Over the years I have had the privilege of commentating on some great darters from the Land of Oz. In the early Embassy days Terry O’Dea brought great darts and great humour to the oche; he once buried cans of lager in a snowdrift and had to unfreeze them on radiators for a breakfast swally. And Russell Stewart was another star player who so nearly went all the way at the world championship. Now I doff my corked hat to Pat Orreal of Queensland who was given only 24 hours notice of jumping a plane and hitting the mark with the top stars at Wolves.

 He responded by making just about the greatest comeback since Lazarus against Phil Nixon who was coasting along at 4-0, needing only one leg to make the last 16.
Mind you, the Genghis Khan-bearded Aussie came to the fray in style. He’d been practising at the local Tap and Spile and had on a shirt that Woz said ‘looks made out of Mardle’s undies.’ Very apt. Said garment was silky red, mustard yellow and looked like an explosion in a paint factory. And for four legs Pat failed miserably to wear the wild shirt proudly….

Then with the Durham man sword swallowing in reverse – sucking the flight and half his stem with sheer tension – Pat found a new gear. His 60 scoring smartened up and he started planting doubles. Nixon went to pieces, missing eight darts to win the match, and Pat won 5-4. He danced around the stage like a kangaroo on a pogo stick. To sum up: Just like Courage Best – Pat was always OZ, always will be.

For more fascinating stories from Sid Waddell and Englands BEST Brew, visit Sids Blog at http://www.couragebest.co.uk/