PDC Qualifying Schools 2018: Day Two Report!

Alan Tabern, Robert Owen and Mario Robbe were the three players to secure PDC Tour Cards on day two of the 2018 Qualifying School in Wigan and Hildesheim on Friday evening. 

It was largely a day of upsets in Wigan, but former UK Open semi-finalist Alan Tabern was the most high-profile star to triumph; claiming a PDC Tour Card for the third time in his career.

The St Helen’s star kicked off his campaign with a whitewash win over Craig Reeves, before edging out Darren Place in a last-leg decider. ‘The Saint’ then defeated Gary Eastwood before easing past former BDO star Jamie Hughes 5-2 to reach the last 16.

The 51-year-old then defeated his fellow veteran Terry Temple, before edging past Phillip Borthwick in another nine-leg affair to set up a decisive showdown against Steven Kirby. It was a winner takes all tussle, but Tabern prevailed emphatically; thrashing Kirby 5-1 to regain his PDC Tour Card.

Robert Owen was the other man to progress through UK Qualifying School on Friday. Owen, who made his first PDC televised appearance in November’s Players Championship Finals, survived a major scare in his opening tie where he edged out Robert Smith 5-4.

The Welshman then stormed through to the last 32, dropping just the solitary leg in defeating the trio of Lee Evans, Paul Harvey and George Gardner. Owen then edged out Tony Martin in another ninth and final leg, before recording a stunning 5-0 win over Simon Stevenson to reach the quarter-finals.

This set up a last eight showdown against former World-Youth finalist Nathan Aspinall, who followed up his semi-final showing on day one by producing another impressive display in Wigan. Owen defeated ‘The Asp’ 5-2, but Aspinall comfortably tops the UK Q-School Order of Merit on 11 points and is therefore poised to claim a Tour Card.

The Welshman then took on Mike Norton, who defeated Ted Evetts, Reece Robinson, Mark Farmer, Paul Milford, Adam Smith Neale, Ian Jones and Dave Prins to make it through to the last four. Nevertheless, the Challenge Tour star was denied at the final hurdle, as Owen triumphed 5-3 to claim a coveted place on the Pro Tour circuit.

However once again, a host of big names were condemned to early exits in Wigan. Tony O’Shea and Wes Newton were knocked out in round-one by Andy Cornwall and Barrie Bates respectively, whilst former World-Youth champion James Hubbard lost out in a last-leg decider to Mick Todd.

Ex world number one and two-time major winner Colin Lloyd lost in round-two to Phillip Borthwick, whilst 2016 BDO World Trophy winner Darryl Fitton also suffered a second-round defeat at the hands of Jason Marriot.

Jeff Smith and Cameron Menzies were dumped out at the fourth-round stage, whilst Jamie Hughes dropped just two legs en route to reaching the last 32, before succumbing to eventual Tour Card winner Tabern.

Elsewhere, on day two at the European Qualifying School, Mario Robbe secured a full-time spot on the PDC circuit for the first time in his career, after coming from 3-1 down to defeat Czech Republic’s Frantisek Humpula.

The Dutchman, who has reached the last 32 of the Lakeside World Championship on two occasions, will make his PDC debut in 2018 after coming through a 170-player field in Hildesheim on Friday afternoon.

He kicked off his campaign with convincing wins over Hannes Schnier, Till Meischner, Nico Blum and  Jose Antonio Justicia Perale, before edging out Gabrielle Rollo in a deciding-leg to seal his passage through to the quarter-finals.

The 44-year-old then whitewashed Michele Turetta in the last eight, after the Italian had dumped out Danny Noppert earlier in the day, before Robbe thrashed Krzysztof Ratajski’s conqueror Tytus Kanik to claim a spot in the final.

This set up a showdown against Czech World Cup star Humpula, who defeated Yordi Meeuwisse, Marko Puls, Erik Schmeitz, Ricardo Fernandez Carballo, Reine Eidams, Brian Raman and Mike Holz to reach the final. However, Humpula relinquished a 3-1 lead as Robbe secured a 5-4 victory with a 15-darter in the decider, with the Czech left on just 39.

Danny Noppert, who reached the semi-finals on day one, was knocked out at the last 32 stage by Michele Turetta, whilst yesterday’s finalist Dirk van Duijvenbode was beaten 5-1 in the last 16 by Mike Holz. Holz also accounted for Van Duijvenbode’s fellow countryman Berry van Peer in the last 64.

Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

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