Three-time world champion John Part has hit back at suggestions that the current standard at the top of darts is lower than in previous eras, insisting fans are simply too nostalgic. Speaking in an extensive interview with Online Darts at the World Grand Prix in Leicester, the 60-year-old Canadian argued that the sheer volume of coverage today distorts how the modern game is judged. "Not at all. No, I think what happens is that you look back and remember all the best moments," Part said. "We tend to remember all the matches the players are playing now because we're watching them. We have so much more access to every match a dart player plays. They're practically all streamed in one form or another."
Part, who celebrated his 60th birthday this year, recalled an era when many ranking tournaments were run by outside organisers, sometimes at holiday parks, with no detailed statistics available. "When I started, we were playing ranking tournaments run by outside organisations at holiday camps and places like that. There was no DartConnect, no averages and no information on those events," he explained. "The only averages we ever got were from television. Some people presume we never produced great averages in opens and things like that, but that would be wrong too." He added: "There was some pretty spectacular darts in those opens, especially over best-of-five-leg matches. I'm sure there were some crazy averages in there, because I'm pretty sure I would have been beaten by somebody hitting three 12-dart legs at some point."
The debate over the current standard has resurfaced after Luke Littler's surprise first-round exit at the World Grand Prix, where he lost to Luke Woodhouse. Part, however, believes such results are given far too much weight. "Absolutely, you can lose, and anyone can be off their A-game," he said, pointing to Littler's exceptional performances earlier this season at the World Matchplay. "I guess we got that ridiculous Matchplay performance from Luke Littler, averaging 110 every round or whatever. I think that was essentially what it was — a 110 tournament average. But that's not the norm. That's not normal, even for him."
Part, who now works as a commentator, sees no reason to doubt Littler's ability and expects the young Englishman to peak at the right moments. "I don't think there's any concern about his form or ability. I would say the timing is what's going to be important for him. I would presume the Grand Slam will be important, and definitely the World Championship. If he's right by then, that's all that matters. And I think he's right now. He just had an off game." He also praised Littler's mindset, comparing him favourably to Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen. "I mean, a lot higher, I think, in a way, because he's so young. He's coming through, and he's already done all this," Part said. "There's the learning curve. He got it done as a teenager, and possibly even as a pre-teen. It's as though he's been conditioned in his mind to win."
Part, who still plays in local leagues and CDC events, also welcomed darts' growth in North America, particularly the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden. "I think it's three or four years now that I've been there. With every year we're there, it seems more and more natural," he said. "At first, you were just hoping for anything like that in North America, that kind of atmosphere. I guess in the first year or two, you just think, 'Well, is it real?' But it certainly is. We've found that out. There really is a genuine love for the game." He hopes the event's success will lead to more CDC-type events featuring North American players. "It'd be really nice if that translated into some more CDC-type events featuring North American players. I mean, they've had a lot to offer at the US Masters in any case, so I think they've proven themselves worthy of support and other opportunities."
Reflecting on his own career, Part admitted that his status as a three-time world champion makes him a target. "I get people's attention with the name tag, and I'm a scalp they want to get. They're wary of me, at the very least, so I have to be pretty sharp to compete with most of these guys." As for the generational debate, Part concluded with a wink: "The information stream wasn't there, and even the reporting on it wasn't there. We know so much more now. I think it's under the microscope, and we're too picky. No offence."
