"All this shutdown stuff works, we've all got to do it for everyone's benefit. Just be safe," world champion Wright tells Darts Show Podcast
Wednesday 25 March 2020 07:12, UK
How does a world champion keep busy amid the current global sporting hiatus?
For Peter Wright, it's proving to be a blend of farm life and practice along with the help of a certain Dimitri Van den Bergh, who is currently staying with Snakebite due to travel restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The two-time PDC World Youth Champion is getting an unorthodox introduction to living in England as he finds himself unable to return to his native Belgium.
"To be honest, I'm just doing stuff around the house that needed to be done, I've just put the Christmas decorations away!" Wright told The Darts Show Podcast.
"Dimitri, who is staying with us, we're helping him out and he's helped me out with a bit of practice every now and again. Two world champions practicing together can't be bad.
"It's a bit tough - he wants to go home and see his parents, stuff like that. It's tough on him but he's thinking of moving to the UK soon anyway to try the darts 110%. Being UK based gives him a taster, I suppose.
"We were out (on the farm) collecting eggs the other day, I said 'your job is not to drop them', so he's having fun."
While eager to resume the 2020 campaign, Wright acknowledges the need for all to follow government advice and has urged people to help one another in these unprecedented times.
Wright and his wife Joanna have also been playing their part in supporting the cause, offering eggs from their farm to those in the surrounding community.
"All this shutdown stuff works, we've all got to do it for everyone's health and everyone's benefit," he added.
"Just be safe, just be careful and help the elderly if you can. All these little bits.
"Jo put up on our local shop if any of the elderly needed any eggs because they're running out, then we'd pop them round so that's good."
As well as plenty of practice with his new lodger, Snakebite has been taking the time to relax. The dulcet tones of Lewis Capaldi and the nostalgia of 1980s classic movie 'Top Gun' have been on the agenda of late, with Wright turning to music and films as a way of switching off.
"I go and sit in my room and listen to music or just sit in a room and watch movies and just relax that way," he continued.
"It's mainly just sitting in a room and blasting music out. That chills me out and gets me ready for the next day."
A pause to the typically relentless darting calendar has provided some welcome family time, but for a tinkerer like Wright, it has seen old sets of darts emerge from the cupboards in a bid to keep things interesting at the oche.
"It's nice in that way, but it's a nightmare because you know with me and my changing darts, over the past couple of days, I've been getting out every single set of darts because I'm bored," he explained.
"I don't want to play with my darts until I've got a proper match. I won't change my darts, but at home, I'll have to throw something else because I'll get bored with no winning darts.
"The other ones, I know what I've done and how far they've got me in the past and these ones I'm top of the 180s this year and close to top averages as well, so there's nothing wrong with them. They won two TV tournaments so obviously I'll just go back to them, but the other ones, I'll throw just for throwing."
Wright had found himself in a good spot of form in the Premier League, with victories over Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith prior to the postponement of last Thursday's proposed Night Seven meet in Newcastle.
The world No. 2 would have been gearing up for this week's Rotterdam double header, which has now been rescheduled for September.
He added: "I'd started a good run as well, playing a couple of guys in the top four obviously - Nathan and Michael Smith, two guys that have been playing well.
"I got two wins against them and obviously I was going to play Glen (Durrant) who is top. That was off but I felt confident of beating him and that would have taken me up to maybe second place.
"Bit gutted, but we've got to go by the rules and keep safe and keep healthy."
Almost four months on from his triumph at Alexandra Palace and Wright is still soaking up the feeling of being introduced as the 'world champion' by Master of Ceremonies John McDonald, although it's a title he remains keen to add to.
"It does feel amazing, I'm enjoying it even more," he admitted. "I like it. I'll like it even more when he goes 'double world champion'."
