The history maker is at it again.
Sporting a shirt straight out of lapland, ice-cool Brendan Dolan took to the oche on a mission and he carried out that mission ruthlessly.
The Enniskillen native had the eye in from the word go in his first round World Darts Championship clash against China’s Yuanjun Liu and he had the crowd on his side from the very moment he banged in an early 180.
That got the crowd roaring and it settled Dolan into the game.
In Liu, Dolan was up against a far inferior opponent but the 46-year-old deserves credit for not even granting him the slightest of sniffs at the dartboard.
This was strictly business for the Fermanagh man.
And by the time the second set was over, Dolan held a 2-0 lead and his Chinese opponent hadn’t even gotten a shot at a double.
DOLAN TAKES SET ONE | The History Maker looks pumped up for this round one match up!#WHDarts pic.twitter.com/FTh1IfF2D9
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 16, 2018
That was how emphatic it was.
Liu improved in the third set, firing a few 180s and putting the pressure back onto Dolan but he responded immediately and emphatically with a 141 finish to win the first leg.
DOLAN WINS | Dolan knocks out Liu, including this 141 en route!#WHDarts pic.twitter.com/dkHpNko5km
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 16, 2018
That was a real spirit breaker for the youngster but in his 11th appearance on this stage, it’s very clear Dolan isn’t in the mood for any handouts and that he wants to improve on his record in this competition – never before has he passed the round of 32 stage.
This year looks different though, and though the challenges will be tougher ahead, if he keeps up this rampant form, he will go far.
Despite a few misses, he eventually finished out the third to follow in the footsteps of Willie O’Connor before him and become the second Irish man in the space of an hour to win their first round game in a whitewash.
The Irish are on the rise.
Next up for Dolan is English man Joe Cullen.
Afterwards, Dolan spoke about how big this tournament is for him in attempting to stop his slide down the world rankings. Here’s hoping he makes it past the second round for the first time ever.
