Darts Betting: Anastasia Dobromyslova adds a touch of glamour to the world of darts

Darts / Ralph Ellis / 10 December 2008 / Leave a Comment

Russian beauty Anastasia Dobromyslova is just about to join the PDC and take on the likes of Phil Taylor and Wayne Mardle on a regular basis. But the players she will be facing aren't convinced she can handle the heat on the biggest stages. Ralph Ellis explains...

If Anastasia Dobromyslova does indeed throw a dart with the same accuracy she can deliver a blow below the belt then Phil Taylor and the rest can go home now. The 24-year-old Russian is stepping forward as the very glamorous cat among the pigeons. And how's this for her first quote about her chances? "For me, some women can play better than men and there is no reason why they can't be as good. After all it is only a small thing that is the difference."

Given the frosty weather we men all know exactly what she means! But the arrival of the blonde bombshell into the ranks of the PDC will give darts a very welcome boost of publicity as the World Championships approach next week.

I can't help thinking of a line from a Rolling Stones song: "Anastasia Screams in Vain." And there's clearly going to be very little Sympathy for this particular Devil among the male darts players.

Wayne Mardle, one of the few men to have faced her in competitive action so far, was cruising with a 4-0 lead against her in the Grand Slam of Darts but ended up scrambling home 5-4. "If I'd have treated her like a bloke I'd have won 5-0," he tells the Daily Express this morning. "But because I'd never played a woman before on television I allowed her to come back really well. Because of that some guys think she is better than she really is, but I don't think she will win a game in the whole of the tour year. She is a good player but she doesn't need to join the men - she should stick with the women."

Girls trying to join in with boys' games is always a tricky subject. The sportsdesk secretary at the Daily Star when I worked there used to play for Arsenal Ladies. She was about four feet five inches tall, and we condescendingly once let her join in a charity match against a rival paper. "If it gets too physical don't worry because we've got several subs," we told her. Some 90 minutes later we'd won 4-0, she'd scored a hat-trick, and several of the opposition were complaining about how she'd booted them up in the air!

Michelle Wie has struggled to live up to the hype of being pushed into the men's golf world, and snooker's Alison Fisher has not made much of an impact against the men yet. But darts should be different. There's no further to throw so strength shouldn't be an issue. And the slimline Anastasia looks a good deal fitter than most of the blokes.

One thing that's not likely to be in doubt is that Taylor will be hot favourite to regain the crown when the action starts for real at Alexandra Palace. He was talking to promote Sky's HD coverage yesterday and reckons if he doesn't win he should retire. "Last year it was a struggle. I was coming home from too many late night exhibitions and travelling thousands of miles I didn't need," he tells the Mirror's Mike Walters this morning. "Too often I was on the motorway when I should have been tucked up in bed. This time I'll be fitter, fresher and sharper."

Taylor is [1.62] to win the crown, but if he's in that condition a better value bet might be [4] for him or anybody else to come up with a nine-darter during the 13 day tournament. Raymond Van Barneveld and James Wade are both [3] to be the winner without Taylor.

Five things you might not know about Anastasia Dobromyslova

1.She was born and grew up in Tver, a town between Moscow and St Petersburg. Her Dad was a printer and her Mum a baker

2.She took up darts aged 11 because she saw a DVD of Eric Bristow - and "liked the sound of the word"

3.She burnt a hole while ironing in the lucky shirt she wore winning her first women's world title

4.She now lives in Ellesmere Port on Merseyside with fellow darts professional Tony Martin, but never practises with him. "Whoever loses always gets angry"

5.She's now signed with Phil Taylor's management team and has been practising with him