The entries for the opening two European Tour events of the year have been confirmed ahead of the two UK Qualifiers and two West & South Europe Tour Card Holder Qualifiers at the Barnsley Metrodome on Friday February 22. Continue reading “European Tour 1 & 2 Qualifier Entries!”
Luke Humphries produced a sensational display to send reigning champion Rob Cross crashing out of the World Darts Championship, as ninth seed James Wade also bowed out on another day of shocks at the Alexandra Palace. Continue reading “PDC World Championship – Day 13 Report!”
Michael van Gerwen produced a stunning display to defeat Adrian Lewis in a battle of the two-time world champions, whilst Gary Anderson sneaked past Chris Dobey in a seven-set epic on another thrilling day of darts at the Alexandra Palace. Continue reading “PDC World Championship – Day 12 Report!”
Nathan Aspinall produced a sensational comeback from two sets down to dump out Grand Slam champion Gerwyn Price on another night of drama at the World Darts Championship, as 11th seed Ian White was also beaten by an inspired Devon Petersen on Friday evening. Continue reading “Aspinall stuns Price at the Ally Pally!”
Newly crowned German Darts Open champion Max Hopp is up to 40th in the world after clinching his first senior PDC title with a thrilling deciding-leg victory over Michael Smith on a watershed night for the sport of darts in Germany. Continue reading “PDC Order of Merit Update!”
Peter Wright crashed out to home favourite Max Hopp in a dramatic double-session of action at the German Darts Open on Saturday, as Dave Chisnall and Rob Cross turned on the style to register impressive whitewash wins in Saarbrucken. Continue reading “German Darts Open 2018: Day Two Report!”
World number one Michael van Gerwen fended off an inspired fightback from Kim Huybrechts to make a winning start to his Unibet Masters title defence on Saturday, as Gary Anderson, James Wade and Gerwyn Price also triumphed on an entertaining evening of action in Milton Keynes. Continue reading “Unibet Masters 2018: Day Two Report!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his Unibet Masters title against former Premier League star Kim Huybrechts in Milton Keynes, whilst newly crowned world champion Rob Cross faces Ian White in the season-opening tournament. Continue reading “2018 Unibet Masters Draw & Schedule!”
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson stormed into the second-round of the World Championship with a comprehensive straight sets win over Lakeside finalist Jeff Smith, as four seeds were dumped out on a dramatic double-session of action at the Alexandra Palace on Saturday. Continue reading “PDC World Championship 2018: Day Three Report!”
Michael van Gerwen extended his lead at the top of the PDC Order of Merit to almost one million pounds after retaining his Players Championship Finals title in Minehead, whilst Jonny Clayton has broken into the world’s top 32 for the first time in his career after reaching his first major final. Continue reading “PDC Order of Merit Update!”
James Wilson, Robbie Green, Joe Murnan, Alan Norris, Jeffrey De Zwaan, Darren Webster, Steve Lennon and Stephen Bunting were the eight players to book their spot at this weekend’s Grand Slam of Darts after coming through an established field at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan on Monday afternoon. Continue reading “Grand Slam of Darts 2017: Qualifiers Confirmed!”
Peter Wright survived a major scare to edge out Jonny Clayton and set up a European Championship quarter-final showdown against World Grand Prix champion Daryl Gurney on a dramatic evening of darts in Hasselt on Saturday evening. Continue reading “European Championship: Day Three Report!”
Peter Wright kicked off his bid for a maiden European Championship title with an impressive win over World Masters champion Krzysztof Ratajski, as Rob Cross and Jonny Clayton produced ton-topping averages on a high-quality session of darts in Hasselt on Friday afternoon. Continue reading “European Championship Day Two: Afternoon Report!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his European Championship title against fellow countryman Jan Dekker, whilst home favourite Kim Huybrechts takes on last year’s finalist Mensur Suljovic in Hasselt later this month. Continue reading “2017 European Championship Draw!”
Michael van Gerwen will be top seed as he prepares to defend his European Championship title later this month, but five of the world’s top ten will be absent from this year’s event after the field was confirmed following the conclusion of the 2017 European Tour in Gottingen. Continue reading “European Championship 2017: Field Confirmed!”
Mensur Suljovic produced an imperious display to dump out tournament favourite Peter Wright, as John Henderson continued his World Grand Prix fairy-tale by dumping out Raymond van Barneveld on a thrilling night of action at the Citywest Hotel on Thursday evening. Continue reading “World Grand Prix: Quarter-Finals Report!”
Tournament favourite Peter Wright produced a classy comeback to defeat Mervyn King and set up a quarter-final showdown against recent Champions League of Darts winner Mensur Suljovic at the Citywest Hotel on Wednesday evening. Continue reading “World Grand Prix: Day Four Report!”
Peter Wright survived two match darts to edge past Stephen Bunting in a nail-biting first-round tussle in Dublin, as Steve West dumped out two-time Grand Prix winner James Wade on another dramatic evening of darts at the Citywest Hotel on Monday evening. Continue reading “World Grand Prix: Day Two Report!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his World Grand Prix title against John Henderson, whilst two-time world champion Gary Anderson will take on debutant Richard North, after the draw for next month’s tournament was made this morning. Continue reading “2017 World Grand Prix Draw!”
Michael van Gerwen secured his fifth European Tour title of the year with a stunning victory over Rob Cross in a thrilling final at the German Darts Grand Prix in Mannheim on Sunday evening. Continue reading “German Darts Grand Prix: Finals Day Report!”
Phil Taylor kicked off his final World Matchplay campaign with victory over Gerwyn Price, to set up an enthralling second-round showdown with his old rival Raymond van Barneveld after a thrilling double-session at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on Sunday. Continue reading “2017 World Matchplay: Day Two Report!”
Former champion James Wade and Scottish stars Gary Anderson and Peter Wright will open the BetVictor World Matchplay on Saturday July 22nd, whilst defending champion Michael van Gerwen will begin his title defence on Monday 24th July, after the schedule of play was confirmed last week. Continue reading “2017 World Matchplay Schedule of Play!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his BetVictor World Matchplay title against former Lakeside world champion Stephen Bunting, as Phil Taylor’s Blackpool farewell kicks off with a potential banana-skin against Gerwyn Price, after the draw for this month’s event at the Winter Gardens was made on Tuesday evening. Continue reading “2017 World Matchplay Draw!”
Peter Wright began his bid for a fourth European Tour title of the year with victory over Polish star Krzysztof Ratajski, as James Wade, Jelle Klaasen and Kim Huybrechts were dumped out in the second-round of the Gibraltar Darts Trophy on Saturday. Continue reading “2017 Gibraltar Darts Trophy: Day Two Report!”
Peter Wright clinched his third European Tour title of the year with an astonishing whitewash victory over world number one Michael van Gerwen at the European Darts Grand Prix at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen on Sunday evening. Continue reading “Wright whitewashes Van Gerwen to seal European Grand Prix victory!”
Last year’s finalists Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright began their latest European Grand Prix campaigns with emphatic second-round victories, whist Mark Webster dumped out James Wade in a dramatic double-session of darts at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen on Saturday. Continue reading “European Darts Grand Prix: Day Two Report!”
Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld clinched the inaugural Cambridge Darts Masters title with victory over two-time world finalist Simon Whitlock at the Cambridge Corn Exchange on Friday evening. Continue reading “Brilliant Barney wins Cambridge Darts Masters!”
Peter Wright secured his second European Tour title of the year after producing a stunning 121 finish on the bullseye to edge out a brilliant Benito van de Pas in a thrilling final at the German Darts Open in Saabrucken on Sunday evening. Continue reading “German Darts Open: Finals Day!”
Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright safely progressed through to finals day at the German Darts Open, as Dave Chisnall and Jelle Klaasen both recorded brilliant whitewash wins to set up a tasty third-round clash, on a dramatic day of darts in Saabrucken on Saturday. Continue reading “German Darts Open: Day Two Report!”
World number one Michael van Gerwen has extended his lead at the top of the Pro Tour Order of Merit after retaining his German Darts Masters title in Jena on Monday evening. ‘The Green Machine’ defeated his arch nemesis Jelle Klaasen in the final, to scoop the £25,000 winner’s prize and move to £217,000 on the Pro Tour standings. Continue reading “Pro Tour Order of Merit Update!”
Adrian Lewis will take on Daryl Gurney in the first-round of the German Darts Masters on Saturday, whilst five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld will face his fellow Dutchman Michael Plooy, after the draw and schedule for this weekend’s European Tour event in Jena were confirmed. Continue reading “German Darts Masters Draw!”
World number one Michael van Gerwen averaged 111.51 to kick off his European Tour season in sensational style, as James Wade, Simon Whitlock and Michael Smith were all dumped out in a dramatic double-session of darts at the Halle 39 in Hildesheim on Saturday. Continue reading “German Darts Championship: Day Two Report!”
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson remains top of the Players Championship Order of Merit after the second double-header which took place at the Barnsley Metrodome over the weekend. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ was knocked out in round-three by Daryl Gurney on Saturday, before succumbing to eventual winner Simon Whitlock on Sunday. Continue reading “Players Championship Order of Merit Update!”
Simon Whitlock won his third Pro Tour title of the year with victory over the giant-killing Darren Johnson, on a cracking day of action at Players Championship Four at the Barnsley Metrodome on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading “Players Championship Four: Report & Results!”
Gary Anderson and James Wade were dumped out on a dramatic opening day at the 2017 Coral UK Open at Butlin’s Minehead on Friday evening, to throw the tournament wide open after the withdrawal of world number one Michael van Gerwen earlier in the day. Continue reading “2017 UK Open: Day One Report!”
Peter Wright will be the top seed heading into next month’s Coral UK Open Finals in Minehead, after winning three of the six qualification events at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan over the last fortnight.
Wright tops the Order of Merit after defeating Adrian Lewis, Michael Smith and James Wade in the respective finals, as he amassed a staggering £35,000 in prize money across the qualification campaign.
Simon Whitlock finished in second position after maintaining his excellent Pro Tour form. ‘The Wizard’ won two of the six UK Open qualifiers to record his fourth PDC title in as many months, as he finished with a total of £21,250 in prize money.
World champion Michael van Gerwen was the only other player to win one of the qualifying events and finished in third position as a consequence. MvG endured a disappointing triple-header last week, but performed magnificently in Friday’s fourth qualifier. Continue reading “UK Open Order of Merit: Final Standings!”
Gary Anderson produced a dazzling display to kick off his 2017 season in style, as Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld and Peter Wright also sealed impressive victories on the opening night of the 2017 Unibet Masters at the Arena MK in Milton Keynes on Friday evening.
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson produced the performance of the night to dismantle emerging Dutch star Benito van de Pas and set up a quarter-final clash with another Dutchman in the shape of Raymond van Barneveld.
‘The Flying Scotsman’ was in sensational form; averaging 109.74, landing nine maximums and converting 56% of his attempts at double to record a comprehensive 10-3 triumph against ‘Big Ben’, who was afforded just five darts at double in the entire contest.
The Scottish star landed maximums in the opening two legs to establish an early cushion. Van de Pas halved the deficit via D16, but Anderson landed his fourth maximum and took out 76 to regain his two-leg cushion. However, the 23-year-old reduced the deficit to 3-2 with a clinical two-dart 88 finish. Continue reading “2017 Unibet Masters: Day One Report!”
Newly crowned world champion Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his Unibet Masters title against two-time world finalist Simon Whitlock, when the first major TV event on the 2017 PDC calendar gets underway at the Arena MK in Milton Keynes on Friday evening.
The fifth staging of the Unibet Masters will see the world’s top 16 players face off, with all the action being broadcast exclusively on ITV4 from January 27th- 29th. The prize money for this event totals £200,000, with £60,000 on offer to the winner.
Phil Taylor, who won the inaugural staging of this event back in 2013, will feature on the opening night of action in an enthralling tie against eleventh seed Michael Smith. Meanwhile, two-time world champion Gary Anderson takes on Benito van de Pas in a repeat of their pulsating last 16 clash at the recent William Hill World Championship.
Elsewhere, 2016 finalist Dave Chisnall locks horns with 2015 finalist and five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld in the opening match of the tournament, whilst the night concludes with a clash between third seed Peter Wright and Stoke star Ian White. Continue reading “2017 Unibet Masters: Draw & Schedule!”
Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld are among the wildcard selections for the 2017 Premier League, whilst Jelle Klaasen and Kim Huybrechts will make their returns to the competition when the action gets underway at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena on February 2nd.
The line-up for the 2017 Premier League was announced by PDC Chairman Barry Hearn in the immediate aftermath of Michael van Gerwen’s World Championship triumph. This will be the biggest season in the competition’s history, with the overall prize money totalling £825,000.
The top four players on the PDC Order of Merit are automatic entries, therefore newly crowned world champion Michael van Gerwen, two-time winner Gary Anderson, world number three Peter Wright & two-time world champion Adrian Lewis did not have to rely on a wildcard selection.
Sky’s two wildcards were the legendary duo of Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld. Taylor is a six-time Premier League winner and reached last year’s final, where was he comprehensively beaten by Michael van Gerwen. Yet this is the first year in the competition’s history that he’s had to rely on a wildcard selection. Continue reading “Premier League Darts 2017 line-up confirmed!”
Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld edged out Adrian Lewis in a seven-set thriller, whilst defending champion Gary Anderson defeated an inspired Benito van de Pas to book his place in the World Championship quarter-finals on a dramatic night of action at the Alexandra Palace on Wednesday evening.
Van Barneveld came from 3-2 down to defeat two-time world champion Adrian Lewis in a topsy-turvy clash to reach the last eight at Ally Pally once again. Neither player were at their vintage best, but Van Barneveld prevailed with a 95 average, three maximums and a 38% conversion rate on the doubles.
Lewis succumbed to a last 16 defeat against Van Barneveld for the second time in three years at Ally Pally despite averaging 98.05, firing in six maximums and converting an impressive 65% of his attempts at double, but ultimately the Dutch legend produced the goods at the crucial moments.
Nevertheless, ‘Jackpot’ made a blistering start to clinch the opening set without reply. The Stoke-on-Trent star landed identical 90 checkouts to round off respective 11-dart legs and also pinned D16 to seal first blood with a 114.55 average. Continue reading “2017 PDC World Championship: Day Eleven Report!”
Benito van de Pas and Michael Smith edged out the veteran duo of Terry Jenkins and Mervyn King in pulsating seven-set tiebreaks, as Ian White also eased through to round-three in a stunning session of darts at the Alexandra Palace on Friday afternoon.
Van de Pas survived an inspired comeback from nine-time major finalist Terry Jenkins to prevail in an epic seventh-set tiebreak in the match of the tournament thus far. Jenkins landed 28 14o’s and 7 180’s in a brilliant scoring display, but Van de Pas recorded a huge victory with a 95.79 average, seven maximums and 37% on the doubles.
Van-de Pas clinched a hard-fought opening set with a moment of magic. The opening four legs all went with throw, before the Dutchman crashed in a stunning 177 to set up a 12-dart leg to break Jenkins’ throw.
However, Jenkins responded strongly to level up proceedings with a whitewash second set. Jenkins took out a clinical 81 combination for an 11-dart break in the opening leg of the set, before registering six perfect darts en route to a second successive 11-darter. ‘The Raging Bull’ was flowing, and pinned tops at the first time of asking for parity. Continue reading “Van de Pas and Smith prevail in stunning deciders at the Ally Pally!”
Nine-time major finalist Terry Jenkins rolled back the years as he produced four ton-plus checkouts to edge out impressive youngster Josh Payne, as Benito van de Pas and Andrew Gilding also tasted victory on day three at the Alexandra Palace on Saturday afternoon.
Jenkins produced a vintage display to book his spot in the second-round after a hard-fought victory over 2016 Pro Tour winner Josh Payne. ‘The Raging Bull’ averaged 93.66, landed four maximums and converted 38% of his double attempts to prevail, despite Payne firing in seven maximums.
Missed doubles plagued the nine-time major finalist in a hard-fought first set. Jenkins opened his account with a fine 13-darter but Payne drew level with a 75 finish, before Jenkins defied a second maximum from the youngster to hold throw with a fine 106 outshot.
Payne stayed alive in the set by pinning D9, but Jenkins had the advantage of throw in the set decider.’The Raging Bull’ seemed destined to clinch the set but spurned six darts at double as the 22-year-old pounced on tops to secure the lead.
However, the former Ally Pally semi-finalist bounced back in set two. Jenkins pinned tops to break after the interval, before hitting the same target to extend his lead after Payne wired the bull for an 81 kill. Payne nailed D10 to heap the pressure on Jenkins, but the Ledbury ace defied a fourth maximum from the Gravesend ace to level on D10.
The pair traded maximums in the first-leg of set three, but Jenkins clinically converted a 100 outshot to hold. The 53-year-old then hit D10 to break, before clinching the third set without reply on D6, with Payne struggling to match Terry’s consistent scoring power.
Payne stopped the rot on D16 after Jenkins spurned three darts at D18 and D9 respectively to win his fifth consecutive leg, before a dramatic second leg ensued. ‘The Maximum’ posted successive maximums to set up a potential 9-darter, but after leaving 90 after 9 darts he wasn’t afforded a shot as Jenkins converted a majestic 140 finish to hold.
Jenkins’ magnificent finishing continued as he produced a brilliant 121 checkout (T20, T15, D8) to record his fourth ton-plus checkout to move within a leg of victory, but Payne broke back to keep his hopes alive. However, ‘The Maximum’ then spurned two darts at D8 to force a fifth and deciding set, which allowed Jenkins to finally close out victory on D16.
Jenkins was understandably thrilled with both the performance and result.“I was nice and relaxed; I felt comfortable. I haven’t put a lot of practice in just lately because every time I step up to the board I keep hitting 180’s, so I think why do you need to put the practice in, just leave them alone and that’s what I’ve done.
“I used to practice a lot when I was a youngster, but I think 90% of it is in your head and down to experience. ” Jenkins will face fifteenth seed Benito van de Pas in round-two, but Terry is relishing the prospect. Benito’s playing well, he’s another youngster that’s on form at the moment, but he’s got to play well to beat me.”
Van de Pas overcome dogged qualifier Tengku Shah to scramble through to round-two. The Dutchman averaged 91.18 as he prevailed 3-1, but his finishing was the decisive factor; Benito converted 61% of his double attempts compared to Shah’s 22% ratio, but the Malaysian acquitted himself extremely well, averaging 87.86 and landing four maximums.
Shah overcame Japanese star Masumi Chino in Saturday’s preliminary qualifier to book a showdown with ‘Big Ben’. The Malaysian won a nerve-jangling first set dominated by missed doubles, but Chino drew level with 117 and 106 finishes. Despite this, Shah held his nerve and won the final set without reply to progress to round-one with an 83.44 average.
However, the soft-tip ace was unable to dump out the Dutch star. Van de Pas performed an act of darting burglary in the opening set, winning it despite Shah being first to the double in all five legs. The Malaysian converted just two of his thirteen double attempts and the world number fifteen capitalised with clinical finishes of 72 and 78.
The pair exchanged breaks in the early stages of set two, before Van de Pas seized command with a stylish 125 finish (25, T20, D20). Shah then missed three darts to force a set decider and Van de Pas continued his clinical run of finishing to extend his lead.
Shah kicked off the third set with an exhibition 99 finish (S19, D20, D20). However Van de Pas fired back impressively, moving to the cusp of victory after reeling off successive legs in 14 and 12 darts respectively. Nevertheless, Shah fought valiantly and broke back on D10, before clinching the third set with a 13-darter to spark jubilant celebrations.
Any hopes of an incredible turnaround were quickly extinguished however. Van de Pas kicked off set four with a solid 16-dart hold, before hitting his second maximum and firing in a 13-dart leg to move to within a leg of round-two. This time ‘Big Ben’ made no mistake, sealing his progression with a classy 108 kill culminating on D18.
In his post-match press conference, Van de Pas admitted he was simply relieved to have secured the win, admitting: “The draw came out two weeks ago and from then I was so nervous because everybody expects you to win this game. I didn’t have a lot of confidence today; I was practicing really bad, but the win is there.
“I’m taking it game by game; the next one is Terry Jenkins, he is a good player. I played Terry at the World Grand Prix and it was a really nice game, and hopefully we have another nice game. I’m looking forward to it,” the 23-year-old added.
Finally, Andrew Gilding produced an inspired comeback from 2-0 down to edge out John Henderson in a pulsating sudden-death battle. ‘Big John’ appeared in cruise control but Gilding fought back superbly, averaging 90.94 and registering eight maximums to set up a second-round meeting with world champion Gary Anderson.
Gilding fired in three maximums in the opening set, but Henderson claimed the spoils in a hard-fought affair. The Scotsman squandered two set darts in the fourth leg but was afforded another opportunity moments later, which he duly took by pinning D16.
Gilding emerged from the interval with a 14-darter, but Henderson delivered an instant riposte with 121 finish on the bull. ‘Big John’ then seized command with an impressive 14-dart to break throw, before clinching the second set with a 15-dart hold on tops after Gilding had wired the bull for a 164 finish in the preceding visit.
Henderson won his fourth straight leg with a regulation 54 checkout, but out of nowhere ‘The Highlander’ lost his focus and Gilding pounced, winning three successive legs and reducing the arrears to 2-1 in sets by eventually pinning D1.
The momentum had shifted completely as Gilding registered his fourth straight leg via D19. Henderson arrested his slump by hitting his second maximum followed by a 98 finish for a 12-darter, but Gilding regained control of the set with a 15-dart hold, before converting a clean 80 kill to force a fifth and deciding set.
Henderson secured first blood in the decider with a quality two-dart 85 finish, but ‘Goldfinger’ fired straight back on D10. The Scot then regained the lead on tops with his last dart in hand after Gilding wired bull for a 94 finish and a break, but the Englishman forced a tiebreak after converting a clinical 101 kill on D12.
‘Goldfinger’ then hit his seventh maximum and nailed a spectacular 143 checkout to complete a 12-darter to break and lead for the first time since the opening leg. However, the former UK Open semi-finalist endured a torrid leg at the most inopportune moment by leaving 104 after 18 darts, as Henderson capitalised to hit D16 and stay afloat.
‘Big John’ made it back-to-back legs by pinning D20 at the first attempt, but the Scot missed one match dart at the bull before Gilding posted D2 to prolong the drama. The next two legs were shared as the contest went to a sudden-death leg and Gilding prevailed after winning the bullseye and converting a nerveless 75 finish on tops.
Gilding admitted to Josh’s Dartistry: “At 2-0, if John had hit a couple of 12-darters which he’s capable of, there would have been nothing I could do. But I just kept plugging away. There’s been little bits in my technique I’ve been working on. Maybe I slacked a little bit and relaxed after that UK Open success and took things for granted. But I’m really working on my technique now.”
Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC
William Hill World Darts Championship
Saturday December 17
Afternoon Session (1pm)
Tengku Shah 2-1 Masumi Chino (P)
Terry Jenkins (18) 3-1 Josh Payne
John Henderson (31) 2-3 Andrew Gilding
Benito van de Pas (15) 3-1 Tengku Shah
The draw and schedule for next weekend’s Players Championship Finals at the Butlins Minehead Resort has been confirmed, with Raymond van Barneveld locking horns with Mensur Suljovic and Adrian Lewis taking on Robert Thornton in the stand-out first-round ties.
The expanded Players Championship Finals sees the list of participants doubled in size this year, as 64 players compete for £400,000 in prize money across three days live on ITV4. The qualification criteria is based solely on performances across the twenty Players Championship events hosted throughout 2016.
Michael van Gerwen tops the final Order of Merit with £72,750 after winning five Players Championship events this year, and the defending champion will face former World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton in the first round.
Hamilton originally finished 65th on the Order of Merit, although Kyle Anderson’s withdrawal due to his ongoing VISA issues has given ‘The Hammer’ an opportunity to compete in Minehead. Continue reading “Players Championship Finals: REVISED Draw & Schedule!”
Gary Anderson and Raymond van Barneveld will collide in the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts, whilst James Wade and Chris Dobey also sealed their spots in the last eight on a dramatic night at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Thursday evening.
Anderson survived a major scare as he overcame BDO world number three Danny Noppert in a pulsating last-leg decider. In arguably the match of the tournament, Anderson averaged 101.12 to prevail, as Noppert agonisingly lost out despite averaging 100.1 and converting 69% of his attempts at double.
The first five legs all went with throw as ‘The Flying Scotsman’ headed into the first interval with a 3-2 advantage. Nevertheless, Noppert enjoyed an extraordinary purple patch after the break. He levelled up proceedings with a magnificent 10-darter, before securing the first break of throw with a stunning 164 kill.
‘Noppie’ maintained his impeccable success rate on the doubles as he won his third consecutive leg with a classy 13-darter, but Anderson stopped the rot with a 13-darter of his own. The world champion then missed the bull for a 12-darter as he attempted to break back, but Noppert cleaned up 42 in two-darts to restore his two-leg cushion. Continue reading “Grand Slam of Darts Day Six Report!”
BDO stars Glen Durrant & Darryl Fitton secured qualification to the knockout stages of the Grand Slam of Darts at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Monday evening on a night which saw Phil Taylor whitewashed by the already eliminated Darren Webster.
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen maintained his 100% group-stage record with a thumping 5-1 victory against World-Youth finalist Max Hopp. ‘The Green Machine’ wasn’t at his brilliant best, but still posted four maximums and averaged 95.93 to top Group A in emphatic fashion.
Elsewhere in Group A, Martin Adams’ Grand Slam campaign ended as he was was beaten 5-3 by Brendan Dolan, who came through an attritional tussle to secure his place in the last 16. Adams landed two maximums but only converted 17% of his double attempts as Dolan won through to join MvG in the last 16, despite averaging just 80.
‘Wolfie’ was unable to replicate the form he displayed last year which is entirely understandable given his well-documented health problems. However, he’s conducted himself superbly and played with refreshing enjoyment throughout the week; hopefully he’ll return to next year’s event in better health. Continue reading “Grand Slam Day Three: Durrant & Fitton progress, Adams bows out whilst Taylor is whitewashed!”
Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson, James Wade, Peter Wright & Benito van de Pas sealed their spots in the knockout phase of the Grand Slam of Darts, whilst Raymond van Barneveld continued his rampant form in an eventful double-session of action at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Sunday.
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen is all but through to the second round after easing past Brendan Dolan 5-1 on Sunday evening. ‘The Green Machine’ was in sparkling form and averaged 104.5 to dismantle ‘The Historymaker’, and MvG requires just one leg against Max Hopp to confirm his place in the knockout phase.
Six-time Grand Slam winner Phil Taylor secured his place in the knockout phase with an emphatic 5-1 victory over an off-colour Ian White. Taylor was far from his best, averaging a miserly 92.94 by his incredibly high standards. Yet White was extremely poor, averaging just 84 and converting 20% of his double attempts.
World champion Gary Anderson is through to the last 16 of the Grand Slam after whitewashing Nathan Derry on Sunday evening. Derry was unable to replicate the performance that saw him defeat Alan Norris, as Anderson eased to a 5-0 victory despite averaging just 89.5 and hitting 23% of his double attempts. Continue reading “Grand Slam of Darts Day Two: Wright, Hughes & Barney impress!”
Raymond van Barneveld and Scott Mitchell stole the show on the opening day of the 2016 Grand Slam of Darts, as Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor & Gary Anderson all kicked off their campaigns with victories at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Saturday evening.
The highlight of the day saw Raymond van Barneveld produce a vintage performance to power past World Youth-finalist Nathan Aspinall 5-1 with a 110.15 average. The five-time world champion, who won the Grand Slam title back in 2012, kicked off the contest with a maximum and that set the tone for a sumptuous performance.
Van Barneveld posted three maximums and converted 63% of his attempts at double to begin his campaign in style. Aspinall acquitted himself extremely well and averaged 97 but he faced an inspired Barney, evidenced in the fifth leg when Aspinall was denied a dart at double despite leaving 36 after nine darts, as RvB fired in a stunning 140 finish.
The Dutch legend was unsurprisingly in bullish mood after his scintillating display. He told PDC media manager Dave Allen: “That 140 was a killer, and I’m really happy and satisfied with the 110 average of course. I’m really focused, I feel good and I’m looking forward to tomorrow afternoon.” Continue reading “Grand Slam of Darts Day One: Barney & Mitchell steal the show in Wolverhampton!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his Grand Slam of Darts title against legendary three-time Lakeside world champion Martin Adams, after the draw for this year’s event at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall was made on Monday afternoon.
Van Gerwen, who produced a staggering comeback to defeat Phil Taylor and win his maiden Grand Slam title twelve months ago, will face a stern test against the 60-year-old Adams, who thrived on his debut in Wolverhampton last year.
‘Wolfie’ won all three of his group games against Jelle Klaasen, Ian White & Steve Beaton respectively, before succumbing to Kim Huybrechts in a last-leg shootout in the last 16. MvG and Adams will also be joined in Group A by former World Grand Prix finalist Brendan Dolan, and World-Youth champion Max Hopp.
Six-time Grand Slam winner Phil Taylor has been handed a relatively kind draw. ‘The Power’ has been pitted with his fellow Stokie Ian White, Darren Webster and BDO veteran Darryl Fitton, who qualified for this year’s event by virtue of winning the 2016 World Trophy back in May. Continue reading “2016 Grand Slam of Darts Draw confirmed!”
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen survived a scare as he edged out Gerwyn Price in a nervy last-leg shootout, whilst world champion Gary Anderson was beaten on home soil by Joe Cullen in the World Series of Darts Finals at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow on Saturday evening.
World number one Michael van Gerwen was made to sweat as he came through a first-round last-leg decider for the second event running. ‘The Green Machine’ fired in six maximums and averaged 98.82, almost twelve points higher than Price.
Van Gerwen led 5-2, but Price won three successive legs to force a last-leg decider, although MvG held throw comfortably in the final leg. Price was unable to replicate his performance from Saturday afternoon, where he hit six of his seven double attempts to defeat Steve Beaton 6-3.
Elsewhere, Joe Cullen caused the shock of the tournament by dumping out world champion and home favourite Gary Anderson. Anderson wore glasses on stage for the very first time and played with new darts, but Cullen was unfazed by the partisan atmosphere and held his nerve to close out a nail-biting deciding leg win. Continue reading “World Series of Darts Finals- Day One Report!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his World Series of Darts Finals title against either Gerwyn Price or Steve Beaton when the £155,000 tournament gets underway at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena this coming Saturday.
‘The Green Machine’ edged out Peter Wright 11-10 to win the tournament’s inaugural staging last year, which was the culmination of the annual worldwide tour. There were six World Series events held this year, in Dubai, Auckland, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney and Perth.
Van Gerwen will be top seed in Glasgow this weekend after topping the World Series of Darts rankings for the second year in succession. MvG won both the Shanghai and Perth Darts Masters, whilst he was also a runner-up in Dubai, Tokyo and Sydney.
The world number one will begin his campaign against either Gerwyn Price or Steve Beaton. Van Gerwen demolished Price 10-2 in the second-round of last week’s European Championship, whilst he also defeated Steve Beaton in the first-round of last month’s World Grand Prix. Continue reading “2016 World Series of Darts Finals Draw & Schedule!”
The eight global invitations for next month’s World Series of Darts Finals have been confirmed and Kim Huybrechts heads the list of global prospects, along with the likes of Benito van de Pas, Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney.
The World Series of Darts Finals features the eight players who competed in the World Series events hosted across the globe this year, with 16 other competitors accompanying them at the Braehead Arena, Glasgow, on November 5th and 6th.
The 16 other participants are made up of four wildcards, eight global prospects, and four further qualifiers. The four wildcards via the PDC Order of Merit were Robert Thornton, Michael Smith, Jelle Klaasen and Mensur Suljovic.
Elsewhere, Simon Whitlock, Steve Beaton, Brendan Dolan & Joe Murnan were the quartet who came through the World Series of Darts Finals qualifier at the Barnsley Metrodome last Sunday.
However, the field of eight global prospects is headed by former Premier League star Kim Huybrechts. The Belgian, currently ranked 15th on the PDC Order of Merit, has enjoyed a strong year in both floor and televised tournaments, reaching the World Grand Prix quarter-finals earlier this month. Continue reading “World Series of Darts Finals: Eight Global Invitations Confirmed!”
Benito van de Pas clinched his third Players Championship title of the year with a comprehensive 6-1 victory over Dave Chisnall in the final Pro Tour event of 2016 at the Barnsley Metrodome on Saturday afternoon.
The 23-year-old Dutchman, who broke into the world’s top 16 earlier this year, capitalised on an error-strewn display from Chisnall to scoop the £10,000 winner’s cheque, whilst also securing second spot on the final Players Championship Order of Merit.
Van de Pas opened his account in Saturday’s final with a solid 16-dart hold on tops, but Chisnall fired back by pinning D10, having missed tops for a 160 checkout in the preceding visit. However, the Dutchman regained his lead in leg three, kicking off the leg with a magnificent 177, before converting D16 for a classy 13-dart leg.
Nevertheless, the fourth leg saw farcical finishing from both players. Chizzy spurned an incredible ELEVEN darts at double to restore parity, and after missing 8 darts at double, Van de Pas eventually hit D1 to secure an important break. Continue reading “Van de Pas demolishes Chisnall to win Players Championship 20!”
Michael van Gerwen overcame an in-form Simon Whitlock to keep his World Grand Prix hopes alive, as Gary Anderson, Raymond van Barneveld and Dave Chisnall won through to the semi-finals on a high-quality night of action at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin, on Thursday evening.
Van Gerwen produced a stunning display to defeat Simon Whitlock in the match of the night. The world number one averaged an incredible 103.09, hit four maximums and converted 48% of his attempts at double to defeat the dogged Australian.
MvG started the contest strongly, with all three legs going with throw. Whitlock then failed to pin a starting double with his first six darts and Van Gerwen capitalised, sealing the set on D5.
The second set was an extremely high-quality affair. Van Gerwen fired in his first maximum to kick off the set, but Whitlock held throw with a nerveless 64 kill. The world number one then registered six perfect darts, before eventually levelling proceedings by hitting D1.
Whitlock edged back ahead in the set with a clinical 61 checkout, but ‘Mighty Mike’ continued to pressure the Australian, forcing a set decider after dispatching a 92 finish with consummate ease. However, Whitlock held his nerve magnificently to restore parity at one apiece, pinning D6 to complete a 65 checkout. Continue reading “World Grand Prix- Quarter-Finals Report!”
Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld produced the performance of the tournament thus far as he whitewashed Adrian Lewis in round-two of the World Grand Prix, as world champion Gary Anderson safely progressed to the last eight at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin, on Tuesday evening.
However, the story of the night was Raymond van Barneveld, who reached his first Grand Prix quarter-final since 2010 after dismantling two-time world champion Adrian Lewis in straight sets. Van Barneveld was superb, hitting D16 with unrelenting precision, averaging 97.21 and converting 53% of his attempts at double.
The opening set was a topsy-turvy affair which went to a fifth and deciding leg after the pair traded breaks. Lewis had the advantage of throw but he squandered five set darts at D18 and D9 respectively, and Van Barneveld pinned D4 with his last dart in hand to steal the set, which sparked a passionate roar from the legendary Dutchman.
Barney then whitewashed Lewis in the opening leg of set two after Lewis failed to pin a starting double within 12 darts. Jackpot was badly affected by his missed doubles in the opening set and the 49-year-old Den Haag ace was in uncompromising mood, extending his lead to 2-0, winning the set without reply.
Lewis fired in a maximum in the opening leg of set three but Barney was unperturbed, converting 72 on tops for a precious break of throw. The Stoke ace landed his fifth maximum in the following leg but then spurned three darts at D18,and Van Barneveld pinned D10 to win his sixth straight leg and move within a leg of victory. Continue reading “World Grand Prix Day Three: Brilliant Barney whitewashes Lewis!”
Reigning champion Robert Thornton and former winner James Wade were both dumped out on the opening night of the World Grand Prix, as Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis and Raymond van Barneveld all progressed to round-two at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin on Sunday evening.
Thornton’s hopes of defending his title were quashed by former world champion Stephen Bunting, who held his nerve to prevail in an exciting affair. ‘The Bullet’ won the opening leg, but Thornton rallied and clinched the opening set with successive finishes of 125, 62 and 67.
However Bunting responded strongly, breaking Thornton early in set two with a clinical 105 kill. The St Helen’s star doubled his lead moments later, and whilst the Scot fired back with a 12-darter, Bunting levelled up proceedings at one set apiece with a 12-darter of his own.
‘The Bullet’ hit tops to take the lead early in set three, but Thornton replied by pinning D10. Bunting then moved to within a leg of victory, following up his fourth maximum by hitting D8. Thornton kicked off the fourth leg with five perfect darts, but missed a multitude of darts at double to force a decider, as Bunting secured the win via D4.
World champion Gary Anderson kicked off his campaign with an emphatic 2-0 victory over Jamie Caven. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ breezed to the first set without reply as ‘Jabba’ struggled for consistency. The second set was a much more competitive affair, but finishes of 112, 124 and 86 sealed victory for the world number two. Continue reading “World Grand Prix- Day One Report!”
World number one Michael van Gerwen will face the legendary Steve Beaton in the first-round of the World Grand-Prix, whilst reigning champion Robert Thornton will begin the defence of his title against Stephen Bunting at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin, next week.
The draw for the 2016 World Grand-Prix, which begins on Sunday October 2nd, was made live on the PDC’s official Facebook page, ahead of the final day of Champions League of Darts action.
Van Gerwen will take on 1996 Lakeside world champion Steve Beaton in round-one. Beaton has enjoyed a mini-resurgence this year, reaching the quarter-finals of the recent World Matchplay. However, ‘The Green Machine’ will be hoping to clinch a third World Grand-Prix title.
Robert Thornton, who defeated Van Gerwen in a thrilling final last year, takes on another former Lakeside champion Stephen Bunting. ‘The Thorn’ has endured a slump in form since winning his second major title last year, but he’ll be hoping that a return to Irish soil will have a galvanising effect on his fortunes.
Phil Taylor will go in search of an unprecedented twelfth World Grand-Prix crown against debutant Steve West. West secured his spot for this event by virtue of reaching the final of Players Championship 16 in Barnsley last week, which saw Vincent van der Voort miss out on qualification. Continue reading “2016 World Grand Prix Draw!”
Michael van Gerwen continued his dominance on the European Tour as he produced a stunning display to ease past second seed Peter Wright 6-2 in the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen on Sunday evening.
Van Gerwen averaged 105.38 and landed five maximums to scoop the £25,000 winner’s cheque, also securing an unprecedented sixth European Tour title of the year- his 14th in total. Wright once again fell at the final hurdle against MvG, although he battled admirably; averaging 102.36 in defeat.
Van Gerwen started the final strongly, holding throw by virtue of a commanding 14-darter despite a fine scoring leg from Wright. The Dutchman doubled his lead moments later, pinning D8 with his final dart to break the throw, despite Snakebite posting his first maximum of the contest.
‘Mighty Mike’ extended his cushion to 3-0 with a solid 14-darter, before a high-quality fourth leg ensued. The pair traded maximums and Wright left 24 after 12 darts as he appeared poised to open his account. However he was denied by an inspired MvG, who fired in an incredible 164 checkout on the bullseye.
Continue reading “Van Gerwen eases past Wright to reign supreme in Sindelfingen!”
Raymond van Barneveld produced a magnificent 141 finish to edge past Simon Whitlock in a thrilling deciding-leg at the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix, but Mensur Suljovic produced the performance of the second-round at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen on Saturday.
Van Barneveld made a sluggish start to his contest, as Whitlock eased into a 2-0 advantage. The Australian missed three darts for a precious double-break in the third leg, allowing the Dutchman to open his account with a 60 checkout.
However in the fourth leg, ‘The Wizard’ capitalised on missed doubles from Van Barneveld, who missed two darts at tops to break back, allowing Whitlock to regain his two-leg cushion. Yet, the five-time world champion responded impressively, firing in his first maximum and taking out 111 to reduce the arrears to 3-2.
Whitlock delivered an instant riposte with a top-class 130 checkout, before the next two legs were shared, with the Australian leading 5-3. Barney remained in contention by pinning D16, before benefitting from a missed match dart from the Aussie in the tenth leg.
The Den Haag ace left 24 after 12 darts having posted successive visits of 180 and 137, and after Whitlock missed one dart at D7 for an 86 kill, Barney forced a decider with a 13-darter. Continue reading “European Darts Grand Prix: Day Two Report!”
Gary Anderson and Ian White were the men to claim glory in this weekend’s Players Championship double-header at the Barnsley Metrodome. World champion Anderson edged out Terry Jenkins in a deciding-leg to prevail on Saturday, whilst White claimed his third Players Championship victory of 2016 by beating Benito van de Pas.
Anderson clinched his second Pro Tour title of the year, his sixth title in total, with a hard-fought 6-5 win against ‘The Raging Bull’ in the final of Players Championship 12. The Scot fired in four maximums in the final to edge out Jenkins who produced his best darts of the year in Barnsley.
Anderson began his campaign with a whitewash victory over Paul Milford before seeing off the challenges of Devon Petersen and Jason Wilson. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ came through a deciding leg against Mensur Suljovic to reach the last eight before progressing through to the last four with a comfortable win over Daryl Gurney.
In the semi-finals, Anderson whitewashed Welshman Jonny Clayton before defeating Jenkins to scoop the £10,000 winner’s cheque.
However, Jenkins performed extremely well to reach his first PDC final since winning in Barnsley 12 months ago. He overcome Mick MacGowan in round-one before surviving a deciding leg shoot-out against Simon Preston.
Jenkins defeated recent Players Championship winner Josh Payne to reach the last 16 before claiming the scalps of John Henderson and Steve Beaton, both by a 6-3 scoreline. He faced former BDO world number one James Wilson in the last four, and Jenkins once again prevailed by a 6-3 scoreline before falling at the last hurdle against Anderson.
However, in Players Championship 13 on Sunday, White won his third crown of the year with a 6-4 victory against Benito van de Pas who has also tasted success twice on the Pro Tour in 2016.
Barnsley is proving to be a happy hunting ground for ‘The Diamond’, with all of his three titles this year coming at the Barnsley Metrodome. The Stoke-on-Trent star breezed through to the last eight, dropping just six legs in overcoming Mark Barilli, Joey Palfreyman, Wayne Jones and Jeffrey de Graaf.
For the second day in succession, Mensur Suljovic suffered a deciding-leg defeat to the eventual winner, with White squeezing through to the last four with a 6-5 win. White then edged out the in-form Joe Cullen 6-4 to reach the final before beating Van de Pas by the same scoreline in Sunday’s curtain-raiser.
However, ‘Big Ben’ continued his tremendous Pro Tour form with another fine run in Barnsley. He thrashed Nigel Daniels 6-1 in the first-round, before defeating his compatriots Jeffrey de Zwaan and Dirk van Duijvenbode.
The Dutchman eased past Paul Nicholson 6-1 in the last 16, but ‘The Asset’ enjoyed a welcome return to form, with victories over Nathan Aspinall, and his Australian colleagues Kyle Anderson and Simon Whitlock.
In the last eight, Van de Pas came through a nerve-jangling deciding leg against Alan Norris before he faced James Wilson in the semis. Wilson enjoyed the best weekend of his PDC career by reaching consecutive Pro Tour semi-finals, but he was beaten 6-3 by the talented Dutchman.
It was a day of shocks on Sunday however. Number one seed Peter Wright was beaten in the opening round by Steve McNally, whilst Anderson was unable to replicate Saturday’s triumph as he was beaten by his young protege Chris Dobey at the same stage.
Michael van Gerwen began the defence of his World Matchplay title with a thumping whitewash victory over Jamie Caven, whilst Dave Chisnall, Robert Thornton and Kyle Anderson all won through on the opening night at the Winter Gardens.
Van Gerwen was in magnificent form as he despatched Jamie Caven 10-0. Jabba didn’t perform anywhere near to his potential, averaging a miserly 79. He only had four attempts at double in the entire contest; all of which came in the second leg.
However, ‘The Green Machine’ was in merciless form. He averaged 105.85, hitting four maximums and converting 50% of his attempts at double. The world number one will face Kyle Anderson in the last 16, after ‘The Original’ eased past 16th seed Vincent van der Voort 10-4.
It was a relatively scrappy affair, with van der Voort averaging 89.99 compared to Anderson’s 92.34. The encounter was evenly poised at 5-4, as Van der Voort reeled off successive legs to close in on the Australian. However, Anderson won five straight legs to secure his first ever victory at the World Matchplay.
The 2016 World Matchplay kicks off on Saturday evening, and Josh’s Dartistry casts his eye over the favourites, the contenders, the dark-horses, as well as the seeds under pressure. It promises to be a fantastic tournament at the Winter Gardens!
The Favourites:
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen is the favourite to retain his BetVictor World Matchplay title. He faces seven-time Pro Tour winner Jamie Caven in round-one, but ‘The Green Machine’ will be confident of progressing.
‘Jabba’ has only once gone beyond round-one at the Winter Gardens, and if MvG progresses, he will face either his good friend Vincent van der Voort, or Kyle Anderson in the last 16. Van Gerwen claimed victory in the recent Shanghai Darts Masters, but the world number one wasn’t in vintage form throughout the World Series.
Gary Anderson
World champion Gary Anderson will enter this tournament with real self-belief. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ has won three of the four World Series titles in 2016, beating Van Gerwen in two of those finals. The Scot is one of the select few who relishes the challenge of facing MvG, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see these two face off in the final.
However, Anderson has been handed a difficult first-round assignment, against former Lakeside world finalist Alan Norris. Norris has been in fine form in the last 6 months and this promises to be a quick-fire contest. Anderson suffered a shock second-round defeat to Mensur Suljovic last year, so he’ll be determined to make amends this time around.
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his World Matchplay title against Jamie Caven, whilst world champion Gary Anderson takes on former Lakeside world finalist Alan Norris, after the draw was made live on Sky Sports News on Thursday morning.
The prestigious 32-player event, televised by Sky Sports, will be held at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens from July 16-24. Van Gerwen, who defeated James Wade in last year’s final, is faced with a tough assignment against Caven, a winner of seven Pro Tour titles.
Arguably the tie of the round sees world champion Gary Anderson take on Alan Norris. Norris has been in tremendous form over the last twelve months, which saw him reach the quarter-finals of the PDC World Championship on debut. Anderson has never gone beyond the last four in Blackpool, and this promises to be a quick-fire contest.
Phil Taylor will begin his bid for an unprecedented 16th World Matchplay title against Robbie Green, who just managed to secure his spot on the final day of qualifying.’Kong’ is making his first Matchplay appearance since 2004, but Taylor will be hoping to win his eighth Blackpool title in just nine years.
Benito van de Pas won his second Pro Tour title of the year with a stunning 6-0 whitewash victory over Joe Cullen in the final of Players Championship Nine at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, on Sunday afternoon.
Van de Pas enjoyed a fine day at the Ricoh, reaching his third Pro Tour final of the year and averaging 111 in Sunday’s curtain-raiser. Cullen averaged an impressive 102.38, but he wasn’t given a sniff. Benito kicked off proceedings with victory over his fellow Dutchman Christian Kist, before easing past Andy Boulton 6-2.
‘Big Ben’ then breezed through to the quarter-finals, dropping just one leg against Nathan Aspinall and Jason Wilson respectively. Van de Pas later defeated Justin Pipe 6-3 in the last eight, after Pipe had previously seen off Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey.
Van de Pas then romped into the final after dismantling Darren Webster 6-1. Webster had claimed a series of creditable scalps throughout the afternoon, beating Kyle Anderson, Kevin Painter, Jeffrey de Zwaan, Mark Walsh and Alan Norris. Nevertheless, his fine run was ended by the 23-year-old Dutchman in the last four. Continue reading “Van de Pas storms to Players Championship Nine glory with 111 average!”
Gerwyn Price secured his maiden PDC ranking title with victory in Players Championship seven, after beating Peter Wright 6-3 in the final on Sunday afternoon at the Barnsley Metrodome.
Price, who appeared in the final of UK Open qualifier 5 back in February, went one better this weekend, defeating the world number five in Sunday’s curtain-raiser to scoop the £10,000 winner’s cheque and continue his march up the world rankings.
Price kicked off the day with a comprehensive 6-1 victory over young Belgian star Dimitri van den Bergh, before narrowly beating Darren Webster to reach round three. The Welshman edged out Daryl Gurney in a deciding leg in the last 32, before then beating Matt Clark 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
Price secured a routine 6-2 victory over Ricky Evans in the last eight, after ‘Rapid’ had seen off Terry Jenkins in the previous round. ‘The Iceman’ then faced sixth seed Benito van de Pas in the semi-finals, but Benito was unable to secure his second Pro Tour title of the year, as Price eased to a 6-2 win to secure a place in his second final of the year.
Continue reading “Gerwyn Price stuns Snakebite to win Players Championship 7!”
Benito van de Pas won his maiden PDC senior ranking title with a magnificent victory over Michael van Gerwen in Players Championship 4 at the Barnsley Metrodome on Saturday afternoon. Van de Pas and Van Gerwen contested Friday’s final, but ‘Big Ben’ gained revenge just 24 hours later, securing victory in a nail-biting deciding leg.
It was an extremely high-quality final. Van Gerwen averaged 111 but was still beaten by an inspired van de Pas, who hit a remarkable seven 180’s and averaged 110 himself. This is Van de Pas’s second victory over MvG in 2016, and the pair could contest a fantastic rivalry for years to come.
Van de Pas once again performed with tremendous consistency throughout the day. ‘Big Ben’ eased into round-three with routine victories over Nigel Heydon and Jason Wilson, before edging past Mark Webster 6-4 to reach the last 16. He then faced Chris Dobey in the last 16 for the second straight day, and Benito prevailed with a sublime whitewash victory.
The 23-year-old continued his fine form with a thumping 6-1 victory over Alan Norris in the last eight, before securing his place in Saturday’s final with an emphatic 6-2 triumph against Gerwyn Price, who had earlier defeated the likes of Jermaine Wattimena, Terry Jenkins, Joe Cullen and Max Hopp.
However, for the second consecutive afternoon, Van de Pas would face his compatriot Michael van Gerwen. MvG was in spectacular form throughout the day, and he kicked off his campaign with a magnificent 118.46 average en route to a 6-1 victory against Mark Frost. MvG clinched the victory with an exhibition 160 checkout (T20, Bull, Bull).
Continue reading “Brilliant Benito stuns Van Gerwen to win Players Championship 4!”
Michael van Gerwen won his eighth PDC title of 2016 after beating his Dutch compatriot Benito van de Pas 6-3 in the final of Players Championship three at the Barnsley Metrodome on Friday afternoon.
Van Gerwen, who suffered a 6-4 defeat against van de Pas in the pair’s last meeting, made a tremendous start to the final as he forged into a commanding 4-0 advantage. However, van de Pas responded superbly and reeled off three consecutive legs to reduce the arrears to 4-3.
Nevertheless, Benito was unable to complete the comeback, as the world number one regained his focus to close out a 6-3 victory and scoop the £10,000 winner’s cheque. MvG has now won eight titles already this calendar year, as he aims to eclipse last year’s tally of 17. However, van de Pas will also take great encouragement from another fine display.
Van Gerwen began his campaign with an emphatic 6-1 victory over Paul Nicholson, before overcoming a tenacious Mark Walsh 6-3 to reach the last 32. MvG then recorded consecutive 6-2 victories against Jeffrey de Graaf and Simon Whitlock respectively to storm into the quarter-finals, where he whitewashed former world champ Mark Webster.
Continue reading “Two 9-darters in Barnsley, as MvG defeats Van de Pas to reign again!”
The 2016 Coral UK Open gets underway in Minehead on Friday afternoon as Michael van Gerwen looks to defend his title in the most unpredictable major tournament on the darting calendar. In the thirteen years since this event began, there have been thirteen different finalists. Josh’s Dartistry looks at 6 potential outsiders for the crown this year.
Alan Norris
Alan Norris is one of the form men in the PDC at present. The 2014 Lakeside finalist made the switch in January 2015 and after a difficult start initially, ‘Chuck’ has produced a series of fine performances in the past six months, which saw him reach the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace in his maiden PDC World Championship appearance.
Norris won his first PDC ranking title last October, in a Players Championship event in Ireland. This saw Alan qualify for the European Championships and the Players Championship Finals and he’s gone from strength-to-strength from this moment onwards.
World champion Gary Anderson sealed qualification to the UK Open in Minehead next month, as he defeated eight-time major winner James Wade 6-1 to win the fourth UK Open qualifier at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan.
Anderson, who was ruled out of the opening three qualifiers a fortnight ago through illness, performed superbly throughout the day, to secure his first ranking victory since winning his second World Championship title over a month ago.
‘The Flying Scotsman’ kicked off his qualification campaign with comprehensive 6-1 victories over both Darren Webster and Mike De Decker to reach the last 32, where he subsequently overcame Andrew Gilding in a tense last-leg decider.
Anderson defeated former world champion Mark Webster 6-2 in the following round, before sealing a last-four spot courtesy of a 6-3 triumph over Simon Whitlock. Anderson defeated the ever-improving Benito van de Pas 6-4 in the semi-finals, before defeating ‘The Machine’ 6-1 in the curtain raiser.
Continue reading “Anderson dispatches Wade to win UK Open qualifier 4!”
Michael van Gerwen retained his Dutch Darts Masters title with a brilliant victory over Daryl Gurney. The world number one was in sensational form, averaging 112.26 in Sunday’s showpiece final against the Northern Irishman in Venray.
Van Gerwen has won the Dutch Darts Masters crown for three years in succession and this is his eighth European Tour crown. This was Gurney’s maiden European Tour final, which sees him climb into the world’s elite top 32 for the first time in his career.
The final kicked off in explosive fashion. MvG held throw courtesy of a magnificent 152 checkout, but Gurney responded strongly; posting his first maximum before taking out 116 to level up proceedings.
The pair traded maximums in the third leg, but ‘The Green Machine’ held throw in 13-darts on D14. The Dutchman was throwing superbly and threatened a nine-darter in leg four, missing the elusive eighth dart at T19. Nevertheless, Michael broke throw in 11 darts to establish a two-leg cushion, as his average exceeded the 118 mark.
Continue reading “Van Gerwen retains Dutch Darts Masters crown with 112 average against Gurney!”
Benito van de Pas and Michael van Gerwen delighted the home crowd in round-three of the Dutch Darts Masters, whilst Daryl Gurney produced an incredible comeback from 4-1 down to stun world number five Peter Wright on Sunday afternoon in Venray.
Michael van Gerwen maintained his hopes of defending his Dutch Darts Masters title by defeating Justin Pipe in a repeat of last year’s final. van Gerwen averaged 102.65 as he cruised to a 6-3 win over Pipe, who could only boast a 90 average.
Nevertheless, the biggest stories of the afternoon were created by Benito van de Pas and Daryl Gurney, who produced stunning displays to overcome James Wade and Peter Wright respectively.
Van de Pas was in sensational form as he dismantled eight-time major winner James Wade 6-1. Wade performed well and averaged over 100, but the 23-year-old averaged 103.67 and was extremely clinical in the latter stages of legs, to beat ‘The Machine’ for the second time in succession.
Continue reading “Dutch Darts Masters- Last 16 Report & Results”