A darts player who hasn’t hit a maximum in six years has spent an entire league match offering tactical advice to an opponent whose three-dart average is nearly twenty points higher than his own.
Keith Turnbull, 52, of Basingstoke, reportedly couldn’t help himself from sharing tips with 28-year-old opponent Marcus Webb during their Tuesday night fixture, despite losing 4-1 and failing to hit a single treble 20 all evening.
“You want to follow your first dart,” Turnbull explained after Webb had just hit 140. “See how your second one went right? That’s because you didn’t follow it. Just something to think about.”
Webb, who has qualified for the last three county championships, nodded politely before throwing another 180.
“He told me my stance was too side-on,” said Webb after the match. “Then he said I was rushing my throw. I’d just hit back-to-back tons and he’d scored 26. I didn’t really know what to say.”
Turnbull was undeterred by the scoreline, offering further insights during the changeover.
“At your age, I was averaging 55, 56 easy,” he claimed, despite teammates confirming his average has been “mid-forties at best” for at least a decade. “The problem with young players today is they don’t understand the mental side. It’s not all about scoring.”
When asked what the mental side actually involved, Turnbull simply tapped his temple and said “experience” before missing the board entirely with his first dart.
Other players at the venue confirmed Turnbull has offered advice to essentially everyone at the club, including the current county captain and a man who once beat Michael van Gerwen in a floor event.
Webb has reportedly started wearing headphones during practice to avoid further coaching.