-DARTER. (NEARLY) TALKS TO WH.

04 #WHSP 2015 WINNER GARY ANDERSON.

Gary Anderson World Do you think MvG and Phil THE CURRENT Champion? Taylor are your biggest threats? WILLIAM HILL It feels great to hear that, No! Everyone in this tournament WORLD DARTS can you say it again? is a threat. There are some really It’s been almost a year since talented darts players out there CHAMPION you were crowned William Hill and if you don’t show your top SPEAKS TO US World Darts Champion – Can game and they do... then you’re ABOUT you tell us what the last 12 out! months have been like for you? How did it feel coming on to HIS WIN AND It’s been very busy but to be the stage for your first round EXPECTATIONS honest it’s just flown past. It just match as world champion? FOR THIS YEAR’S feels like yesterday that I was I’ve never been so nervous in lifting the Sid Waddell trophy. anything. I always get nervous COMPETITION. Are you confident of retaining before I play darts but being your title? on the first night, made it so I’ll give it a go! I’m never much harder. I can have a nice overconfident and I’m never Christmas now. If I’d have lost under confident but we’ll just that I’d have had a terrible have to wait and see. Christmas. It’ll be nice to get William Hill have you as the a few days off. I play Daryl 6/1 third favourite – they Gurney in the second round seem very big for a and he’s been playing well over defending champion? the last six months, he beat me I’d prefer to be 40/1 - then my at Minehead, so it’ll be a right fans could make more money, but good game! I think they have it about right. You Best of luck for the rest can never look past Phil Taylor, of the tournament and MvG is in unbelievable form Thanks and festive greetings to at the moment. all the #WHSP readers.

CATCH UP ON THE BEST BITS FROM LAST YEAR’S TOURNAMENT. ON SNAKEHIPS. TOP 5 THE WALKS WIRE. ON.

#WHSP 05 BARRY HEARN. IT’S WILLIAM HILL WORLD The PDC Chairman speaks DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP TIME, WHAT AN EVENT… exclusively to us about Well it doesn’t get bigger than this, it’s what Christmas was invented for isn’t it? It’s himself and the 2015/2016 Alexandra Palace, 66,000 people, televised around the world, I just can’t wait for it! It’s William Hill World Darts the greatest sporting event on the planet.

Championship. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THE TOURNAMENT? That we’re live for the first time ever on Boxing Day evening. How many times have

06 #WHSP you been at home on Boxing Day night full of turkey and there’s nothing on telly? Well there is a God - the darts is on! I love to see the players under pressure. They’re playing for £1.5 million in prize money - £300,000 to the winner, and this is not darts as we know it! It’s another world of dreams coming true, tears and tantrums, great sport and it’s the biggest party in London throughout Christmas and the biggest indoor event in the country throughout the year.

WHAT ABOUT THE FANS WHO TURN UP EVERY YEAR? IN NUMBERS They’re there watching world class sport in a party environment and it’s probably the only environment I’ve ever seen that can merge the two so well…and of course 66,000 when they’ve got 5 minutes they might have a little wager with William Hill to see if they can pay for their night PEOPLE AT at the darts. ALEXANDRA WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW IN COMPARISON P A L A C E TO WILLIAM HILL WITH ALL THEIR BETTING GURUS?! Every now and again they mess up, so it’s a question of 70 COUNTRIES looking all the time…have they got it right with the 180s, IT’S TELEVISED IN what about the highest checkouts, try and look for a bit of value – there’s plenty of odds-on favourites and they’re odds-on because they’re very good but you know what? There’s a few quiet ones coming up the rankings - so the big shocks will probably be in the early rounds because £ 1.5 M the format is so short. The punter’s job is to try and outthink IN PRIZE William Hill. They will make some errors so you’ve got to find them! MONEY ARE THERE ANY UP AND COMING STARS WE SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR? PLAYERS I like , but he’s got a tough draw. He plays 72TAKING PART Gary Anderson in the next round and that should be a IN THE TOURNAMENT cracking match. Michael Smith survived a bit of a scare in the first round and I think he’ll have a good tournament.

CAN THE WILLIAM HILL WORLD DARTS 15 DAYS CHAMPIONSHIP GET BIGGER? Yes it can! We’re live in over 70 countries and the event OF DARTS OVER seems to be growing and growing. Wherever you go the spirit of darts is made up of people watching great sport CHRISTMAS on TV. We’ve created this monster but the monster is AND THE getting bigger and bigger, because everyone is getting value for money and they’re all being thoroughly NEW YEAR entertained – they’re watching world class sport. Don’t ever forget that!

#WHSP 07 THE WALK-ON GIRLS. WORLD CHAMPION SWEETHEARTS

CHARLOTTE & What are your What is your favourite walk DANIELLA GIVE expectations for the on music? William Hill World Darts C: – ‘Play that Championship this year? US A GLIMPSE funky music’. It was actually Charlotte:I think this year will INTO THE my first walk on and makes be a real fun filled event. WORLD OF A you want to start dancing. Daniella: I have very high [giggles] WALK-ON GIRL. expectations for this year’s World Darts Championship. D: I do enjoy the more I’ve watched it grow over the current tunes. I like Peter last 4 years and it just gets Wright’s ‘Don’t stop the better with each tournament. party’ and also Michael I’m so excited to see the new Smith’s new song but you set up with the stage layout can’t beat the build up to too. William Hill always brings ‘I’ve got the power’ something special to the darts or MvG’s tune. Songs for me, I love working with where the crowd are behind them. Everyone’s anticipating the player singing along. this tournament as it is the The music is all about the best and I can’t wait! atmosphere it creates.

08 #WHSP What did you want to be when years ago. There were thousands QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS you were 5 years old? of entries and the winner was... C: A nurse. ‘The Natural’. I like that name as I D: When I was 5 I wanted to like to think I am natural. Q1 be a presenter. I was always What is your favourite thing CHRISTMAS CAKE OR trying to get in front of a video about the darts? CHRISTMAS PUDDING? CHARLOTTE: PUDDING recorder with my hair brush as C: The crowd and the DANIELLA: PUDDING a microphone and discussing atmosphere. It makes the darts. topics to a pretend audience. D: My favourite thing about the Q2 What advice would you give darts is the atmosphere created ANGEL OR STAR ON TOP your teenage self? by the amazing crowd! OF THE TREE? C: STAR C: Don’t worry about things too The sport wouldn’t be what D: ANGEL much. it is without that...You can’t D: : I would tell a teenage me beat a tense finish either. I love Q6 a great game of darts. to not worry so much and be SANTA OR RUDOLPH? more confident. I lost a lot of What’s your favourite thing C: SANTA confidence as a teenager and about Christmas? D: SANTA it’s taken a while to build back C: Being with my family. Q3 up my self-esteem. D: Santa is coming yeah! And Tell us something about INSTAGRAM OR SNAPCHAT? Spending time with my family C: INSTAGRAM yourself that might surprise us. and friends. D: INSTAGRAM C: I’m a trained beauty What are your plans for therapist. Christmas Day this year? Q4 rd D: I came 3 in Miss Great C: A nice Christmas dinner at FACEBOOK OR TWITTER? Britain in 2004 and C: TWITTER home. And then I’ll be working D: FACEBOOK I represented England in Miss with Daniella at the darts through Italia Nel Mondo in 2005. to the 3rd of January. Q5 rd I came 3 out of 4000 girls D: I’m with my family in from all over the world. GLITZY OR PLAIN JANE? Chesterfield this year and then C: GLITZY It was an amazing experience coming down for the darts at Ally D: GLITZY as pageants in Italy are Pally on Boxing Day. televised and really big. What is the one thing that you Q7 Have any of the Darts players have asked for this Christmas? NIGHTS IN OR NIGHTS OUT? ever pinched your bum? C: NIGHTS OUT C: Only Santa knows what I D: NIGHTS IN C: No, not that I can remember. want! D: NEVER. We have such a D: Some nice clothes. I love Q8 professional work ethic and clothes! KITTENS OR PUPPIES? we know all the players so well C: PUPPIES (also their families), it might D: BOTH sound cheesy but we really are a big darts family. We have a lot Q9 of respect for each other. TAKEAWAY OR HOME COOKED? Based on your personality, C: TAKEAWAY D: YOU CAN’T BEAT A PROPER what would be your darts HOME COOKED DINNER. nickname? I EAT FAR TOO MANY TAKEAWAYS. C: ‘Dimples’ as people always comment on them. Q10 D: Twitter did a competition for 10. TEA OR COFFEE? a darts nickname for me a few C: TEA

#WHSP TALK TO ROD.

WHAT HAVE YOU ENJOYED MOST ABOUT MvG HAS HAD A GREAT YEAR THE TOURNAMENT SO FAR? TO DATE – IS HE YOUR PICK TO WIN It’s really exciting because of the level of the THE TOURNAMENT? players lower down the rankings. They have If you look at the stats he has to be the one no fear of the players in the top ten and I to beat. When he’s playing just below his believe we’re going to see a lot of shocks best, he’s still hitting a 102-104 average in the second week of the tournament. And which is around the same as Phil Taylor at this unpredictability has increased my and his peak. Plus he’s got the air of invincibility fans excitement levels from the first day of when he walks on stage – believing no one the tournament. can beat him.

Gary Anderson is the defending champion YOU’VE PLAYED IN THIS TOURNAMENT and he’s got to have a shot of retaining his AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER TOURNAMENTS IN THE PDC AND BDO title. Phil Taylor and Peter Wright will also DURING YOUR CAREER, HOW DOES be in the mix in the New Year. THIS ONE COMPARE TO THE REST? It’s the top of the tree. I’ve never won it YOU SAID EARLIER THERE WILL BE LOTS but I can imagine nothing can compare OF SHOCKS. WHO ARE THE PLAYERS to winning the William Hill World Darts YOU EXPECT TO DEFY THE ODDS AND Championship. DO WELL DURING THE REST OF THE TOURNAMENT? I think Alan ’Chuck’ Norris will do well in IS THERE TIMES LIKE THE FIRST FEW the tournament. He beat Robert Thornton WEEKS WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP THAT YOU WISH YOU WERE BACK ON THE convincingly in the first round. Also Michael HALLOWED ALLY PALLY STAGE? Smith, who had a right humdinger in the first round, can go all the way to the semi- Absolutely not! I don’t miss it one bit. finals if he’s at his best. I made a decision over 10 years ago to give it up and if I want some fun now I’ll play golf, go fishing or spend time with my grandchildren.

ROD’S ONES TO WATCH.

10 #WHSP We speak to Rod Harrington and get an inside peak into his world and find out his fancies for this year’s competition. ````` THE SOCIAL CIRCLE.

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