Krzysztof Ratajski produced a superb comeback to edge out Joe Cullen and claim his first title of the year in the final Pro Tour event of 2021 at Players Championship 30 on Thursday.
Continue reading “Ratajski reigns supreme in Barnsley after producing Cullen comeback”
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen and world No 1 Gerwyn Price were among the eight players to reach the quarter-finals of the 2021 Ladbrokes UK Open, following a thrilling day of darts in Milton Keynes on Saturday.
Continue reading “UK Open: Van Gerwen, Price & Wade reach the last eight”
Raymond van Barneveld rolled back the years to defeat fellow countryman Jermaine Wattimena in his final competitive event on home soil, whilst Michael van Gerwen fought back to edge out Gerwyn Price in a last-leg thriller on an eventful night at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.
Continue reading “Van Barneveld and Van Gerwen shine in Amsterdam!”
Krzysztof Ratajski and Brendan Dolan clinched Players Championship titles on a weekend that featured a host of big-name absentees in Hildesheim.
Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross, Daryl Gurney, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price and James Wade all sat out this weekend’s double-header in Germany, leaving World Matchplay finalist Michael Smith as the solitary top eight representative in action.
Continue reading “Ratajski and Dolan seal Players Championship titles!”
Steve Beaton defeated Raymond van Barneveld in a battle of the legends in Leverkusen, while Glen Durrant enjoyed a winning start on his European Tour debut on Friday night as the European Darts Open kicked off in style.
Continue reading “2019 European Darts Open – Day One Report!”
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!”
Darts’ biggest-ever event kicks off on Thursday night, as the 2018/19 PDC World Championship gets underway at the Alexandra Palace. With a record £2.5 million prize fund on offer, along with an expanded 96-player field, it’s set to be the best World Championship yet. Continue reading “PDC World Championship Preview!”
Gerwyn Price and Rob Cross were the big-name casualties on a dramatic opening day at the Players Championship Finals, as top seed Ian White posted a magnificent 111.12 average to kick off his Minehead campaign in style. Continue reading “Players Championship Finals – Day One Report!”
Krzysztof Ratajski incredibly made it back-to-back PDC title victories with a 6-4 triumph over Adrian Lewis in the final of Players Championship 22 at the Barnsley Metrodome on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading “Double Delight for Ratajski in Barnsley!”
Krzysztof Ratajski claimed his second PDC Pro Tour title of 2018 and a first Players Championship crown with a 6-2 victory over Chris Dobey at the Barnsley Metrodome on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading “Comeback King Ratajski seals second PDC title!”
Ricky Evans and Vincent van der Voort fired in ton-topping averages on the opening day of the European Darts Trophy in Gottingen, as Steve Beaton edged out Kim Huybrechts in a dramatic last-leg decider on Friday evening.
Ricky Evans produced the performance of the opening-round at the Lokhalle to dismantle Andrew Gilding 6-1 and set up a meeting with Darren Webster on Saturday evening. ‘Rapid’ averaged 104.73, registered four maximums and converted 60% of his attempts at double to cap off a wonderful display against ‘Goldfinger’.
Vincent van der Voort also produced a vintage display to keep his slender hopes of European Championship qualification alive. The Dutchman averaged 103.96 and posted five maximums to defeat Simon Stevenson 6-3, kicking off the contest with legs of 13, 13 and 11 darts, which he’ll need to replicate in round-two against Michael van Gerwen.
Toni Alcinas defied EIGHT maximums from Danny Noppert to close out a gripping deciding-leg win in the last match of Friday’s marathon double-session. ‘Noppie’ produced a blistering display of scoring but it wasn’t enough to defeat the spirited Spaniard, who averaged 97.51 and converted 41% of his darts at double to prevail.
Steve Beaton fended off an inspired fightback from Kim Huybrechts in a battle of the former European Tour winners. Beaton stormed into a 5-1 lead but the Belgian fought back to force a decider- only to miss one dart at the bull for victory, and ‘The Bronzed Adonis’ held his nerve to complete a clinical 78 kill and triumph with a 93.91 average.
Krzysztof Ratajski also survived one match dart in his first-round tussle against Steve West. ‘The Polish Eagle’ averaged 93.94 and hit 35% of his double attempts, but West missed one dart at D12 in the decider to snatch victory, which enabled Ratajski to convert D8 and set up a second-round meeting with home favourite Max Hopp.
Jeffrey de Zwaan will lock horns with world champion Rob Cross in an intriguing second-round tussle after seeing off host-nation qualifier Stefan Siepmann in his opener. De Zwaan wasn’t at his brilliant best but his combination finishing proved decisive, as he converted finishes of 73, 76, 88 and 120 to stave off any threat of an upset.
Martin Schindler delighted the home crowd with a hard-fought 6-3 win over Luke Woodhouse. ‘The Wall’ spurned ten darts at a double during the contest, but averaged 91.44 and registered four maximums to seal his place in the last 32, where he’ll take on the veteran Mervyn King.
Jelle Klaasen celebrated the birth of his second child this week, and he had more reasons to be cheerful after seeing off Maik Langendorf 6-4. Both players were below-par but Klaasen resisted a late fightback from the host-nation qualifier to prevail with an 88.51 average, two maximums and a 35% checkout conversion rate.
John Henderson came through a last-leg shootout against Mark Wilson to secure his spot in round-two, where he’ll take on Dutch Darts Champion Ian White. ‘The Highlander’ averaged 94.48 to Wilson’s 85.79, but the Scot was forced to conjure up a 14-dart leg in the decider to seal his progression.
2017 Development Tour winner Luke Humphries continued his bid to qualify for this month’s European Championship with a 6-4 win over Keegan Brown in the tournament’s curtain-raiser. Humphries averaged ten points more than the former World-Youth champion; prevailing with a 96.56 average, two 180’s and a 50% conversion rate.
Ryan Joyce maintained his 100% success rate in the first-round of European Tour events in 2018 with a comprehensive 6-1 win over Jermaine Wattimena. ‘Relentless’ wasn’t anywhere his best, but still breezed to victory against the off-colour Dutchman with an 88.37 average and a 46% checkout success rate.
Mickey Mansell set up a second-round clash with former Lakeside champion Stephen Bunting, after recording an emphatic 6-2 win over George Killington. Killington opened up an early 2-1 lead, but then was afforded just one more dart at a double, with Mansell reeling off five consecutive legs to triumph with an 87.76 average.
However, Mansell’s compatriot Brendan Dolan fell to a first-round defeat against host-nation qualifier Gabriel Clemens. The German averaged 92.30, crashed in three maximums and took out a fine 118 finish en route to victory over the former World Grand Prix finalist.
Matthew Edgar secured his first European Tour victory for three years with an impressive 6-3 win over Dutchman Jeffrey de Graaf. ‘Prime Time’ averaged 89.62, fired in four maximums and boasted a 50% checkout conversion rate to set up a second-round showdown against Joe Cullen.
Marko Kantele will play Premier League finalist Michael Smith for a place in the last 16, after seeing off qualifier Robert Marijanovic in round-one. The Finland World Cup veteran fired in five maximums in a powerful display of scoring; before rounding-off a 6-3 win with an 88.16 average and a 43% checkout success rate.
Richard North kept his hopes of European Championship qualification alive with a scrappy 6-3 win over host-nation qualifier Christian Bunse. The German outscored North for large periods, but missed 13 darts at double, as North limped to victory with a 79.04 average.
Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC
2018 European Darts Trophy (ET13)
Schedule of Play
Friday October 12
First Round
Afternoon Session (1pm local time, 12pm BST)
Luke Humphries 6-4 Keegan Brown
Matthew Edgar 6-3 Jeffrey de Graaf
Mickey Mansell 6-2 George Killington
John Henderson 6-5 Mark Wilson
Gabriel Clemens 6-3 Brendan Dolan
Marko Kantele 6-3 Robert Marijanovic
Ryan Joyce 6-1 Jermaine Wattimena
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 Steve West
Evening Session (7.15pm local time, 6.15pm BST)
Richard North 6-3 Christian Bunse
Ricky Evans 6-1 Andrew Gilding
Martin Schindler 6-3 Luke Woodhouse
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 Simon Stevenson
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Maik Langendorf
Steve Beaton 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-3 Steffen Siepmann
Toni Alcinas 6-5 Danny Noppert
Saturday October 13
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1pm local time, 12pm BST)
Joe Cullen v Matthew Edgar
Michael Smith v Marko Kantele
Dave Chisnall v Ryan Joyce
Stephen Bunting v Mickey Mansell
Daryl Gurney v Luke Humphries
Simon Whitlock v Richard North
Ian White v John Henderson
Jonny Clayton v Gabriel Clemens
Evening Session (7.15pm local time, 6.15pm BST)
Mervyn King v Martin Schindler
Gerwyn Price v Steve Beaton
Darren Webster v Ricky Evans
Michael van Gerwen v Vincent van der Voort
Peter Wright v Jelle Klaasen
James Wade v Toni Alcinas
Max Hopp v Krzysztof Ratajski
Rob Cross v Jeffrey de Zwaan
‘The FA Cup of Darts’ returns this week, as the 2018 Coral UK Open Finals get underway at Butlins Minehead on Friday afternoon. 96 professional qualifiers are joined by 32 Rileys Amateur qualifiers in this unique open-draw event, and Josh’s Dartistry highlights four men who could be potential outsiders this weekend! Continue reading “UK Open 2018: Four Potential Outsiders!”
World number one Michael van Gerwen will be the top seed heading into next month’s Coral UK Open Finals in Minehead, after winning two of the six qualification events at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan over the past fortnight. Continue reading “Final UK Open Order of Merit!”
Krzysztof Ratajski defeated World Grand Prix champion Daryl Gurney to win UK Open qualifier six at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan on Sunday evening, to become the first ever Polish winner of a PDC event. Continue reading “UK Open Qualifier Six Report!”
The 2018 PDC Qualifying Schools came to a dramatic close in Wigan and Hildesheim on Sunday afternoon, after a gruelling four days of qualification. Nevertheless, whilst there was joy for many players, there were also a host of high-profile names who failed to secure coveted PDC Tour Cards. Continue reading “Several big names suffer Q-School disappointment!”
There will be a record field of over 600 players competing in the 2018 PDC Qualifying Schools, as players battle it out for coveted PDC Tour Cards in Wigan and Hildesheim from January 18th-21st. Continue reading “2018 PDC Qualifying Schools: Entries confirmed!”
Michael van Gerwen began the defence of his William Hill World Darts Championship title with a stunning victory over his fellow countryman Christian Kist, whilst Gerwyn Price, Steve Beaton and James Wilson also prevailed on a high-quality opening night at the Alexandra Palace on Thursday evening. Continue reading “PDC World Championship 2018: Day One 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!”
The field of international qualifiers for the 2018 World Darts Championship has been confirmed, with a total of 24 set to compete at the biggest tournament in world darts at the Alexandra Palace from December 14th-January 1st. Continue reading “International Qualifiers confirmed for PDC World Championship!”
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!”
James Wade’s hopes of qualifying for this month’s European Championship were dashed after he was dismantled by Nathan Aspinall on an eventful opening day at the European Darts Trophy in Gottingen on Friday evening. Continue reading “European Darts Trophy: Day One Report!”
Former European Tour winners James Wade, Vincent van der Voort and Mervyn King triumphed on an eventful opening day of the European Darts Open, as James Richardson produced the performance of the first-round in Leverkusen. Continue reading “European Darts Open: Day One Report!”
Adrian Lewis began his bid to win a second PDC European Tour title in Sindelfingen with a commanding 6-2 win over Stephen Bunting, whilst in-form Dutch star Jan Dekker produced the performance of the opening-round on a dramatic opening day at the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix on Friday. Continue reading “European Darts Grand Prix: Day One Report!”
16-year-old host-nation qualifier Nico Blum sent the German crowd into raptures with a brilliant debut victory on the European Tour, as Vincent van der Voort, Mervyn King & Paul Nicholson also triumphed on a dramatic opening day of action at the German Darts Open in Saarbrucken on Friday. Continue reading “German Darts Open: Day One Report!”
Paul Nicholson, Kevin Painter and Mervyn King were among the high-profile names to register victories in the opening round of the German Darts Championship, as the 2017 European Tour got underway in a marathon double-session of darts in Hildesheim on Friday. Continue reading “German Darts Championship: Day One Report!”
Third seed Danny Noppert produced one of the performances of the second-round to cruise into the quarter-finals and set up a clash with defending champion Scott Waites, as Darius Labanauskas, Anastasia Dobromyslova and Corrine Hammond all triumphed on an entertaining night of darts at the Lakeside Country Club on Thursday evening.
Noppert’s dream Lakeside debut continues as he stormed into the last eight after whitewashing his Dutch compatriot Richard Veenstra in round-two. ‘Noppie’ averaged 91.02, landed the solitary maximum and converted an impressive 48% of his double attempts to triumph comprehensively against last year’s semi-finalist.
Noppert opened up proceedings with a confident 15-dart hold. Veenstra seemed destined to level but squandered seven darts at double as ‘Noppie’ doubled his tally via D9. ‘Flyers’ continued to be plagued by double trouble after missing a further three darts to break back and the third seed clinched the first set with a ruthless 77 kill on the bullseye.
The scrappy start continued as Noppert broke throw on D1 after Veenstra failed to open his account with a 107 checkout; his eleventh missed dart at double in the match. The Lakeside debutant won his fifth straight leg after recording a 16-dart hold on tops, before he landed his first maximum and converted a sublime 11-darter to double his lead. Continue reading “2017 BDO World Championship Day Six: Evening Report!”
Dutch debutant Danny Noppert produced the performance of the tournament thus far to set up a second-round tie with his compatriot Richard Veenstra, whilst Wesley Harms and women’s top seed Deta Hedman suffered shock first-round exits on a dramatic session of darts at the Lakeside Country Club on Tuesday afternoon.
Noppert enjoyed a dream Lakeside debut by posting the highest average of the tournament thus far in defeating Canadian qualifier David Cameron in round-one. The Dutchman endured early nerves on the doubles, but recovered superbly and recorded a 3-1 victory after averaging 98.07 and landing six maximums.
Noppert reeled off three successive legs in 15 darts or under to recover from a torrid start in the opening set. Cameron secured the lead with a 15-dart break via D10, before extending his lead on D2 after ‘Noppie’ followed up his first maximum with ten missed darts at double.
Nevertheless, the Dutchman won his first leg with his twelfth attempt at double; registering his second 180 and converting a 68 finish on tops. This galvanised the third seed, as he fired in his third maximum and completed a 12-dart leg with a clinical 81 kill on D16, before hitting D4 to round-off a 65 checkout and seal the set inside 15 darts. Continue reading “2017 BDO World Championship Day Four: Afternoon Report!”
Fourth seed Jamie Hughes saw off Lakeside veteran Martin Atkins to set up a second-round tie with Welsh star Jim Williams, as Krzysztof Ratajski, Raymond Smith and Fallon Sherrock also triumphed on a nerve-jangling night of action at the Lakeside Country Club on Sunday evening.
Jamie Hughes posted his highest ever average in a BDO World Championship as he defeated the veteran Martin Atkins to reach round-two. The 30-year-old Tipton ace averaged 94.4 and landed four maximums to triumph, as Atkins’ twelfth World Championship appearance culminated with a first-round exit.
Atkins made an imperious start, posting his first maximum and taking out 98 to break inside 14 darts. Hughes responded in kind however, landing his first 180 and nailing D10 for a second successive 14-dart break.. ‘Yozza’ then converted a 76 kill for a 15-dart hold, before clinching the opener on D5 after four missed darts at double from Atkins.
Hughes was growing in confidence and the Tipton ace clinched his fourth straight leg with a clinical 79 finish, before seizing command of the second set with a two-dart 60 kill as his average approached the 100 mark. Continue reading “2017 BDO World Championship Day Two: Evening Report!”