Baffled darts stars have been told the treble 20 bed at Alexandra Palace will be changed from red to green lipstick – and it's all above board.
Queen of the Palace, Fallon Sherrock, led the chorus of disquiet from the practice room as the Professional Darts Corporation's World Championship title sponsors Paddy Power announced their £2.5 million-a-year package with a big difference.
As a nod to their green roots in the Emerald Isle, the barmy bookies have commissioned dozens of dartboards from manufacturers Winmau for next month's showpiece with the treble 20 bed changed from red to green.
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Sherrock, one of two female competitors in today's (November 27) first round draw, admitted: “It's actually sending my eyes really weird because I'm so used to seeing a red bit there.
“I'm going to have to go home, get a green Sharpie and colour mine in. I'll be honest, I'm sitting here worried about it – I'm so used to seeing the red treble 20 and my eyes can't adjust to it.
“I have been told they are using it but I don't know if whether I should sit there and say, 'OK, if I can't see the board will they change it for my game?' It doesn't look right.”
What are your thoughts on the new green T20 bed? Let us know in the comments section.
Gerwyn Price, who won the world title in lockdown three years ago, said: “Traffic lights change from red to green all the time, but it doesn't stop you driving a car safely. The more I've been practising with the green treble 20 bed, the more I seem to hit it – so I'm not fussed.”
And defending champion Michael 'Bully Boy' Smith shrugged: “I will have three weeks working on it to get used to it – I'm sure it will be fine by the time the tournament comes round.”
In the draw, conducted by darts legends Phil 'The Power' Taylor and Dennis Priestley, Smith will begin his defence of the title against either North Carolina rigger Stowe Buntz or Holland's Kevin Doets in the second round on Friday December 15.
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Buntz is one of the most colourful figures on the circuit, with outfits which make Peter 'Snakebite' Wright's dress code seem conservative.
Smith joked: “I might have to wear some tinted contact lenses to be ready for him! I know how it feels to have a bad Christmas when you've been knocked out at Ally Pally, but I'd also love to make it a hat-trick of appearances in the final.”
Sherrock, preparing for her fourth campaign at Ally Pally, landed a difficult draw against Jermaine Wattimena of the Netherlands, with Germany's Martin Schindler lying in wait in the second round if she progresses.
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She said: “Whoever I got, it was never going to be easy. I was just glad to avoid the big guns.”
Pick of the draws was 16-year-old world youth champion Luke Littler's potential second round date with UK Open champion Andrew Gilding and two-time world champion Gary Anderson's possible meeting with Wizard of Oz Simon Whitlock.
World No.3 Luke Humphries, who has won three TV majors in the space of seven weeks, is the bookmakers' new 100-30 favourite at Ally Pally.
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