Darts: George has the final word

BOBBY GEORGE, in constant pain from a back injury, made one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the World Professional Championships with a

5-4 semi-final success against Sweden's Magnus Caris at Frimley Green last night.

In the final he will meet the Canadian John Part, who dropped his first leg of the tournament, but overwhelmed Scotland's Ronnie Sharp 5-1 to become the first overseas finalist.

George had looked on his way out when Caris, 4-2 up, won the first two legs of the seventh set. Then the Swede had a double 18 for outright victory in the third leg but clipped the wrong side of the wire.

It appeared only a momentary lapse by Caris but then came the turning point. George suddenly hit peak form and, in a stunning turnabout, won nine successive legs to take the last three sets for the best win of his career.

He reached the final in 1980, only to lose to Eric Bristow. Now, at 48, he has the chance to achieve his greatest ambition. 'I'm amazed I won,' he said. 'How do I feel? It's like making love four times in a row. When I went 4-2 down I kept telling myself: 'Don't be a baby. Fight back. Fight back' - and I did.'

EMBASSY WORLD PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (Frimley Green) Semi- finals: B George (Eng) bt M Caris (Swe) 5-4; J Part (Can) bt R Sharp (Sco) 5-1.