Thorn Gives Up Gardening To Stay Sharp

ROBERT THORNTON admits he can give up the gardening to stay sharp on the oche for his PDC Home Tour online debut.

The Ayrshire ace will have to overcome his gadget phobias to take on Keegan Brown, Reece Robinson and Jose De Sousa in the streaming event tonight (Monday).

The Thorn, 52, has been strictly staying at home to protect his vulnerable wife while his daughter Jodie is also a care worker during the Covid-19 crisis.

He revealed: “We have missed an awful lot of events in the time the game has been in shutdown.

“There would have been events every single week over the eight weeks there has been since this all started and it’s been a lot of competitions missed.

“What can you do about it? There’s plenty of other things going on and the people I take my hat off to are the ones who are going into the heart of this crisis and work in it.

“The health workers, the nurses. Our Jodie is a care worker and she’ll not let anyone go without. She has been offered to take some time as holidays, but she won’t take any.

“These are the ones who are having the most to deal with along with those who have contracted the virus and their families.

“Yes I want to get back to playing darts, but it’s not really that important just now when you compare it with other things. That’s the perspective.

“We all feel like we're hard done by at times, but there are people out there risking their lives.”

Thornton, a former UK Open and Grand Prix major winner, is delighted to be back on the oche to get him away from gardening!

He added: “I wasn’t really that aware of the Home Tour when it all started. It was only really decided a week or so ago that I was going to be playing in it.

“The idea of keeping people’s arms working and also helping with practice which is a good thing.

“Also, it’s nice for the people at home to have something to watch and I’ve got it all worked out how I’m going to do it.

“It’s a case of me getting my phone onto the tripod and switching it on.

“I tried to get it to work on the laptop and it was no good. I’m not great with these things. I’m technically-challenged! But I go to the PDC website and flick it on. That’s it.

“It’s better than having nothing to do and, as I said, it keeps me sharp.

“It’s not much fun staying in all of the time and you can be climbing the walls at times.

“I suppose it gives you some time to get into some other things like you wouldn’t normally be doing.

“I’ve got into some decorating and doing a little bit in the garden.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly a gardener, but you do what you can to keep busy. Cutting hedges and that kind of thing.”

Picture by Taylor Lanning