Devon Petersen hit a brilliant 9-darter as he secured qualification for next month’s European Tour event at Friday’s night UK qualifier, held in Barnsley.
The South-African completed the perfect leg in beating former BDO World No 1 James Wilson 6-2, to qualify for next month’s European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen.
Petersen had earlier beaten in-form Irishman William O’Connor and another former BDO stalwart, Steve Douglas, to set up a meeting with Wilson. However, Dancing Devon was far too strong for the World Masters Champion, beating him with consummate ease.
David Pallett, who reached the semi-finals in Innsbruck, continued his fine form to qualify for the final European event in 2015, edging past Andy Boulton 6-5 to seal his spot.
Stephen Bunting also secured qualification, thrashing Jonathon Worsley 6-1, before overcoming the tenacious Wayne Jones 6-3. Bunting will be joined in Sindelfingen by former European Tour winner Steve Beaton, who overcame fellow veteran Ronnie Baxter en route to qualification.
Elsewhere, Robbie Green qualified for his first European Tour event of the year after an excellent night’s work in Barnsley. ‘Kong’ has endured a tumultuous year since switching codes to the PDC. He has been blighted by injury but is gradually recovering and this is reflecting in his form.
He claimed the notable scalp of Andrew Gilding 6-4 in the first-round of qualification, before edging out Steve Brown by the same scoreline to book his spot in Germany.
Jamie Caven, Mark Webster, Joe Cullen, Dean Winstanley, Gerwyn Price and Alan Norris were other notable qualifiers, but there will also be a number of high-profile absentees after a night of shocks in the Barnsley Metrodome.
Andy Hamilton, who averaged 104 in the first-round in Innsbruck last weekend, won’t be present in Germany, after he was demolished 6-1 by a reinvigorated Mark Walsh in the final round of qualification.
Former Premier League stars Wes Newton and Kevin Painter also failed to qualify; they were beaten by Ricky Evans and Lee Evans respectively.
The talented young trio of Arron Monk, Jamie Lewis and Keegan Brown were unable to secure qualification. However, this event marked Monk’s long-awaited return to the PDC after an enforced absence. It’s good to see Arron back and hopefully he’ll be able to fulfil his potential this time around.
2014 World Youth Champion Keegan Brown was beaten 6-3 by the dangerous Johnny Haines, whilst Jamie Lewis, who reached the semi-finals in Gibraltar earlier this year, slumped to a shock 6-4 defeat at the hands of Jonny Clayton.
Meanwhile, John Part’s miserable 2015 form continues. The Canadian legend was whitewashed 6-0 by Mark Dudbridge in the opening round of qualifying.
Nevertheless, the weekend’s work is only just beginning for the majority of these men, as Barnsley hosts two Players Championship events on Saturday and Sunday, in the final ranking events ahead of the World Grand Prix cut-off.
There are a number of high-profile players fighting to cement a place in Dublin, none more so than Raymond van Barneveld. Barney is currently ranked 16th in the PDC Order of Merit, but given his lowly Pro Tour ranking, he is solely reliant on maintaining his top 16 spot in order to qualify.
His compatriot Vincent van der Voort trails van Barneveld by just £2,250 on the Order of Merit, and if he were to usurp the veteran Dutchman this weekend, Barney would fail to qualify. Van Barneveld will be present in Barnsley, and his contingent of supporters will be desperate for him to secure his spot.
ET9 European Darts Grand Prix
UK Qualifier
Friday September 25, Barnsley Metrodome
Preliminary Round
Steve Brown 6-3 Ken MacNeil
Mick Todd 6-4 Dennis Smith
Jonny Clayton 6-5 Stuart Kellett
Tony Newell 6-4 Jamie Bain
Curtis Hammond 6-4 Michael Barnard
Adam Hunt 6-1 Jamie Robinson
Dave Ladley 6-4 Colin Lloyd
Martyn Turner 6-1 Kevin Bambrick
Steve West 6-3 Ryan Harrington
John Bowles 6-4 Nick Fullwell
Mark Dudbridge 6-3 Darren Weaver
Devon Peterson 6-1 William O’Connor
Joe Cullen 6-1 Darren Mawer
Brett Claydon 6-1 Nathan Derry
Ricky Evans 6-4 Jim Walker
Shaun Griffiths 6-5 Kevin McDine
First Round
Gerwyn Price 6-2 Stuart Harding
Arron Monk 6-5 Andy Parsons
Stephen Bunting 6-1 Jonathon Worsley
Wayne Jones 6-2 Tony Richardson
Steve Beaton 6-4 Jeff Batham
Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Mark Barilli 6-2 John Henderson
Mark Frost 6-5 Barrie Bates
Robbie Green 6-4 Andrew Gilding
Steve Brown 6-4 Colin Osborne
Keegan Brown 6-2 Stephen McNally
Johnny Haines 6-5 Mick Todd
Jamie Lewis 6-4 Trevor Burkhill
Jonny Clayton 6-2 Steve Hine
Mark Webster 6-3 Chris Dobey
Matt Edgar 6-4 Tony Newell
Jamie Caven 6-2 Andy Jenkins
Curtis Hammond 6-3 Ian Moss
Joe Murnan 6-5 Luke Woodhouse
Mickey Mansell 6-3 Adam Hunt
Jason Marriott 6-3 Daryl Gurney
Dave Ladley 6-1 Gary Stone
Andy Hamilton 6-4 Kurt Parry
Mark Walsh 6-3 Martyn Turner
Alan Norris 6-0 Ben Ward
Matt Padgett 6-4 Steve West
Stephen Willard 6-4 Andy Smith
Alan Tabern 6-3 John Bowles
Dean Winstanley 6-2 Nigel Heydon
Mark Dudbridge 6-0 John Part
James Wilson 6-0 Brian Woods
Devon Peterson 6-2 Steve Douglas
Darren Webster 6-2 James Hubbard
Joe Cullen 6-0 Jay Foreman
Dave Pallett 6-1 Lee Palfreyman
Andy Boulton 6-3 Brett Claydon
Wes Newton 6-4 Terry Temple
Ricky Evans 6-3 Eddie Dootson
Kevin Painter 6-3 Darren Johnson
Lee Evans 6-2 Shaun Griffiths
Second Round
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Arron Monk
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Wayne Jones
Steve Beaton 6-2 Ronnie Baxter
Mark Barilli 6-4 Mark Frost
Robbie Green 6-4 Steve Brown
Johnny Haines 6-3 Keegan Brown
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Jamie Lewis
Mark Webster 6-2 Matt Edgar
Jamie Caven 6-2 Curtis Hammond
Mickey Mansell 6-1 Joe Murnan
Dave Ladley 6-1 Jason Marriott
Mark Walsh 6-1 Andy Hamilton
Alan Norris 6-2 Matt Padgett
Stephen Willard 6-4 Alan Tabern
Dean Winstanley 6-3 Mark Dudbridge
Devon Peterson 6-2 James Wilson – Devon Peterson Nine-Dart Finish
Joe Cullen 6-3 Darren Webster
Dave Pallett 6-5 Andy Boulton
Ricky Evans 6-3 Wes Newton
Lee Evans 6-4 Kevin Painter
Qualifiers
Gerwyn Price
Stephen Bunting
Steve Beaton
Mark Barilli
Robbie Green
Johnny Haines
Jonny Clayton
Mark Webster
Jamie Caven
Michael Mansell
Dave Ladley
Mark Walsh
Alan Norris
Stephen Willard
Dean Winstanley
Devon Peterson
Joe Cullen
Dave Pallett
Ricky Evans
Lee Evans
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