The second installment of PlanetDarts.co.uk's Q&A with Ladbrokes.com World Champion John Part.

Q. You throw one of the heaviest darts on the circuit, how did you get to find that weight the most comfortable? Did you start at a low weight and work your way up?Carol Darvill, Cheshire

JP: I actually started with a heavier dart and kind of worked my way down. I’ve been using this weight for a long time and the current set of darts I have I think a lot of the weight has come off them, so I’m not sure exactly what they weigh. I’ve been using them for seven or eight years ? I don’t give them away after every match I protect them jealously!

Q: When did you start practising for World Championship how many days before and for how long?Andrew Cherry

JP: Few weeks before and a couple of hours a day. That would be for two or three weeks I suppose. At least December is a quite month for tournaments so you can settle into a routine at home and do some practise. But then again it’s hard as well because it’s right before Christmas so you have to discipline yourself and it can take away from being more festive as you have to lock yourself away. There is the time available if you make it.

Q: Do you have any advice on how to make sure you bring your best game to the oche and translate very good practise darts into very good match darts?Mat.

JP: It’s about composure and being relaxed. Experience probably more than anything and that comes with time. There are a lot of players who can play well in practise and who don’t feel they get the best out of themselves when they get into a match. Part of it might be is that the time players are most critical of themselves and their play is during a real match. Maybe they aren’t being harsh enough on themselves when they practise and they just think they practise better than they do because there is nothing on the line. So I think when you play a match you shouldn’t worry so much about how you’re playing and concentrate on playing the actual game; that’ll take some pressure off.

Q: How much of a disadvantage is your travel schedule compared to some of the other top players who travel far less?Robert.

JP: I don’t know if it is a disadvantage but it’s interesting! I get through a lot of miles. Maybe it gives me more sense of purpose doing all the travel and maybe gives me more focus when I am at an event because I had to do a little more to get there.

Q: Was being a dart player something you always wanted to do?Annemieke, Netherlands

JP: No I don’t think it was. It was something I ended up falling into. I learned the game as a teenager and it was just one step after another and not really too planned until about 1990 and then I thought I’ll give this a run. I worked part time and tried to see what I could with the darts.

Q: Why did you choose to let Phil throw first in the World Championship Final, knowing he would have the darts in the final set if it went that far?Jonathan Firby, Northallerton

JP: Actually you don’t have the darts in the final set because you have to win by two clear legs and if it does go to the eleventh leg you go for the bull again, so there was no advantage lost. Plus the other part of it was the first leg of a match is often the easiest chance to break somebody. As it turned out it wasn’t easy to break him; he missed a twelve dart leg on D16 and I was fortunate enough to steal it with a twelve dart on the bull. It worked out for me but I’d didn’t feel there was a real danger. Mind you I know Eric Bristow in his commentary said I’d be in danger of being down 3 sets to 0 if I’d didn’t hold my throw in the second set. But you can’t think like a loser if you’re gonna win.

Q: After lifting the trophy you were straight off to Lakeside to commentate on the Embassy. How did you feel saluting the ‘new champion’ Ray Barneveld, having just secured the PDC title yourself?Steve Wilson, Peterborough.

JP: It was hard to go down to work and try and focus on another tournament after just winning, so it was never easy. There were a lot of demands on my time in relation to being the PDC World Champion while I was there so it was odd. In terms of watching Raymond Barneveld win, at least he’s a quality player and three time champion now so there was something special about watching him get his third title there. It was an entertaining week.

Q: Is there a tournament that you haven’t won that you would like to win?Adam, USA

JP: Maybe the Irish Masters as we’re doing this interview here and it’s Sunday and once again I’m not playing. It’s hard to pick a title out - although I’d like to be greedy and say I want to win all of the PDC titles at one point or another. But really the most important one I’d like to win is the World Championship again next year and defend it. That would be my biggest ambition right now.

Q: Do you think your recent success at the Ladbrokes.com World Championship against Phil Taylor will have given new inspiration to your fellow darters that the ‘legend’ can be beaten in the major tournaments?Mark Goodwin

JP: I think that I didn’t start that. What I did prove is that he can be beaten in the long format which I think was the biggest doubt for all the players. Phil’s been losing in Open tournaments over the last couple of years, which varied from a few years ago when he seemed to win every Open he was in. I think it’s been a gradual weakening or gradual lessening. I think I at the World Championship you saw Phil in three really good matches and he ended up losing one, but he was under pressure in the others.

Q: What impact will your second World Championship win have on the darts scene in Canada, how can we get more exposure? Do you think Canada will finally get the coverage it so richly deserves?Martin Hume and James McCarthy, Canada.

JP: I think the impact in Canada is unfortunately more out of curiosity than anything at first. How much real benefit we’ll get out of my being the World Champion and being Canadian I don’t know. I think when I won the Embassy in 1994 it did stimulate some interest, certainly among players and some sponsors so maybe this will have a re-enforcing impact and the guys organising darts at home might find more of a smile at the end of the sponsorship table, because people have seen me in interviews, in the papers and on television. Maybe that will help but only time tells.

Thanks to all of you who emailed in with questions and thanks to John for answering them all! More Q&A's and player interview to come in 2003.

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