Following the World Grand Prix in Dublin last weekend, TV pundit Wayne Mardle came up with the point that some rankings in the PDC Order of Merit tell a lie. So this gave me the idea, does the rankings tell a lie?
Well, the first reason to suggest this is the fact that Robert Thornton, a man who by his own admission is out of form is ranked 7th in the PDC Order of Merit. This is mainly due to his success at the 2015 World Grand Prix, but accept from that, he hasn’t been performing at the big televised majors for the last 18 months. This means that, should he not win the ‘WGP’ in 2017 and his form stays the same, he could drop like a stone in the rankings.
A player who is probably by the rankings underestimated is Benito van de Pas, should the rankings be like that of the BDO, he would be solidly into the top 10 in the World, instead of his position of 15. His example shows as well how the PDC Order of Merit doesn’t recognise the players who are, like Benito, consistent on the Pro Tours, don’t go as high up in the rankings as they deserve.
I think that the money list, order of merit that they do have in the PDC, over reward those who do well in the World Championships and Matchplay. This is shown by the example of Raymond van Barneveld at this year’s PDC Ally Pally event, when after having a year where he had a lot of first round TV exits and slipping towards 16th/17th in the World rankings, he makes the semi-finals and climbs up to 9th in the OOM.
So, would a BDO system for the PDC, which they used prior to 2007 work? In my opinion, yes. In the BDO the rankings show consistency, which unlike the PDC system, gives those players who are not the highest profile but are consistent a chance to play in the big tournaments such as Lakeside. It has worked before for the PDC and meant that Alan Warriner and Colin Lloyd, players consistent on all forms where rewarded.
But all in all, I’m not doing the great job that Barry Hearn is doing, pumping £10 million plus into a game that is growing and getting more global than ever before.
Henry Deacon
Henry Deacon Media 